PhuketWatch Daily Media Wrap
PHUKET: A daily wrap of Thailand news, with a Phuket perspective, plus relevant reports from national and international media.
bangkokpost.com Those who run the tourism industry work inefficiently, leading the tourism sector to fall short of its targets, said Kongkrit Hiranyakit, the Tourism Council of Thailand's president for policy and planning. The government has simply set an aggressive target without formulating a concrete plan.
nationmultimedia.com The issues of closing times and the condition of fire exits at entertainment venues have returned to the spotlight after another deadly blaze - this one at a Phuket pub that left four people dead and 11 others injured.
AP Friday's blaze was likely to revive a debate about inadequate safety measures at shoddily built nightclubs in Thailand.
bangkokpost.com Phuket rescue workers took out the bodies of four people including foreign tourists after a fast-moving fire swept through a well-known Patong disco with only tiny, jammed exits - once again showing a lack of fire regulations and emergency response.
nytimes.com Somboon Jirayus, the president of the Phuket Tourist Association, said on Thai television that many entertainment venues still ''do not reach standard.''
bangkokpost.com Tomrongsak Boonyarunk, an executive with the Tiger Group which runs the nightclub, told AFP that the venue was officially closed at the time of the fire but about 70-80 people were still inside sheltering from rain. ''What happened is a force majeure. There were up to three lightning strikes and blackouts before the fire broke out,'' he said.
telegraph.co.uk Passengers on an Air France flight were asked to ''chip in for fuel'' after their plane was forced to land in the strife-torn Syrian capital Damascus. A solution was finally found to fill up the plane without borrowing cash from the passengers and the plane took off two hours later.
independent.co.uk The killing by police of more than 30 striking platinum miners in the bloodiest security operation since the end of white rule cut to the quick of South Africa's psyche today, with people and the media questioning its post-apartheid soul.
bbc.co.uk The US, EU and rights groups have condemned two-year jail sentences for ''hooliganism'' imposed on three members of Russian punk band Pussy Riot over an anti-Vladimir Putin protest in a Moscow cathedral.
abc.net.au Dr Maung Zarni, a visiting fellow at the London School of Economics, says there is strong evidence the overwhelmingly Buddhist government is behind the campaign against the Rohingya, motivated by racism.
heritage.org Whether international human rights standards are applicable in Asia has long been contentious. If Asean adopts a human rights declaration this year, it should hold Burma accountable for its conduct against the Rohingya and other minority groups.
bloomberg Thailand, the world's largest rice exporter, is content to sit on a record stockpile as the worst US drought in half a century may boost prices, according to Commerce Minister Boonsong Teriyapirom.
theaustralian.com.au Bali officials are collaborating to build clusters of 16 accredited retirement villages to international standards dotted round the island. The villages represent a new phase in a ''retirement tourism'' push into tranquil, rural and coastal regions, away from unbridled tourist development and gridlocked traffic in the south.
thetelegraphandargus.co.uk Businesswoman Katie Jones has completed a gruelling trek to the summit of Africa's tallest peak in aid of teacher Adam Pickles, the victim of an attack in Thailand.Mr Pickles remains in a coma in Leeds General Infirmary.
sheknows.com Jean-Claude Van Damme's ex-wife says he was always ''a cheater,'' but she never knew he had an affair with Kylie minogue during the filming of a movie in Thailand - while she was pregnant with his son'. Darcy LaPier said she hoped his new movie succeeded ''because he hasn't paid child support in seven years.''
Phuket Coming Events 2012
September 12-15 Quiksilver Thailand Surf Competition, Patong
September 24 Mahidol Day
October 14 Vegetarian Festival
November 25 Laguna Phuket Triathlon
November 28 Loy Kratong Day
December 1 World AIDs Day
December 1-8 King's Cup Regatta
December 5 HM The King's Birthday
December 10 Constitution Day
December 15-20 Patong carnival
December 25 Christmas Day
Phuket Coming Events 2014
November 14-21 Fourth Asia Beach Games, Phuket
