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 Red-shirt leaders have called for nationwide counter-rallies to the planned shut down of Bangkok which begins on Monday, but say they will skip Bangkok and the southern provinces to avoid the chance of clashing with supporters of the People's Democratic Reform Committee.
bbc.co.uk In Thailand, anti-government protestors are preparing to take to the streets of Bangkok over the next week. Campaigners involved in the ''Bangkok shutdown'' are calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.
dnaindia.com Thailand is heading for a political showdown as protesters plan to shut down Bangkok to sabotage an election while the government's supporters have vowed to stage massive counter-rallies in the country's provinces.
nnt Suvarnabhumi airport authorities stated that the number of tourist arrivals has already shrunk by 40 percent due to political protests.
bationmultimedia.com Supporters of the People's Democratic Reform Committee have dismissed a rumor that the anti-government group would blocklade Krabi Airport.
reuters The protesters accuse Yingluck of being a puppet of her self-exiled brother and former premier, Thaksin Shinawatra. They want an appointed ''people's council'' to oversee a vague reform platform, which includes electoral changes and decentralising power over a 12-month period before any election.
impactpub.com.au Britain's Foreign Office has warned visitors that the situation is ''unpredictable'' - and that the political situation continues to deteriorate. Australia's Smartraveller web site also reports a vehicle containing explosives was discovered in Phuket three days before Christmas, a discovery still under investigation.
nationmultimedia.com Some 100 Chinese-speaking Thai tour guides rallied in downtown Phuket demanding a crackdown on unlicensed Chinese guides who are reportedly stealing their jobs.
bbc.co.uk Entertainment mogul Run Run Shaw, a major figure in Asia's film industry, has died at the age of 107. The Hong Kong resident founded Shaw Brothers Studios, which produced almost 1000 films and brought the kung fu genre into the mainstream.
time.com Thailand's obstinacy regarding humanitarian treaties stems from a desire to remain a transit country rather than a place of settlement, according to Alan Morison, editor of the PhuketWan news website. Morison has followed the plight of the Rohingya for years. ''Recognising the status of refugees would make it very difficult to indulge in any of [the] covert operations, which are designed to keep the Rohingya moving past Thailand,'' he says.
abc.net.au For the first time Alan Morison received a police number for the Reuters case, making it clear the Thai police were pursing the news agency: ''The Royal Thai Navy, by using these onerous laws, have actually activated greater interest among the Thai media than ever in the Rohingya issue.''
smh.com.au When Australians travel, live or work overseas, they are indisputably subject to the laws of the country they are visiting. Nevertheless, when the application of those local laws violates international law, especially international human rights law, the Australian government has a considerable ability to intervene irrespective of arguments about the need to respect foreign legal systems.
religionnews.com The US State Department names and shames eight ''Countries of Particular Concern'' that severely violate religious freedom rights within their borders. These countries not only suppress religious expression, they systematically torture and detain people who cross political and social red lines around faith. The worst of the worst is:1. Burma.
bangkokpost.com Thai Airways International Plc and the Transport Ministry have denied a rumor the national carrier will be declared bankrupt in May.
scmp.com A blast of bone-chilling cold reaching lows not seen in two decades gripped the US, sending temperatures in some areas plunging to significantly below those at the South Pole and snarling air travel.
theage.com.au Immigration Minister Scott Morrison's office is bracing for tampons and sanitary pads to flood in through the post, as online campaigners conduct a novel protest against reported restrictions on sanitary products for asylum seeker women in detention.
jaunted.com Nok Air called up Playboy Thailand and collaborated with the men's publication to choose the ''10 Hottest Bunnies'' to star alongside Nok's colorful fleet for a 2014 calendar. There's no word on the cost of the calendar, but it's safe to assume that passengers may buy them onboard Nok's Bangkok-Phuket flights.
indiatimes.com The US has said that its use of the name ''Myanmar'' in a message marking the Asian nation's independence day does not reflect a change in American policy and was only a matter of diplomatic courtesy: ''It continues to be US Government policy to refer to the country as Burma.''
nationmultimedia.com Of Sansiri's 19 new projects, nine will be condominiums that have already had their environmental impact assessment approved, eight will be single family homes and two will be townhouses: ''We will focus on major provinces such as Khon Kaen, Chiang Mai, Nakhon Ratchasima and Phuket because we have to wait and see if the government's infrastructure investment worth Bt2 trillion will be delayed.''
latimes.com A power struggle between Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and an exiled Muslim cleric sharpened with the government purging 350 police officers involved in the anti-corruption sweeps that have netted figures close to Erdogan.
nationmultimedia.com Enjoy a luxurious getaway at Movenpick Resort Spa Karon Beach, which is offering a Family and Friends Group Holiday Package at rates starting from Bt8,600per room per night.
telegraph.co.uk This was a shapeless, lifeless display from Manchester United, who have now lost three games in a row for the first time since 2001. Where was the fight? Where was that old swagger? Sunderland 2-1 Manchester United.
PIMEX, the annual Phuket International Marine Exhibition, is being held from January 9 to 12 at Royal Phuket Marina on the island's east coast. Billed as Asia's best boat show, the event brings together everything the boat enthusiast needs and wants.
January 9-12 Phuket International Boat Show, Royal Phuket Marina
January 11 Children's Day
January 31 Chinese New Year (Horse)
February 14 Valentines Day
February 14 Makha Bucha Day
April 13-16 Songkran
March BMW Golf Cup International World Finals 2013 at Blue Canyon Country Club
August 12 Queen's Birthday
September 24-October 2 Vegetarian Festival, Phuket
November 14-21 Fourth Asia Beach Games, Phuket
December 5 King's Birthday
http://www.information.myanmaronlinecentre.com/shutdown-versus-showdown-south-spared-clashes-burma-worst-in-world/
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