Thaiger
- Tourism News
Thai authorities moot compulsory travel insurance for travellers
PHOTO: South East Asia Backpacker Magazine The Thai Office of the Insurance Commission says they expect to introduce compulsory travel insurance for visitors to Thailand by the end of 2019. It would be charged to tourists who arrive without travel insurance and go into a ‘fund’ to be used to pay for repatriation costs in the event of misadventure. The…
- Tourism News
British travellers to Thailand make more insurance claims than any other country
According to a survey, the ‘Travel Smart Insurance Index’ recently released by the UK Post Office, more British travellers to Thailand made insurance claims for medical costs of repatriation after visiting Thailand than any other country. According to the report, the Post Office teamed up with the Centre for Economic & Business Research and analysed 17,295 claims from its Travel…
- Crime News
Deputy PM expresses ‘regret’ over the brutal attack on political activist ‘Ja New’
Deputy PM Prawit Wongsuwan has expressed regret over the brutal attack on political activist Sirawith Seritiwat, or Ja New, and ordered the national police chief, Pol Gen Chakthip Chaijinda, to hold an urgent meeting with the metropolitan police commissioner to discuss the incident and to intensify efforts to track down the perpetrators, as well as the mastermind behind the assault,…
- Expats
Fewer Nordic expats renewing their visas to stay in Thailand
by Gregers Møller Website ScandAsia.com and writer Gregers Møller reports that nordic expats – business people, on retirement or family-based Thai visas, renewing their visas this year – has dropped by around 10% this year. He reports “This is the first decline in 12 years. If the trend continues, there will only be 861 Nordic people on a business visa left…
- Tourism News
Phuket’s tourist evolution – Diversity is the best option Part 1
by Guest Writer Today’s guest writer has been managing resorts around Phuket for two decades and has represented his brand at international expos along with promotions for Phuket over the years. His knowledge is first-hand and steeped in local experience. He has asked to remain anonymous. At the end of the 1990’s into the early 2000’s Phuket saw the drastic…
- Tourism News
Phuket’s tourist evolution – Diversity is the best option Part 2
by Guest Writer Our guest writer has been managing resorts around Phuket for two decades and has represented his brand at international expos along with promotions for Phuket over the years. His knowledge is first-hand and steeped in local experience. He has asked to remain anonymous. Read Part 1 of the report HERE. In Part 1 of the article we…
- Opinion
What to do with Thailand’s elephants?
The goring of an Italian tourist in February 2019, whilst elephant riding in Phang Nga, was just another sad example attracting focus on the practice of providing elephants for tourists to ride. Plenty of elephant rides remain popular for tourists around Thailand and there is still plenty of demand, particularly from some international travellers. There is a long history and…
- Northern Thailand News
Wayward rocket lands in passenger seat of pick-up in Roi-et during annual rocket festival
A local north-east rocket festival entry has made an unexpected landing, into trees hanging over a road, then dropping straight into the passenger seat of a passing pick-up. The rocket, part of the annual Bun Bang Fai rocket festival in Suwannaphum district of Roi-Et, was a wayward entry that ended up in a tree after being launched. Over the two…
- Transport News
Thai PM to visit Phuket for the opening of the Chalong Underpass
PHOTO: Happy memories for residents in the south of Phuket during the construction phase of the underpass. During this period the Chalong Circle was nicknamed by locals as the Chalong Car Park. The Thai PM is heading to Phuket to officiate at the opening of the long-awaited Chalong Underpass, as well as attend some other meetings during the day. PM…
- Thailand News
Burmese migrants released from Thai prison after murder convictions overturned
By Nyein Nyein – The Irrawaddy | PHOTO: Facebook/Htoo Chit Two Burmese migrants, serving six and eight year sentences for the alleged murder of a Thai woman in Ranong, southern Thailand in 2015, have won their appeal in a Thai court. Sein Kadone and Wai Lin, who received eight and six year sentences, respectively, have been in prison for three years…
- Crime News
Future Forward MP uncover new ‘Ja New’ assault video
PHOTOS and VIDEO: Facebook/Rangsiman Rome A Future Forward Party MP says they’ve got their hands on CCTV footage which shows four men violently attacking Thai political activist Sirawith “Ja New” Seritiwat. The anti-Junta activist has been the subject or earlier assaults and many threats. The attack happened on a main road in Bangkok yesterday. Rangsiman Rome, a Party-list MP for Future…
- Tourism News
TAT chief blames high baht for drop in tourists to Thailand
Thailand’s tourism numbers have been dropping over the past three months, against projections and when compared to year-on-year figures. And the blame game has started. TAT (Tourism Authority of Thailand) chief Yuthasak Suphasorn is blaming the high value of the Thai baht for the worse than expected tourist figures. He admits that European visitors are being more careful over their money and…
- Tourism News
Thailand tops the poll for countries offering travellers the ‘host’ factor
“The perfect destination for travellers seeking to experience a warm welcome and immerse themselves in the local culture.” A recent poll by booking.com across 29 countries has found Thai people to be among the top nationalities who consider their country to be more hospitable than others. Thailand, along with Indonesia, Mexico, Taiwan and India, are the top five countries where…
- Thailand News
Students and driver injured in Petchabun bus incident
PHOTOS: Sawangbueang Sampan Thammasatan Rescue Eight people have sustained injuries after an incident between a motorbike and a bus carrying students in Petchabun, north-central Thailand. Emergency responders were notified of the accident in Baan Bueang Sampan, Petchabun this morning. Rescue workers arrived to find an overturned orange school bus on the road. Nearby was a damaged motorbike. Seven students and the…
- Phuket News
Injured sea turtle rescued from fishing net in Phang Nga
PHOTOS: Jalert Jesadawal A sea turtle has been rescued from a fishing net off the coast of Phang Nga. Khao Lampi Hat Thai Mueang National Park officers were notified that a sea turtle was tangled in a fishing net on the shores of Natai Beach in Kok Kloi, Phang Nga yesterday afternoon. They arrived to find the male Olive Ridley…
- Business News
Thailand’s auto manufacturing expects to reach 2.2 million
PHOTO: Autoinfo Car sales for 2019 are likely to increase thanks to the improved purchasing power of Thais as the agricultural sector returns better prices. Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Industry, Phasu Loharachun, say the automotive industry is the main economic activity generating revenue for the country. Meanwhile, the total number of cars to be manufactured this year is expected…
- Technology News
Huawei reassures customers that its roll-out is unaffected by US sanctions
Despite Huawei’s challenges posed by the US ban, the Chinese telecom firm says their 5G network momentum plunges forward around the world. Huawei is assuring governments and customers that its 5G equipment roll out and development will not be affected by the US sanctions. Huawei continue to challenge the US sanctions saying they are unfair and the allegations “lack substantial…
- Environment News
A pair of 200 year old trees in Chumpon on Thailand’s National Heritage List
PHOTO: Star2.com The Thai Ministry of Culture has declared a Durian tree and one Takien Thong tree, both about 200 years old, in Chumpon, to be part of the country’s national heritage. Culture Minister Veera Rotepojanarat went to Patoh district to preside over the “ordination” ceremony for the two old trees in Tambon Patoh. The ceremony also featured an exhibition,…
- Business News
A new beginning at 48 – The Nation prints its last newspaper today
The Nation daily newspaper, known for its independent and aggressive news reporting, publishes its last print edition today. After 48 years on the newsstands, one of Thailand’s only two English dailies, goes the way of many good banners before them. The Nation will continue as an online news source. The newspaper is the latest victim of the disruptive technology that…
- Thailand News
13 students injured in minivan/pickup collision in Chachoengsao – VIDEO
VIDEO: teenee8rews 13 students in a minivan have sustained injuries after a pickup truck, running through a red light, collided with their van in Chachoengsao, east of Bangkok. Chachoengsao Police were notified of the incident at the Nakoo Intersection, central Chachoengsao. Police and emergency responders arrived to find a damaged pickup truck and the minivan. Passersby helped to right the…
- Business News
Somkid blames sluggish formation of Thai government for GDP downgrading
Deputy PM Somkid Jatusripitak is saying the delay in forming Thailand’s next government caused the downgrading of the country’s GDP projections from 3.8% to 3.3%. The Bank of Thailand downgraded their forecasts at a meeting this morning. But Somkid noted that he was confident that Thailand’s GDP growth will pick up again once the new cabinet had been announced and…
- Phuket News
Electricity mains upgraded in Pa Klok, Phuket
Phuket’s Provincial Electricity Authority is warning residents that their electricity supply will be disrupted in parts of Pa Klok tomorrow (June 28) as they carry out work installing new high-voltage cables. The Thalang Branch of the PEA say the affected areas will be from to Ban Bang Rong Mosque to the Weerasatri Anusorn School on Soi Thala and areas nearby…
- Bangkok News
Military escort motorcycle rider smashes into Bangkok taxi – VIDEO
The shocking moment when a military officer on motorbike, escorting a high-ranking Army official travelling in a black Mercedes, collided into a Bangkok taxi, at 1.22pm yesterday. He was an officer with the Military Police. The Toyota taxi with Bangkok plates was making a right hand turn into the Khet Pom Prap Sattru Phai centre in central Bangkok. The injured…
- Business News
Trying to find a pulse in Thailand’s economic health
Thailand’s economy is south-east Asia’s wounded soldier as the newly elected Thai government tries to boost confidence and stimulate the economy after five years of military rule. Certainly the past 12 months have been the most challenging. GDP growth hit a four-year low of 2.8% for Q1 2019 and exports remain weak. Despite having unlimited power for half a decade,…
- Thailand News
16,467 kilograms of drugs destroyed on International Day against Drug Abuse
PHOTOS: The Police Magazine Thailand 16,467 kilograms of drugs were destroyed on the annual International Day against Drug, valued around 20 million baht. The Police Magazine Thailand reported yesterday, the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, that drugs has been destroyed by Ministry of Public Health at Bangpa, an Industrial Estate in Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya. Drugs destroyed…
- Pattaya News
Beach vendor nabbed after stealing from Pattaya tourist
PHOTOS: Pattya Message A Pattaya beach vendor has been caught by a local and foreign beach-goers after stealing from a tourist on Jomtien Beach in Pattaya. Pattaya City Police were notified of the incident yesterday on Jomtien Beach. The suspect had already been bailed up by Thai and foreign tourists at the beach. A 66 year old German female tourist…
- Business News
Thai car manufacturers upbeat about sales
PHOTO: Chevrolet’s proposed SUV ‘Blazer’ to replace the Captiva Car sales for the first five months of this year stood at 437,722 equating to a year-on-year rise of just over 9%. Sales for May alone were 88,097 units, up 3.7%. But May’s growth slowed from the double-digit rise that the sector experienced between January and April, 2019. • By brand sales…
- Tourism News
SURVEY – Do the Tourism Authority of Thailand invent their statistics?
The internet has spoken, well The Thaiger’s Facebook page anyway, and there is a strong distrust in the statistics about tourist arrivals issued by the Tourism Authority of Thailand. 83% of people that voted said they didn’t believe the numbers quoted by the TAT. 17% believed the numbers were accurate. The reasons for people’s disbelief aren’t fully understood as their…
- World News
New Malaysian political sex video appears on Pornhub
PHOTO: Haziq Abdullah Abdul Aziz, sacked and A new video clip showing Malaysia’s former deputy minister’s aide, Haziq Abdullah Abdul Aziz, and a man resembling the Economic Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Azmin Ali, has appeared on YouTube, while a nine-minute-plus full version has been uploaded to porn site Pornhub. As with earlier clips, the YouTube video (which may be removed…
- Thailand News
Surachate scores appointment to Police committee, as a civilian
Promoted, sacked, possibly re-instated, ditched and now appointed – the topsy turvy career of former policeman Surachate Hakparn. Thailand’s Deputy PM Prawit Wongsuwon has confirmed that the former immigration chief Surachate Hakparn was appointed to a Police Commission sub-committee responsible for laws and regulations. He will be the only civilian appointed to the panel. The panel will be under the…
