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 NewsWoman arrested for operating illegal dental clinic from her car | Thaiger

    Woman arrested for operating illegal dental clinic from her car

    A woman was arrested yesterday for operating an illegal dental clinic out of her car in a parking lot outside of a shopping mall in Bangkok. Officers from the Consumer Protection Police Division (CPPD) were notified about the illegal dental clinic and its adverts on Thai social media. The fake clinic, named the Fashionable Brace Shop, by sister Ploy from…

  • Thailand NewsPolitical activist finds refuge in noodles shop after being shunned by family | Thaiger

    Political activist finds refuge in noodles shop after being shunned by family

    A noodles shop in Bangkok has provided a safe refuge for a political activist ostracised by her family who disagrees with her views. Talented artist Thorpad Autta-a-nan uploaded a drawing to her Instagram account that some zealous monarchists may consider offensive. The drawing certainly offended her family and as a result, the 27 year old artist was shunned by her…

  • Thailand NewsDrug-addled cabbie faces jail for driving under the influence | Thaiger

    Drug-addled cabbie faces jail for driving under the influence

    A drug-addled cabbie faces time in jail for dangerous driving while allegedly under the influence of narcotics in the Kathu district of Phuket. A motorcycle rider brought to light the drug-taking cab driver’s antics after becoming a victim of his erratic behaviour on the road. The taxi driver scolded the motorcycle rider after the latter complained. He said… “Don’t butt…

  • Thailand NewsBMTA replaces mushroom seat on Bangkok public bus | Thaiger

    BMTA replaces mushroom seat on Bangkok public bus

    UPDATE The Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA) today apologised to the city’s passengers after a story of mushrooms growing out of a public bus seat went viral on Thai social media. The picture of the mushroom-growing seat, posted by political activist Jatuporn “New” Saenueng, drew complaints from Thai netizens. The BMTA responded to the criticism on its official Facebook page…

  • Thailand NewsPickup driver arrested after killing Bangkok road sweeper | Thaiger

    Pickup driver arrested after killing Bangkok road sweeper

    UPDATE Police arrested a pickup driver involved in the hit-and-run incident that killed a Bangkok road sweeper yesterday morning. Officers managed to get the man after the driver took his vehicle to get repaired at a local garage in the area. Police revealed three pieces of evidence were left at the scene, a black bumper bar and broken parts from…

  • Thailand NewsThais arrested for making 9,000 fake US$100 bills | Thaiger

    Thais arrested for making 9,000 fake US$100 bills

    Cyberpolice today reported that a Thai man and a Thai woman were arrested for making fake US$100 bills worth US$900,000 or 34 million baht. A United States Secret Service officer from the US Embassy in Bangkok ran a check over the bills and reported that they were very realistic. The Deputy Commissioner of the Royal Thai Police, Torsak Sookwimon, reported…

  • Northern Thailand NewsFlooding in Ubon Ratchathani province is dangerous | Thaiger

    Flooding in Ubon Ratchathani province is dangerous

    Thai media today reported the flood situation in the Isaan province of Ubon Ratchathani is deadly serious and dangerous. The flood situation in Ubon Ratchathani is getting worse said reports. The water level is quickly increasing and almost the whole province is affected. Agricultural areas, roads, and bridges have been destroyed while some houses are underwater. Yesterday, one of the…

  • Thailand NewsRoom to shroom on Bangkok public buses | Thaiger

    Room to shroom on Bangkok public buses

    A fungi picture of mushrooms growing out of the seat of a public bus in Bangkok has gone viral on Thai social media. Some netizens made fun of pictures saying shitake happens while others were more serious saying enough is enough, time to refurbish Thai public buses. Political activist Jatuporn “New” Saeoueng posted the picture of the mushrooms growing out…

  • Thailand NewsThai man robbed by cannabis dealer at knife-point in Pattaya | Thaiger

    Thai man robbed by cannabis dealer at knife-point in Pattaya

    A Thai man filed a complaint with police after he was allegedly forced to strip naked as he was being robbed at knife-point by a cannabis dealer in Pattaya. The suspect was arrested but denied all allegations, saying they were friends and he would never rob a friend. Anukun Sichan filed the complaint at Mueng Pattaya Police Station yesterday at 8pm.…

  • Thailand NewsBangkok road sweeper dies in hit-and-run | Thaiger

    Bangkok road sweeper dies in hit-and-run

    The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) is to pay 1.6 million baht in compensation to the family of a road sweeper who died in a hit-and-run incident on Kanchanapisek Road in the capital yesterday. The driver is on the run and there was no CCTV camera footage at the scene. The 59 year old woman road sweeper, Somsi Yimchalam, was hit…

  • Northern Thailand NewsBritish man & wife gives 50,000 baht to massacre victims | Thaiger

    British man & wife gives 50,000 baht to massacre victims

    A philanthropic British man and his Thai wife donated 50,000 baht to support the victims of the daycare centre massacre in the northeastern province of Nong Bua Lamphu. Joseph Nice, his Thai wife Nipaporn, and two year old child visited the help centre in the Na Klang district of Nong Bua Lamphu province yesterday to make their contribution. Nipaporn told the…

  • Thailand NewsThai woman & foreign men charged for child sex trafficking in Pattaya | Thaiger

    Thai woman & foreign men charged for child sex trafficking in Pattaya

    Police arrested a Thai woman and three foreign men for rape and sex trafficking teenagers aged under 15 years old in Pattaya. Officers from Mueng Pattaya Police Station reported yesterday that the teenagers, aged between 12 and 15, were trafficked from Beer Bar in Soi Bua Khao on September 11. According to a Police TV report, Beer Bar secretly offers…

  • World NewsWoman’s body in suitcase identified as Lao millionaire | Thaiger

    Woman’s body in suitcase identified as Lao millionaire

    UPDATE The dead woman’s body in a suitcase, which was found in the Mekong River in the Isaan province of Nakhon Phanom last week, has been identified as a Laos business owner and millionaire. Her five year old daughter and husband are also missing. Thai police tried to identify the woman from her designer clothing while her body was sent…

  • Thailand NewsMore than 1 million baht payout to massacre victims | Thaiger

    More than 1 million baht payout to massacre victims

    The families of the adult victims of the daycare centre massacre in the northeastern province of Nong Bua Lamphu will receive up to 1 million baht in compensation. Kom Chad Luek news agency reported the Rights and Liberties Protection Department under the Ministry of Justice is investigating the loss from the Nong Bua Lamphu massacre and will offer compensation to…

  • Thailand NewsThais unhappy with Prawit’s response to daycare centre massacre | Thaiger

    Thais unhappy with Prawit’s response to daycare centre massacre

    The Thai people were not impressed with the insensitive statement delivered by Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan about the daycare centre massacre yesterday. Thai reporters asked Deputy PM Prawit how he planned to prevent a similar scenario in the future. He said… “What can I do about it? He is a drug addict.” Prawit offered his condolences to the victim’s…

  • Thailand NewsThailand’s 5 national parks raise entry fees for foreigners by 100% | Thaiger

    Thailand’s 5 national parks raise entry fees for foreigners by 100%

    Thailand’s five national parks announced new entry fees to their attractions and they’re stinging foreigners in the pocket, increasing entrance costs by 100%. Entry fees for Thai people remain the same. The Department of National Park, Wildlife, and Plant Conservation Facebook page posted a two-page document about the new entry fees last Friday, September 30. Khao Yai National Park in…

  • World News9 Thais arrested in South Korea for smuggling drugs | Thaiger

    9 Thais arrested in South Korea for smuggling drugs

    Nine illegal Thai workers were arrested in South Korea yesterday after they smuggled drugs worth 264 million baht into the country. The Korean news agency, Yonhap, reported that officers from Chungcheong Province, South Korea, held a press conference to announce the arrest details of the Thai drug smugglers. The police revealed that they were arrested in the South Chungcheong Province…

  • Thailand NewsBangkok airport shames driver for parking in disabled bay | Thaiger

    Bangkok airport shames driver for parking in disabled bay

    Thai netizens hailed an officer from Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok after he shamed a driver who selfishly parked a car in a disabled parking bay. Pictures of a white luxury Nissan 350Z in a disabled parking bay at Suvarnabhumi Airport were posted on Facebook by Chatree Sintateeyakorn yesterday. The pictures quickly went viral. The sign left on the illegally parked…

  • Thailand NewsAngry American man smashes up a Thai man’s car | Thaiger

    Angry American man smashes up a Thai man’s car

    An American man was arrested yesterday after smashing up a Thai man’s car and threatening his family in the southern province of Nakhon Si Thammarat. The Thai man, Sunthorn, notified officers from Kanom Police Station that an American man, 45 year old Andigo, threatened his mother and daughter and threw rocks at his pickup truck. The video of the incident…

  • Thailand NewsJealous husband allegedly kills wife | Thaiger

    Jealous husband allegedly kills wife

    A man was arrested yesterday after he allegedly murdered his wife with a hammer at a house in Nonthaburi province, near Bangkok. Officers from the Nonthaburi Police Station were notified about the death of 31 year old Sararat Ratchasin on Monday, October 3, and immediately connected the murder to her missing husband, 44 year old Pairoj Singthong. Pairoj’s sister, 68…

  • Phuket News4 Chinese fishermen lost at sea rescued near Phuket | Thaiger

    4 Chinese fishermen lost at sea rescued near Phuket

    A Royal Thai Navy (RTN) Area 3 team rescued four Chinese fishermen lost at sea near Racha Noi Island in Phuket. The owner of the fishing boat sought help from the RTN after the four Chinese fishermen, who rented his fishing boat named SAO, went to sea at 5am yesterday but didn’t come back. The worried boat owner told the…

  • Thailand NewsOrdination ceremony concert goes on despite flood | Thaiger

    Ordination ceremony concert goes on despite flood

    “The show must go on,” as the old adage goes, and this was certainly the case at a recent ordination ceremony under threat of flooding in Pathum Thani province near Bangkok. The owner of a lighting and sound company, Moo, was hired to set up a concert stage for an ordination ceremony at Samakiyaram Temple in the central province of…

  • Thailand NewsDisabled lottery seller swindled out of one million baht | Thaiger

    Disabled lottery seller swindled out of one million baht

    A lottery ticket seller with a disability filed a complaint with the police yesterday after a man, pretending to be the President of the Association of the Disabled Union of Thailand, lured her into investing one million baht in lottery tickets. The Secretary of Punyaphat Foundation for Persons with Disabilities yesterday filed a complaint on behalf of the 36 year…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket taxis drivers promise to quit fighting rivals | Thaiger

    Phuket taxis drivers promise to quit fighting rivals

    Representatives of taxi drivers in Phuket met with provincial officials to acknowledge proposals to avoid fights recently reported in the media. Following a recent fight between a traditional taxi driver and an app-based driver in the Kamala district last weekend, Phuket authorities decided to host a meeting to urge local taxi drivers to focus on the reputation of the province.…

  • Thailand NewsThai actress believes she was drugged on BTS train | Thaiger

    Thai actress believes she was drugged on BTS train

    Thai actress Chatchaya “Sara” Charoenchan filed a complaint with the police last week after she fainted on the Bangkok BTS train. Sara believes she was possibly spiked with a drug somehow. The 23 year old actress informed the media that the incident happened on the morning of Thursday, September 30 while she was on her way to take an exam…

  • Thailand NewsTangmo defendant repays vow with 5-metre Ultraman figure | Thaiger

    Tangmo defendant repays vow with 5-metre Ultraman figure

    A defendant from the Tangmo case, Tanupat “Por’’ Lerttaweewit, repaid a vow he made at a famous temple in the southern part of Thailand by offering a 5-metre Ultraman figure. Thai netizens believe he made a wish related to the Tangmo case after Tangmo’s mother agreed to accept compensation and dropped murder charges. The Kom Chad Luek platform reported that…

  • Thailand NewsFather & 2 year old son shot in Chiang Mai | Thaiger

    Father & 2 year old son shot in Chiang Mai

    A father and his two year old son were shot while riding a motorcycle in Chiang Mai in the early hours of this morning. The man died at the scene while his son is in critical condition. Officers from Chai Prakarn Police Station were notified of the incident on Mae Khi Road in the Si Dong Yen sub-district, Chai Prakan…

  • Northern Thailand NewsMother seeks justice after a monk slapped her son | Thaiger

    Mother seeks justice after a monk slapped her son

    The mother of a 17 year old schoolboy slapped by a monk in a Buddhist ethics camp in the Isaan province of Udon Thani wants justice for the assault. The provincial chief monk says his subordinate’s action did not violate monk rules. The child’s 33 year old mother, Waranya, is furious with the monk and seeks justice. She urged the…

  • Thailand NewsThai woman charged for selling fake discount vouchers | Thaiger

    Thai woman charged for selling fake discount vouchers

    UPDATE A Thai woman has been charged with selling fake discount vouchers for hotels in Pattaya. The suspect denies all allegations. Last June, more than 700 victims filed a complaint with the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) in Bangkok. They made known that they were lured into buying fake vouchers for 5-star hotels, pool villas, restaurants, and activities in Pattaya from…

  • Thailand NewsPrayut plans to contact citizens hit by power cuts via radio | Thaiger

    Prayut plans to contact citizens hit by power cuts via radio

    Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha suggests officials warn locals about flash floods via radio as Thailand did 11 years ago in flooding in 2011. The 68 year old wants to use the radio to update citizens on the news should they lose their electricity. The prime minister joined a meeting via zoom yesterday to discuss how to manage the flooding situation and…