UPDATING All Day, Every Day
theage.com.au South African athlete Oscar Pistorius has been sentenced to five years in prison over the shooting death of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp. The double amputee sprinter was found guilty of culpable homicide last month.
watoday.com.au An Australian man found with his throat slashed, wrapped in plastic and dumped in a Bali rice field, has been named as Robert Kelvin Ellis, 60.
afp A council selected by Thailand's ruling junta Tuesday started work on reforms to close the nation's festering political divide, a task critics dismiss as aimed at diluting the influence of ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra.
smh.com.au Fashion designer Oscar de la Renta has died. The 82-year-old, who most recently designed Amal Clooney's wedding gown for her nuptials to actor George Clooney, was diagnosed with cancer in 2006.
rt.com The CEO of France's oil and gas giant Total, Christophe de Margerie, was reportedly among four people killed in a business jet crash at Vnukovo Airport in Moscow after the aircraft hit a snowplow on take-off.
PhuketWATCH Daily Media Wrap
PHUKET: The daily wrap of Thailand news, with a Phuket perspective, plus relevant reports from national and international media. Beware of inconsistent imitations.
Today's Top News Items
nationmultimedia.com Two South Koreans were still missing after the speedboat they were riding in crashed into a fishing trawler off Phi Phi Island on Sunday. The victims were among dozens of tourists on the boat, whose driver faces charges related to reckless driving.
bangkokpost.com As ex-premier Yingluck headed to Japan for holidays with Thaksin, orders were issued in the military-appointed parliament to impeach her and former Speakers.
nationmultimedia.com Japan is eyeing Thailand for use as a trade hub and is happy the Kingdom is changing its regulations to facilitate the setting up of an international trading headquarters in the country, according to a Thai deputy prime minister.
Tourists' Murder on Koh Tao
reutersThailand's human rights commission will launch an inquiry into allegations of police torture of two migrant workers from Myanmar arrested over the murders of two British tourists, the rights body said.
humanrights.asia Since the investigation is still ongoing, the alleged offenders must enjoy the right to presumed innocence until a final verdict is made against them. It is prohibited to treat them as if they are already the perpetrators.
Human Trafficking in Thailand
en.prothom-alo.com Human trafficking in Bangladesh from the Cox's Bazar coast continues unabated. Previously people from this region, including Rohingyas of Myanmar, would go to Malaysia. Now people from 19 districts of the country, including Rangpur, Dinajpur, Rajshahi, Jessore, Kurigram, Mymensingh and Khulna, are going too.
Phuket World of People
smh.com.au The parents of three Australian children who were killed when Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 was shot down over Ukraine have released a statement in which they describe their ''ongoing hell'' and call for an end to the ''pointless war''.
bangkokpost.com The number of Malaysian tourists visiting Thailand is down sharply this year, in line with the overall international decline in response to the political unrest and subsequent coup in the first half of this year.
nbcnews.com Oscar Pistorius' brother and sister said they have no doubts over whether their brother is telling the truth about the fatal shooting of Reeva Steenkamp, telling NBC News on the eve of the athlete's sentencing that they'll stand by him no matter what.
Agencies Former Australian prime minister Gough Whitlam, one of the nation's most admired figures who led the country through a period of massive change, died Tuesday aged 98, his family said.
en.ria.ru The Swedish Armed Forces admitted Monday evening that they have failed to maintain transparency and issued false information about the whereabouts of the alleged foreign submarine in the Stockholm archipelago.
smh.com.au A young British family has been left traumatised after they discovered the world's most lethal spider with a sac full of eggs hiding in their groceries. A Waitrose worker found a sac containing hundreds of spider eggs. Tim's wife, Lisa, and two sons, aged seven and eight, fled the house straight away.
scmp.com The High Court ordered pro-democracy protesters to leave main roads in Hong Kong's Admiralty and Mong Kok immediately as top officials and student leaders explored ways to make progress in talks on political reform, due to begin today.
cnn.com Japan is set to make its mark in the skies with its first new commercial jet in more than 50 years, the Mitsubishi Regional Jet, or MRJ.
bangkokpost.com Planning for next year's US-Thai Cobra Gold war games is under way, with military exercises that will involve around 9000 US troops and 6000 Thais, new Supreme Commander Worapong Sanga-net confirmed.
independent.co.uk Singapore has topped Lonely Planet's Best in Travel 2015 list this year, followed by Namibia and Lithuania.
abc.net.au Passengers on a flight to Brisbane from Bali have been told to be on alert for symptoms of measles after three people onboard tested positive to the infection.
bangkokpost.com The Criminal Court dismissed a lawsuit filed by People's Democratic Reform Committee secretary-general Suthep Thaugsuban against former Department of Special Investigation chief Tarit Pengdit for alleged abuse of power and defamation.
Around the Asean Region
AP Joko Widodo completed a journey from riverside shack to presidential palace, cheered through the streets following his inauguration by tens of thousands of ordinary Indonesians in a reminder to the opposition-controlled parliament of the strong grass-roots support that swept him to power.
smh.com.au While Indonesia marked another democratic advance on Monday, democracy in neighboring Malaysia goes backwards. Indonesia inaugurates the man that most voters chose to be leader, while Malaysia concludes a sham trial to destroy the man that most voters chose to be leader.
themalaysianinsider.com Former Johor mufti Datuk Nooh Gadut said the ''I want to touch a dog'' program organised by Muslims in Selangor was an attempt to insult ulama (clerics) and religious authorities.
Phuket World of Sport
dailymail.co.uk You have to fear for Manchester United with a hurricane on the way. Louis van Gaal's defence is about as far from being storm-proofed as it's possible to be after spending more than 160 million pounds on home improvements. West Bromwich 2-2 Manchester United.
bangkokpost.com The European Tour returns to Thailand for the first time since 2007 next year with the Thailand Classic in Hua Hin February 19-22.
dvb.no The Myanmar Football Federation was ordered to pay a US$24,000 fine and play one competitive international match behind closed doors within the next two years due to the unruly behavior of fans at the U-19s games against Iran and United Arab Emirates (UAE) last week.
Coming Events on Phuket 2014
October 23 Chulalongkorn Memorial Day
November 1-3 Patong Carnival
November 6 Loy Kratong
November 14-23 Fourth Asia Beach Games, Phuket
November 29-December 6 Phuket King's Cup Regatta
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
Coming Events on Phuket 2015
February 13-15 Phuket Yacht Show
Whether it was a karmic feedback on a position taken by Total that they will continue bushes with all oil giants in Russia regardless of sanctions, or just casual feedback on being too deeply involved there, the irony is to die on take-off on crash with snow plough machne driven by drunk operator.
The Kingdom could finally express some solidarity with its closest neighbor Malaysia, whose citizens have perished on MH17, by restricting issuing visas to citizens Russian Federation: just cancel visa-free arrangement , and make mandatory an interview before the 1st visa is issued, similar to how Thais get Schengen or UK visas.
That will send message to masses, Putin and his imperial re-building plans enjoys wide popular support.
Unless you invoke if not pain then at least discomfort onto masses they will never learn.
It is important to exhibit an attitude here.
As result number of tourists from Russia will be greatly reduced , that in turn, coupled with proper marketing of such changes, will bring more tourists from Europe, in Phuket and other places, that in the long run will compensate for such shift.
Yes, in between number of tourists could decrease, but what if on MH17 board were Thai citizens? On that route it could happen easily.
And there is a little doubt now that MH17 has been brought down by Russian troops operated at that time under the brand of Donetsk Republic.
Posted by Sue on October 21, 2014 14:54