bangkokpost.com The Tourism and Sports Ministry and tourism operators have hailed the approval of multiple-entry visas effective for six months as a measure that will help to attract more tourists to the country.

reuters Japan wants to give planes to the Philippines to use to patrol the South China Sea, sources say. Tokyo is looking to offer Manila three Beechcraft TC-90 King Air planes that could be fitted with basic surface and air surveillance radar, four sources with knowledge of the matter said.

stuff.co.nz As Malaysia said a plane part found last week came from MH370, a French authority was more cautious, saying only that a ''strong supposition'' could be made that the part was from MH370.


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 baht has slipped to its lowest point in six years, exactly the right result in the eyes of the Bank of Thailand, which again left interest rates unchanged.

bbc.com Rescuers are searching for survivors after a boat carrying as many as 600 migrants capsized in the Mediterranean off Libya. Officials initially feared hundreds had drowned but UNHCR said 400 people were rescued.

nationmultimedia.com Thailand is moving to grant multiple-entry visas to all visitors from any country in a bid to boost tourism and drive the economy. Tourism Minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul said the proposal is expected to go into effect within 60 days after Cabinet approval.

Full story here
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Plan-to-grant-multiple-entry-visas-to-tourists-fro-30266029.html



presstv.ir Rohingya Muslims have no allies and no friends. They are totally dispossessed by the country in which they live and by the countries around them. The UN becomes a talking institution when it comes to people who have no allies.

reuters US Secretary of State John Kerry met Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak and noted steps taken to address human trafficking but urged Malaysia to improve law enforcement and victim protection, a US State Department official said.



nationmultimedia.com Students with wide ear-piercing and clearly visible tattoos will not be accepted for general study courses at public vocational schools in Bangkok and its outskirts next academic year.

bangkokpost.com The United Nations promises to downgrade Thailand's National Human Rights Commission unless the military stops selecting the commissioners.

nationmultimedia.com Two consortia have submitted proposals to build a 48-billion-baht coal-fired power plant in the southern province of Krabi, even though opponents of the project insist there is no need to build such a ''polluting'' power plant in the tourism-dependent province.

nationmultimedia.com Launched yesterday, GrabBike offers the same service concept as GrabTaxi, pooling motorbike drivers who have a public driving licence with customers who want to deliver goods, parcel post, and even passengers.

theguardian.com Vandals spray-painted ''lion killer'' on a Florida vacation home that is owned by American dentist and game hunter Walter Palmer who used a bow and arrow to shoot Cecil, Zimbabwe's best-known lion, authorities said.

nationmultimedia.com Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva said the Democrats and the People's Democratic Reform Committee shared the same common goals - but worked independently.

ajw.asahi.com August in Japan is always a solemn month as Hiroshima and Nagasaki hold ceremonies to remember the tens of thousands of people who perished in the 1945 atomic bombings. Some Japanese politicians, however, still seek to arm Japan with nuclear weapons.

khaosod.com Two weeks after the military government issued confusing orders banning sales within 300 metres of some schools and universities and prohibiting all sales ''in the vicinity'' of all school property, a deputy prime minister said a committee will spend six months deliberating what ''vicinity'' means.

jpost.com A Christian tourist from France who was beaten by Muslims on the Temple Mount after raising an Israeli flag near al-Aksa Mosque may face legal charges for incitement and disturbing the public order at the contested holy site.

bbc.com The Bombay high court overturned a family court ruling from 2011 that granted divorce to a sailor who claimed his wife's regular partying, among other things, was a form of abuse. Last year, a man in Mumbai (formerly known as Bombay) wanted to divorce his wife because of too much sex. She failed to respond in court.



travelpulse.com Another family yachting possibility comes from the Thai island of Krabi where the Ritz-Carlton's Phulay Bay property offers a kid-oriented package that includes a day of sailing through the Andaman Sea's Trang Archipelago.

nzherald.co.nz Oh boy! The elbow pressing - the secret weapon in the arsenal of applied pain. The bony tips of two tiny elbows carry 45kg of body weight deep into the bunched muscles of my calves. Ao Nang is a 20-minute drive from Krabi. The writer travelled to Phuket as a guest of the Tourism Authority of Thailand and Thai Airways.



bloomberg Very Rich and Living With Mum: Everyone knows Singapore is an expensive country that's transforming itself into a smart city. Here are five less-known facts about the island nation as it marks its 50th year of independence.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-08-04/the-singapore-way-very-rich-and-living-with-mum



afp Free-diving world champion Natalia Molchanova, 53, is feared dead three days after she went missing during a recreational dive in the Mediterranean near the Spanish island of Ibiza. She could hold her breath for nine minutes.

cnn.com Reacting to reports by Britain's Sunday Times and German broadcaster ARD that analysed a leaked database of official drug tests, International Association of Athletic Federations (IAAF) vice-president Sebastian Coe said the allegations amounted to a ''declaration of war.'' The IAAF has denied athletics is suffering a similar crisis to cycling's history of doping.



August 12 HM The Queen's birthday

August 23-30 Por Tor (Hungry Ghost) Festival

September Quicksilver surf carnival at Patong beach

October 15-23 Phuket Vegetarian Festival

November Patong Festival

November 20 Laguna Phuket Triathlon

November 25 Loy Kratong festival

November 29 Challenge Laguna Phuket 2015

November 29 Phuket King's Cup Regatta

December 5 HM The King's Birthday

December 26 Tsunami memorial ceremonies