4hoteliers.com Hotels in major tourist destinations such as Phuket, Pattaya, Chiang Mai and Samui are forecast to run at a 78 percent average occupancy rate during Songkran, 6.2 percent up on the same time last year.


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



bangkokpost.com The government insists the Central Festival Samui bombing was motivated by anti-coup political sentiment though the attackers might also be involved with insurgent groups in the far South.

israelnationalnews.com Family members mourn 12-year-old Shani Maril as her family has arrived back in Israel ahead of the funeral. Maril died tragically in a ferry fire in Thailand last week. Until then, relatives said, Maril had a ''lovely time'' on her Bat Mitzvah trip - and that is how she would like to be remembered.

timesofisrael.com Narong Woonchew, the deputy governor of Krabi province, said police were still investigating the cause of the fire, which engulfed the Ao Nang Princess boat that was carrying about 110 people and traveling from Krabi to Phuket.



bangkokpost.com Four people were killed after their pickup and a bus carrying foreign tourists collided in Nakhon Sawan province. Nine British, German, Russian and Danish nationals were on the bus.

nationmultimedia.com Some 121 people have been killed and 1281 injured on Thai roads after three of the 'Seven Dangerous Days' linked to the current Songkran break.

telegraph.co.uk Democrat frontrunner Hillary Clinton officially launches bid to secure nomination for 2016 White House race with campaign video pledging to be America's ''champion.''

news.com.au A 65-year-old teacher, who already has 13 children, is pregnant again with quadruplets. If the babies are born Annegret Raunigk, of Berlin, will become the oldest woman to give birth to quadruplets.

stickmanweekly.com It isn't just the biggest expat website in Thailand, but probably the biggest site of its type in all of Asia. It boasts a mailing list approaching 300,000 dwarfing all other Thailand expat sites put together. But little is known about what goes on behind the scenes, nor about the site's owner, who avoids publicity. It's time to take a closer look at the phenomenon that is ThaiVisa.com.

bangkokpost.com The Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) has threatened to suspend or revoke the aviation licences of Thai-registered airlines which abruptly cancel their flights, causing passenger inconvenience.

bbc.com Turkey has summoned the Vatican ambassador after Pope Francis used the word ''genocide'' to describe mass killing of Armenians under Ottoman rule in WW1 100 years ago, reports say. Armenia and many historians say up to 1.5 million people were systematically killed by Ottoman forces in 1915.

smh.com.au An office bookkeeper, who was sacked after accidentally sending a text message to her boss calling him a ''complete dick,'' has failed to convince a tribunal that it was just a light-hearted insult. Louise Nesbitt lived out a workplace nightmare last year after mistakenly sending the text to her employer instead of her daughter's boyfriend.

theherald.com.au Editorial: The health fund nib recently removed reference to the 12-month post-operation care policy for those getting breast surgery or dental work in Thailand. A spokesman explained it was still providing the service but it ''was on a steep learning curve''.
http://www.theherald.com.au/story/3006100/editorial-challenges-of-medical-tourism/



Try Phuketwan's Asean Today daily:
http://phuketwan.com/tourism/asean-today-princes-lavish-wedding-bbc-staffer-missing-beer-fear-hits-indonesia-22246/



afp Jordan Spieth won a historic Masters triumph for the ages, deftly handling the final-round tension to hold off Phil Mickelson and Justin Rose and win his first major title by four shots.

express.co.uk Manchester City were ridiculous, awful, all over the place and got annihilated by Manchester United in the derby, according to Robbie Savage. City lost 4-2 at Old Trafford after taking the lead through Sergio Aguero.



Until April 19 Phuket Bike Week

April 13-15 Songkran Festival

May 4 Additional public holiday scheduled

June 20-21 Baba wedding at Old Phuket Town

July 15-19 Cape Panwa Hotel Phuket Raceweek