- Crime News
Government recommits to the banning of vaping and e-cigarettes
While the government seems to have loosened up in regulation for legalising cannabis they’ve just reiterated its position banning e-cigarettes and vaping. Minister of Public Health Anutin Charnvirakul doubled down on the ban, saying that vaping poses a major health risk, especially to young people who account for more than half of all e-cigarette consumers. Anutin spoke at a national…
- World News
Study: Balinese monkeys use stones to get their rocks off
Monkeys in Thailand need to step up their game. A, er, handy new study of monkeys in Ubud, Bali discovered that local macaques monkeys frequently rub or tap themselves with stones as a form of masturbation. The study was published in this month’s academic journal Ethology (because publishing it elsewhere might get you on a sex offender registry) and showed…
- Entertainment
Thai superstar Lisa wins K-Pop MTV Video Music Award
Pop superstar, member of K-Pop sensation Blackpink, and now, MTV Video Music Award winner – Thailand native Lalisa “Lisa” Manoban just set a new milestone with her win. The award went to her solo debut song and video for “LaLisa” which broke the Internet when it was released last year. When Lisa released the video for her debut single “LaLisa”…
- Tourism News
New direct bus from Don Mueang Airport to Pattaya
Budget punters rejoice – a new shuttle bus will now whisk people directly from Don Mueang International Airport, Bangkok’s low-cost secondary airport, to the tourism and nightlife hub of Pattaya. The shuttle started trial runs earlier this month and, if successful, may usher in a chain of other convenience bus options from the popular airport, according to the Don Mueang…
- Economy News
SCB-Bitkub deal fizzles as young investors lose big on crypto
As the crypto market cools and young, naïve investors lose big, the deal for Siam Commercial Bank Group (SCB) to acquire a majority stake in Thai digital asset exchange Bitkub Online has fallen apart. The deal, announced in November of last year, pushed Bitkub Online’s value over US$1 billion and drove the company’s cryptocurrency to triple in value overnight. SCB’s…
- World News
Groups of 8 or more dining in Hong Kong required to Covid test
A new Covid-19 regulation that came into effect yesterday in Hong Kong is drawing ire from groups of diners and restaurants. The new rule requires all members of any group of eight or more dining in restaurants to present a photo of a negative Covid test taken within 24 hours of dining or a text message confirmation of a negative…
- Chiang Mai News
Monopoly: Chiang Mai Edition being planned for next year
Coming off the success of the Phuket Edition that was released in March, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has announced the launch of Monopoly: Chiang Mai Edition. The new edition celebrating the northern city is scheduled to be released sometime next year. The perennial board game favourite has launched over 300 versions and thousands of custom editions ranging from…
- World News
Divers in Singapore find 8 dead blacktip sharks
In the waters of Pulau Hantu, islands just south of Singapore, divers made a gruesome and heartbreaking discovery: the lifeless bodies of eight young blacktip sharks who appeared to have died from wounds to their gills. Sharks are rare to spot in the area, so it was especially gut-wrenching to discover them dead. The divers who discovered it were shocked…
- World News
Popular Phuket-Penang route relaunched by Firefly Airlines
A popular route for expats is back in operation now Firefly Airlines recommenced its flight route between Phuket and Penang. On Friday, the trip resumed for the first time in over two years since being grounded, like so many other flights and routes, by the Covid-19 pandemic. The flight will run four times per week connecting the two popular island…
- Tourism News
New PVS check-in system to speed up Suvarnabhumi Airport
Suvarnabhumi Airport, Bangkok’s main international airport, is getting an upgrade: a new passenger validation system is being put in place. The new PVS will be launched in the airport officially on September 1 and will be found at Terminal 4 for both domestic and international passengers. [Note: The Thaiger believes the airport said “Terminal 4” but perhaps meant the fourth…
- Crime News
Fake flight tickets: woman scammed 100+ out of 11 million baht
After a streak of more than a hundred victims being bilked out of over 11 million baht, a 61 year old woman has been arrested for selling fake airline tickets. The Consumer Protection Police took the woman into custody for a bogus ticket scam dating back to 2014. The suspect was arrested yesterday in Bangkok after police tracked her down…
- Pattaya News
Mountain B Pub fire claims its 21st victim
Tragedy continues to unfold in the wake of the deadly Mountain B Pub fire in Chon Buri. A 21st victim has succumbed to his injuries sustained during the deadly fire that ripped through the pub on August 5 at around 1 am, leaving a trail of terror, injuries, death, and a hollowed-out shell of a building. With flammable soundproofing foam…
- Thailand News
Pao Tang app provides free birth control from NHSO
The Thai government is addressing unwanted pregnancies in the country with a new programme offering free birth control pills. A deputy spokesperson for the government explained that the programme would help women get access to free birth control using a mobile app called Pao Tang. The campaign was created to try to slow the frequency of unintentional and unwanted pregnancies…
- Pattaya News
Mountain Bar & Bistro restaurant for sale to pay for pub fire
Anyone in the market for a restaurant with an infamous locale, here’s one you can probably get a great deal on. The Mountain Bar & Bistro restaurant in Sattahip, Chon Buri, owned by and adjacent to the Mountain B nightclub that burned down earlier this month on August 5 with 20 deaths, is for sale. On Friday, local media spotted…
- Covid-19 News
Moderna suing Pfizer for using their tech in Covid vaccines
After Pfizer/BioNTech’s Covid-19 vaccine brought in US$22 billion so far this year compared to Moderna’s US$10.4 billion, Moderna is suing Pfizer, claiming they copied technology in developing their vaccines. Moderna, a decade-old company that had been pioneering mRNA technology long before Covid-19, had said at the start of the pandemic that they wouldn’t enforce related patents to help the world…
- Politics News
Prayut shows up to work unannounced, as Defence Minister
After being removed from his position as Prime Minister, Prayut Chan-o-cha didn’t miss a beat and quietly showed up to work yesterday at his other job, as Minister of Defence. The former PM made a low-key – and unannounced – entrance, arriving at the Ministry of Defence in his car at around 10am. While the Constitutional Court has yet to…
- Northern Thailand News
“Parading shrimp” the most unique yearly tourist attraction in Thailand
People talk about the big tourist attractions of Thailand – the temples, beautiful beaches, bustling cities, parading shrimp… wait, what? September brings one of the most unique spectacles in Thailand, and people flock to the northeastern province of Ubon Ratchathani each year to watch as shrimp climb out of a creek when heavy rains swell the shores. The naturally occurring…
- Tourism News
Saturday passport offices in Bangkok see a huge demand
The Covid-19 pandemic is winding down, or at least the travel restrictions that came with it are, and for Thai people, this means it’s time to get the heck out of the country, according to passport office statistics this weekend. Two Bangkok-area passport offices were open on Saturday and reported a huge demand for processing passports on the weekend. As…
- Thailand News
Free flu shot program for vulnerable people ends August 31
Before there was Covid and anti-vaxxers and controversy, there was the annual flu shot, a preventative health mainstay for nearly a century. The National Health Security Office campaign that has been administering free vaccinations against the yearly influenza is coming to a close on August 31. The campaign started on May 1 and aims to administer free flu shots to…
- Crime News
Man believed to have died of a drug overdose on Patong Beach
Just off Bangla Road, a man was found unresponsive on Patong Beach and died of what authorities believe to be a drug overdose. The man was found unconscious on the beach last night at around 10.15pm, only 200 metres south of the police box at the end of the popular party street, with a small bag of red pills laying…
- World News
Tourism Malaysia visits Songkhla and Bangkok to lure Thais
As Thailand has lured more and more Malaysian tourists across the border for short-haul holidays, Malaysia started marketing tourism to Thai people as soon as the borders began to open again after the Covid-19 pandemic. Thailand added more train services across the border at Padang Besar into the country and Malaysia welcomed tours sent by Thai travel agents. Malaysia overtook…
- Covid-19 News
Spokesman warns end of CCSA, Decree not guaranteed
Mark Twain is often (mis)quoted as saying, “Rumours of my death have been greatly exaggerated.” And the same, it seems, may be said of the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) as a government spokesperson said yesterday that, despite an announcement Friday, the lifting of the Emergency Decree and dissolution of the CCSA will be closely evaluated and is not…
- Tourism News
AirAsia Thailand launches Bangkok to Fukuoka flights October 12
Following suit of Thai Vietjet last month, AirAsia Thailand will launch direct flights from Bangkok to Fukuoka, Japan. The flights are scheduled to commence on October 12 and fly from Don Mueang International Airport, Bangkok’s secondary airport that caters to low-cost carriers like AirAsia. To celebrate the launch, the airline is offering promotional fares on sale from now until August…
- World News
Cambodia aims for 1 million tourists in 2022, has 740k already
As Southeast Asia reopens and scrambles to attract international tourists, Cambodia has announced triumphant numbers from the Ministry of Tourism, declaring over 740,000 tourists from abroad between January to the end of July this year. The swell of tourists is about 22.5% of the number of travellers pre-pandemic, but a 560% increase over figures for the first half of 2022.…
- Crime News
Salon owner who stabbed 2 charged with premeditated murder
More details have emerged regarding the customers who were stabbed to death in a Pathum Thani shopping centre, as it was confirmed that the salon owner accused of the stabbing turned himself in and has been charged with premeditated murder. The horrific incident took place Saturday afternoon around 3pm at a Lotus superstore in tambon Bang Kadi in Muang district…
- Northern Thailand News
School burned down for robbery netting 500 baht
In Buri Ram, a desperate person burned down a school building to cover up a robbery that netted them just 500 baht. The Wat Kok Charoen Temple School was set ablaze on Friday and the unknown suspect in the arson attack left behind a bizarre note saying “I love the Prime Minister. I am sorry, I need money.” The Phlapphla…
- Tourism News
Is the 10-year visa attracting Europeans and others to Thailand?
Officials in Thailand have been heavily pushing the new 10-year golden visa options for digital nomads and rich expats, with Europeans as a primary demographic, but is it really a big draw? The government has predicted that one million wealthy tourists will jump at the chance to live long-term in Thailand over the next five years, but the programme that…
- Economy News
Save power – government will pay half to clean your aircon
To help people struggling with the rising costs of electricity, the Thai government has offered to cover half the cost of having your aircon cleaned. A dirty air conditioner with a clogged filter can be unhealthy, and can significantly increase your aircon bill, so the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) is repeating its previous “Clean Your Air for the…
- Pattaya News
One dead and one rescued from deep well after cover breaks
In hindsight, sitting atop a well cover isn’t the safest place for a casual chat. Two local Thai men in Bang Lamung found that out the hard way after their chatting turned to horror when the cover they were sitting on broke, plunging them into a deep well. One man was rescued but the second man died in the water…
- Politics News
Election Commission discussing prime minister term limit today
With what many believe to be the end of PM Prayut Chan-o-cha’s eight-year term limit just three days away, the Election Commission will discuss today the legal debate over if he can remain in the prime minister seat in any capacity beyond August 24. That date marks eight years since PM Prayut took office, and the current constitution allows a…
