Expats

Stay updated on the latest expat news and insights in Thailand with The Thaiger. Our all-inclusive coverage brings you vital information on residency, visas, work permits, property, healthcare, and other expat-related issues. Adapt to the Land of Smiles seamlessly with our advice, guiding you through various aspects of life as a foreign resident in this enthralling country.

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    Why is Bangkok's air quality so bad?

    Imagine waking up early in Bangkok and you see all the beautiful morning fog from your balcony, but as you sip your coffee you realise it's just Bangkok's air pollution that's making the sun rise aesthetic. Ranked as the 36th...

  • Crazy Russian bites off British woman’s finger in Ko Pha Ngan bean bag row

    A leisurely stroll on a Thai beach with two friends and a dog bizarrely evolved into a scene from a horror movie after a crazy Russian woman went berserk, chomped on a British woman’s finger and spat it out. The British woman was walking her dog with a German friend on a beach on Ko Pha Ngan Island when they…

  • Koh Samui booms as over 200,000 tourists visit the popular island in January | Thaiger

    Koh Samui booms as over 200,000 tourists visit the popular island in January

    The picturesque island of Koh Samui in Surat Thani province, Thailand, has seen a remarkable turnaround to its economy in the first month of 2023 with over 200,000 tourists visiting in January alone. After a year of uncertainty due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the arrival of over 200,000 tourists has been a welcome sight for the island’s local economy. The…

  • Birmingham to Bangkok: British poker player wins big and moves to Thailand | Thaiger

    Birmingham to Bangkok: British poker player wins big and moves to Thailand

    A Brummie lad won £3.6 million (145.5 million baht) playing online poker and is now “having the time of his life” in Thailand. An Englishman, 31 year old Richard Sheils, swapped Birmingham for Bangkok after becoming a professional poker player from his bedroom. Now, Sheils is living a life of partying and trips to the beach. Sheils revealed that he…

  • American fitness YouTuber found dead in Pattaya | Thaiger

    American fitness YouTuber found dead in Pattaya

    American fitness YouTuber Leo and Longevity was found dead at a house in Pattaya, eastern Thailand, last night. Officers from Pattaya City Police Station were called to a house in Pattaya Lagoon Village in Bang Lamung district at 8pm, where they found the body of 34 year old Laith Abdullah Algaz – also known as Leo Rex – in the…

  • Harley-Davidson celebrates 120th birthday with new bikes | Thaiger

    Harley-Davidson celebrates 120th birthday with new bikes

    Iconic US motorcycle manufacturer Harley-Davidson plans to enjoy the ride and celebrate its 120-year birthday in style with a range of new motorbikes for 2023. The Milwaukee-based luxury motorcycle manufacturer is celebrating its 120th anniversary by releasing six limited-edition bikes, including the CVO Road Glide Limited Anniversary, which features exclusive commemorative paint, finishes, and details. The company also announced updates…

  • British Bentley plugs into Thailand’s luxury car market with record sales | Thaiger

    British Bentley plugs into Thailand’s luxury car market with record sales

    British elite motor vehicle maker Bentley plugged into Thailand’s luxury car market last year and recorded record sales. Most orders (81) placed in the Land of Smiles were for hybrid vehicles. The Flying Spur Hybrid was the most sought-after model, making up 49% of orders in Thailand with 40 cars sold. The Bentayga Hybrid followed closely behind with 35 orders and…

  • Belgian man turns to garbage collecting to be with Thai boyfriend | Thaiger

    Belgian man turns to garbage collecting to be with Thai boyfriend

    A Belgian man spotted collecting garbage on the roadside in Sara Buri province in central Thailand told reporters he is trying to make money so he can stay with and support his Thai boyfriend. Yesterday, reporters happened to come across a 61 year old man, of Belgian nationality, collecting bottles and leaves on the side of the Asian Highway, reports…

  • Volunteer teaching English to underprivileged children in Bangkok | Thaiger

    Volunteer teaching English to underprivileged children in Bangkok

    Bangkok Community Help Foundation runs a weekly volunteer-led class that aims to teach English and improve the lives of underprivileged children in the Klong Toei area of the city. Children learn new English vocabulary, play games, dance Zumba, and do arts and crafts projects in a fun environment. At the end of each class, students are provided with a hot…

  • Rescue team ends search for Romanian diver missing off Phuket | Thaiger

    Rescue team ends search for Romanian diver missing off Phuket

    A rescue team ended its search for a Romanian diver who went missing at sea off Phuket on January 8. The diver, 46 year old Sebastian Emil Somesan, went missing off the coast of Promthep Cape. Yesterday, Rawai Mayor Aroon Solos announced that the search was wrapping up. This was after rescuers worked intensely for nine days to find Somesan,…

  • Warning Thai people: Don’t be a nominee for foreign business | Thaiger

    Warning Thai people: Don’t be a nominee for foreign business

    The Director-General of the Business Development Department in Thailand announced that Thai citizens who allow their names to be used by foreigners to open businesses that are reserved for Thai nationals may face penalties. The punishment can include hefty fines starting at 100,000 baht and climbing as high as 1 million baht. Violators could also face imprisonment for up to…

  • Bossware is coming to Thailand: Digital nomads, beware | Thaiger

    Bossware is coming to Thailand: Digital nomads, beware

    Bossware is coming to Thailand to ruin the digital nomad lifestyle. The kingdom’s attempts to introduce digital nomad visas have been widely mocked and dismissed, but Thailand remains a big draw for digital nomads, even if they can only stay for a couple of months. Digital nomads looking for a more laid-back, less expensive option love Thailand. It offers a…

  • Makro expects big investment funds to move in | Thaiger

    Makro expects big investment funds to move in

    Thailand’s leading wholesale and hypermarket operator Siam Makro Plc, is waiting for big investment funds to move in as company stock heads for a one-year high. Shares are now mature enough to attract the attention of global fund managers. Makro wants to be the biggest operation of its kind in Asia. In many parts of Thailand, Makro cash and carry…

  • Tips for riding motorcycle in Thailand | Thaiger

    Tips for riding motorcycle in Thailand

    PLEASE NOTE: We’re not recommending that you should ride a motorbike or motorcycle in Thailand but, if you do, these tips will help… Riding a motorbike in Thailand is a great way to get around, especially in heavy traffic where it’s often the quickest option. While some may warn against it, those who avoid hopping on a 110cc scooter miss out on…

  • Two Thailand population reports reveal conflicting data | Thaiger

    Two Thailand population reports reveal conflicting data

    Statistics provided by the Central Domicile Registration Office revealed that on December 31, 2022, Thailand’s official population stands at 66,090,475. The Worldometer elaboration of the latest United Nations data contradicts this however, saying it is over 70 million residents. Last year, an announcement formally published in the Royal Gazette stated that the official population of Thailand as of December 31,…

  • Man bites dog: Dog-eating Thai man gets three months | Thaiger

    Man bites dog: Dog-eating Thai man gets three months

    A dog-eating Thai man has been sent to prison for three months for killing, cooking and eating his pet dogs, according to the Soi Dog Foundation. The charity said on Facebook yesterday that concern was raised by Soi Dog mobile clinic staff who encountered a puppy in the Chalerm Prakiat district of Nakhon Si Thammarat with a deep laceration to…

  • Italian legend Gianluca Vialli dies after long battle with cancer | Thaiger

    Italian legend Gianluca Vialli dies after long battle with cancer

    Former Italy, Sampdoria, and Chelsea star Gianluca Vialli died at the age of 58. The Cremona-born Italian, who also managed Chelsea and Watford, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2017 but was cleared three years later only for it to return in 2021. Vialli played in Serie A, for Sampdoria and Juventus, before moving to Chelsea in England to finish…

  • Prince Harry’s admiration for Jeremy Corbyn vilified by British establishment | Thaiger

    Prince Harry’s admiration for Jeremy Corbyn vilified by British establishment

    The vilification of Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle by the British tabloids continues to gather pace on the back of a new book written by the Duke of Sussex with the revelation that he backed former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn. Led by the Daily Mail, which has a particular axe to grind after the High Court in…

  • US Mega Millions jackpot close to US$1 billion | Thaiger

    US Mega Millions jackpot close to US$1 billion

    As the Mega Millions jackpot closes in on US$1 billion, with an estimated US$940 million in its next draw, after another draw without a grand prize winner. The lack of a winner of an estimated US$785 million (27 billion baht) jackpot Tuesday means there have been 23 straight draws without a winner. The new jackpot is the sixth-largest in US…

  • Flights between Shanghai and Phuket, Guangzhou and Chiang Mai resume | Thaiger

    Flights between Shanghai and Phuket, Guangzhou and Chiang Mai resume

    Flights between Shanghai and Phuket, and Guangzhou and Chiang Mai, will resume this month says Shanghai-based Spring Airlines. The budget airline also revealed that flights from Shanghai to Hong Kong, and Taipei, will also be relaunched in January while the resumption of flights between the metropolis and Singapore is being considered. Another Shangai-based airline, Juneyao Air, announced late last month…

  • ‘Buffalo’ Suttipong’s trash-talk tarnishes Phuket’s reputation | Thaiger

    ‘Buffalo’ Suttipong’s trash-talk tarnishes Phuket’s reputation

    The trash-talk of Interior Ministry Permanent Secretary Suttipong Juljarern tarnishes Phuket’s reputation, according to the president of the Phuket Lawyers Association. As the highest-ranking civil servant at the Interior Ministry, Suttipong can’t seem to keep his foot out of his mouth or his name out of the headlines. The latest of the senior servant’s woes comes as people in Phuket…

  • Indian passengers to be charged over air rage incident on Bangkok-Kolkata flight | Thaiger

    Indian passengers to be charged over air rage incident on Bangkok-Kolkata flight

    Police in India reported that two of the men involved in the air rage incident on a flight from Bangkok to Kolkata will be charged. Bidhannagar City Police, in Kolkata, drew up a First Information Report and slapped an Indian Penal Code charge on the men of assault, wrongful restraint, and criminal intimidation, after a complaint by the Bureau of…

  • Andrew Tate spat with Greta Thunberg leads to his arrest in Bucharest | Thaiger

    Andrew Tate spat with Greta Thunberg leads to his arrest in Bucharest

    A spat with Greta Thunberg last night led to the arrest of controversial social media influencer Andrew Tate as part of an investigation into alleged human trafficking in Romania. The former British-American kickboxer and his brother, Tristian, were detained in Bucharest where they will be held for questioning for up to 24 hours. Romanian television last night showed the 36…

  • Scottish man fights for his life in Thai hospital | Thaiger

    Scottish man fights for his life in Thai hospital

    A Scottish man is fighting for his life in a Thai hospital after a virus triggered a respiratory disease and rendered him unconscious while on holiday. Robert Kessell flew to Thailand on November 24 for a three-week holiday but was struck by illness on Thursday, December 8. The 66 year old, from Wishaw in North Lanarkshire, was rushed to Pattaya…

  • VIDEO: air rage incident on Thai Smile Airways flight from Bangkok to Kolkata

    Footage of an air rage incident emerged yesterday of two Indian passengers swapping punches on a flight from Bangkok to Kolkata in India. A passenger recorded footage of the fracas and uploaded it to social media where it quickly went viral. It captures two men swapping insults, then punches after boarding a Thai Smile Airways flight that was set to…

  • Best Christmas Movies, Ever! | Thaiger

    Best Christmas Movies, Ever!

    The Thaiger is following up on the success of its Best Christmas Singles, Ever! This time the team selected its favourite Christmas movies. With so many films to choose from many readers may disagree with our choices and be disappointed to discover that their favourite Xmas flick is missing from the list. But it’s always a great topic to debate…

  • Infected spinach recalled in Australia after people become delirious | Thaiger

    Infected spinach recalled in Australia after people become delirious

    It appears spinach not only gives you superhuman strength but it also makes you delirious. The vegetable made famous by the cartoon character Popeye caused a health alarm in Australia after a number of people who ate it became ill and experienced hallucinations. Nine people from four Sydney households yesterday required medical attention after experiencing toxic reactions linked to eating…

  • The Thaiger’s Best Christmas Singles, Ever! | Thaiger

    The Thaiger’s Best Christmas Singles, Ever!

    As readers on The Thaiger platform will have noticed, it’s getting pretty close to Christmas. The team has been suggesting the best places to go to eat, drink, and make merry at this special time of the year. Nostalgia always plays a big part in the festive season and there’s nothing better than wallowing in times gone by when life…

  • Cambodian assault victim – ex-wife of Australian boss denies involvement | Thaiger

    Cambodian assault victim – ex-wife of Australian boss denies involvement

    The ex-wife of an Australian man whose Cambodian employee was assaulted by two Polish men last month has been forced to deny any involvement in the shocking crime. Katanyuta Oche, 49 years old, of Nakhon Ratchasima, told reporters that she heard in media reports that she was accused of involvement in the case in Pattaya. Katanyuta denied knowing the Polish…

  • Pattaya visa legend dies of cancer | Thaiger

    Pattaya visa legend dies of cancer

    The Pattaya expat community is saddened to learn today that one of its most loved members, Darren McGarry, has died suddenly after a long battle with cancer. Manchester-born McGarry was the founder of the successful Pattaya-based visa company Key Visa, reported Pattaya Mail. He established a business in Bangkok before moving to Pattaya almost 30 years ago where he married…

  • A British musician bangs drums of discontent after breaking leg in Thailand | Thaiger

    A British musician bangs drums of discontent after breaking leg in Thailand

    A British musician is banging the drums of discontent after breaking his leg in Thailand leaving him with a bill of 680,000 baht (£16,000). Kieran Angus, a drummer with the Scottish rock band Broadsea, fell off his motorbike while on tour in Thailand breaking his leg as a consequence. The 27 year old from Aberdeen believed he was insured but…