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power24
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Last Updated: Tuesday, 25 January, 2005, 04:39 GMT
Seven die in Thai boat accident
At least seven people have been killed and 13 others are missing after an overloaded speedboat capsized off a resort island in Thailand.
The accident happened as the boat was taking around 40 people to Samui from Pha Ngan island, where revellers had gathered for a full moon party.
Police say five of the dead and eight of the missing were foreign tourists.
Correspondents say Thailand's tourism industry is still reeling from the Indian Ocean tsunami a month ago.
More than 5,300 people died in the disaster, around half of whom are believed to be foreign tourists.
Surge in bookings
The speedboat accident happened at around 0500 local time on Tuesday (2200 GMT on Monday) in the Gulf of Thailand off the east coast, which was unaffected by the waves.
Thousands of backpackers and Thais gather every full moon for all-night parties at the Haad Rin beach, on Pha Ngan.
One American and one Swiss citizen are known to be among the dead. All the victims appeared to be in their 20s, police said.
The cause of the accident was not immediately clear, although the boat was not allowed to carry more than 30 passengers.
Resorts in the gulf have seen a surge in holiday bookings as tourists switch away from the tsunami-affected western Andaman Sea coast.
But the BBC's Tony Cheng in Thailand says accidents like this will do little to boost tourists' confidence in the country as a safe destination.
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Thai Girls : Meet Sexy Thai Girls
Posted on: 3:09 am on Jan. 25, 2005
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ringthebells
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all we need now is a former fighter pilot skidding his bird full of touris off the runway in u-tapao.
rtb
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Thai Girls : Meet Sexy Thai Girls
Posted on: 5:28 am on Jan. 25, 2005
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