Vesak Day, or Visakha Bucha, takes place between May 22 and 28 and is the most important Buddhist festival in Thailand.

Followers head to temples at this time every year to hear sermons from monks and take part in some of the processions being organised.

Buddhists will also offer donations and prayers at the many shrines and temples around the country.

Holidaymakers cannot not fail to notice the streams of people making their way to the religious buildings.

One of the festival’s highlights are the candlelit parades which often take place around Thailand’s temples.

The celebrations are always timed to coincide with the full moon and therefore the date of Buddha’s birthday varies from year to year.

Tourists staying on Koh Samui will find the biggest events likely to be centred around Wat Phra Yai, which is home to one of the island’s most famous landmarks – Big Buddha.

This golden statue of the deity stands at 12m in height and is an especially impressive sight when lit up in the evening.

Jetstar flight JQ28 was expected to depart from Phuket’s International airport at 9pm local time on Monday, however the flight was cancelled forcing all 290 passengers to spend Australia day in Thailand.

After spending the night on the island passengers returned to the airport yesterday and after proceeding through security checks, immigration and onto the plane, were told for a second time the flight would not go ahead.

The plane is expected to depart Phuket tonight and arrive in Sydney early tomorrow morning.

Jetstar issued a statement which said that the cancellations were due to two separate technical issues, and all passengers were given two nights’ accommodation, with the airline covering costs for meals and airport transfers.

The airline said that it had offered a refund for the full return airfare as well as a $600 travel voucher as compensation for the disruption.

One passenger on the flight said that tempers flared as passengers were left waiting with little explanation.

The passenger said that after disembarking the aircraft, she had to deal with local ground staff, who were unable to offer any information.

It is believed that children who were expected to return from school holidays were also aboard the flight.

Complaints from tourists led to Phuket International Airport Director Prathueng Sornkham announcing the crackdown earlier this week.Complaints from tourists ranged from harassment to being coerced to go on impromptu shopping trips, where they are forced to buy things they do not want.

Airport Director Prathueng Sornkham has said the crackdown will continue, with the police keeping a close eye on taxi drivers seen as annoying or harassing tourists.

The Nation quotes the airport director as saying: “We need to restore our good image among tourists…From the information we have, we think there are now about 200 illegal taxis operating here and we hope to solve this problem soon.”

Airport officials and other staff were given advance warning of the crackdown, so that the process was smooth and seamless. Tourists however, had not been warned, and many had to wait for around half an hour or more to find taxi rides to their respective destinations around the island.

The ‘black plate taxis’ which were the focus of the crackdown have been operating surreptitiously out of the airport without authorization for many years now. Legally, every taxi that picks up a fare from the Phuket International Airport must pay AoT (Airports Authority of Thailand) the requisite fees.

Transport Ministry officers and Phuket Airport security staff interrogate a driver attempting to leave through the exit gate at Phuket Airport this morning.

The survey found that Thailand is a popular sailing destination with international sailors, with many returning numerous times to enjoy the cruising grounds and sailing events Thailand has to offer Fifty-six percent of those surveyed said that the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta is their favourite regatta in Asia while 71% said that Thailand, with the main sailing areas being Phuket, Pattaya and Samui, is the best sailing venue in Asia due to an ideal geography, good weather conditions and beautiful scenery.

Thirty-one percent of the people surveyed were sailors who have been sailing in Asia for more than 10 years, with 27% newcomers (having sailed in Asia for only 1-3 years) and 15% having sailed in Asia for 4-6 years.

Asia has long been a popular sailing region with residents and expatriates. This was reinforced recently with the confirmation of an Asian series of the popular European Extreme 40 Sailing Series. More recently, there has been confirmation of Hong Kong being part of the Louis Vuitton Series in 2010. Such events bring the world’s attention on Asia as a leading sailing destination.

Mr. William Gasson, President of the Top of The Gulf Regatta, said, “Apart of organizing a good regatta, we have to understand the sailors and find out sailing trends, to help promote all sailing events in Thailand and expand the sailing network throughout the country and beyond.”

The recent survey showed that the majority of participants spent approximately 40,000THB on accommodation, food and drink during their time at the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta, and that over 30% spent in the region of 150,000THB per person. Based on the survey results, it was found that Regatta participants spent over 40 million baht in the local economy during the Regatta week. These figures do not include expenditure associated with hosting the event, corporate hospitality, travel by participants, charter revenues and more. All of this is as a direct result of hosting the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta.

The Top of The Gulf Regatta is one of the major sailing events in Thailand. The Regatta is hosted by and held at the Ocean Marina Yacht Club on April 30 – May 4, 2010. The event is the only Marina-based regatta in Thailand and attracts over 200 different boats in different classes from optimists to bigger keel boats. For more information, visit www.topofthegulfregatta.com

Organisers say that through business generated by exhibitors, the PIMEX contributes over 7 Billion TBH to Phuket’s marine tourism industry annually.

The boat show is now in its seventh year, and is held in association with Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau (TECB). As every year, the show will be held at the Royal Phuket Marina.

The 2010 show is expected to attract over 75 local and international exhibitors and over 4,000 visitors, including many wealthy overseas investors looking for the perfect holiday home with a leisure marine lifestyle. The show’s exhibitors include many major brands of motorboats and sailing yachts, as well as a variety of marine tourism products and services, yacht brokers, luxury real estate and other lifestyle products from Phuket, Thailand and around the world.

To be included in the 2010 event is a series of seminars on maritime safety. Organized by the Human Development Forum Foundation, a number of international speakers will chair discussions on various aspects of maritime security issues.

Mr. Andy Dowden, Event Director, has said the show is the biggest international boat show in the region in terms of the on-water display, and that despite the global economic downturn, continues to increase in popularity.

With confirmations of participation from many new brands seeking to exhibit at the show for the first time this year, an increase in international exhibitors and visitors is expected. The presence of two superyachts from Europe – a 32 metre Mangusta and a 26 metre Pershing – are definitive evidence that the industry is weathering the economic storm.

Phuket has five operational marinas, over 1,000 ‘resident’ yachts, and attracts approximately 300 international yachts and over 30 superyachts to the island each year. Combine some of the most modern marina facilities in Asia with the growth in multi-million dollar properties on the island, and it’s clear to see that Phuket has become Asia’s playground of the wealthy, reinforcing Phuket’s reputation as the marine lifestyle hub of the region.

The regatta has always been a tribute to the King of Thailand, organized just around his birthday, which is December 5. As this year’s event will actually conclude on the day itself, grand celebrations have been planned to mark King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s birthday.

The Kata Group is, however, keeping plans for the birthday celebrations close to their chest, and little has been revealed, though Phuketians and tourists can expect it to be spectacular.

“To host the regatta is a great honour and I personally believe that Phuket has all the right ingredients for the Regatta to grow,” says Kata Group Resorts Thailand Chairman, Pamuke Achariyachai. “When the opportunity for the new host venue for the Regatta became available I had no hesitation in going for it. The sea has always been my personal passion and I strongly believe that Phuket can be South East Asia’s fore-most marine leisure playground, including for offshore powerboat racing.”

Kevin Whitcraft, President of the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta organising committee said, “Today, the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta is one of the top events in the yachting world, both regionally and internationally, and attracts around 2,000 additional high spending tourists over a seven day period.”

The 23rd Phuket King’s Cup Regatta will take place 28 November – 5 December, 2009, off Kata Beach, Phuket, Thailand. Under the Royal Patronage of His Majesty the King, the Regatta is organised by the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta Organising Committee under the auspices of the Royal Varuna Yacht Club, in conjunction with the Yacht Racing Association of Thailand, the Royal Thai Navy and the Province of Phuket.

For more information on the regatta, visit: www.kingscup.com

A landslide in Sri Sakhorn district led to several people being buried under mud, and a rescue operation is said to have dug out at least four bodies so far.

In Songkhla, the local Disaster Prevention and Mitigation office said 11 out of the 16 districts here were severely affected by floods, with over 40,000 locals directly affected. The office also said 70 roads and 18 bridges in the province have suffered considerable damage.

With railway tracks submerged along several routes, all southern Thai trains were yesterday stopped at Hat Yai. This is the second disruption to have affected the southern Thai railways in less than a month, with the first one arising due to striking SRT workers.

Train services all over the south were paralysed for more than two weeks after the SRT employees declared a strike, leaving thousands of passengers stranded or inconvenienced.

The flooding has also affected other modes of transport in the south, with night-time ferry services to islands like Koh Samui, Koh Pha Ngan and Koh Tao all cancelled.

The Cambodian leader compared Thaksin, who was ousted from power in a 2006 military coup, to Burma’s Aaun Saan Suu Kyi–the Nobel Peace Laureate who currently lives under house arrest in Burma.

Thaksin Shinawatra faces conviction for various charges filed after his departure as Thailand’s Prime Minister, and is currently living abroad in self-imposed exile.

Thailand’s Prime Minsiter, Abhisit Vejajiva reacted strongly to the Cambodian Prime Minister’s remarks, saying his comments had nothing to do with the actual purpose of the leader’s visit to Thailand. PM Abhisit Vejajiva added that the ASEAN had no time to devote attention to anyone bent on jeopardising Asean unity, and that he hoped PM Hun Sen would receive the right information and change his mind on the matter. The Thai Prime Minister said Thaksin’s case could not be compared with that of Aaun San Suu Kyi.

Last year in November, hundreds of “yellow-shirt” protestors caused havoc at Suvarnabhumi when they took over the airport in a bid to topple the then-in-power government, which was seen as being loyal to Thaksin.

Airport services were suspended, and thousands of travellers were stranded in Bangkok, unable to take flights to their destinations. Many stranded tourists took buses or vans to other Thai cities like Phuket and Chiang Mai, to catch hastily arranged flight services out of the country. Travellers hoping to fly into Bangkok also faced considerable inconvenience.

The airport shut-down is thought to have had a crippling effect on Thai tourism, which had already been suffering due to the global recession.