PHUKET: The daily wrap of Thailand news, with a Phuket perspective, plus relevant reports from national and international media. Beware of inconsistent imitations.
heraldsun.com.au Travellers to Thailand have come out in defence of Phuket and Bangkok in the wake of a report Australians are losing interest in holidaying there. And they are urging others not to miss out on spending time in the land of smiles. Sydney resident Ross Parry, who recently visited both Phuket and Bangkok, said: ”I’d go back tomorrow.”
dailytelegraph.co.uk Aussie traveller Marcel, who just returned from eight days in Phuket with his wife and 10-month-old daughter, said Phuket was experiencing none of the trouble being experienced in Bangkok. ”I’d go back again today if I could afford as we felt safe and at ease the whole time with no evidence of any threat.”
dailymail.co.uk Tourists in Bangkok are being advised to stay in their hotels when Thailand goes to the polls on February 2, due to the possibility of violence. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is urging Britons to take extra care on Sunday and avoid all protests as Thailand holds its national elections, following three months of demonstrations.
nationmultimedia.com Prawit Janyasitthikul, CEO of Phuket Square, operator of Jungceylon shopping centre in Phuket, said the mall’s visitor numbers had surged by 10-15 per cent as many foreign tourists had steered clear of Bangkok and gone to Phuket instead to avoid political unrest in the capital.
theaustralian.com.au The good news for those who haven’t been turned off a trip to Phuket is prices have plummeted during what’s usually the busiest season. Australian Nick Tenediotis, who has visited Thailand often and has spent the past three weeks on Phuket, described it as ”nearly Aussie-less.”
bangkokpost.com Thai AirAsia has excluded politically troubled Bangkok from its destination promotion campaign, which now focuses on other cities and services that fly through the capital. The low-cost carrier’s campaign is in tune with the trend of international visitors to bypass Bangkok. It also has fairly good load factors on routes including Phuket-Hong Kong, Phuket-Singapore, Phuket-Chiang Mai, Phuket -Udon Thani, Krabi-Chiang Mai and Krabi-Singapore.
theguardian.com Over 100,000 police and 10,000 soldiers will be deployed across Thailand on Sunday to protect voters and polling stations in a snap election that observers warn could lead to violence – with anti-government demonstrators threatening to block voting booths and pro-government redshirts vowing to ”monitor” the polls.
bangkokpost.com Despite a surge in violence, protesters remain undeterred, with some warning that bloodshed will only encourage more people onto the streets. The Election Commission frantically searches for a further 44,000 officials to man polling stations.
nationmultimedia.com Ballot boxes and papers have also not reached local election offices in many areas, particularly in the South, due to a blockade by protesters. And there is a severe shortage of officials to man polling stations after many of them resigned.
cnn.com Thai anti-government demonstrators say they will keep up protests in Bangkok ahead of a controversial national election in a nation gripped by a bitter, protracted political crisis.
bangkokpost.com The cost to taxpayers of staging Sunday’s election, which will not produce enough MPs to begin a House sitting, is 3.8 billion baht. Subsequent byelections and related activities to rectify the problem could take months and raise the cost further.
time.com Now, when discussing ”Teflon Thailand,” a sobriquet for Bangkok’s ability to keep the country’s tourism industry and economy humming despite political setbacks, analysts have begun to drop references to the possibility of outright civil war breaking out.
wsj.com A few days ago, a mysterious banner appeared on an overpass in Phayao in northern Thailand, warning that the north of the country could break away from Bangkok and the south. ”There is no justice. I want to split the country,” it read.
nationmultimedia.com Somboon Chirayus, 52, Businessman, Phuket: I will not turn up, as I don’t support the February 2 election. I advocate the movement for reform before election because the current electoral system is flawed. While holding an election is the best system, it should first be reformed so there is no vote buying – a practice that is prevalent in rural provinces.
ap Even though the election is expected to proceed smoothly in most of the country, it is unlikely to result in the formation of a new government.
nytimes.com And even if the courts uphold the election, it will be months before a government can be formed, because subsequent smaller elections will be required in districts where protesters have blocked the registration of candidates. Many observers use the term ”power vacuum” to describe the lack of leadership in a country gripped in political deadlock.
economist.com Both Mr Suthep and many red shirts call for devolution, including the election of provincial governors. Many in the old-guard Thai establishment, and certainly the army, would be horrified. But it is the only way for different regions to express themselves, while holding the country together.
voanews.com A forced resignation of Yingluck’s administration under the constitution would lead to appointment of an interim government – a key demand of the anti-government protest movement.
upi ”The election is one of the best and peaceful mechanisms to end conflict between people of different political views, and a way to reflect majority’s needs and minority’s voices,” Yingluck said in a statement.
pattayamail.com Pattaya police raided a central Pattaya jewelry store, arresting 26 people after discovering a casino hidden behind steel doors. Police confiscated 10 casino tables, cards, assorted equipment, computers and chips in denominations from 50 baht to 10,000 baht.
irrawaddy.org Allegations of serious violations of labor and human rights have been made against four factories in Thailand that employ many thousands of Burmese. One of the firms is involved in the manufacture of famous international fruit juice brands. The allegations, made by the Helsinki-based corporate responsibility advocacy group Finnwatch, involve factories that process and export tinned fish, fruit and juices across the globe from Japan to Europe.
newyorker.com The iPhone 5S – at eight hundred and seventy dollars in China and fourteen hundred dollars in Burma – is still out of reach for most Asians and is far from being popular.
property-report.com Absolute World Group, in partnership with APlan Properties and estate management firm Jones Lang LaSalle Thailand, announced the construction of Phase II of its award-winning Absolute Twin Sands Resort Spa in Phuket, due for completion in the first half of 2015.
theage.com.au China’s 1.3 billion people usher in the Year of the Horse and, in what is often dubbed the world’s biggest annual human migration, more than 3.6 billion journeys are being made on trains, buses and planes, to ensure this most important time of the year is being spent with family and loved ones.
scmp.com The White House criticised China’s restrictions on press freedom after a New York Times journalist was forced to leave the country.
smh.com.au Andy Flower has quit as England’s head coach following the team’s whitewash Ashes loss in Australia, the England and Wales Cricket Board announced.
January 30-February 5 Wat Chalong Fair
February 1 Phuket FC v Chonburi, 6pm
February 9 Phuket FC v Songkhla Utd, 4pm
February 12-14 Bay Regatta
February 14 Valentines Day
February 14 Makha Bucha Day
February 17 Phuket FC v Surat Thani FC, 4pm
April 11-19 Phuket Bike Week
April 13-16 Songkran New Year Water Festival
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
PhuketWATCH Poll a New Beginning, But for What?; Stay in Hotels, Tourists ...
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