Phuket's Resorts Boost; PM's Phuket Promise; Naked Prince Harry; Chelsea Wins

PHUKET: A daily wrap of Thailand news, with a Phuket perspective, plus relevant reports from national and international media.

hotelnews.now.com Thailand had its best July occupancy performance since 2006, with 67.8 percent, according to data compiled by STR Global. Three markets experienced RevPAR increases of more than 15 percent: Phuket (+26.2 percent to THB2309.32); Hanoi (+25.0); and Tokyo (+19.9).

bangkokpost.com Large Phuket investor Central Hotels and Resorts plans to launch a budget hotel brand in the fourth quarter, giving the group a full complement of hotels: Centara Grand (five star), Centara (four star), Centra (three star) and Centara Boutique Collection (boutique).

nationmultimedia.com Heavy downpours and high tides swamped Phuket. Flooding forced nine Phuket schools to close. On Thepkrasattri Road, traffic was at a standstill for two to three kilometres.

bangkokpost.com PM Yingluck Shinawatra quickly promised Phuket compensation for economic losses. Phuket authorities had warned of flash floods in Phuket two days in advance. [Er, what warnings?]

afp Three French tourists were given suspended six-month prison sentences in Sri Lanka after their holiday pictures appeared to show one of them - a woman - kissing a Buddha statue on the lips.

telegraph.co.uk With the drowning of a five-year-old British girl and her grandfather, eight people have now drowned off Portugal's coast this summer. The latest deaths prompted the authorities to warn tourists to stay away from ''very dangerous'' areas not patrolled by lifeguards.

afp A Frenchwoman endured an 18-hour journey from Pakistan to Paris and back again after sleeping through her plane's stop. Pakistan International Airlines are investigating how ground crew failed to notice the woman during the two-hour stopover at Charles de Gaulle Airport.

pattayadailynews.com A madam charged with human trafficking was found to have bank accounts containing more than 320 million baht. Police discovered her huge stash during a search of her Sonkhla residence.

walesonline.co.uk A US website has caused a stir by publishing photographs showing Prince Harry naked at a party in Las Vegas. Harry is shown on tmz.com standing in front of a nude woman, covering his crotch with his hands.

tmz.com Prince Harry put the crown jewels on display in Vegas this weekend ... getting BARE ASS NAKED during a game of strip billiards with a room full of friends in his VIP suite.

scmp.com Asean's recent failure to produce a communique on South China Sea disputes is raising questions about its future unity.

abc.net.au More than 600 Indonesians have been killed in the country's worst holiday road toll in years. For many, motor scooters are the cheapest and most effective mode of transport, but often whole families pile on and children rarely wear helmets.

asiantribune.com A Bangkok conference on the Rohingya concluded that they are victims of neo-Nazi racism in which they are targeted for marginalisation and total elimination from Burma (Myanmar). Statements from the so-called democratic icon Daw Suu Kyi and other leaders have been deceptive, hypocritical and unacceptable, revealing that none of them are serious about democracy and human rights.

mizzima.com Nearly four million Burmese are now working in foreign countries, according to recent Parliament discussions. Thailand plans a major overhaul in how Burmese migrant workers can enter and work in Thailand, according to the Minister of Labor, using government-to-government contracts.

afp Nearly half of Swedes aged between 16 and 20 think cancer is a contagious disease, according to a study by a Swedish charity supporting young patients.

bbc.co.uk The first mainstream digital camera to be powered by Google's Android system has been released. Nikon says its Coolpix S800c offers superior picture quality thanks to the size of its lens, as well as the opportunity to install photo-editing apps and other software.

bangkokpost.com China has tightened visa rules for visitors, adding requirements for a letter of invitation and proof of hotel reservations in a move that could slow its push to become the world's biggest tourism destination.

travelbite.co.uk After a 12 year wait, Bali has just received Unesco world heritage status for its unique Subak irrigation system which creates the stunning emerald green rice terraces that make the west of the island so well known.

Phuket World Sports Wrap

sportinglife.com Chelsea enjoyed a huge let-off as Fernando Torres's highly-controversial goal helped send them top of the Barclays Premier League with a 4-2 triumph over Reading.

scmp.com Lois Goodman, a high-ranking umpire on the US tennis circuit, has been arrested on charges she bludgeoned her 80-year-old husband to death with a coffee mug.

cnn.com A national apology is being urged for Australia's Peter Norman, an unsung human rights hero who played a pivotal role as silver medalist in the US black power protest at the 1968 Olympics and was shunned as a result.

Sourced: phuketwan