Petch Petpailin

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 electrocuted while walking on Bangkok pavement

    Man electrocuted while walking on Bangkok pavement

    A Thai man warned pedestrians to watch their step while walking on a pavement in Bangkok after being electrocuted when he trod on a live, broken power cable left exposed to the elements. The man, Jarawi Rujirasawai, posted a video sharing his unexpected electrocution experience on TikTok account @jarawi_ yesterday. The video shows a picture of the broken power line,…

  • World NewsSouth Korean drug mule dies after ingesting narcotics from split condom

    South Korean drug mule dies after ingesting narcotics from split condom

    A South Korean drug mule died after the condoms he ingested carrying illegal narcotics ripped open in his stomach. The South Korean media platform Hankook Ilbo reported last Wednesday, October 12, that the drug courier died while smuggling narcotics from Thailand to Malaysia and his home country. The South Korean National Police Agency (KNPA) confirmed that they found the 50…

  • Thailand NewsDeputy PM says criticising government is not a big deal

    Deputy PM says criticising government is not a big deal

    Criticising the government or Thai monarchy is generally punished with a lese majeste charge and time in prison as three critics discovered last week. Yet this week, Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan hailed Thai comedian Udom Taepanich’s satire adding that the funnyman’s criticisms of the government are not a big deal. Udom Taepanich, aka Nose Udom, is a Thai stand-up…

  • Thailand NewsThailand has the world’s worst pension system

    Thailand has the world’s worst pension system

    Thailand often ranks highly in best destination polls and once again the Land of Smiles has come out on top – for having the worst pension system in the world. Iceland is ranked as having the world’s best pension while Singapore is No.1 among Asian countries as having the best pension. The American asset management firm, Mercer, revealed the survey…

  • Thailand News3,500 police officers in Chiang Mai take drug tests

    3,500 police officers in Chiang Mai take drug tests

    Chiang Mai plans to ask 3,500 officers from every police station in the province to take a drug test to build confidence and trust in the community after the daycare centre massacre in Nong Bua Lamphu. The Commander of the Chiang Mai Provincial Police, Thawatchai Pongwiwattanachai, reported to Thairath today that the police are to kick off a project called “Clean…

  • Thailand News3 men jailed for insulting PM Prayut & Deputy PM Prawit

    3 men jailed for insulting PM Prayut & Deputy PM Prawit

    Three men face eight months in prison for spreading fake news about Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan. The incident happened four years ago in 2018 when Prayut served as Thai PM and Head of the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), and while Prawit served as the Deputy PM and Defence Minister. A court…

  • Thailand NewsThai PM demands investigation into lost 50 million baht budget

    Thai PM demands investigation into lost 50 million baht budget

    Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha urged Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan to investigate the disappearance of a 50 million baht government budget. PM Prayut attended the Cabinet meeting at the Parliament House of Thailand yesterday to discuss the flood situation across the country. At the end of the meeting, the Deputy Minister of the Finance Ministry, Santi Promphat, suggested PM Prayut…

  • Thailand NewsAntisocial neighbour jailed for smashing up car

    Antisocial neighbour jailed for smashing up car

    A reign of terror from an antisocial neighbour takes a short break after he was jailed for smashing the windscreen of a car owner with a gun. The pest’s unruly behaviour has caused chaos for years in a village in the Bang Bua Thong area of Nonthaburi province near Bangkok The neighbourhood nuisance, 38-year-old Jeerasak Khaosook, held his wife and child…

  • Thailand NewsNew MRT Yellow Line monorail train starts trial run today

    New MRT Yellow Line monorail train starts trial run today

    The new MRT Yellow Line monorail train in Bangkok and Samut Prakarn province starts its trial run without passengers today and is expected to be fully operational by June next year. The Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand (MRTA) announced yesterday that the new MRT Yellow Line would be on trial today from 10am to 5.30pm. The trial is running…

  • Thailand NewsThai motorcycle taxi rider rips off Malaysian tourist

    Thai motorcycle taxi rider rips off Malaysian tourist

    A Thai motorcycle taxi rider in the southern province of Songkla said he ripped off a Malaysian tourist because his washing machine was broken. The rider claims it is the first time he overcharged a customer after demanding 500 baht from the stranded tourist for a trip that is only two kilometres. A member of the Hat Yai Municipality Council…

  • Thailand NewsWoman arrested for operating illegal dental clinic from her car

    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

    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 NewsBMTA replaces mushroom seat on Bangkok public bus

    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…

  • Northern Thailand NewsNon profit donates cremation ceremony uniforms to child massacre victims

    Non profit donates cremation ceremony uniforms to child massacre victims

    A non-profit organization is donating dream job uniforms to the children who lost their lives last Thursday as a result of the daycare centre massacre in Nong Bua Lamphu province. The gunman, Panya Kamrab, a 34-year-old former policeman, killed 37 people including his wife and son before turning a gun on himself. Those who survived the killing spree are in…

  • Thailand NewsPickup driver arrested after killing Bangkok road sweeper

    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 US0 bills

    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…

  • Thailand NewsRoom to shroom on Bangkok public buses

    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…

  • Bangkok NewsThai man arrested for posing as police officer

    Thai man arrested for posing as police officer

    A Thai man was arrested on Friday after he tried to fulfil his dream job – impersonating a police officer. The 30 year old man, Kamfon Kunlachart, in full police uniform, reported himself ready for work to the superintendent at a police station in the Din Daeng district of Bangkok at 9.30am on Friday, October 7. Kamfon met with the…

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

    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

    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…

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

    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…

  • Thailand NewsLove rat Thai soldier threaten’s Israeli husband of adulterous wife

    Love rat Thai soldier threaten’s Israeli husband of adulterous wife

    An Israeli man sought help from a famous Thai lawyer after getting no satisfaction from the police after a Thai soldier threatened and fired shots at him after he discovered the soldier was having an affair with his wife. The 53 year old Israeli Rudy Bahar, his children and a lawyer, Sittra Beerbangkird, held a press conference to make the…

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

    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

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

    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…

  • Thailand NewsReported Bangkok VIP casino vanishes into thin air

    Reported Bangkok VIP casino vanishes into thin air

    A Thai television news channel yesterday reported that a VIP casino was throwing dice in an entertainment building on Ratchada Road in the Huay Kwang district of Bangkok. The police raided the building on the back of the breaking news but said there was no casino when they got there. The story was reported on several Thai news agencies after…

  • World News9 Thais arrested in South Korea for smuggling drugs

    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

    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 NewsJealous husband allegedly kills wife

    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…

  • Thailand NewsThai road sweepers get safer new uniform for work

    Thai road sweepers get safer new uniform for work

    Thai road sweepers have been given smart new neon yellow uniforms in a bid to keep them safe from traffic accidents. A man, Van Warit, posted a picture of two road sweepers in their new and old uniforms on Facebook, today. The caption said… “Keeping this picture before the whole sweepers change their uniforms.” The old uniform is dark blue…