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.
  • World NewsResidents in a Chiang Rai district forced to breathe poisonous hydrogen cyanide for months

    Residents in a Chiang Rai district forced to breathe poisonous hydrogen cyanide for months

    Thai people on the border of Thailand and Myanmar have been suffering for months after they unknowingly inhaled poisonous hydrogen cyanide (HCN) being belched into the atmosphere by a factory in Myanmar. Residents in the Mae Sai district of Ching Rai province have been protesting for months about a noxious odour and what appears to be low-white clouds hanging above…

  • Thailand NewsThailand gets 200 million baht discount for World Cup TV licence

    Thailand gets 200 million baht discount for World Cup TV licence

    Three days before the first match of the 2022 FIFA World Cup kicks off and Thailand is out on the street with a begging bowl trying to collect money from both the government and private sectors to cover the broadcasting licence. Incredibly, FIFA gave in to Thailand’s embarrassing ancient bartering scheme and knocked 200 million baht off the original asking price…

  • Thailand NewsSkyline walk near CentralWorld closed during APEC meeting

    Skyline walk near CentralWorld closed during APEC meeting

    Popular shopping mall CentralWorld, in Bangkok, informed its customers yesterday that the skyline walk near the shopping mall will be closed from now until the end of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting on Saturday, November 19. The skyline walk is closed from the Chaloem Phao Intersection to Gaysorn Village near Erawan Shrine for 24 hours. CentralWorld itself and other…

  • Bangkok News4 teenagers arrested from a sadistic gang of 17

    4 teenagers arrested from a sadistic gang of 17

    Police arrested four teenagers from a sadistic gang of 17 members who kidnapped, tortured, and forced three teenage victims to perform oral sex for one of the gang members. One of the gang members is reported to be an actor in a Thai Netflix series while a perverse woman in the group is reported to be famous on Thai TikTok.…

  • Thailand NewsFisherman reels in dead body from Chao Phraya River

    Fisherman reels in dead body from Chao Phraya River

    A Thai man went fishing last night at Nonthaburi Pier on the Chao Phraya River in Nonthaburi province near Bangkok and unexpectedly hooked the dead body of an unidentified man. The 37 year old fisherman, Pitsanu Phukird, told police that he was fishing on the pier at about 1am when he caught what he believed was a big fish. Pitsanu’s…

  • Thailand NewsThai elephant given to Sri Lanka lives unhealthy life & works hard

    Thai elephant given to Sri Lanka lives unhealthy life & works hard

    Animal rights protection organisation RARE Sri Lanka urges Thailand to reclaim the Thai elephant they gave them 20 years ago because the animal is suffering at the hands of its owners. RARE Sri Lanka told Thairath that the Thai elephant, Sak Surin or Mathu Raja, was given to Sri Lanka as a gift in 2001. The Thai elephant was requested…

  • Thailand NewsDonki drops ads on premium Thai rice after making Thais angry

    Donki drops ads on premium Thai rice after making Thais angry

    Japanese supermarket Don Don Donki dropped an advertisement for premium Thai rice at one of its Bangkok branches after some Thai people got offended by the messages in the ads. A Thai man posted a picture of the price tag and an advertisement banner of some jasmine rice at the Don Don Donki Supermarket in Bangkok on Facebook on Monday,…

  • Thailand NewsThai restaurant staff attacked by customer in the US

    Thai restaurant staff attacked by customer in the US

    An American man attacked a Thai man working in a Thai restaurant in the United States last week after the establishment refused to give him free food. A reporter from KGO-TV San Francisco, Dion Lim, shared footage and details of the episode at the Thai restaurant in Berkeley, California. The incident happened on Wednesday, November 9 at about 5pm. This…

  • Thailand NewsPolice search for naked tourist riding a motorcycle in public

    Police search for naked tourist riding a motorcycle in public

    Police officers in the north-central province of Phetchabun are searching for a Thai tourist who was featured on a viral video riding a motorcycle naked on a public road. Local News Phetchabun (ข่าวท้องถิ่นเพชรบูรณ์) posted a video of two male tourists on a motorcycle last night. The male rider wore clothes but his passenger was naked aside from a helmet and…

  • Bangkok NewsRude passport office director blames customers for system failure making them miss flights

    Rude passport office director blames customers for system failure making them miss flights

    A furious Thai woman complained at one of the nation’s passport offices in Bangkok after she paid 3,000 baht for a special express passport service but still missed her flight. More than 100 people queued at the Department of Consular Affairs in Bangkok until 7pm yesterday with several customers missing their flights because they could not get a passport on time.…

  • Thailand NewsWoman warns others after being stalked by creepy taxi driver

    Woman warns others after being stalked by creepy taxi driver

    A woman driver issued a warning to others after she was stalked by a taxi driver to her home in Pathum Thani province near Bangkok. The cab driver denied the accusation saying he was hired by an unknown person to follow her. The woman, Thitichaya (surname reserved), said she was stalked by a taxi driver for over 10 kilometres. The…

  • Thailand NewsLocals queue to get access to their homes during APEC meeting

    Locals queue to get access to their homes during APEC meeting

    Residents and workers close to the APEC meeting location, Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre (QSNCC), queued up at Lumphini Police Station yesterday to get official passes to get access to the area. Yesterday was the last day Lumphini Police Station issued passes to residents or those who work in the area. Motorcycle taxis, taxi drivers, and food delivery riders were…

  • World NewsJapanese couple’s Lantern Festival romantic marriage proposal ends in drama

    Japanese couple’s Lantern Festival romantic marriage proposal ends in drama

    A romantic moment during the marriage proposal of a Japanese couple turned into a scary drama. A Japanese man chose the Yi Peng Lantern Festival in Chiang Mai as the location to propose to his loving girlfriend but the romantic moment was almost ruined when low-flying lanterns crashed into them and almost set them on fire. The marriage proposal video…

  • World NewsMalaysian tourists host luxury motor show in Thailand’s Betong town

    Malaysian tourists host luxury motor show in Thailand’s Betong town

    The poor state of Thailand’s roads may have scuppered plans for a group of Malaysian tourists to enjoy a driving tour in their luxury cars but all was not lost as they decided to showcase them for driving enthusiasts instead at a homemade motor show. Thirty-three Malaysian tourists were set for a road trip in the Betong district of Thailand…

  • Thailand News3 teen boys kidnapped, tortured, and forced to perform oral sex by sadistic gang | Thaiger

    3 teen boys kidnapped, tortured, and forced to perform oral sex by sadistic gang

    Three teen boys were kidnapped, tortured, and forced to engage in gay sex against their will at gunpoint by a sadistic gang of teenagers at a house in the Hua Mark area of Bangkok. The victims suffered burns on their penises, were forced to drink urine, take part in oral sex, and fight with each other. Only one offender has been…

  • Thailand NewsOver 200 outlaw motorcycle riders arrested in Phetchabun

    Over 200 outlaw motorcycle riders arrested in Phetchabun

    More than 200 touring motorcycle riders on a philanthropic mission to help poor schoolchildren were arrested while travelling in the north-central province of Phetchabun after they broke several traffic laws and caused a public nuisance. The altruistic group, called the No Shower Trip (ทริปน้ำไม่อาบ), revealed they gathered to ride to a school in a rural area and deliver classroom equipment…

  • Thailand NewsFIFA says no to Thailand’s TV World Cup discount request

    FIFA says no to Thailand’s TV World Cup discount request

    Thailand’s embarrassing Dickensian-like cap-in-hand approach to getting the FIFA World Cup 2022 television broadcasting license at a discounted price was met with a resounding no from FIFA. Three private companies stepped up to the plate to chip in another 400 million baht to add to the government’s 600 million baht subsidy to round up the pot to make 1 billion…

  • Thailand NewsWife survives husband’s murder-suicide plan in Isaan

    Wife survives husband’s murder-suicide plan in Isaan

    A murder-suicide attempt by a man who shot his wife before shooting himself failed. The man’s suicide attempt was successful but his wife survived being shot. She had to remain near her dead husband’s body for five days until help arrived. The mother of the woman shot, 62 year old Sompit (surname reserved), called the police after learning that her…

  • Thailand NewsWife’s ex-husband shoots new husband in the penis

    Wife’s ex-husband shoots new husband in the penis

    A man was arrested yesterday after he shot his ex-wife’s husband in the penis. The man claims that the shooting was an accident. Officers from Mueng Chumporn Police Station investigated a shophouse on Klomma Luang Road in the Mueng district of Chumporn province in southern Thailand after being notified of a shooting. A shophouse can be used as a shop…

  • Thailand News2 injured hikers face prison for illegal access

    2 injured hikers face prison for illegal access

    The two Thai hikers who fell from a cliff in the central province of Nakhon Nayok yesterday have been rescued. The downside is that they could face up to two years in prison and a fine of 200,000 baht because they entered the area without permission. Officers from Haew Krathin Waterfall Tourist Assistance Command Centre found the two hikers, 50…

  • Thailand News2 Thai hikers fall from cliff, 1 seriously injured

    2 Thai hikers fall from cliff, 1 seriously injured

    Two stranded Thai hikers are waiting for help from a rescue team after they fell about 60 metres from a cliff at Haew Krathin Waterfall in the central province of Nakhon Nayok. One of the hikers is seriously injured. Fifty-year-old Pirom Chansuwan alerted Nakhon Nayok Provincial Administration at 10am today to ask for help after he and his friend, 37…

  • Thailand NewsLuxury casino in Pattaya raided before grand opening

    Luxury casino in Pattaya raided before grand opening

    Police raided an under-construction building in Pattaya after being tipped off it is to become a luxury casino. The Deputy Commissioner of the Royal Thai Police, Surachate “Big Joke” Hakparn, ordered police officers to raid the gambling house at the Chalerm Phra Kiat 6 on the Pattaya Sai Sam Road in the Bang Lamung district of Pattaya. Police met a…

  • Hua Hin NewsTourists complain about pricey beach chairs at Hua Hin

    Tourists complain about pricey beach chairs at Hua Hin

    Local authorities tightened rules against local businesses yesterday after tourists complained about beach chairs being too expensive on Hua Hin Beach. The Deputy Mayor of the Hua Hin Municipality, Butsaba Choksuchart, brought the issue to light after tourists made known that beach chairs they rented near Centara Grand Beach Resort & Villas Hua Hin were more expensive for them than…

  • Thailand News10 year old girl saves 4,000 baht to buy mother gold ring

    10 year old girl saves 4,000 baht to buy mother gold ring

    Staff at a gold shop in the Isaan province of Maha Sarakham praised a 10 year old girl after she bought a 4,000-baht gold ring as a birthday gift for her mother. The girl said… “Mom always throws birthday parties for others, but not for herself. I wanted to give her a gift because she always gives me gifts.” Staff…

  • Thailand NewsTaxi fares in Bangkok to increase in two weeks

    Taxi fares in Bangkok to increase in two weeks

    The Ministry of Transport yesterday approved a motion to increase taxi fares in Bangkok after recent protests by the capital’s cab drivers. The new fares are expected to come into operation in the next two weeks. The Transport Ministry announced a month ago that taxi fares in Thailand would be increased after eight years of stagnation. The department of transport…

  • Northern Thailand News101 Isaan locals suffer hearing loss fever after eating raw pork

    101 Isaan locals suffer hearing loss fever after eating raw pork

    The Department of Disease Control warned people to avoid eating raw pork meat after 101 locals in the Isaan provinces got infected with streptococcus suis, known among Thai people as hearing loss fever. The Deputy Director of the 9th Disease Control Office, Benjamas Aunarat, revealed streptococcus suis infection has risen this year in the northeastern or Isaan provinces of Thailand.…

  • Thailand NewsMOPH to investigate Krabi’s holy water after a disabled woman claimed she could walk after drinking it

    MOPH to investigate Krabi’s holy water after a disabled woman claimed she could walk after drinking it

    The Ministry of Public Health yesterday revealed it intends to investigate Krabi’s holy water after a disabled woman claimed she could walk again after drinking it. The holy water is prepared by putting a miracle rock in water that was found in the area. Locals believe the rock has magical qualities. A shaman then conducts a ceremony to conjure a spirit…

  • Thailand NewsSuperstitious man arrested after stabbing friend to test his immortality

    Superstitious man arrested after stabbing friend to test his immortality

    The superstitious man who stabbed to death a friend to test his immortality has been arrested in Chon Buri. Officers from Tha Ruer Police Station reported to Thai media today that 51 year old Withun Ochapon was arrested last night for the murder of 44 year old Auttapon on Sunday, November 6 at his wife’s house in the Phan Thong district of…

  • Thailand NewsMan stabbed to death by superstitious friend

    Man stabbed to death by superstitious friend

    A man was stabbed to death yesterday by a superstitious friend who believed an amulet the victim wore made him immortal. The delusional offender, who was only released from prison last year after murdering someone else, wanted to test the victim’s mortality by stabbing him. Police reported that 44 year old Auttapon Na Nakhon was stabbed to death by his…

  • Thailand News12 people injured by illegal fireworks in Loy Krathong event

    12 people injured by illegal fireworks in Loy Krathong event

    A Loy Krathong festival celebration almost turned into a tragedy last night when 12 people were injured by illegal fireworks set off at the event in the northern province of Nakhon Phanom. The Meung Nakhon Phanom mayor announced the victims only suffered mild injuries. Nakhon Phanom provincial governor, other officers, and hundreds of residents joined the grand opening ceremony of…