ft.com South Korean Prime Minister Chung Hong-won has tendered his resignation, after becoming a lightning rod for criticism of the government's response to the Sewol ferry disaster.

reuters Saudi Arabia has confirmed 10 more cases of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), which kills around a third of sufferers, and said two more people have died from the disease.


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



nationmultimedia.com Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva is ready to hold talks with Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and fugitive former premier Thaksin Shinawatra next week in a bid to end the prolonged political deadlock.

ft.com The murder of a prominent pro-government activist in the capital on Wednesday underscored a sense of trouble ahead, as summed up by a tweet from one expat in Bangkok: ''Thailand must be the only country on the verge of civil war to pause for a water fight.''

aap Three police officers have been killed and 20 people wounded in a bomb attack near a fishing competition in Thailand's insurgency-ridden deep south, officials say. The remote-control device, hidden near a police security checkpoint, went off in Sai Buri district of Pattani province.

nationmultimedia.com The UN Committee Against Torture is due to review Thailand's record for the first time on Wednesday and Thursday in sessions that will be webcast live. Thailand is one of 155 states who are parties to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, and is required to undergo regular examination of its record before the committee of 10 independent experts.



theaustralian.com.au Visiting US President Barack Obama offered support to Malaysia last night in the baffling mystery over missing flight MH370 as he tries to improve relations with the Islamic world and strengthen trade and defence ties in the region, following another warning by him to North Korea.



nationmukltimedia.com Six Senses Yao Noi, off Phuket, has launched an organic chicken farm. In January the resort purchased 200 laying hens and as of April the farm now provides guests with fresh eggs daily. By June, it is estimated that the chickens will supply the resort with all their eggs.

zeenews.india.com Four Indian naval ships visited Thailand's Phuket island as part of a professional exchange cooperation program, signalling a further boost in defence ties between the two countries which astride one of the strategic international maritime shipping lanes.

theguardian.com An Australian passenger who sparked a hijack alert on a flight to Bali has denied being drunk and claimed he banged on the door of the cockpit after mistaking it for the toilet. He says he was only under the influence of Panadol, Voltaren and Coca-Cola.

pattayapeople.com Human trafficking raids in Pattaya found young children and disabled people being used as beggars. One five-year-old said his Cambodian mother takes him every day to Beach Road and Walking Street to beg. He has to hand over all the money and if he does not get any money the woman beats him. Apparently, she used the money on drinking, yaba and gambling.

bangkokpost.com There is no definitive consensus on what constitutes a failed state, but let's consider this one. Washington-based NGO Fund for Peace outlined the following characteristics associated with failed states. One: Loss of control of territory, or of the monopoly on the legitimate use of physical force therein. Two: Erosion of legitimate authority to make collective decisions. Three: Inability to provide public services. Four: Inability to interact with other states as a full member of the international community.

reuters Protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban has said it could be two years or more before the country can go to the polls again. That is a daunting prospect for a country that has spent months under a caretaker government with diminished spending and policymaking powers.

bangkokpost.com Thailand has been mired in ''a decade of darkness'' resulting from the politics of populism and graft, Privy Councillor Kasem Watthanachai told a seminar. Mr Kasem said the crisis Thailand has been facing over the past decade is unprecedented.

nationmultimedia.com The Privy Council president has agreed to a proposal by the Man of State group to seek His Majesty the King's assistance to help end the political crisis and allow the country to move forward, according to the group's leader.

bangkokpost.com Leaflets were found at the Royal Thai Armed Forces Headquarters saying the military had lost its dignity for failing to protect an officer injured in an attack by anti-government protest guards.



AP Despite pleas from the United Nations, which considers members of the Rohingya religious minority among the most persecuted groups on earth, nearby countries shove them back to sea or bar them altogether. ''The sense of desperation and hopelessness is growing,'' warned Vivian Tan of UNHCR, the UN refugee agency.

news.com.au All 15 surviving navigation crew members of the sunken ferry Sewol are now in custody, facing charges ranging from criminal negligence to abandoning passengers.

bbc.co.uk Five British service personnel have been killed in a UK helicopter crash in southern Afghanistan. The Ministry of Defence said the crash is being investigated and that enemy action is not believed to be the cause.

scmp.com Additional sanctions agreed by Group of Seven are to be imposed on Russia as pro-Moscow rebels continue to hold neutral observers, accusing them of being Nato spies.



afp Ryan Giggs saw his first match as interim Manchester United manager end in a 4-0 thrashing of Premier League strugglers Norwich City at Old Trafford.

afp Everton squandered a chance to move into fourth place in the Premier League as two own goals in the first half gifted a 2-0 win to Southampton.



Phuket Update The popular Phuket Pride Week Grand Parade takes place along Patong's beach road today from 3pm - and with a new mayor elected, everybody's seeing rainbows.

Phuket Update Tesco Lotus is to relaunch its first Phuket supermarket on May 1 after a major remake that has upgraded facilities and added new stores and parking to the complex. The supermarket is in Samkong, Phuket City, on the bypass road.

April 30 US Embassy Outreach, Le Meridien Phuket Beach Resort, 8am-noon.

May 24 Visakha Bucha Day

July 11 Arsanha Bucha Day

August 12 Queen's Birthday

September 24-October 2 Vegetarian Festival, Phuket

October 23 Chulalongkorn Memorial Day

November 6 Loy Kratong

November 14-21 Fourth Asia Beach Games, Phuket

December 5 King's Birthday

December 10 Constitution Day

December 25 Christmas Day

December 26 10th Anniversary, 2004 Tsunami

December 31 New Year's Eve