- Crime News
Police seize 1,000s of weapons, calming APEC delegates
As Thailand struggles to combat the harm done by the methamphetamine epidemic, in a bizarre statement, police claim to have rounded up more than 60,000 suspects and seized thousands of weapons in cases tied to narcotics and illegal weapons since October 10, “bolstering confidence” among delegates to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Bangkok on November 18. Police made…
- World News
Asia at the FIFA World Cup, Part 1 – Bad times
With the FIFA World Cup less than two weeks away and no Thai team to cheer for, The Thaiger takes time to reflect on the good and bad times of Asia’s teams at the world’s premier sporting event. Thai people are crazy about football, but their national team is… not very good. But while Thailand has nothing to be proud of, there…
- World News
K-pop band NCT 127 end Jakarta concert on crush fears
K-pop sensation NCT 127 ended their first concert in Jakarta, Indonesia, early on Friday when 30 fans fainted in a crush. The world is still reeling from the fatal events in South Korea last week, while Indonesia still grieves for more than 130 people, including more than 40 children, who died in a stadium crush last month. The concert near…
- Northern Thailand News
Chiang Rai doctor suspended over ‘stupid’ argument
A doctor at Chiang Saen Hospital in Chiang Rai province has been suspended and is facing an investigation from the Medical Council of Thailand after a loud argument with a patient. Hospital director Sookchai Theansavettrakul explained the problem stemmed from miscommunication between the doctor, the patient and her relatives. Sookchai said the hospital had suspended the doctor for five days pending…
- South Thailand News
No fury like a ladyboy scorned – toyboy pulls gun
Fury gripped a middle-aged ladyboy in Phatthalung when she caught up with her toyboy lover at a hotel with a woman until he pulled his gun on her. On November 1, Phatthalung police arrested 18 year old Apichart Thongdeepeng on suspicion of threatening to shoot Amnuay Sukkaew, 28 years his senior. The pair say they have been together a year.…
- World News
Too bad to be true – the 2 baht meth pill
Meth pills that cost 300 baht each just a few years ago, are now available on the street for as little as 2 baht each, according to police and the Bangkok Post, but are we obliged to believe them? Why would we start now? The revelation comes in an article in Bangkok Post which begins by talking about the speed…
- Thailand News
Fly tipping with real flies – ‘Tourist’ trash angers Kanchanaburi villagers
Garbage truck drivers leaving their loads of trash on a local road instead of at the nearby dump has angered residents of Phra Chedi Sam Ong, a village in the tourist district of Sangkhla Buri, close to the Myanmar border in Kanchanaburi province. Residents blame inadequate facilities in the popular destination of Wangka, nearby. Tourists are often blamed for excessive…
- Crime News
Thai carer who beat her lover to death denied parole in UK
A Thai woman in the UK who beat her elderly lover to death with a hammer has been denied parole and permission to move to an open prison. Bunthawee Rimmer, who was 49, at the time of the killing, was jailed for a minimum of 11 years in July 2012 for the murder her lover Paul Norfolk, 77 years old.…
- Phuket News
Today’s tourists can hit Thailand’s island-hopping heights
When it comes to Thailand’s southern beaches, island-hopping on the less well-known east coast appeals to more adventurous tourists. Three main islands – Koh Samui, Koh Tao, and Koh Pha Ngan –surrounded by many smaller islands still offer surprises to even the most jaded of beach bums. Overnight it for a day or two on the big names, and make…
- Hot News
Countdown to World Cup – No countdown for Thailand
Thailand’s national broadcasting commission, the NBTC, has skilfully passed the blame for the impending World Cup fiasco to the Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT). With only 15 days to go, if you don’t want to miss a second of the 2022 FIFA World Cup it’s probably best to leave the country or sign up for cable. Trairat Viriyasirikul, acting secretary-general…
- Environment News
Myanmar kleptocracy boosts rhino horn trafficking
Rhino horn trafficking remains a severe problem that needs to be addressed with a new sense of urgency. During 2012-2021, more than 7.5 tons of rhino horn was seized in 674 incidents Asian rhino horns are less frequently seized than African, but there have been several recent reports of Indian rhino horns being seized at border points in Myanmar and…
- China News
Yellow peril – Mascot man fears family will waste lottery winnings
A man from Guangxi, one of China’s poorest provinces, recently dressed as a bright yellow mascot to collect his US$30.6 million lottery winnings so he could keep his identity a secret from the public – and his family. The man, identified only by nom de guerre Mr Li, won 219.4 million yuan (US$30.3 million, 1.1 billion baht) on the Guangxi Welfare…
- Bangkok News
Bangkok police arrest 15 scammers, seize US$1 million
Bangkok police arrested 15 suspected scammers involved in a barrage of illegal businesses, seizing assets worth more than over 42 million baht (US$1.1 million) yesterday. The arrests follow a series of disturbing incidents, including a raid on a nightclub disguised as a car wash in the Yannawa district, and the death of a tourist after a night out at a…
- World News
Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan shot in assassination attempt
Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan has been shot during a suspected assassination attempt. Khan is said not to be in any immediate danger. Shots were fired near Khan’s convoy yesterday, just as the former PM was about to address party workers in Wazirabad, Gujranwala in the country’s east. Khan has been at the head of a march on Islamabad…
- Crime News
Activist charged with assault and child exploitation
Secretary-general of the Amphawa district Child Protection Foundation in Samut Sakhon Montree Sinthawichai, his wife and son, met police investigators at Amphawa district police station today to hear charges against them. Montree, better known as Khru Yun, is accused of assaulting children and using child labour. Previously, activists from the Zendai Foundation took children under Montree’s care to file a…
- Visa Information
Two misses make a hit – a marriage made in Phuket
A former Miss Argentina and an ex-Miss Puerto Rico announced that they are married. Varela and Valentín met in March last year when both competed in the Miss Grand International beauty pageant in Phuket. Neither woman took home the top prize in the competition, but they both made it to the top 10. In a joint post shared to both of…
- Pattaya News
Aussie surf star dies in Pattaya motorcycle crash
A well-known Australian surfboard designer has died after crashing his motorcycle in Chon Buri. Kym Thompson smashed into an electricity pole while avoiding a truck turning at a junction on November 1. CCTV shows how Thompson was flung from his bike and skidded along the road. Rescuers said the entrepreneur died at the scene having broken his neck, arms and…
- Northern Thailand News
Monk on the run – Police seek abbot over sex offences, theft
Police are hunting the deputy abbot of a temple on the Lao border in connection with alleged sexual assaults on teenage novices and the disappearance of more than 1 million baht (US$26,000) from the temple’s bank account. Pol Maj Gen Piyapan Pattarapongsin, commander of Nan provincial police, said an arrest warrant for Thanet Thanamangkhalo had been issued involving charges of…
- Thailand News
China and Japan fight it out for Thailand’s EV market
In Thailand’s (electric vehicle) EV market, China’s auto manufacturers are locked in a bitter struggle against Japanese incumbents. China’s biggest maker of electric and hybrid cars, BYD, is to build an EV car plant in Rayong. The Great Wall Motor Co.’s production line in the same town has produced more than 10,000 vehicles. Meanwhile, Hozon New Energy has its Neta…
- World News
Smart patrols boost population of Thailand’s tigers
Thailand stands alone in Southeast Asia by boosting its wild tiger population. Tigers have lost some 95% of their historical range and there are now only about 4,000 or so left in the wild. Sadly, only two countries – India and Thailand – are working to protect the populations of wild tigers in government reserves. Thailand is now home to…
- Environment News
Banged up abroad – Sweden’s escaped cobra slips home
A king cobra that escaped from his new home in a Swedish aquarium turned up back in his terrarium about a week after he made his daring midnight escape. Skansen Aquarium in Stockholm said in a Facebook post that the cobra, named Sir Vas, or Sir Hiss (before being clumsily rebranded “Houdini”) had returned of his own free will. The deadly…
- Environment News
Coming soon – giant asteroid ‘hiding in the sun’ dazzles astronomers
Starry-eyed optimists – or astronomers as they are sometimes known – have found a giant asteroid, lurking near the sun. They hadn’t noticed it before, because the sun was in their eyes. It’s the biggest potentially hazardous asteroid (PHA), – known to some sensationalists as “planet killers” – found in eight years, and has been discovered lurking in the sun’s…
