Floods Latest: Festival Bangkok to Float its Boats; Phuket Bound Biker Sendoff; AirAsia Plans Premium Line; Phuket Events

Coming soon to Phuket, the new Air Australia shapes up nicely

Floods Latest: Festival Bangkok to Float its Boats; Phuket Bound Biker Sendoff; AirAsia Plans Premium Line; Phuket Events.

Asiaone.com A convoy of more than 50 big bikers sent Charlene Tay Shuan Weei off on her last journey from Mount Vernon Sanctuary yesterday morning. Miss Tay, 31, creative director at McCann Worldgroup, was killed instantly in a motorcycle crash in Surat Thani while riding to Phuket with friends on October 27. Anthony Chaw, 39, seriously injured in the crash, is believed to be recovering back in Singapore.

AFP AirAsia chief executive officer Tony Fernandes is planning to start a new regional airline to compete with Australian carrier Qantas, a news report said. The Sun daily reported, quoting unnamed aviation sources, that the airline would be a super-premium full-service carrier to rival Qantas's upcoming carrier RedQ.

Etravelblackboard.us Strategic Airlines [which flies Phuket to Australia] has unveiled its new look and feel under the Air Australia brand, entering its first green and gold jet into service. While the airline's complete transition into a low-cost brand will not kick-off until November 15, the carrier has unveiled its new livery and flight attendant uniforms as well as new routes.

Bangkokpost.com Bangkok could be drained of water in 11 days, says the Irrigation Department, presenting good news to an anxious city for the first time since northern floodwaters entered the capital.

Smh.com.au Loy Kratong, a festival where Thais ask Ganga, the river goddess, for her forgiveness for man's polluting of the water and to thank her for fertility, has been cancelled along the flooded Chao Phraya river that winds through Bangkok. [Loy Kratong is likely to be celebrated regardless on Phuket and all over Thailand, including Bangkok.]

Associated Press Today, many Thais still believe the candlelit boats launched during Loy Kratong can carry misfortune away with them, allowing past sins to be cleansed and life to begin anew. This year, flood-ravaged Thailand has plenty of reason to pray for rebirth - and little reason to celebrate.

Bangkokpost.com More than 1000 Russian tourists have travelled to Pattaya for the Loy Kratong festival today. Borisut Prasopsap, director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand's eastern office, presided over a ceremony to welcome the holidaymakers, who arrived in Thailand by five charter flights from Moscow.

CNN.com Bangkok residents are dealing with massive piles of garbage stacking up around the flood-stricken city, prompting worries over tainted water, disease and sanitation.

Bernama The Public Health Ministry's Department of Medical Sciences warned of possible rat-borne leptospirosis in flooded areas and against having ice and iced drinks from unknown production sources. Samples of poisonous food and infected drinking water have been found in random surveys in Bangkok by the Public Health Ministry.

Bangkokpost.com The government's Flood Relief Operations Command conceded that it really could not say if the Victory Monument area and Rama 2 Road, the main road heading south, would be inundated by the flood. So far 529 people are confirmed dead with flooding in 24 of 77 provinces affecting about 2.8 million people from 1.1 million households.

Tvnz.co.nz Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra pledged more than $US4 billion to help Thailand recover from the worst floods in half a century, as workers slowed the flow of water threatening the commercial heart of Bangkok.

CFR.org The flooding in Bangkok shows little sign of getting better, and its impact on Thailand's economy and the global supply chain of many computer and automotive components has yet to be fully tallied. Such floods could repeatedly devastate Thailand's manufacturing base and threaten the millions of people in the capital, which dominates Thailand as the country's political, cultural, and economic epicenter.

FT.com Mitr Phol, Thailand's largest sugar producer, launched a takeover bid for Australia's MSF Sugar, a move which will allow the Thai group to expand in Asia and make sure its sourcing operations are not over-exposed to any one region's too damp, or too dry, weather.

Businessweek.com A private investigator working for Rupert Murdoch's News of the World conducted surveillance on Prince William as well of dozens of politicians and celebrities, the BBC reported.

Guardian.co.uk Ambitious plans to increase English language teaching in Thailand's schools are at risk because of a shortage of funds and qualified teachers, a senior education official has admitted.

Associated Press Human Rights Watch urged Malaysia's government to rescind a ban on an annual gay arts festival and amend criminal laws that it said discriminated against homosexuals.

AFP US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who leaves for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, will also visit Thailand and the Philippines before attending an Asian summit in Bali, her office said.

Todayonline.com Does size matter? Apparently it does to women surveyed by dating agency Lunch Actually. Only 14 percent of Singaporean women surveyed would date a man who is shorter, although 42 percent of men said they would date a taller woman.

Phuket World Sports

bangkokpost.com Thailand are in danger of elimination after losing 2-1 to Malaysia in their opening match at the 26th SEA Games.

smh.com.au Captain Michael Clarke's second Test century in a row and his most courageous yet counterbalanced another peerless display of swing bowling by South African Dale Steyn on the first day of the first Test. Australia 8/214.

Phuket Coming Events

November 10 Loy Kratong Festival

November 11 The Phuket Navy League is holding a welcome for officers and crew from three US warships at IndoChine, Patong, from 6pm. Members 200 baht, non-members 400 baht.

November 19 The Khao Lak Community Appeal and the Foundation for Education and Development are holding the second Khao Lak Charity Golf Tournament at Tab Lamu Navy Golf Course. Last year the two charities raised 420,000 baht for their causes, with a great turnout. Details: 081 5441837.

November 26-27 9th Phuket International Soccer 7s

November 27 Laguna Phuket Triathlon

December2-5 Phuket Musiq Festival, Saphan Hin, Phuket City, nightly

December 3-4 Sixth Andaman International Soccer 7s

December 3-10 King's Cup Regatta, Kata beach

December 4 Ironman 70.3 Asia-Pacific Championship, Laguna

Phuket Coming Events 2012

Late February Phuket Blues Festival, Laguna Phuket

May 26-June 5 National Youth Games, Phuket

March 29-April 1 Phuket International Boat Show, Royal Phuket Marina

Phuket Coming Events 2014

November 14-21 Fourth Asia Beach Games, Phuket