independent.co.uk A man has been arrested in Bali airport after the pilot of a Virgin Australia flight reported an attempted hijack. But a Virgin official has since said the plane was not hijacked, adding that the passenger who attempted to enter the cockpit was drunk.

AP Seven Cambodian migrant workers were killed when a pickup carrying 20 passengers burst a tyre and flipped in Chonburi province, police said.

bangkokpost.com The Meteorological Department on Friday morning issued a warning of violent rain, wind and hail storms for all regions of the country except the South, from Saturday until Tuesday.

aap As the 13th underwater search for Malaysia Airlines flight 370 begins, authorities have yet to find any signs of the wreckage despite examining almost all of the search zone.


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 Editorial: The Navy's lawsuit over allegations of trafficking Rohingya is an international embarrassment for Thailand. It's time our caretaker Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, also the Defence Minister, stepped in and ordered the Royal Thai Navy to drop its defamation charges against two Phuket journalists. If she acts now she can prevent this case from dragging Thailand down with it.

Yingluck Must Call a Halt to Phuketwan Case:
''If the premier does not want to be accused of hypocrisy, she needs to step in and put an end to this reckless attempt to curtail media freedom.''
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/opinion/Yingluck-must-call-a-halt-to-Phuketwan-case-30232159.html/

dvb.no Third Navy Fleet Commander Vice Admiral Tharathorn Khajitsuwan said the complaint was lodged because it was a matter of national security and the story had damaged the navy's reputation.

ft.com Both sides in Thailand's political crisis must back down from a ''showdown in May'' that many fear will turn violent and inflict deep damage on the country's economy and reputation, the main opposition party leader has urged.

voanews.com The daylight shooting of 45-year-old Red shirt poet Kamol Duangphasuk outside a restaurant in Bangkok is the latest unsolved attack on a high-profile figure in Thailand at a time of political instability.

AP Pirates pilfered diesel fuel from a Thai tanker off Malaysia's east coast, making two attacks in a week and raising concerns of a rising threat to shipping, a maritime watchdog said. The International Maritime Bureau (IMB) said the tanker was sailing from Singapore to Cambodia when it was boarded by 16 pirates about 26 nautical miles off Aur Island on the east coast of the peninsula late April 17.



time.com Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak told CNN that Malaysian officials may release a preliminary report on the disappearance of Flight MH370 next week.



Phuket Update A ban on the sale of alcohol comes into force in the Kathu district of Phuket at 6pm this evening and lasts until midnight Saturday because of a municipal election in Patong.

bangkokpost.com Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra says frankly, ''I am worried'' about the Constitutional Court lawsuit to unseat her, with her testimony due in 12 days.

theborneopost.com H1N1 virus has claimed the lives of 45 people in Thailand since early this year, Thai News Agency (TNA) reported. Dr Sopon Mekthon, director-general of the Department of Disease Control at the Ministry of Public Health, said a total of 29,821 cases were reported in 21 provinces across the country from January 5 to April 19 this year.

bangkokpost.com The UN Committee Against Torture is due to review Thailand's record in preventing torture in Geneva next week. The hearing will be held against a backdrop of allegations that prisoners in the restive South have been tortured, and drug suspects and migrant labourers abused.



bangkokpost.com For certain the monarchy has a special place in the Thai society and should be protected. If society agrees there should be a law to protect the monarchy, then such a law we should have. However, that protection should not also infringe on or abuse human rights, or encourage society to behave as if we live in Stalin's Soviet Union.

reuters Underwater, at the site of the sunken Sewol, divers are able to work for nearly an hour at a time as long as the oxygen lines do not snag on sharp corners of the ship's internal structure. In a rare move, the disaster prompted reclusive North Korea, which routinely threatens the South with destruction, to send a message of sympathy.



afp Benfica (2-1)and Sevilla (2-0) grabbed vital first leg leads in their Europa League semi-final clashes leaving Juventus and Valencia to try and claw back deficits next week.

huffingtonpost.co.uk Manchester United have removed the much-maligned David Moyes ''Chosen One'' banner which was a source of great controversy during the Scot's ill-fated reign in charge at Old Trafford.

wsj.com The next Asian Beach Games will be held in Phuket, Thailand, in November. The 38 disciplines this year include volleyball, bodybuilding, petanque, water skiing, paragliding and jet ski.



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 20-27 Phuket Pride Week

April 26 Vote for mayor in Patong, alcohol sales banned in election area from 6pm April 25 to midnight April 26

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