Petch Petpailin

Petpailin, or Petch, is a Thai translator and writer for The Thaiger who focuses on translating breakingThai news stories into English. With a background in field journalism, Petch brings several years of experience to the English News desk at The Thaiger. Before joining The Thaiger, Petch worked as a content writer for several known blogging sites in Bangkok, including Happio and The Smart Local. Her articles have been syndicated by many big publishers in Thailand and internationally, including the Daily Mail, The Sun and the Bangkok Post. She is a news writer who stops reading news on the weekends to spend more time cafe hopping and petting dwarf shrimp! But during office hours, you can find Petch on LinkedIn and you can reach her by email at petch@thethaiger.com.
  • Thailand NewsGerman man arrested for political graffiti on Koh Pha Ngan | Thaiger

    German man arrested for political graffiti on Koh Pha Ngan

    Police arrested a German man known locally as “Mr Spray” after he spray-painted political graffiti across multiple locations on Koh Pha Ngan in Surat Thani province. The suspect was arrested at a hotel in Bangkok on Tuesday, February 4. Residents and business operators on Koh Pha Ngan turned to social media to seek help identifying the foreign man, after numerous…

  • Thailand NewsThai teen shoots neighbour dead over alleged affair with mother | Thaiger

    Thai teen shoots neighbour dead over alleged affair with mother

    A 17 year old Thai boy fatally shot his neighbour in Pathum Thani province, blaming the victim for having an affair with his mother and causing ongoing conflict within his family. Police from Thanyaburi Police Station were alerted to the shooting at around 1pm yesterday, February 4, by a local community leader, Thanee Suekui. The incident occurred in the Thanyaburi…

  • Bangkok NewsBangkok taxi driver confesses to raping intoxicated passenger | Thaiger

    Bangkok taxi driver confesses to raping intoxicated passenger

    A Thai taxi driver confessed to raping a female passenger, who was intoxicated and unable to defend herself, at a love hotel in Bangkok on Tuesday, February 3, saying, “I don’t know what an evil spirit possessed me that night”. The victim, a university student studying in Bangkok, filed a formal complaint with police after waking up naked inside a…

  • Thailand News15 year old boy arrested over 2.4 million baht gold theft in Hat Yai | Thaiger

    15 year old boy arrested over 2.4 million baht gold theft in Hat Yai

    Police arrested a 15 year old boy for a gold shop robbery at a supermarket in Hat Yai district, Songkhla province, in which gold accessories worth more than 2.4 million baht were stolen. The robbery occurred at around 6.30pm inside a gold shop located within Lotus’s supermarket in Hat Yai. CCTV footage showed the suspect dressed entirely in black and…

  • Thailand NewsThai businesswoman and influencer questions Disneyland Thailand plan | Thaiger

    Thai businesswoman and influencer questions Disneyland Thailand plan

    A well-known Thai businesswoman and social media influencer publicly questioned the possibility of bringing Disneyland to Thailand, accusing the Bhumjaithai Party of using an uncertain proposal as part of its election campaign and selling dreams to Disney fans. Amid the uncertain and faded hope on an entertainment complex and legal casino from Pheu Thai Party, the present Transport Minister from…

  • Thailand NewsThai taxi driver wins hearts after sharing desserts with Australian tourists | Thaiger

    Thai taxi driver wins hearts after sharing desserts with Australian tourists

    An Australian couple shared a video of a friendly service from a Thai taxi driver, who warmly welcomed them despite a language barrier and treated them to traditional Thai desserts during their journey. The video was shared on January 9 via the couple’s TikTok account, TikTok user @whatamidoing.retired. In the caption, the couple wrote… “We met the kindest taxi driver,…

  • Thailand NewsThai woman says friend claims her baby to scam over 1 million baht | Thaiger

    Thai woman says friend claims her baby to scam over 1 million baht

    A Thai woman issued a public warning after her close friend claimed her baby as her own in order to swindle more than 1 million baht from her husband and his family. The victim shared her story on the television news programme Hone Krasae on Channel 3, saying she almost lost custody of her three month old child as a result…

  • Bangkok News3 Mongolians arrested in Bangkok for smuggling crystal meth using capacitors | Thaiger

    3 Mongolians arrested in Bangkok for smuggling crystal meth using capacitors

    Police arrested three Mongolian nationals at a hotel in Bangkok’s Sukhumvit area for smuggling crystal methamphetamine from Thailand to their home country by concealing the drugs inside electronic components (capacitors). Officers from the Narcotics Suppression Bureau began the investigation after discovering a suspicious parcel at a logistics company office on New Phetchaburi Road in Bangkok on January 9. The parcel…

  • Thailand NewsThai suspect arrested after neck slashing and motorcycle theft in Chon Buri | Thaiger

    Thai suspect arrested after neck slashing and motorcycle theft in Chon Buri

    Police arrested a Thai man for slashing a vocational student on the neck and stealing his motorcycle in Chon Buri province. Investigators found that the suspect has a history of mental illness and had been without proper treatment for more than six months. The victim, an 18 year old vocational student Siraphat Artthaisong, was found seriously injured near his home…

  • Phuket NewsRussian runner protests Phuket race organiser, throws medal away | Thaiger

    Russian runner protests Phuket race organiser, throws medal away

    A Russian runner criticised the organiser of a running event in Phuket after being accused of following the wrong route and being disqualified, insisting that the mistake was caused by the organiser rather than by him. The Russian runner, Sergey Zyryanov, shared a video on social media showing himself throwing a medal from the Running@Wichit event into a rubbish bin.…

  • Bangkok NewsChinese man arrested in Bangkok for 32 year old murder in Hong Kong | Thaiger

    Chinese man arrested in Bangkok for 32 year old murder in Hong Kong

    Thai police arrested a Chinese man in Bangkok who had been evading arrest for 32 years in connection with a murder case in Hong Kong dating back to 1992. The arrest took place on Monday, February 3, after authorities in Hong Kong coordinated with Thailand’s Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) to track down the long-wanted suspect. The man was identified as…

  • Bangkok NewsThai man disappears, car found outside abandoned house in Chon Buri | Thaiger

    Thai man disappears, car found outside abandoned house in Chon Buri

    A Thai man with a history of depression disappeared from his home in Bangkok late last month, with his car later found outside an abandoned house in Chon Buri province. The missing man’s older sister turned to an online community for help on Monday, February 2, sharing a photo and details of her brother, 37 year old Keerati “Golf” Nattirakiat,…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket man falls from pickup while confronting foreign hit-and-run driver | Thaiger

    Phuket man falls from pickup while confronting foreign hit-and-run driver

    A Thai Good Samaritan fell from the back of a pickup truck on a road in Phuket while attempting to stop a foreign driver who fled the scene after crashing into three motorcycles. Footage of the incident was shared on the Newshawk Phuket Facebook page on Sunday, February 2. According to the page, the incident itself occurred the previous night,…

  • Bangkok News2 gunmen surrender after 2 victims injured in Khao San Road shooting | Thaiger

    2 gunmen surrender after 2 victims injured in Khao San Road shooting

    Two people were injured after a shooting broke out at an entertainment venue on Khao San Road in Bangkok early on Friday, January 30. Police later confirmed that two suspects had contacted authorities, saying they intended to turn themselves in. According to a report by Channel 7, the shooting occurred at a bar on Khao San Road at around 1.30am.…

  • Thailand NewsThai family welcomes foreigners who mistake funeral feast for restaurant | Thaiger

    Thai family welcomes foreigners who mistake funeral feast for restaurant

    A Thai family in Nakhon Si Thammarat province warmly welcomed and served food to two groups of foreigners who mistakenly believed that the family’s funeral event was a restaurant. The incident was shared online by a Thai man named Charantorn Chareomkiad, who posted videos from his family’s funeral ceremony held on Saturday, January 31, in Nakhon Si Thammarat province. In…

  • Pattaya NewsThai man clings to moving SUV in Pattaya allegedly to stop car thief | Thaiger

    Thai man clings to moving SUV in Pattaya allegedly to stop car thief

    Thai netizens called for further investigation after a viral video showed a Thai man clinging to the bonnet of a moving electric SUV on a road in Pattaya, allegedly in an attempt to stop a thief from stealing his vehicle. A Thai woman shared the video on her Facebook account on Sunday, February 2, along with a caption claiming the…

  • Pattaya NewsForeign man flags sea pollution off Jomtien Beach in Pattaya | Thaiger

    Foreign man flags sea pollution off Jomtien Beach in Pattaya

    A foreign man drew widespread attention on social media after posting footage showing wastewater being discharged into the sea off Jomtien Beach in Pattaya, prompting an investigation by Thai authorities. The foreign man, believed to be a French national, Herve Dejean, shared a video and several photos of wastewater pools on Jomtien Beach on his Facebook account on Sunday, February…

  • Phuket NewsFrench couple deported and blacklisted after sex on Phuket tuk tuk | Thaiger

    French couple deported and blacklisted after sex on Phuket tuk tuk

    A French couple are facing deportation and blacklisting from Thailand after being arrested for engaging in a sexual act while travelling on a tuk tuk in Phuket last month. The case came to light after a Thai motorist, who was driving behind a tuk tuk on Patong Hill in Phuket on January 29, noticed the inappropriate behaviour of a foreign…

  • Thailand NewsThief slashes vocational student’s neck and steals motorcycle in Chon Buri | Thaiger

    Thief slashes vocational student’s neck and steals motorcycle in Chon Buri

    Police in Chon Buri province are continuing a manhunt for a suspect who slashed the neck of a vocational student and stealing his motorcycle yesterday, February 2. The suspect initially pretended to be a hitchhiker before turning on the victim during the journey. Officers from Huay Yai Police Station were alerted to the knife attack and motorcycle theft in the…

  • Bangkok NewsYaowarat Chinese New Year cancelled to honour Queen Mother Sirikit | Thaiger

    Yaowarat Chinese New Year cancelled to honour Queen Mother Sirikit

    The Samphanthawong District Office announced the cancellation of this year’s Chinese New Year event along Yaowarat Road, also known as Bangkok’s Chinatown, citing the ongoing mourning period for Her Majesty Queen Mother Sirikit. In an official announcement issued today, February 2, the district office, which oversees the Chinatown area, confirmed that the Chinese New Year celebrations scheduled for February 17…

  • Thailand NewsMentally ill man caught sexually abusing dog near Buriram school | Thaiger

    Mentally ill man caught sexually abusing dog near Buriram school

    A mentally ill Thai man sexually abused a stray dog near a school in Buriram province, sparking panic and concern among parents and guardians of young students. The superintendent of Nongki Police Station, Nathee Sukuna, told local media that he had assigned an investigation team to look into the case after videos of the incident were shared widely on social…

  • Bangkok NewsThai man lures 16 year old boy into creating swinger sex videos | Thaiger

    Thai man lures 16 year old boy into creating swinger sex videos

    Police arrested an 18 year old man at a condominium in Bangkok for luring a 16 year old boy into creating pornographic videos and distributing them on the OnlyFans platform. Officers from the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) and International Protection Alliance (IPA) conducted an investigation into two X accounts after finding the accounts inviting online users to subscribe to an…

  • Thailand News3 Thai victims injured after 1-tonne traffic sign collapses in Saraburi | Thaiger

    3 Thai victims injured after 1-tonne traffic sign collapses in Saraburi

    A large traffic sign collapsed onto a motorcycle on the Friendship Highway in Saraburi province, leaving three victims in serious injuries. Police suspected that the incident was caused by stolen bolts securing the sign’s support pole. The accident occurred in the afternoon on Saturday, February 1, along the Friendship Highway in the Pak Phiao sub-district of Saraburi province. Police officers…

  • Aviation NewsRussian man jumps from plane after landing at Bangkok airport | Thaiger

    Russian man jumps from plane after landing at Bangkok airport

    A foreign man in underwear, believed to be a Russian national, caused chaos and jumped off an airplane from an emergency exit door shortly after it landed at Don Mueang International Airport in Bangkok, following a journey from Vietnam. A Thai woman who was travelling on the same flight shared footage of the incident on her TikTok account, @piapornchamsri, on…

  • Aviation NewsAOT to raise passenger service charge for international flights from May | Thaiger

    AOT to raise passenger service charge for international flights from May

    Airports of Thailand (AOT) confirmed plans to increase the passenger service charge (PSC) for international departures in May this year. While the increase will largely affect foreign travellers, AOT insisted that it will not reduce the number of international visitors to Thailand. The chief executive officer of AOT, Paweena Jariyathitipong, told local media that the PSC for passengers departing on international…

  • Thailand NewsPublic backlash erupts over ECT mistakes in advance voting | Thaiger

    Public backlash erupts over ECT mistakes in advance voting

    Public criticism mounted against officials from the Election Commission of Thailand (ECT) following a series of mistakes reported during Thailand’s advanced voting yesterday, February 1. The ECT scheduled February 1 for advance voting ahead of the official General Election on February 8. It is designed to allow eligible Thai citizens who live outside their registered home provinces, or who are…