independent.co.uk An earthquake of magnitude 7.2 has struck off Papua New Guinea, the US Geological Survey said. Aftershocks followed ranging from magnitude 4.9 to 5.9.

nytimes.com British voters are heading to the polls Thursday, and it looks as if it's going to be a nail-biter. The traditional two-party system is breaking down in Britain, which makes the outcome more uncertain.

independent.ie Irish children aged five and under are the fattest in Europe, a new study reveals.

bangkokpost.com The current immigration law punishes human smugglers with only two years in jail and a fine up to 60,000 baht maximum. This is quite generous to smugglers. This needs to change.

thestar.com.my ''We have been paying some tea money to officials every month or else we may end up being prosecuted for illegal entry,'' said Joja, a Rohingya settled in Ranong for 20 years.

reuters ''We have transferred over 50 police officers over this issue because commanders in local areas know who has been involved in what,'' Chief of Royal Thai Police General Somyot Poompanmuang told reporters.

abc.net.au A tragedy almost beyond words has been unfolding in Thailand, where a human smuggling network is thriving with the full knowledge of some corrupt law enforcement officers. Listen as Alan Morison of Phuketwan talks to Australia's AM program.
http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2015/s4231108.htm


PHUKET: The daily wrap of Thailand news, with a Phuket perspective, plus relevant reports from national and international media. Beware of inconsistent imitations.



theguardian.com Human trafficking may have taken place in Thailand on a far greater scale than previously suspected, with dozens of mass graves containing the bodies of victims lying undiscovered throughout the country's south, according to testimony gathered by a Bangkok-based human rights group.

time.com While thousands of members of the much persecuted Rohingya community successfully make the perilous voyage on rickety boats from Burma, hundreds die en route and many more are held captive in jungle camps, often with the collusion of local law enforcement, until their friends or relatives cough up enough cash to buy their freedom.

bangkokpost.com The prime minister wants these Rohingya human trafficking camps "and related activities" ended within 10 days, or authorities involved could be punished.

nationmultimediacom Local officials from village heads to district chiefs would not only search for signs of Rohingya trafficking, such as detention camps and graves, but also other crimes ranging from land encroachment and illegal or unregulated fishing to the drug trade.

belfasttelegraph.co.uk Britain goes to the ballot box today in the most uncertain General Election for decades, with no party on course to emerge a clear winner.



news.sky.com A British diving instructor has been shot dead in front of his wife in the Bahamas. Gary Vanhoeck, 51, was shot twice in the head by masked raiders during a robbery on the couple's luxury yacht. His wife Kathryn, 42, also a diver, was tied up by the men and forced to watch her husband die.
http://news.sky.com/story/1478487/uk-diving-teacher-shot-dead-in-bahamas-robbery

nationmultimedia.com An undersea jolted the southern provinces of Phang Nga, Phuket and Krabi, causing widespread alarm but no harm. The Meteorological Department said the quake was in the Klong Marui Fault Zone, which is still active.

Phuket Update ''For Phuket, the things that must be in good working order are the emergency broadcast warning centre, the emergency evacuation areas or temporary shelters, and the emergency evacuation drill in high-risk areas along the coast,'' said Phuket Governor Nisit Jansomwong after the first two earthquakes yesterday. ''All residents and tourists must be informed of the emergency situation and must know the evacuation procedure.''

Phuket Update An Etihad Airways flight for Singapore made an emergency landing in Phuket on Tuesday night after a woman passenger passed out on board. Suhaila Obaid Amer Alaleeli, 67, a United Arab Emirates national travelling with her family, later died at Thalang Hospital.

traveldailymedia.com On May 21, Sichuan Airlines will launch four weekly flights (every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday) to the Thailand resort province of Krabi from Chengdu.

scmp.com VIDEO DUEL A Chinese male driver in the southwestern city of Chengdu was captured on film intercepting a woman's car and dragging her out of her seat, throwing her on the ground, before savagely kicking her several times on the head.
http://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1787577/mans-brutal-beating-female-driver-divides-chinese-public-after

afp Canadian police have announced the arrests of 41 people in Canada and the US for child pornography distributed through social media in 17 countries including Australia in a case that may have involved up to 2000 boy victims. Nineteen child victims including infants and teenagers have so far been identified, police added. Their images were distributed in 17 countries including Australia, Britain, the Netherlands and Russia.

bangkokpost.com The family of a cyclist killed by a speeding car in Bangkok hold her funeral as a 23-year-old man tells police he drove the hit-and-run car, but was not drunk.

voanews.com Thailand's military government has introduced a new strategy to curb the insurgency that has rumbled on in the country's jungle-blanketed deep south for more than a decade: DNA swabbing.

afp Human traffickers could try to target vulnerable women and children displaced by a devastating earthquake in Nepal, campaigners warned

reuters Thailand has made significant headway in the fight against illegal fishing, Deputy Prime Minister Pridiyathorn Devakula said on Wednesday, following a decision by the European Union last month to give the country six months to drastically clean up its fishing industry.

csmonitor.com An Afghan court sentenced four men to death for their role in the brutal mob killing of a woman in Kabul. In a country where violence against women often goes unpunished the ruling was unusually harsh and incredibly swift.

sbs.com.au Aussies may be known the world over for their love of beer, but new data shows consumption of the amber liquid has fallen to levels not seen since World War II. At just over four litres, the amount consumed last year was the lowest since 1945/46, when 3.87 litres was drunk by the average Australian.

king5.com Rescued Phuket Soi dog Reese, who ran away when startled by a road crash near her new home in Seattle, has been found and rescued by strangers a second time from a life on the streets, this time in the US. ''It's the most wonderful news,'' said her owner, Karen Grasso.



bangkokpost.com The Bureau of Immigration in the Philippines said it lodged an undesirability charge against a Thai citizen, Prasertsri Kosin, for calling Filipinos ''pignoys,'' ''stupid creatures,'' ''low-class slum slaves'' and ''useless race in this world'' under the name Koko Narak on Facebook, Inquirer.net reported.

Try Phuketwan's Asean Today daily:
http://phuketwan.com/tourism/asean-today-pop-beach-singapore-maserati-crashes-masters-sudoku-bali-fired-22410/



reuters Two late moments of Lionel Messi magic and a goal from Neymar helped Barcelona break the resistance of Bayern Munich in a pulsating 3-0 victory in their Champions League semi-final first leg at the Nou Camp.

irishtimes.com The English Football Association tried to impose an unofficial quota system on the number of black players an England manager should be allowed to use, according to a new book about racism within the sport. Pitch Black, written by Emy Onuora, includes a passage in which one of the sport's leading anti-racism campaigners claims Graham Taylor admitted to him he had been summoned by two members of the FA's hierarchy and told ''in no uncertain terms'' he should not go beyond a certain limit.

smh.com.au Aussie tennis star Nick Kyrgios has claimed the biggest scalp of his rising career, beating childhood hero and 17-time grand slam champion Roger Federer. Federer saved six match points before Kyrgios blasted his way to a career-defining win, 6-7, 7-6, 7-6 (14-12) in more than two hours in the third round at the Madrid Masters.



June 20-21 Baba wedding at Old Phuket Town

July 14-16 Trial of Phuketwan journalists at Phuket Provincial Court

July 15-19 Cape Panwa Hotel Phuket Raceweek