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    Long-term life in Thailand? 5 reasons private health insurance pays off in the long run

    Thailand is a great place for expats and retirees, offering a warm climate, affordable living, and rich culture. However, healthcare can be tricky for foreigners since they aren’t eligible for public health coverage, and private care can be expensive. Private...

  • Thailand orders 20th Century Fox to pay 10 million baht to restore Maya Bay | Thaiger

    Thailand orders 20th Century Fox to pay 10 million baht to restore Maya Bay

    Today, Thailand’s Supreme Court ruled that Hollywood movie company 20th Century Fox – now renamed 20th Century Studios – is required to pay 10 million baht in environmental damages caused by the movie “The Beach” (2000) starring Leonardo DiCaprio. Filming for “The Beach” began at Maya Bay at the Phi Phi Islands in Krabi province, southern Thailand, in 1998. The…

  • Thai govt increase minimum wage by 5% starting on October 1 | Thaiger

    Thai govt increase minimum wage by 5% starting on October 1

    The Thai Cabinet today agreed to increase the minimum wage throughout the country by 5%. The highest rate is 354 baht per day in Chon Buri, Rayong, and Phuket. The new rate will come into effect on October 1. Labour Minister Suchart Chomklin discussed the topic at today’s Cabinet meeting and it was approved. It is the first time in…

  • Pro-wakeskater charged with causing danger for surfing in Bangkok floods | Thaiger

    Pro-wakeskater charged with causing danger for surfing in Bangkok floods

    UPDATE Pro-wakeskater Daniel Grant has been charged with causing danger to traffic – violating Thailand’s Traffic Act and Highway Act – for his surfing stunt in the Bangkok floods on Friday. The 24 year old half-Thai, half-English watersports champion was summoned to Khlong Luang Police Station this morning to acknowledge the allegations made against him by police after they saw…

  • VIDEO: Police seek alleged lover who splashed woman with acid | Thaiger

    VIDEO: Police seek alleged lover who splashed woman with acid

    A shocking video has gone viral on Thai social media showing the moments just after an alleged jealous lover splashed acid on a woman’s face outside of the salon where she worked. The security camera video shows a startled shopkeeper rushing to open the door followed by the woman running blindly across the shop screaming and stumbling as she lunges…

  • Thai VietJet to increase frequency of Japan and Taiwan flights | Thaiger

    Thai VietJet to increase frequency of Japan and Taiwan flights

    Thai VietJet announced the addition of flights to both the Bangkok – Fukuoka route to Japan and the Bangkok – Taipei route to Taiwan. The airline commenced the Bangkok – Fukuoka route, their only service linking Thailand and Japan, back in July. Initially, the route between Suvarnabhumi Airport and Fukuoka Airport operated three times a week. The route turned out…

  • Thailand’s nonpartisan stance sensible in China-US Cold War | Thaiger

    Thailand’s nonpartisan stance sensible in China-US Cold War

    Thailand yesterday was urged to maintain its neutrality as tensions between the globe’s two economic giants, China and the United States, continue to gather pace. Thailand last week was criticized for maintaining a neutral stance regarding the Russia-Ukraine conflict as the West continues to impose sanctions on the former Soviet state. The kingdom has been also condemned in the past…

  • Alleged Thai ‘love scammer’ denied bail in Australia | Thaiger

    Alleged Thai ‘love scammer’ denied bail in Australia

    A Thai national detained in Sydney, Australia, for allegedly committing “romance fraud” was denied bail yesterday. Siriluck Fatima Chimmalee is accused of stealing from men she met online through a dating app. She is facing trial for over 100 charges of fraud. Police say 30 year old Siriluck allegedly pretended to be a registered remitter and charged customers steep inflation…

  • Stingy foreigner pays Thai taxi rider 20 cents for 450-baht ride | Thaiger

    Stingy foreigner pays Thai taxi rider 20 cents for 450-baht ride

    A motorcycle taxi rider in Samut Prakarn province near Bangkok warned other riders to be aware of a tight-fisted foreigner who duped him, handing over a 20 cent euro coin, about 7 baht, for a 450 baht fare. The 63 year old motorcycle taxi rider, Subin Waitook, yesterday revealed to the media that a foreign passenger agreed with him to…

  • Thai Interior Minister plays down flood warnings | Thaiger

    Thai Interior Minister plays down flood warnings

    The Thai Meteorological Department (TMD) today announced another day of heavy downpours, flooding, and traffic chaos throughout the country and told the kingdom to brace itself. The Interior Minister on the other hand played it down and said there was nothing to worry about. The TMD made known it is 70% likely that the nation will be hit by another…

  • Activist sentenced to 2 years in prison for wearing Thai dress that ‘mocks’ H.M. Queen | Thaiger

    Activist sentenced to 2 years in prison for wearing Thai dress that ‘mocks’ H.M. Queen

    A 23 year old Thai activist has been sentenced to two years imprisonment for royal defamation, under Section 112 of the Criminal Code, for attending a protest in traditional Thai attire. Her catwalk show was interpreted by royalists as “mocking” H.M. Queen Sirikit, the queen mother of Thailand. Bangkok South Criminal Court read the verdict of Jatuporn “New” Saeoueng’s sentence…

  • Man complains after 23 taxi drivers in Bangkok refuse to serve him | Thaiger

    Man complains after 23 taxi drivers in Bangkok refuse to serve him

    An angry Thai man slammed Bangkok taxis on his TikTok account for favouring foreigners after 23 cab drivers refused to take him on a journey that was less than 15 minutes. The man said that taxi drivers in the Asoke area only wanted to serve foreign passengers because they can rip them off with expensive fares. The Thai TikToker, @iceprapadang,…

  • Old man held hostage & duped out of 100 million baht by fake doctors | Thaiger

    Old man held hostage & duped out of 100 million baht by fake doctors

    An 81 year old man was held hostage in a Bangkok hotel by two fake doctors and then duped him into giving away over 100 million baht in assets and priceless amulets so they could treat his Parkinson’s disease. Police eventually rescued Chawarit Chankana after his family filed a complaint saying the old man handed over a luxury car and…

  • Cannabis bill goes to House today for urgent consideration | Thaiger

    Cannabis bill goes to House today for urgent consideration

    A new bill is set to be proposed to the House of Representatives today for urgent consideration to bring some regulation to the decriminalising of cannabis in Thailand. The bill took its lead from the best parts of several related laws and will propose restrictions on the growth and usage of the plant in the kingdom. Under the rules proposed…

  • Kidney for an iPhone meme condemned by doctors, commenters | Thaiger

    Kidney for an iPhone meme condemned by doctors, commenters

    A Facebook post from Laos has gone viral and upset many people for its unsafe message about the expensive new iPhone. The post was captioned “Agreed for iPhone 14” and showed three people holding up their new Apple phones and lifting their shirts, revealing bandages on their abdomens, implying that they each sold their kidney to afford the price of…

  • PHIST, Southeast Asia’s biggest and best sustainable tourism forum is back as a live, in-person event! | Thaiger

    PHIST, Southeast Asia’s biggest and best sustainable tourism forum is back as a live, in-person event!

    PRESS RELEASE PHIST (Phuket Hotels for Islands Sustaining Tourism), Southeast Asia’s biggest and best sustainable tourism forum is back as a live, in-person event! Over 1,000 participants, including senior executives and keynote speakers, will gather in Phuket on Monday 26th September 2022 to tackle the most important sustainability issues impacting the industry today. Approximately 30 green exhibitors are also expected…

  • 2 female Thai party leaders emerge as strong PM candidates | Thaiger

    2 female Thai party leaders emerge as strong PM candidates

    While King Charles III effortlessly ascended to the throne upon the death of England’s Queen Elizabeth II this week, the path to the prime ministership in Thailand will be a bit more protracted and messy. Two women have emerged as top candidates for Prime Minister, with Thai Sang Thai Party’s Khunying Sudarat Keyuraphan so far polling above Pheu Thai Party…

  • New draft act to make one joint ticket for all Bangkok transport | Thaiger

    New draft act to make one joint ticket for all Bangkok transport

    Travelling around Bangkok may get a little bit easier if the Office of Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning has its way. The OTP is planning to propose a joint ticket that would be created to be valid on all public transport in Bangkok to make commuting around the city using public transportation much more streamlined. Bringing all the different transport…

  • POLL: People unsatisfied with Prawit, want a special election | Thaiger

    POLL: People unsatisfied with Prawit, want a special election

    A new poll revealed that people are not impressed with caretaker Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan as acting PM, but do not want him to take major action either, aside from calling a new election to find his replacement. The majority of people do not want a Cabinet reshuffle, but most people want a special election called to elect a new…

  • Coffin floats through the flooded streets of Bangkok | Thaiger

    Coffin floats through the flooded streets of Bangkok

    Flood waters can be deadly, but locals in Saphan Mai, located in the northern part of Bangkok, were shocked by the sight of a coffin floating by in the floodwaters that swept through the streets. The floating coffin was captured on videos and posted on social media where it quickly went viral. People may have feared and questioned: Is it…

  • Rice exporters say Thailand needs new rice breeds to be competitive | Thaiger

    Rice exporters say Thailand needs new rice breeds to be competitive

    Rice exporters have said that Thailand needs new breeds of rice to compete in the global rice market. The president of the Thai Rice Exporters Association said yesterday that Thailand tends to set its rice prices too high for its quality, which is why the country’s rice export volume has continued to drop. The president, Charoen Laothamatas, said that new…

  • Dead baby girl in a plastic bag found in Phuket temple | Thaiger

    Dead baby girl in a plastic bag found in Phuket temple

    A dead newborn baby girl was left in a black plastic bag at a temple in Kathu in Phuket and police are searching for answers. The bag with the baby’s remains was found yesterday at Wat Anuphat Kritsadaram in Thung Thong in Kathu, with police receiving a call at around 5pm to report it. Three monks walking through the area…

  • Venues surveyed in Thailand say they make the most money at later hours | Thaiger

    Venues surveyed in Thailand say they make the most money at later hours

    Night venues recently surveyed by Thailand’s Tourism and Sports Ministry made known that tourists spend the most money in the early hours of the morning. The venues surveyed were located in the tourist hotspots of Koh Samui, Phang Nga, and Khao San Road in Bangkok. Tourism and Sports Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn told the press yesterday… “The results suggested that tourists…

  • Bangkok woman stabs husband to death after a few days isolating in the same room | Thaiger

    Bangkok woman stabs husband to death after a few days isolating in the same room

    A woman stabbed her husband to death this morning in Bangkok. The couple were both infected with Covid-19, living in a house of five, and had been isolating in the same room for a few days. Officers from Udom Suk Police Station received a report at 6.57am today that a woman had killed her husband at their home in the…

  • Husband shoots dead lover of estranged wife in Khon Kaen | Thaiger

    Husband shoots dead lover of estranged wife in Khon Kaen

    A jealous husband shot dead the lover of his estranged wife while he relaxed in a hot tub at a resort in the Isaan province of Khon Kaen. The alleged murderer, 40 year old Rungroj Tianyoi, secretly followed his estranged wife and her lover to a resort in the Phu Phra Marn district of Khon Kaen on Wednesday and booked…

  • Train smashes into car in eastern Thailand, 1 killed, 3 seriously injured | Thaiger

    Train smashes into car in eastern Thailand, 1 killed, 3 seriously injured

    A car crashed through a barrier and was hit by a train in Chon Buri province, eastern Thailand, at 2am today. One woman was killed in the crash and three more people are seriously injured. Officers at Don Hua Lo Police Station received a report at 2am that a train had hit a car where the road and railway track…

  • Alleged pedo tutor recorded kids engaged in illegal sex games | Thaiger

    Alleged pedo tutor recorded kids engaged in illegal sex games

    Police are investigating alleged claims that a school teacher lured underage children into a den of depravity and engaged in illegal sexual acts before uploading them online. Police swooped and arrested Nantaphan Chanaphai, accused of sexually assaulting 22 kids, at a Nakhon Ratchasima school after a tip off. Nantaphan is one of four sexual assault and human trafficking cases being…

  • Report reveals Thais need to save 15%-30% of salary for retirement | Thaiger

    Report reveals Thais need to save 15%-30% of salary for retirement

    Thai people are being urged to save more money for their retirement instead of relying on lotto prizes, inheritances, or descendants’ income. The Faculty of Commerce and Accountancy of Chulalongkorn University launched a National Retirement Readiness Index (NRRI) for Thailand yesterday. The report revealed that Thai people are not financially ready for retirement. Most people are ready for retirement in…

  • Airbus A380 lands at Thailand’s Don Mueang Airport for the first time ever | Thaiger

    Airbus A380 lands at Thailand’s Don Mueang Airport for the first time ever

    An Airbus A380 aircraft landed on the runway at Bangkok’s Don Mueang International rt (DMK) for the first time ever yesterday. The Emirates flight was redirected to Bangkok’s smaller airport due to heavy rainfall disrupting the runway at Suvarnabhumi Airport. At 9.40pm, flight EK363 from Guangzhou in China descended on DMK after the runway became impassible at Suvarnabhumi International Airport,…

  • Japan donates cute trains to Thailand, ready for public use next month | Thaiger

    Japan donates cute trains to Thailand, ready for public use next month

    On Tuesday, the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) conducted a trial run of a cute white and purple locomotive donated by Japan. It is one of 17 Kiha 183 passenger trains donated by the Hokkaido Railway Company, which will be used for short tourism routes as soon as next month. Governor of the SRT Nirut Maneephan said the trains will…

  • Heaviest rain in two decades pushes Bangkok’s canals to the brink | Thaiger

    Heaviest rain in two decades pushes Bangkok’s canals to the brink

    Bangkok’s heaviest rains in over two decades are pushing its canals to the brink. The downpours started Tuesday evening, overwhelming the canals. Governor Chadchart Sittipunt said Bang Khen district has reported 170 millimetres of rain since Tuesday, which has been the highest amount in 20 years. Klong Lat Phrao and Kong Prem Prachakon canals have seen water levels rising to…