Thai Life
Thailand guides, travel tips, cultural insights, and essential local information—discover everything you need to know about living, visiting, and experiencing the Land of Smiles. Get the latest from The Thaiger, your trusted source for Thailand guides.
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Sponsored 5 ways retirees in Thailand lose money (and how to stop it)
Retiring in Thailand can be affordable and enjoyable, but many retirees lose money due to common mistakes. High living costs, scams, and unexpected expenses can quickly drain savings. There are five ways that retirees in Thailand can lose money and...
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Immigration officers asked to show leniency to foreigners applying for retirement & marriage visas
Thai immigration say that they’re willing to show leniency to foreigners in the prickly subject of proving income when applying for retirement and marriage visas and extensions. Immigration chief Police Lieutenant General Surachete Hakparn acknowledges that some applicants may have difficulty in providing the now required 12 months worth of bank statements. Where this is the case Surachete has instructed…
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Facebook poll reveals expats in Thailand are not optimistic about the future
A simple online poll conducted by Thaivisa on their Facebook page shows that 75% of respondents think expatriate life in Thailand will be ‘worse’ in five years than it is now. According to the poll, only 24% held out hope that life for expats would actually improve by 2024. Facebook users were asked the simple question in the online poll:…
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Money can’t buy happiness in Bangkok – new study
by Chularat Saengpassa Findings, from the “Integrative Thai Family Study Based on Family Life Cycle”, have been released and underline the importance of a work-life balance for Thais. Families living in Bangkok are the least happy despite having the highest average income compared to people living in other parts of the country, a recent study found. Long, exhausting commuting hours,…
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So long, farewell – Yingluck says goodbye to Thai politics
Former Thai PM, and fugitive, Yingluck Shinawatra is saying she has “washed her hands of Thai politics” because she has suffered enough from her political role in the past. In a Twitter post she denied a report in Thai newspapers that she had personally nominated a former minister to become Pheu Thai party’s candidate for PM in the forthcoming election,…
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The internet booms and print languishes in 2019 advertising spend
Thailand’s Digital advertising market spend is poised to reach 124 billion baht in 2019. That’s a growth of nearly 5%. But newspapers, magazines, Cable TV and radio are on the nose as marketers stick with terrestrial TV and ramp up their digital portfolios. “Digital media is expected to grow 20% and is will nearly equal the value of TV advertising…
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Event Round-Up – January 2019
Into a new year and a month packed with activities around the country. The highly anticipated Thailand Yacht Show & RendezVous 2019 kicks off at Phuket Royal Marina on January 10-13. A collaboration between some of the most respected and experienced figures in the Southeast Asian yachting industry, Thailand Yacht Show & RendezVous is the country’s new and improved yacht…
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Family of British Phuket property developer say “he was murdered”
PHOTO: Lawyer Vincent McOwen holding up a photo of Steven James Granville – Khaosod English A lawyer representing the family of Steven James Granville has filed a complaint with the Technology Crime Suppression Division (TCSD) in Bangkok over police reports about injuries sustained in a 2013 ‘cycling incident’. The TCSD is now overseen by Immigration Chief Pol Lt Gen Surachate Hakparn.…
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BMA introduces proper pavement stops for motorcycle taxis in Bangkok
As Bangkok becomes busier, limited space for motorcycle taxi stands is becoming a critical problem with many of the crews taking up road space or spreading themselves randomly out around public pavement areas. The boys in the orange vests provide an important part of the Bangkok public transport mix but the BMA were getting many complaints. Now the BMA (Bangkok…
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Phuket tram project seeks private sector investment
(The term ‘tram’ and ‘light rail’ are variously used to describe the new public transport project for Phuket.) The Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand (MRTA) is now inviting the private sector and local administrative bodies to get behind and invest in a mass-transit project in Phuket. The project is valued around 35 billion baht. The next rounds of talks…
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Civil Partnership Bill open for comment before heading to NLA
Members of the public are now being invited to comment on the Civil Partnership Bill on the Council of State’s website until January 23. The comments will be reviewed for consideration before the Council submits the bill to the National Legislative Assembly. If passed by the legislators, the law will make Thailand the first country in Asia to recognise same-sex…
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Leo returns to ‘The Beach’
… well, a beach in Phuket anyway. PHOTO: BACKGRID It’s 19 years since Leo DiCaprio starred in ‘The Beach’. The film made both Leornado and Maya Bay famous. Maya Bay on Koh Phi Phi is now closed but Leo has made a return to Phuket island where he shot many of the scenes for the film (including at the On…
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City by the Bay – Laguna Phuket’s urbanisation
by Bill Barnett from c9hotelworks.com If you were going to play a soundtrack to this story, perhaps it could be started off best with the 80’s hit “We Built This City”. If you toured the Laguna Phuket area in the year the song charted in 1985, the area was an eerie lunar landscape of a former tin mining domain. Today the…
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Helping Koh Samui fight the garbage glut
Photos and story by Laurie Maitenaz An article by guest writer Laurie Maitenaz, a resident of Koh Samui, seeks to focus attention on the long-term garbage accumulation problems on the island. Most of his 11-point-plan to reduce garbage are things we can all action around the Kingdom. Let’s make 2019 the year of garbage reduction – think globally but act…
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The legalisation of cannabis for medical use – more questions than answers
by Laura Villadiego “Despite what looks to be the biggest step in decades towards legalisation of cannabis in Thailand… the use of cannabis in Thailand without a licence is still punishable with jail terms.” Unclear licensing rules have given rise to fears foreign firms might apply for patents and squeeze out local players There are concerns the public might think…
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30% rise in drink driving incidents
FILE PHOTO Despite all the hoopla, promises, checkpoints on all major roads and extensive media campaign, drink driving remains the leading cause of accidents over the first three days of the New Year holiday road safety period – aka. The Seven Days of Danger. Police report a 30% rise in drink-driving arrests up to last Saturday. 6,000 breathalysers and radar…
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The Bay and Beach Club – Welcome to The Bay!
With a coveted location on Phuket’s infamous Patong Beach, The Bay and Beach Club is an elegant new resort which features 26 brand new luxury rooms. The resort boasts a prime beachfront location – The Bay and Beach Club is set right on the sands of Patong Beach in an area lined with towering palm trees. If tropical luxury is what…
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Patong’s beach road closed for an hour for new year celebrations
The Patong beach road will officially close for an hour as Patong revelers celebrate New Year 2019 at the island’s most famous beach. Thaweewong Road (Beach Road) will close from 11.30pm-12.30am. The closure is meant to be a safety measure to stop the volume of tourists and new year revelers from being run over. But last new year the traffic was…
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Thailand now in world’s top 100 most expensive places to live for expats
Singapore and Thailand are among the fastest risers in a survey of most expensive locations in the world for expats. Asian Correspondent is reporting that multinational human resource consultants ECA International, in its recent Cost of Living survey, revealed that Thailand rose 32 places this year to enter the top 100 most expensive locations in the world. Lee Quane, the…
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Thai business tycoon buys Fortune for $150 million
Photo: Fortune Chatchaval Jiaravanon, son of the executive chairman of Thailand’s biggest conglomerate (the Charoen Pokphand Group) and part of the richest family in Thailand has bought Fortune for $150 million (4.8 billion baht). Publisher giant Meredith confirmed the sale on Friday, saying it will use the money to pay off down debt. The Thai business tycoon – executive chairman of…
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Road toll drops but still 60 deaths a day
The good news is that Thailand is no longer in the top couple of countries for road death tolls in the world. The bad news is the toll is still horrendous with an average of 60 deaths every day. Thailand has seen fewer road casualties this year and is now listed as the world’s ninth-most dangerous nation when road accidents…
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Thai artist uses sex workers’ hair to make social critique in BKK installation
PHOTOS: Vivianne Chow Thai artist, Imahathai Suwatthanasilp new work at the Bangkok Biennale has brought attention to the prostitution industry in Thailand. Through her work the artist critiques preconceptions on sex workers while highlight their prevalence. Imahathai’s new work involved hair, specifically hair collected from a number of sex workers in Thailand. Her passion for hair started when her father was…
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Fine tuning on same-sex Bill before it goes to Cabinet next week
by Kornrawee Panyasuppakun The Life Partnership Bill has been updated to recognise more rights for same-sex couples before it heads to the Cabinet for approval next week. The latest version of the bill now includes a phrase that says non-heterosexual couples will have the right to “make medical decisions” and “hold a funeral” for their incapacitated or deceased spouse, both…
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Pulp Fiction – Phuket tourism by numbers
by Bill Barnett This week netizens have been captivated over a photo in the blogosphere proclaiming that “Phuket high-season was dead as a dodo.” Excuse me as I digress for just a minute on the subject of dodo’s, which is clearly something I know nothing about, hence putting myself on par with the individual proclaiming the ‘end of days’ for…
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Plain tobacco packaging by September 2019
The Thai government has made a new legislative announcement regarding plain packaging for cigarette packets, making it the first country in Asia, and first low and middle-income country to do so. This legislation adds to the 2017 Tobacco Control Act, which currently mandates an individual must be 20 or older to purchase tobacco, bans tobacco advertising in the media, sponsorship,…
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Thailand Yacht Show and Rendezvous – January 10-13
The fourth edition of the Thailand Yacht Show & RendezVous is set to take place in Phuket January 10-13 at Royal Phuket Marina. Targeting yachting enthusiasts and lifestyle-seekers from all over the region, the Thailand Yacht Show & RendezVous has become a key marketing platform and revenue generator for the industry, as well as positioning Thailand in its rightful place…
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Phuket vs Penang – The two pearls go head to head
…including some reflections by guest writer TravellingMitch There was a time when Penang was the ‘Pearl of the Orient’, for some western travellers the only ‘orient’ they would know outside of Singapore and maybe Hong Kong. It was the 1950s and 60s when jet travel had just started making the world smaller and the western middle class were in search…
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The new Galaxy Roof Club opens in Patong
The new Galaxy Roof Club Patong had its official launch as Patong’s first and only roof club under the slogan “Where all stars meet.” Dr. Josef Kastenberger – Owner, Ms. Olga Kotelenets – Managing Director and Mr. Nunthidej Phatanachinda – Advisor to Galaxy Roof Club Patong, are offering a new experience as the first and only roof club in Phuket…
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Digital driving license coming to Thailand next year
Stopped at a checkpoint? Fossiciking around in your bag for your license and ID? A new app will be launched in January in which motorists will be able to show their credentials to any law enforcement officer in Thailand. This means you will no longer have to carry a physical license with you.The police will be able to scan a…
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‘Wonderfruit’ so far – in pictures
Photo: Monocle.com Wonderfruit music festival is taking place right now in Pattaya, and you should be there. Founded by Pranitan “Pete” Phornprapha alongside musician friend Montonn “Jay” Jira in December 2014 the festival prides itself in its go green attitude and pledge to social responsibility and raising awareness. Photo: Mont LD Watanasiriroch (Facebook) Photo: Instagram/Bitoeysiam A blend of burning man and…
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Well Hotels signs new Pattaya resort on Phratamnak Hill
Well Hotels & Resorts has announced the signing of a management contract for a new boutique property that will be branded Phratamnak Well Resort Pattaya. The property is set to open in late 2019 with 78 rooms and suites. According to the agreement, Well Hotels & Resorts will take on the responsibility for the pre-opening and full operational management. Phratamnak…
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