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 NewsThailand offers 5-year income tax exemption for foreign actors | Thaiger

    Thailand offers 5-year income tax exemption for foreign actors

    The cabinet approved a 5-year personal income tax exemption for foreign film stars who earn income from foreign movies shot in Thailand. The government revealed they wanted to attract more film crews and expected the movie industry to generate about 17.5 billion baht over those 5 years. The PM’s Deputy Spokesperson, Ratchada Thanadirek, says that the government wants to encourage…

  • Thailand NewsThailand’s private bus sector threatens to axe services by 80% | Thaiger

    Thailand’s private bus sector threatens to axe services by 80%

    Thailand’s private bus companies have threatened to axe services by up to 80% if the government does not allow them to raise fare prices in line with rising fuel costs. Twenty-seven of the nation’s private coach enterprises promised they will run a skeleton service of only 20% from July 1 unless the government allowed them to raise fares by 0.59…

  • Crime NewsJealous policeman murders wife and daughter before committing suicide | Thaiger

    Jealous policeman murders wife and daughter before committing suicide

    A police lieutenant driven by a jealous rage murdered his wife and teenage daughter before committing suicide. Officers from Tung Kru Police Station were called to a resident’s home, in Soi Pracha Uthit 54 in Bangkok, yesterday morning and found the body of 57 year old Pongsakorn Thawekaew and his 39 year old wife, Benjawan Wuttisarn, in one bedroom, and…

  • Bangkok NewsNew passenger terminal and driverless trains at Suvarnabhumi will be ready next year | Thaiger

    New passenger terminal and driverless trains at Suvarnabhumi will be ready next year

    The Airport of Thailand announced that the new passenger terminal at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok will be ready for use by April 2023. The Automated People Mover train, which will be the nation’s first driverless electric train used in Thai airports, will be available for passengers to travel between each terminal at the same time too. The President of the…

  • Bangkok NewsBMTA bus driver uses umbrella to keep rain out of his cab | Thaiger

    BMTA bus driver uses umbrella to keep rain out of his cab

    A bus driver has embarrassed his bosses at Bangkok Mass Transit Authority by driving his vehicle while holding an umbrella over his head to keep the rain off. The bus driver uploaded the picture of himself on Facebook to show his bosses the old bus he drives desperately requires some much-needed maintenance. Unsurprisingly the post went viral. The picture was…

  • Thailand NewsThai government to launch info about privacy laws to help small business | Thaiger

    Thai government to launch info about privacy laws to help small business

    The government is to launch 8 law declarations before the end of the month regarding the Personal Data Protection Act, especially aimed at helping small and medium size enterprises. PM Prayut Chan-o-cha assigned the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society, and relevant departments, to help the nation’s SMEs understand the PDPA because it’s new to Thailand. The PDPA was officially…

  • Bangkok NewsChadchart’s plan to complete a cable project started in 1984 | Thaiger

    Chadchart’s plan to complete a cable project started in 1984

    Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt revealed a plan to complete a project to rid the metropolis of its eyesore cables that was first started in 1984. Chadchart revealed a 2-part plan to finish the 38 year old project to remove the city’s messy power cables, replace them with new, and bury them beneath the ground. The 56 year old governor yesterday…

  • Bangkok NewsBangkok police hoodwinked by crafty anti-government protestors | Thaiger

    Bangkok police hoodwinked by crafty anti-government protestors

    Crafty anti-government protestors hoodwinked police into thinking they were holding a “car mob” rally at the Democracy Monument while they gathered to demonstrate instead at Victory Monument, some 6 kilometres away and a 20 minute drive. Knowing police watch their every move on social media, dissident groups Lai Lung Tu (Prayut Get Out) and Kon Daeng Patiwat (Red Shirt Revolution),…

  • Thailand NewsThai hackers target high-ranking official in 200,000 baht swindle | Thaiger

    Thai hackers target high-ranking official in 200,000 baht swindle

    Cyber police yesterday swooped to arrest a Thai hacker group who targeted a high-ranking government official in a more than 200,000 baht swindle. The cyber punks managed to gain access to a Facebook account belonging to former government official, Suthee Pattanayongyot, who used to serve the Judiciary of Thailand. One of the hackers, Somchai Saenthilert, pretended to be Suthee, contacted…

  • Thailand News2 Thai monks break habit of a lifetime to fight over offerings | Thaiger

    2 Thai monks break habit of a lifetime to fight over offerings

    The Buddhist vow of refraining from harmful actions was momentarily lost on one monk who beat up another for standing too close to him. The incident occurred early Wednesday morning in front of Bang Yai City Market when the pair got into a quarrel of which monk should stay and which monk should leave. Apparently, there is an unwritten agreement…

  • Thailand NewsThai female lawyers fight for right to wear trousers to court | Thaiger

    Thai female lawyers fight for right to wear trousers to court

    The Human Rights Lawyers Association today will submit another letter to the Office of the Thai Bar Under the Royal Patronage after Thai female lawyers failed to get a response to their right to wear trousers in court petition. The group of Thai female lawyers addressed a petition, for their right to wear trousers in court, to the Thai Bar…

  • Thailand NewsThai family’s dream holiday turns into cockroach-infested nightmare | Thaiger

    Thai family’s dream holiday turns into cockroach-infested nightmare

    An extravagant vacation home infested with worms, rats and cockroaches, turned one family’s dream holiday in Pattaya into a nightmare. A Thai woman paid 47,000 baht for 2 nights’ accommodation at an 8-bedroom luxury villa in the Palm Spring Housing area of Pattaya but the stay turned into a disaster from the moment the family crossed the threshold. Primnapaphas Aite…

  • Thailand NewsMuslim groups discuss legislation contrary to their religious beliefs | Thaiger

    Muslim groups discuss legislation contrary to their religious beliefs

    Twenty-five Muslim organisations met yesterday to discuss the government’s new cannabis law and other legislation contrary to their religious beliefs. The religious groups met at Baan Nuer Mosque Hall in the southern province of Songkla, to set up an Unethical Laws and Regulations Opposition Association, in opposition to the new law to decriminalise cannabis on June 9, same-sex marriage proposals,…

  • Pattaya NewsChinese man swindled out of a million baht climbs 20 metre tsunami tower in Pattaya | Thaiger

    Chinese man swindled out of a million baht climbs 20 metre tsunami tower in Pattaya

    A Chinese man suffered a mental breakdown and climbed a 20 metre tsunami warning tower in Pattaya after being swindled out of a million baht. The 51 year old man, named Qin, climbed the warning tower, located on Jomtien Beach near Jomtien Night Market, because he was scared after being threatened by men with whom he’d conducted a business deal.…

  • Cannabis NewsDemocrat MP gives blessing for party-goers to get high | Thaiger

    Democrat MP gives blessing for party-goers to get high

    Democrat Party MP, Kanok Wongtrangarn believes the nation’s party zones should be allowed to throw “ganja parties” to draw in more tourists in a bid to boost the Thai economy. Kanok, who quit as deputy leader in April after the party failed to take stronger action over a sex-abuse case, says specific areas, like the Koh Pha Ngan Full Moon…

  • Thailand NewsThai Public Health recommend a Covid booster every 4 months | Thaiger

    Thai Public Health recommend a Covid booster every 4 months

    The Ministry of Public Health recommended that vaccinated residents should get a booster every 4 months. The Director-General of the Disease Control Department, Opas Kankawinpong, today recommended that Thai people should get at least 3 Covid-19 vaccinations and then keep topping up. Opas says everyone has antibodies but they decrease every 3 to 4 months, no matter what vaccine people…

  • South Thailand NewsMuslim students in southern Thailand protest against decriminalisation of cannabis | Thaiger

    Muslim students in southern Thailand protest against decriminalisation of cannabis

    Students, teachers, and the board of Santiwit Songkla Technological College, in the southern province of Songkla, have condemned the government’s decision to decriminalise cannabis in Thailand. The college yesterday called upon all MPs, especially Muslims, and relevant agencies, who supported the bill to decriminalise cannabis on June 9, to reconsider their decision and think about the future effects the drug…

  • Crime NewsThai tourist robbed of more than 65,000 baht in assets in Pattaya | Thaiger

    Thai tourist robbed of more than 65,000 baht in assets in Pattaya

    A 24 year old woman was robbed while on a vacation with her family on Koh Larn Island in Pattaya. Nantapak Saelim’s shoulder bag containing over 65,000 baht in cash and jewellery was stolen from outside of her Airbnb holiday home on Friday night while she was inside the accommodation with her husband and 2 daughters. The Thai woman admitted…

  • Pattaya NewsPattaya residents unhappy with new storm drainage project | Thaiger

    Pattaya residents unhappy with new storm drainage project

    Pattaya residents are unhappy with the launch of a new project to solve flooded roads during Thailand’s rainy season. The city government plans to install the storm drainage system along Sukhumvit Road, with the first phase expected to start next month. The Pattaya Public Relations Department’s official Facebook page yesterday announced the first phase of the storm drainage system begins…

  • World NewsLaos to ban public from holding foreign currencies | Thaiger

    Laos to ban public from holding foreign currencies

    The Central Bank of Laos plans to ban residents from holding foreign currencies to address problems such as inflation, and the depreciation of the Kip. The Laotian Times yesterday reported that the Governor of the Central Bank of Laos, Sonexay Sitphaxay, promised to solve foreign exchange problems during a press conference on May 27. The governor acknowledged public concern regarding…

  • World NewsShopee fires 50% of its Thai staff | Thaiger

    Shopee fires 50% of its Thai staff

    E-commerce platform Shopee today announced 50% of its Thai staff are being fired alongside employees from Indonesia and Vietnam. The company, under the Singaporean tech group Sea, did not give a reason for the mass redundancies. DealStreetAsia reported that Shopee has informed all staff on the redundancy hit list to pack up their stuff and wait for an official termination…

  • Northern Thailand NewsWoman gets justice after washing her laundry in public | Thaiger

    Woman gets justice after washing her laundry in public

    A woman’s appeal for justice through social media has been successful after she was beaten by a member of the local authority in the La Haan Sai district of the Isaan province of Buriram. Wichuda told the media that she was assaulted by a member of Buriram’s Subdistrict Administrative Organization because she complained about the plumbing. The 27 year old…

  • Pattaya NewsThai woman drowns while taking diving lessons in Chon Buri | Thaiger

    Thai woman drowns while taking diving lessons in Chon Buri

    A 35 year old Thai woman drowned yesterday while taking a diving lesson near Koh Juang in the Sattahip district of Chon Buri. The woman, Hathaya Rimpanawet, was diving with other students offshore when a strong current pulled her beneath the water with a 10 kilogram counterweight attached to her wrist. The woman’s diving instructor, Tararat Thianpajeekun, says he, and…

  • Northern Thailand NewsThai OnlyFans couple who turned holiday resort into a porn shoot wanted by police | Thaiger

    Thai OnlyFans couple who turned holiday resort into a porn shoot wanted by police

    Police are looking for a Thai OnlyFans couple who turned the popular holiday resort of Wang Nam Khiao into a porn shoot setting. Three of the couple’s sex tapes were circulated online yesterday in secret group chats in the popular Thai Line application. The videos, which soon went viral, feature the couple having sex in a resort room with a…

  • Transport NewsPattaya locals question new zig-zag lines on roads | Thaiger

    Pattaya locals question new zig-zag lines on roads

    New zig-zag lines painted on roads in Pattaya have left locals scratching their heads. So much so that a man posted pictures on social media last week questioning what they were. The man had never come across any zig-zag lines when he was learning to drive. The local man from Pattaya posted pictures of the zig-zag lines in a Facebook…

  • Northern Thailand NewsMan changes surname to “Ganjaram” to celebrate cannabis decriminalisation | Thaiger

    Man changes surname to “Ganjaram” to celebrate cannabis decriminalisation

    A Thai man in the Isaan province of Buriram has changed his surname to “Ganjaram” to celebrate the decriminalisation of cannabis in Thailand. He says his pregnant wife had already checked the surname’s meaning and found it had a good essence, and added his newborn baby, expected to born on June 22, will be proud of him. On Friday, one…

  • Thailand NewsMinimum Thai wage up to 650 baht for 16 careers | Thaiger

    Minimum Thai wage up to 650 baht for 16 careers

    The Thai Royal Gazette has now officially announced the increase of the minimum Thai wage for workers in 16 careers, focusing on workers in construction, service and industrial industries. The wage is increased up to 650 baht per day from the former rate of about 313 – 336 baht per day. The policy was launched on June 10 and would…

  • Northern Thailand NewsMae Sot district proposed as site of Thailand’s 1st official casino | Thaiger

    Mae Sot district proposed as site of Thailand’s 1st official casino

    An Entertainment Complex Committee, set up by the government, has proposed Mae Sot district in the northern province of Tak as an ideal location for Thailand’s first legal entertainment complex, with a casino. The committee has announced that they’ve gathered all information from their survey, both negative and positive, and is ready to submit the findings to the Thai cabinet.…

  • Northern Thailand NewsFamous Thai cyclist killed in road accident in Thailand | Thaiger

    Famous Thai cyclist killed in road accident in Thailand

    Famous Thai cyclist Nirantra Phramthong was killed yesterday in a road accident in the northeastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima. The 53 year old was struck by a 10-wheel truck at 8.10am at the construction site of an elevated road junction on the special highway linking Bang Pa In with Nakhon Ratchasima and died instantly. The 41 year old truck driver,…

  • Thailand NewsSurvey reveals Thais want to drop outdoor mask rules and extend nightlife to 2am | Thaiger

    Survey reveals Thais want to drop outdoor mask rules and extend nightlife to 2am

    A National Institute of Development Administration survey revealed nearly half of all Thai people agree that the country should drop the outdoor mask rules mandate, and nearly 50% of those polled agreed to extend nightlife hours from 12am to 2am. PM Prayut Chan-o-cha on Tuesday informed Thai media that he thought many Thai people were still scared of catching the…