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 NewsMan arrested for forcing woman to perform oral sex in mini bus

    Man arrested for forcing woman to perform oral sex in mini bus

    Police arrested a man who forced a woman to perform oral sex on him in a mini bus in the central province of Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya. The driver of a mini bus immediately filed a complaint with the police after the female victim notified him about the sexual assault when she got out of the vehicle at her destination.…

  • Thailand NewsNational Park officials condemned for allowing sailboat to destroy Krabi reef

    National Park officials condemned for allowing sailboat to destroy Krabi reef

    Thai netizens condemned National Park officials for failing to do their job after seeing images of a tourist sailboat destroying a coral reef in the southern province of Krabi. Yesterday, January 3, the environmental activist Facebook page Monsoon Garbage Thailand posted photos of a white sailboat docking over the coral reef near Yawasam Island. The page explained that the island…

  • Thailand NewsReckless driver surrenders to police after running over taxi rider

    Reckless driver surrenders to police after running over taxi rider

    A reckless sedan driver fled from the scene of a deliberate crash after smashing into a motorcycle taxi rider and dragging him about five metres on a road in Bangkok. The motorcyclist was injured in the collision but miraculously survived. Another motorcycle rider chased after the negligent motorist but could not catch him. CCTV at the Phasi Charoen Canal Intersection…

  • Thailand NewsLost 6 year old boy helped home after 6-kilometre cycle ride

    Lost 6 year old boy helped home after 6-kilometre cycle ride

    A six year old boy who had cycled nearly 30 kilometers from his grandparents to his mother’s home in another district of Udon Thani returned home safely after getting lost. He was helped home by a government official after six kilometres of cycling. A community chief in the Baan Chiang sub-district of Udon Thani revealed the boy’s story to Thai…

  • Thailand NewsFurious passengers on Thai Smile Airways flight grounded for 2 hours

    Furious passengers on Thai Smile Airways flight grounded for 2 hours

    Furious Thai Smile Airways passengers filed a complaint with the Airport of Thailand (AOT) after they were made to wait on a plane at Suvarnabhumi Airport for two hours because of a lack of shuttle buses and drivers. One of the passengers, Amornrat Viriyaroj, shared her experience on Facebook. On Monday, Amornrat travelled from Chaing Rai to Bangkok with Thai Smile…

  • Northern Thailand NewsFamous dance teacher arrested for sexual assault allegation

    Famous dance teacher arrested for sexual assault allegation

    Police arrested a well-known Thai dance instructor, Chutidate Thongyoo after sexual assault allegations were made by an underage teenage boy. The teacher denied the allegations. The teenager filed a complaint with the police alleging that he had been sexually harassed by the 60 year old teacher, also known as Thiam, on September 16 last year. The boy revealed he was…

  • Thailand News16 year old boy dies after playing Russian roulette

    16 year old boy dies after playing Russian roulette

    A 16 year old boy was found dead at an abandoned house in the Nong Chok district of Bangkok. The teenage boy’s two friends said they were playing Russian roulette and he shot himself. Officers from Lam Hin Police Station and a rescue team were notified about the shooting at 10.40pm last night and rushed to the abandoned house situated…

  • Pattaya NewsMonk under fire over bizarre pebbles ritual

    Monk under fire over bizarre pebbles ritual

    A monk from a temple in Chon Buri is under fire over his bizarre ritual of putting small pebbles onto the eyes of his followers. The monk believes the stones are relics of the Lord Buddha, have magical powers, and do not hurt anyone. A video and pictures of the strange ritual emerged on Facebook and TikTok. It shows 69…

  • Thailand NewsMan arrested for stealing Royal Thai Armed Forces bus

    Man arrested for stealing Royal Thai Armed Forces bus

    Police arrested a man for stealing a Royal Thai Armed Forces (RTARF) bus and driving it to Don Mueang and Suvarnabhumi Airports to pick up some imaginary diplomats. Police reported the thief has a criminal history of drugs but did not reveal the result of his drug test. An officer from the Support Services Department under the RTARF filed a complaint…

  • Thailand News218 killed and 1,647 injured over 4-day new year holiday

    218 killed and 1,647 injured over 4-day new year holiday

    According to the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM), 218 people were killed and 1,647 were injured in road accidents during the four-day new year holiday from December 29 to January 1. The Director of the DDPM, Boontham Lertsukheekasam, reported yesterday, January 2, that there were 1,664 road accidents across the country during the holiday break, causing 218 deaths and…

  • Thailand News37 deaths & 351 injuries reported on day 1 of Thailand’s road safety campaign

    37 deaths & 351 injuries reported on day 1 of Thailand’s road safety campaign

    Day one of Thailand’s road safety campaign, Seven-day Dangerous (7 วัน อันตราย), does not appear to have made any difference as 37 deaths and 351 injuries were recorded. Speeding and drunk driving were the primary causes of most accidents. The road safety campaign to reduce the number of road accidents during the new year holiday began in earnest yesterday and…

  • Thailand NewsPattaya bar security guard slaps Indian tourist in the face

    Pattaya bar security guard slaps Indian tourist in the face

    A group of Indian tourists filed a complaint with Pattaya Police after a bar-restaurant security guard assaulted one of them and accused them of scamming the joint in the early hours of this morning. The Pattaya Tourist Police invited the Indian tourists to the Pattaya Police Station today, December 30, at 1am, to provide more details on the fracas. The…

  • Thailand NewsWoman who tried to murder her aunty is hospitalised after hit-and-run incident

    Woman who tried to murder her aunty is hospitalised after hit-and-run incident

    A woman hospitalised after a hit-and-run incident was fleeing the scene of an alleged murder attempt, her victim claims. Netizens said was karma. The woman was hit by a car in the northern province of Nan only moments after she tried to kill her aunty to escape paying back a 1 million-baht debt. A witness startled the potential murderer while…

  • Thailand NewsPolice arrest boyfriend of murdered girlfriend dumped in a garbage bin

    Police arrest boyfriend of murdered girlfriend dumped in a garbage bin

    The man accused of murdering and dumping his girlfriend’s body in a garbage bin at the Khao Sok National Park at the border of Phang Nga and Surat Thani, surrendered to police yesterday. He allegedly admitted that jealousy drove him to lose his temper and commit murder. The murderer, Sukhon Kaewprapas, surrendered at Kapong Police Station in Phang Nga three…

  • Thailand NewsRussian driver kills motorcycle rider in Phuket

    Russian driver kills motorcycle rider in Phuket

    A Russian man crashed his rented black SUV into a motorcycle and killed a Thai motorcycle rider on road in Phuket on Wednesday. Officers from Chalong Police Station and the Phuket Ruam Jai Rescue Team were notified about the incident at the Chalong Intersection on Patak Road in the Chalong sub-district of Phuket at about 9.20pm, Wednesday, December 28. The…

  • World News21 Thai citizens reported dead in fire casino in Cambodia

    21 Thai citizens reported dead in fire casino in Cambodia

    The death toll has risen on the fire incident this morning at the Grand Diamonds City and Casino in Poipet city in Cambodia. Thai officials confirmed that 21 Thai citizens were killed and another 53 were injured in the fire. The Cambodian authorities have not yet confirmed a full report on the deaths and injuries. Officials from the Burapa Internal…

  • Thailand NewsThailand to offer free Covid-19 booster shots to foreign tourists

    Thailand to offer free Covid-19 booster shots to foreign tourists

    The Ministry of Tourism and Sports Ministry (MOTS) announced its plans to provide free Covid-19 booster shots for foreign tourists entering Thailand next year. The disclosure will be welcomed by many who fear another Covid wave after China announced it will open its borders and relax quarantine measures. The MOTS also briefed the press that the government will introduce the…

  • Thailand NewsPolice track down suspect in murder of woman dumped in garbage bin

    Police track down suspect in murder of woman dumped in garbage bin

    Police believe the person responsible for the death of the woman dumped in a garbage bin in the Khao Sok National Park at the border of Phang Nga and Surat Thani is her boyfriend. Police reported they found evidence in the boyfriend’s home related to the murder of the woman, Suphattra Yodkaew, and is now on the run. Police identified…

  • Thailand NewsAmerican man dies after jumping from 3rd floor of Phuket Airport

    American man dies after jumping from 3rd floor of Phuket Airport

    An American man died yesterday after he reportedly jumped off the 3rd floor of the Phuket Airport passenger terminal. The 35 year old American, who was later identified as Jason, jumped from the 3rd floor smoking area of Phuket Airport at about 3pm yesterday. The airport rescue team and medical workers rushed to the scene to provide first aid and…

  • World NewsAt least 10 dead & 30 injured in fierce casino fire in Cambodia

    At least 10 dead & 30 injured in fierce casino fire in Cambodia

    At least 10 people died in a fierce fire incident in the early hours of this morning at the Grand Diamonds City and Casino in Poipet city in Cambodia, on the border with Thailand. According to a report on Channel 3, the blaze started on the 7th and 8th floors of a 17-storey building in the Grand Diamonds City at…

  • Thailand NewsCoach bus driver praised after giving free rides from central Thailand to Isaan

    Coach bus driver praised after giving free rides from central Thailand to Isaan

    Thai netizens hailed a bus driver for offering free rides to anyone wishing to spend the festive season with their families in the Isaan province of Sa Kaeo. The free trip was from Samut Prakarn province in central Thailand which was nearly 200 kilometres long. The Facebook page Spotlight Bangpoo (สปอร์ตไลท์บางปู) announced the free rides from Samut Prakarn to Sa Kaeo…

  • Thailand NewsThai shooting champion accused of murder

    Thai shooting champion accused of murder

    A Thai shooting champion was arrested yesterday in connection with a murder case six years ago in the southern province of Surat Thani. The marksman denied all allegations, claiming that he is a professional and wouldn’t have missed the target like those already charged. A kratom seller hired three gunmen to murder another kratom seller, 54 year old Thawatchai Wichianchai,…

  • Thailand TravelChiang Mai wants more Chinese-speaking tour guides in readiness for the Spring Festival

    Chiang Mai wants more Chinese-speaking tour guides in readiness for the Spring Festival

    Chiang Mai is concerned about the lack of Chinese-speaking tour guides to serve tourists after China announced it is relaxing its Covid-19 restrictions and reopening its borders. China announced on Monday, December 26, that the country will relax its Covid restrictions on January 8 for inbound visitors. The mainland is to drop its quarantine measures and only requires a negative…

  • Thailand NewsPolice arrest man high on drugs in Koh Chang after high-speed chase

    Police arrest man high on drugs in Koh Chang after high-speed chase

    In a scene reminiscent of a Quentin Tarantino movie, Thai police embarked on a high-speed car chase with a man high on drugs driving dangerously. The scene culminated in a man’s arrest after a two-hour standoff where shots were fired and police were threatened by a knife in Koh Chang in Trat, eastern Thailand. Koh Chang Police Station and Tourist…

  • Thailand NewsGold thief begs for freedom after being trapped by security door

    Gold thief begs for freedom after being trapped by security door

    All that glitters is not gold, so the aphorism goes, as an ex-con found out when he returned to his old ways and tried to steal a gold necklace. He got trapped by the shop’s security door trying to steal the precious item and was sent back to jail despite pleading with the shop owner for his freedom. The owner…

  • Thailand NewsWoman arrested for keeping protected birds as pets

    Woman arrested for keeping protected birds as pets

    A woman in the southern province of Chumphon faces up to five years in jail and a fine of up to 500,000 baht for keeping 37 protected birds as pets without permission. The woman insisted that she did not buy or obtain the birds illegally, the birds came to her of their own free will so decided to care for…

  • Thailand NewsSam Smith’s ‘Thrill of it All’ Koh Samui motorcycle tour

    Sam Smith’s ‘Thrill of it All’ Koh Samui motorcycle tour

    English popstar Sam Smith caused quite a stir among his Thai fans after pictures emerged of his recent holiday in Koh Samui in the southern province of Surat Thani. The singer, famous for his breakthrough single “Latch,” was snapped on a motorcycle around the island where it appeared he is in Thailand for more than just “The Thrill of it…

  • Thailand NewsBody of dead woman dumped in garbage bin in southern Thailand

    Body of dead woman dumped in garbage bin in southern Thailand

    Kura Buri Highway Department officers in the southern province of Phang Nga found a dead woman’s body dumped in a garbage bin on the roadside near the Khao Sok National Park at the border of Phang Nga and Surat Thani yesterday. The murderer is still on the run. Highway department officer Makesuwan Suphannamok told the media that he and his…

  • Thailand NewsPattaya’s New Year’s Eve fireworks extravaganza is back on!

    Pattaya’s New Year’s Eve fireworks extravaganza is back on!

    Pattaya reversed its decision to cancel a three-day new year fireworks event at Bali Hai Pier. The city Mayor Poramet Ngampichet confirmed the fireworks extravaganza will now go ahead. Pattaya last week cancelled the New Year’s Eve fireworks event, which was scheduled to take place from Thursday, December 29 to Saturday, December 31 without providing any specific reasons. Thai netizens…

  • Pattaya NewsFireworks cancelled at Pattaya’s New Year event

    Fireworks cancelled at Pattaya’s New Year event

    Pattaya’s three-day New Year event from December 29-31 at Bali Hai Pier is still going ahead but there will be no fireworks at all this year, even on the countdown into the New Year. Concerts and street food stalls will be available to enjoy as normal. Facebook page Pattaya City Mayor Hotline (สายตรงนายกเมืองพัทยา) posted about the cancellation of the annual fire…