Neill Fronde

Neill is a journalist from the United States with 10+ years broadcasting experience and national news and magazine publications. He graduated with a degree in journalism and communications from the University of California and has been living in Thailand since 2014.
  • Phuket NewsPM Prayut says Phuket Expo 2028 could bring in 40 billion baht

    PM Prayut says Phuket Expo 2028 could bring in 40 billion baht

    Phuket has its eye on hosting the Specialised Expo in 2028 and received the backing of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha. The PM reckons the massive exposition could rake in as much as 40 billion baht. If the Phuket Expo 2028 bid is accepted, the event would run from March 20 to June 17, 2028. The expo would have the theme…

  • Northern Thailand NewsTURN IT DOWN! Bees attack temple over loud music

    TURN IT DOWN! Bees attack temple over loud music

    Most people get annoyed when their neighbours blast loud music but have you ever become so angry that you wanted to stab them with your butt? No? Then you mustn’t be a bee! A swarm of bees did just that at a temple in the Nakhon Ratchasima province. A temple in Phimai District was holding an ordination ceremony on Friday…

  • Thailand NewsDelivery riders want employee support and benefits

    Delivery riders want employee support and benefits

    Delivery riders in Thailand are calling for the next government to provide them with the same benefits as employees in other fields. Riders deal with work hazards ranging from harassment to road accidents, often without support or backup from their employers, including health insurance. Food delivery riders are often classified as “partners” instead of “employees.” This distinction results in a…

  • Tourism NewsTour guides to ask PM to act on illegal foreign guides

    Tour guides to ask PM to act on illegal foreign guides

    Chinese-speaking tour guides in Thailand have called for the government to take action against illegal foreign guides who they claim are stealing their jobs. The Professional Guide Association of Thailand held a meeting on Saturday to discuss the issue and vow to escalate the issue all the way up to the prime minister. The association lamented that the number of…

  • Crime NewsPolice nab 3 Chinese nationals for kidnapping, extortion

    Police nab 3 Chinese nationals for kidnapping, extortion

    Police arrested three Chinese nationals in Thailand for allegedly kidnapping and extorting about 3.2 million baht from a Chinese woman. Officers arrested two men and a woman at a hotel in the Aranyaprathet district of Sa Kaeo province. A 23 year old Chinese woman studying for a bachelor’s degree filed a complaint with the Thong Lor police on Friday. In…

  • Tourism NewsChinese ambassador visits Phuket as tourism surges

    Chinese ambassador visits Phuket as tourism surges

    Chinese tourist arrivals are expected to surge to over 300,000 in April, according to the Chinese ambassador to Thailand, Han Zhiqiang. The ambassador made a courtesy visit to Phuket governor Narong Woonciew at the Provincial Hall on Saturday, where the two worked to strengthen ties between Thailand and China and increase tourism to Phuket and beyond. Narong and the Chinese…

  • Politics NewsDonald Trump faces arrest, but is back on Facebook

    Donald Trump faces arrest, but is back on Facebook

    This weekend marked some highs and lows for former US President Donald Trump. Just one day after announcing his supposedly-triumphant return to Facebook, Trump claims that he expects to be arrested this coming Tuesday. It would mark the first time in US history that a president was arrested or faced criminal charges while occupying the White House or after leaving…

  • Bangkok NewsHealthy Station: improving Bangkok resident life

    Healthy Station: improving Bangkok resident life

    The Thai Health Promotion Foundation (ThaiHealth) has expressed concern over the physical and mental health of Bangkok residents. They have launched the “Healthy Station” project which aims to promote a healthy lifestyle among Bangkok residents by utilizing public spaces. Bangkok is not the healthiest environment to live in, with toxic dust and pollution, eternal traffic jams and the high stress of…

  • Crime NewsNew cyber crime law helps banks and victims

    New cyber crime law helps banks and victims

    A new Royal Decree on Cyber Crime Prevention and Suppression is now in effect in Thailand. The new law has provisions to help victims, banks and authorities combat illegal online activities. The decree allows victims of online scams to use a hotline to report mule accounts set up using their stolen identity immediately to 15 banks. Victims can also file…

  • World NewsICC issues war crimes arrest warrant for Putin

    ICC issues war crimes arrest warrant for Putin

    Russian President Vladimir Putin has been accused of illegally deporting hundreds of children from Ukraine as part of his invasion, and as a consequence, the International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued an arrest warrant on war crimes charges. That means if Putin crosses into any territory belonging to the court’s 123 member states they are required to arrest him and…

  • Central Thailand NewsMissing Caesium-137 cylinder spotted at car wash

    Missing Caesium-137 cylinder spotted at car wash

    If you stole a cylinder of an isotope that is a main contributor to the total radiation released during nuclear accidents, would you throw it in your truck and go about your normal day? Authorities searching for a capsule of Caesium-137 believed to be stolen from a power plant in Prachin Buri on February 23 are following up on a…

  • Politics NewsWoman says Prime Minister’s security assaulted her

    Woman says Prime Minister’s security assaulted her

    Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha is facing new scrutiny for the alleged misconduct of his security staff. Yesterday, The Thaiger reported on a woman charged with causing chaos in public as the prime minister passed. But now, former Puea Chart Party election candidate, Wanthana Othong, is telling her side of the story. She has filed a complaint against PM Prayut’s security…

  • World NewsSingapore 2 year old girl run over, possibly by her father

    Singapore 2 year old girl run over, possibly by her father

    Tragedy struck a family in Singapore on Monday when a two year old girl died in a freak accident. The young girl was run over by a van in a car park in the Woodlands area of the city-state, possibly by her father. Emergency services raced to the scene after the incident was reported on Woodlands Street at 2.40pm. The…

  • Pattaya NewsResort encroaching on Navy land ordered demolished

    Resort encroaching on Navy land ordered demolished

    The Royal Thai Navy (RTN) has ordered a luxury resort to cease its operations and to be demolished after an inspection found that it was illegally built on state land under the care of the RTN. The resort boasts six modified shipping containers made into pool villas and is located on a hilltop in the Samae San sub-district, Chon Buri.…

  • Transport NewsSingapore Airlines flight grounded after bomb threat

    Singapore Airlines flight grounded after bomb threat

    A bomb threat led to an emergency grounding of a Singapore Airlines flight in South Africa. Singapore Airlines flight SQ478 was grounded in Johannesburg yesterday following the threat. The aircraft landed at OR Tambo International Airport and all 58 passengers and 15 crew members successfully disembarked. The plane was flying from Singapore to Cape Town and was just doing a…

  • World NewsHouse thief caught by getting wedged in the door for 5 hours

    House thief caught by getting wedged in the door for 5 hours

    When robbing a place, is there anything worse than getting caught in the act? One Indonesian house thief found out the hard way that there is one thing worse – getting caught in the door. A man in North Sumatra found himself in a tight spot when he got stuck in a heavy door mid-burglary. The 30 year old criminal…

  • China NewsChina eases visa restrictions coming out of Covid

    China eases visa restrictions coming out of Covid

    China is relaxing some of its pandemic travel restrictions again. On Wednesday, the mainland will begin issuing a range of visas to foreign nationals, according to the country’s foreign ministry. The move inches China closer to full reopening, marking a departure from the zero-Covid strategy they had held tightly to up until a few months ago. A social media account…

  • World NewsBali requests no visas-on-arrival for Russians, Ukrainians

    Bali requests no visas-on-arrival for Russians, Ukrainians

    Bali has requested that the central immigration agency cancels visa-on-arrival for Russian and Ukrainian nationals. The move comes after at least four Russian citizens were deported this month for visa violations, and following repeated warnings from immigration authorities about working on tourist visas. Governor I Wayan Koster requested the Ministry of Law and Human Rights to cancel the visa-on-arrival facility…

  • Tourism NewsRecord numbers of Russian tourists affect economy

    Record numbers of Russian tourists affect economy

    Thailand has seen a sharp rise in the number of Russian tourists in the country. So far this year over 370,000 Russian visitors have arrived in Thailand. That’s 67% of last year’s entire total of 435,000. Pol Maj Gen Phanthana Nutchanart, the deputy commander of the Immigration Bureau assures though that the influx has not increased Russian criminal activity. The…

  • Tourism News4 new unique airlines look to open in Thailand

    4 new unique airlines look to open in Thailand

    Thailand’s Transport Ministry revealed that four new airlines are seeking to operate in the country, according to a source who spoke to the Thai news site Thansettakij. The four companies are P80 Air, Really Cool Air, Landarch Airline and Siam Seaplane. The source added that it would take some time to obtain air service licences. The four airlines were expected…

  • Politics NewsMan goes viral for resemblance to PM Prayut

    Man goes viral for resemblance to PM Prayut

    Many of us – especially the more homely amongst us – have probably wished they looked like a celebrity. But be careful what you wish for because one man has shot to viral fame for his uncanny resemblance to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha. Thai social media users were stunned after seeing images of a vocational education expert online who happens…

  • Crime NewsPolice rescue Thai woman held captive by Korean boyfriend

    Police rescue Thai woman held captive by Korean boyfriend

    A harrowing tale is emerging of a Thai woman held captive by an abusive Korean boyfriend in Pattaya. The woman has now been rescued by police and rescue teams after the man allegedly attacked and detained her. The incident was reported to Banglamung Police at around 5pm yesterday at a condo in Naklua. Police raced to the scene to investigate. They…

  • Phuket NewsTuk Tuk driver caught stealing Swedish tourist’s phone

    Tuk Tuk driver caught stealing Swedish tourist’s phone

    A tuk tuk taxi driver was arrested on Saturday in Patong for stealing an iPhone 14 Pro Max from a Swedish tourist in Patong. According to the Patong Police, Merdzana Pepic reported to the police station that she might have forgotten her mobile phone in a Tuk Tuk taxi. She had taken the tuk tuk taxi earlier in the morning,…

  • Phuket News78 baby sea turtles hatch, 96 more eggs laid in Phang Nga

    78 baby sea turtles hatch, 96 more eggs laid in Phang Nga

    It’s been a good week for sea turtles in Thailand, particularly in the southern province of Phang Nga. Not only did 78 baby leatherback sea turtles successfully hatch, but a green sea turtle laid 96 eggs this week. In a positive sign for conservation efforts in Thailand, dozens of baby sea turtles have hatched and made their way to the…

  • World NewsMount Merapi volcano eruption in Indonesia

    Mount Merapi volcano eruption in Indonesia

    Mount Merapi, one of Indonesia’s most active volcanoes, erupted again yesterday, spewing volcanic ash up to 7 kilometres. Details of the eruption were reported by the country’s Geological Disaster Technology Research and Development Centre (BPPTKG). The eruption occurred around 12.12pm local time and a lava flow of 1.5 kilometres was observed. For the past several months, the volcano situated on…

  • Environment NewsAyutthaya recycling plant caught dumping industrial waste

    Ayutthaya recycling plant caught dumping industrial waste

    A waste recycling plant in Ayutthaya province was uncovered as the source of a truckload of industrial waste. Thai authorities seized a truck when it was caught discharging industrial waste in Sara Buri, on the land of the Kaeng Khoi industrial estate. The Pollution Control Department confirmed the truck impound and the payload of industrial waste inside. It had been…

  • Environment NewsCoral Rehabilitation for Divers Volunteers protects reefs

    Coral Rehabilitation for Divers Volunteers protects reefs

    A new Coral Rehabilitation for a Divers Volunteers training program in Phuket has attracted several foreign divers interested in the restoration project. The course aims to provide participants with knowledge of how to operate procedures in coral rehabilitation following academic principles. The program, created by the Royal Thai Navy (RTN) and the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) has…

  • Phuket News2 Phuket restaurants busted with protected marine life

    2 Phuket restaurants busted with protected marine life

    In Phuket, two floating restaurants have been busted possessing protected marine life in violation of environmental laws. The Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) inspected floating restaurants in Phuket on Friday to check whether they had protected marine life and found a stash. Social media posts shared the findings online. The DMCR inspection found that both restaurants had ornamental…

  • World NewsGhibli Park bars men from takes sexy pics with statues | Thaiger

    Ghibli Park bars men from takes sexy pics with statues

    It’s ok to love statues, but it’s not ok to LOVE statues. Visitors to Japan’s Ghibli Park will be prohibited from taking inappropriate photos with statues of characters from beloved animated films. The restriction comes after photos of men pretending to sexually assault young female characters were posted on Twitter last month. The photographs in question depicted a visitor capturing…

  • EventsLoei festival next week features international masks

    Loei festival next week features international masks

    The northeastern province of Loei is set to host an international mask festival from March 17 to 19. The festival will showcase the cultural attractions of the province that borders Laos. Organisers hope to show visitors the charming atmosphere and vibrant colours of Loei at the three-day event. Naga courtyard will host the opening ceremony on March 17 at 6pm.…