Thailand

Disgraced rocker Gary Glitter left Thailand for London, a British Foreign Office spokesman confirmed Thursday, ending a two-day odyssey after his release from a Vietnamese prison where he served time for molesting children. Glitter, 64, had twice been refused entry into Thailand and once turned away from Hong Kong since he was deported from Vietnam on Tuesday. The former rocker, a British citizen whose real name is Paul Francis Gadd, had originally been booked to fly to London on a Thai Airways flight out of Ho Chi Minh City.

To celebrate his mother Eleanor's 90 th birthday, Robert Murphy and his family traveled to Southeast Asia in December. In Thailand, the group visited the Patara Elephant Farm in Chiang Mai, where Murphy's grandson, then-8-year-old Luca, met this baby elephant. "What I like best is the innocent childlike connection between the two," Murphy said. The Oxnard resident used a Nikon D40X. View past photos we've featured . To upload your own, visit our reader travel photo gallery . When you upload your photo, tell us where it was taken and when.

Japanese Investors Still Positive: Japanese investors are reassessing Thailand since the recent political unrest but still regard it as Southeast Asia's brightest hope, analysts said. Mingsaarn Kaosaard of the Thai Development Research Institute said inadequate communications and rising land costs had made the Japanese think twice about investing in Thailand even before the army turned its guns on pro-democracy protesters in Bangkok.

Here's a deal that will get you thinking about your bucket list: Luxury travel outfitter Abercrombie & Kent 's spring sale takes up to 50% off prices on summer trips to India, China , Russia, Spain and other destinations. Sale ends Friday, so act quickly if you want to go. The deal: A&K's Spring Savings start at $1,595 a person (half off the usual price of these independent tours) for an 11-day trip to India or an eight-day trip to Thailand on many dates throughout the summer.

Sixty years ago this week, King Bhumibol Adulyadej arrived back in Thailand. The 22-year-old had lived abroad most of his life. Named king four years earlier on his brother's death, he was coming home for his coronation. The royal navy was drawn up for review. A jet squadron soared overhead. Half a million people lined the streets in celebration. As one biographer writes, "To astrologers, the heavens proved the great event: three days before Bhumibol arrived, hail fell on Bangkok for the first time since 1933."

Elephantstay is an opportunity to get up close with elephants. The village raises, trains and retires the animals. Elephantstay, Royal Elephant Kraal and Village, 74/1 M.3 Tumbol Suanpik, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya; 011-66-80668-7727, www.elephantstay.com. Three-day packages from $400. Mary Ellen Bobp Dana Point

THE BEST WAY TO PHUKET From LAX, connecting service (change of planes) to Phuket is offered on Asiana, Thai, Malaysia, Korean and Virgin Australia. Restricted round-trip fares begin at $637. TELEPHONES To call the numbers below from the U.S., dial 011 (the international dialing code), 66 (country code for Thailand) and the local number. WHERE TO STAY Indigo Pearl, Nai Yang Beach. 76-32-7006, www.indigo-pearl.com. Wide choice of accommodations, including pavilions with private pools.

Luxury passenger rail company  Eastern & Oriental Express offers a seven-day trip from Singapore to Bangkok with some off-the-radar stops and excursions in Malaysia and Thailand. Fables of the Hills starts at Singapore's train station and includes visits to Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), tea plantations in the Cameron Highlands (Malaysia), the island of Penang (Malaysia), the "monkey training college" in Surat Thani (Thailand), where monkeys learn how to pick coconuts, and the famed River Kwai bridge (Thailand)

To celebrate his mother Eleanor's 90 th birthday, Robert Murphy and his family traveled to Southeast Asia in December. In Thailand, the group visited the Patara Elephant Farm in Chiang Mai, where Murphy's grandson, then-8-year-old Luca, met this baby elephant. "What I like best is the innocent childlike connection between the two," Murphy said. The Oxnard resident used a Nikon D40X. View past photos we've featured . To upload your own, visit our reader travel photo gallery . When you upload your photo, tell us where it was taken and when.

A vehicle carrying Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva was attacked by anti-government protesters Tuesday as turmoil intensified in Thailand days ahead of a key regional summit. A group of 50 protesters smashed the rear window and pummeled Abhisit's driver and bodyguards while the vehicle was stopped at a red light, according to local media reports and witnesses.

  A century-old law allowing up to 15-year prison sentences for those offending Thailand'sKing Bhumibol Adulyadej has sparked controversy and calls for change as its use has increased. Many who support the lese-majeste statute say it is necessary to uphold the dignity of a king they portray as enlightened and selfless, transcending raucous, corruption-prone Thai politics. Others say the 1908 law meaning "injured majesty," with ancient roots that made it a crime to offend a reigning monarch, undercuts free expression and has no place in modern times.

Lee Westwood of England completed a comprehensive victory in the Thailand Golf Championship on Sunday at Bangkok, shooting three-under-par 69 and beating Charl Schwartzel of South Africa by seven shots at the Amata Spring Country Club. Westwood finished the tournament at 22-under 266, winning his fourth title of the year. Schwartzel never managed to catch Westwood, but the Masters champion got within two shots after he eagled the 11th hole and birdied the 12th when he made a 30-foot putt.

Travelzoo has picked its top destinations for hot deals in 2012, and only one U.S. city, Orlando, Fla., made the cut. "We anticipate higher airfare prices, jaw-dropping hotel deals and an oversupply of cruise cabins," senior editor Gabe Saglie said in a statement about what the company calls its Wow Deal Destinations of 2012. "Based on our extensive market research, we predict that Costa Rica, Japan, the Mediterranean, Orlando and Thailand will offer the most outstanding deals next year.

A U.S. citizen Thursday received a 30-month prison sentence in Thailand for insulting the king, the latest punishment handed down under a law critics see as archaic, prompting the U.S. government to denounce the ruling as excessive and a violation of free speech. The case, filed under Thailand's lese-majeste, or "injured majesty," laws, also involves issues of citizenship and jurisdiction. Thai-born Lerpong Wichaikhammat, 55, a U.S. resident for the last three decades, was convicted of posting online a Thai translation of "The King Never Smiles," an unofficial biography, several years ago while living in Colorado.

An obese, middle-aged man is running to catch a bus. Suddenly, he clutches his chest, falls to the ground and dies of a massive heart attack. It turns out that he's a smoker and a diabetic, has high blood pressure, eats a diet high in saturated fat and low in leafy green vegetables, pours salt on everything, drinks too much beer, avoids exercise at all costs and has a father, grandfather and two uncles who also died young of heart attacks. So what killed him? Most people are savvy enough about health risks to know this is a trick question.

Just as Honda Motor Co. was recovering from a production disruption and inventory shortage caused by the Japanese earthquake, it has been hit with another natural disaster: flooding in Thailand that is causing a parts shortage. Honda said it will slash production at its U.S. factories by half through Nov. 10 and close its factories for a day Nov. 11. It also has cut all overtime production for November. About 87% of the Honda and Acura automobiles that the automaker sells in the U.S. are assembled here.

The Islamic teacher sat on the wooden porch of his house smiling politely, his infant son playing at his feet. Those who study the Koran are automatically suspect, Dul Nasir Hama said, adding that he's not a terrorist nor are his students part of the insurgency. As he spoke, a Thai army patrol skirted the grounds of his madrasa in Pattani, a jungle area of southern Thailand with a long history of violent clashes between Malay Muslims and Thai Buddhists. "They're afraid to come in here," he said.

Recent images of Thai army snipers shooting at anti-government protesters in front of a Louis Vuitton outlet during Bangkok street battles have shocked a world accustomed to postcard scenes of sandy beaches and splashing elephants. Yet even as the spotlight glares harshly on Thailand, analysts say neighboring nations suffer conditions similar to those that have fueled the political crisis in downtown Bangkok, although they've generally managed to keep them in better check and prevent them from becoming as combustible.

Americans are being advised to avoid traveling to Bangkok and other areas of central and northern Thailand, where unusually heavy monsoons since mid-July have caused deadly floods. "Severe flooding has hampered transportation and limited access to some essential services in the affected regions," says a U.S. State Department travel alert issued Thursday. The alert singled out Bangkok as well as the provinces of Sukhothai, Pichit, Phitsanulok, Nakhon Sawan, Uthai Thani, Chainat, Singhburi, Angthong, Ayutthaya, Pathum Thani, Nonthaburi, Lopburi, Sara Buri, Nakhon Nayok, Pracheen Buri, Chacherngsao, Suphan Buri, Nakhon Pathom, Kamphang Peth, and Tak. It also noted popular tourist destinations Phuket and Chiang Mai have been unaffected by the floods.

Authorities suspended all flights from one of Bangkok's two main airports after flood waters breached its northern perimeter, news agencies reported Tuesday. The suspension was imposed at Don Muang airport, used mainly for domestic flights. The facility is located in northern Bangkok, the area of the capital most severely affected by the worst flooding that Thailand has seen in decades. The BBC reported that the landing strip was expected to remain closed for a week. Photos: Thailand floods The Suvarnabhumi Airport in eastern Bangkok, which handles most international traffic, was reported to be still operating.