bangkokpost.com Russian man Sergei Lelekov has been arrested at the customs office in Samui for allegedly smuggling into Thailand 6.5 kilos of cocaine worth about 26 million baht.

nationmultimedia.com A startled elephant barrelled into a crowd of tourists at Chiang Mai Night Safari, mowing down nine and injuring five seriously. The nine were offered lifetime passes and 30,000 baht in compensation.

bangkokpost.com Airlines cancel 74 flights through Chiang Mai and reschedule other services during Loy Krathong over safety concerns caused by traditional floating lanterns.


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



reuters French warplanes pounded Islamic State positions in Syria as police in Europe widened their investigations into coordinated attacks in Paris that killed more than 130 people. Islamic State has claimed responsibility for Friday's suicide bombings and shootings.

afp French President Francois Hollande said he wanted the state of emergency declared after the Paris attacks to last three months, parliamentary sources told AFP, a move that would cover the upcoming UN climate conference.

nytimes.com Officials across Europe were calling for even stronger border controls, stricter screening of those arriving and some way to persuade people to stay in the Middle East. So far, it is mostly talk.



themalaysiainsider.com Rohingya in Malaysia are pinning their hopes on Aung San Suu Kyi's leadership to acknowledge their rights as Myanmar citizens, saying that it is one of the more important elements to be a truly democratic nation.



Phuket Update The Thai army and police patrolled Patong Beach in Phuket on Sunday night, to assure tourists of safety measures following the attacks in Paris. Claude de Crissey, France's Honorary Consul for Phuket, joined the forces.

Phuket Update Key roads leading into Saphan Hin public park in Phuket City are to be shut after 10pm tonight as police try to reduce motorcycle gang activity following the shooting murder of a 15-year-old during the Vegetarian Festival last month.

khaosodenglish.com Police say they are mulling charges of defamation against a woman who allegedly berated a traffic police officer in a video posted online. Sukanya Laiban, 23, met with police and admitted to posting the video to rant against the officer for telling her not to park in a restricted area, but the commander of Krabi Police Station is adamant she should face criminal charges for her inflammatory words.

bangkokpost.com SET-listed developer Sansiri Plc has launched a rental yield guarantee program to tempt buyers and stimulate sales for some 800 unsold, ready-to-transfer units at eight completed condo projects in four key tourist destinations, including Phuket.

nationmultimedia.com Coal-fired power plants planned for Krabi and Songkhla's Thepha district are a crucial part of the national energy strategy to diversify power generation options, as well as reduce electricity costs and enhancing energy-supply security, a senior Energy Ministry official said.

bangkokpost.com Grocery outlets at subway stations, and reduced fares for commuters are envisaged after the Transport Ministry agreed to amend a law to allow business development at the sites.

thedailybeast.com By 2030 the Asia Pacific region will overtake both North America and Europe to become the largest aviation market, representing 32 percent of the world total. (This growth will create an unprecedented spike in the demand for airline pilots - with the region needing as many as 216,000 more pilots.) For experts on airport security this suggests a nightmare future - an ever-growing number of airports in potentially vulnerable locations handling millions of passengers from multiple destinations (including the US) with little experience of defending against random, opportunistic terrorism and without an agreed standard security regime.

nationmultimedia.com Founded by Boonchai and Kannika Jivavisitnon about 41 years ago, Wangkaimook is considered one of the biggest traders in the local pearl market with the main showroom for pearl ornaments being opened at Ratchathevi Road in Bangkok. The family started diversifying into the hospitality sector 27 years ago with its first small hotel, Patong Bayshore, being developed on Patong beach in Phuket after the family saw the long-term potential for tourism on the island.

bangkokpost.com Frederik Majoor and his wife, Patraporn, live in a tropical paradise just a seven-minute walk from Surin beach in Phuket. They own three villas that boast a lush, beautifully landscaped garden, complete with a waterfall and a large pond designed like a stream and populated by 99 colourful Japanese carp, or koi.

news.yahoo.com Ko Tapu, in Phang Nga Bay in Phuket, Thailand, is so closely associated with 007 that it's popularly known as James Bond Island. Little more than a big limestone rock (it's 8m across at its widest point and 20m tall), Ko Tapu and its bigger neighbor Khao Phing Kan featured as the hideout of assassin Francisco Scaramanga in 1974's The Man with the Golden Gun and have proved popular with tourists in the years since.

telegraph.co.uk Beware the crispy roast potato and the crunchy slice of toast. Both contain worryingly high levels of a cancer-causing chemical. A new study by Britain's Food Standards Agency (FSA), the Government's food safety watchdog, measured the amount of acrylamide - a cancer-causing toxin - in roast potatoes, chips and toast cooked in the home.



irrawaddy.org In a meeting with more than 80 political parties, President Thein Sein urged the leaders of Myanmar's next government to continue the course of reforms that his Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) set in motion four years ago, one week after the ruling government suffered a crushing defeat at the ballot box.



theage.com.au The woman who shocked the ultimate fighting world, American Holly Holm, says she wants to give fallen champion Ronda Rousey a re-match for the title she took from her in what is being described As the ''greatest upset in UFC history'' at Etihad Stadium in Melbourne.

afp Thai teenager Danthai Boonma shot a two-under par 69 to edge out Malaysia's Nick Fung and win the inaugural Asian Tour World Classic Championship in Singapore.



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



January 7-10 Phuket International Boat Show