BANGKOK - HOTEL workers on the Thai resort island of Phuket have ended a three-day strike that forced the closure of six hotels and disrupted holidays for hundreds of foreign tourists, police said on Sunday.

KUALA LUMPUR - A NORTHERN Malaysian state found itself with two governments over the weekend, as the opposition refused a royal command to stand down in favour of the national coalition.

A new leader from the Barisan Nasional coalition for Perak state was sworn in on Friday, triggering a demonstration by some 3,000 opposition supporters who were teargassed by police.

BANGKOK - THAILAND'S prime minister on Sunday defended his economic stimulus package and insisted that plans to borrow money from abroad did not signal a shortfall in the kingdom's reserves.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva's government has unveiled a 116.7-billion-baht (S$4.9 billion) package aimed at boosting the economy, hit by last year's airport blockades and the world financial crisis.