SUNDAY MORNING BRIEFING – All your local news in 3 minutes

Sunday, Sunday. The Phukethon has been run and won, the Phuket King’s Cup wraps today and the Kata Rocks Superyacht Rendezvous has their big closing party tonight for the mega-yachts visiting the island. Even though districts around Phuket are suffering severe flooding, including just north in Phang Nga, Phuket is waking up to a fine day ahead with only a 20% chance of rain. Welcome to your Phuket Sunday…

Cadet ‘beaten to death’ – Autopsy

A fact-finding committee set up by the Supreme Command is inviting representatives of the Central Institute of Forensic Science to testify on the autopsy results of a 19 year old cadet who died at the Armed Forces Academies Preparatory School.

The Chairman of the fact-finding group, was speaking to journalists after unconfirmed reports about the autopsy were widely shared. According to the reports, which the cadet’s family has declined to confirm, the first-year student of the AFAPS, Phakhapong “Meay” Tanyakan, had traces of physical injuries. The autoposy is also said to reveal that his fourth rib was broken not because of CPR, as earlier stated by the academy and the Phra Mongkutklao Hospital, but through blunt force.

Disaster zone declared for four districts in Phang Nga

The Phang Nga provincial administration has declared four districts as flood disaster zones.

The four districts are Mueang, Kapong, Thai Muang and Thap Pood, all within a 150 kilometres north of Phuket on the Andaman coast.

Meanwhile, floods that have hit 11 southern provinces since late last month have killed 22 people and affected 502,000 families according to the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department.

They report that floods in the four provinces of Krabi, Satun, Yala and Narathiwat had subsided while 56 districts in seven provinces were still under water.

18 districts in Nakhon Si Thammarat remain flooded, as well as 11 districts in Phatthalung, eight districts in Chumphon, seven districts in Surat Thani, six districts in Songkhla, four districts in Trang and two districts in Pattani.

Toon hits his target, just past the half-way zone

Charity hero Artiwara “Toon” Kongmalai yesterday managed to hit his fund-raising target of 700 million baht – the goal set for his 2,191-kilometre marathon in support of 11 hospitals nationwide – just over the halfway point of his epic run from south to north of the Kingdom.

Toon reached Chai Nat yesterday, day 39 of his charity campaign. The total hit 700 million baht yesterday afternoon. Many fans, including people from Suphan Buri and Chai Nat, waited along the roadside to cheer him on, about 100 kilometres north of Bangkok.

Rights groups challenge Junta over political bans

Democratic and human rights groups have laid out a challenge to the junta’s order against political activity at the Constitutional Court as they demand a return of freedom of expression and political assembly. Democratic Restoration Group, the Thai Lawyers for Human Rights Centre and representatives of victims of the junta’s order yesterday organised a press conference at Thammasat University.

The coalition announced the launch of a campaign to annul the controversial order that bans political activity and get togethers following the 2014 coup. At a media briefing yesterday that said that “…it’s time for the junta to lift the political ban and let people enjoy their freedom.”

PM calls for zero tolerance on corruption

The Thai PM General Prayut Chan-o-cha is pledging to improve Thailand’s Corruption Perception Index ranking while urging Thais to have zero-tolerance for graft. In the latest 2016 CPI ranking published by Transparency International, the country is ranked in 101st position out of 176 countries worldwide.

After presenting awards to state agencies with outstanding anti-corruption and transparency records, Prayut said people should join forces to get the country out of the vicious corruption cycle by having zero tolerance on graft so that the country can do better on the CPI ranking of Transparency International. Thailand was ranked at the same level as the Philippines, while Indonesia and other ASEAN countries did better last year in terms of corruption perception by the international community, which includes expert assessments and opinion surveys.

Water off this Wednesday

Just a heads up for the middle of the island this week. The Phuket Waterworks Authority says water will be shut-off this Wednesday.

The supply will be cut off from around 9am – 4pm for maintenance works at the Baan Bang Jo Water Pumping Station.

Areas affected include Cherngtalay, Koh Kaew, Kamala, Rassada, Pakhlok and further north in Mai Khao.

News and weather updates every 30 minutes plus the island’s freshest music mix for your Sunday. Lock it on 102.75 FM.