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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...

  • Search continues off Phuket’s Freedom Beach for two missing Filipinos | Thaiger

    Search continues off Phuket’s Freedom Beach for two missing Filipinos

    PHOTOS: Workpoint News Phuket rescue volunteers are continuing their search for 2 Filipinos washed off their feet in high waves at Freedom Beach, south of Patong Beach, in Phuket. The two people have been identified as 29 and 40 year old men. The went missing late yesterday afternoon. Kusoldham Phuket Rescue Foundation received a report concerning the two missing Filipino…

  • Bangkok drug gang nabbed for selling Pattaya tourists illicit drugs | Thaiger

    Bangkok drug gang nabbed for selling Pattaya tourists illicit drugs

    PHOTO: 77kaoded Three men have been arrested in Pattaya and 833 grams of crystal methamphetamine (ice) and 6,700 methamphetamine pills seized. Police also seized a car and two motorcycles. Three Thai men – 23, 29 and 35 year old – were arrested and charged with possession of Category One drugs with intent to sell. Daily News reports that the three man gang was…

  • BMW speeds away as policeman tries to hang on at Bangkok toll booth | Thaiger

    BMW speeds away as policeman tries to hang on at Bangkok toll booth

    SCREENSHOTS: Sanook A policeman has ended up in hospital after being dragged along by a white BMW after trying to stop the car. CCTV footage from the Thanyaburi Toll booth on a Bangkok ring road shows the BMW driving away from the booth, with the policeman clinging on to the roof. The car veered to the left suddenly to ‘shake off’…

  • Second hand car dealers arrested over 5 year old scam in Chiang Mai | Thaiger

    Second hand car dealers arrested over 5 year old scam in Chiang Mai

    PHOTO: Daily News Police in Chiang Mai say they have arrested a married couple involved in an alleged scam of 52 people in the northern Thailand city. The incidents were reported to police five years ago. 55 year old Anucha “Teng” Dorkmaingam and his 39 year old wife Warawee or Suthicha Suphan were arrested at a Chiang Mai restaurant. Daily…

  • Number of passengers and flights drop slightly at 28 secondary Thai airports | Thaiger

    Number of passengers and flights drop slightly at 28 secondary Thai airports

    28 airports under the Thai Airports Department have dropped traffic by 1% compared to the same time last year. The airports under the Airports Department don’t cover the largest airports at Suvarnabhumi, Don Mueang, Phuket, Chiang Mai, Hat Yai and Chiang Rai. Some 14.4 million passengers were recorded at the 28 airports under the department from October 2018 to June…

  • Weerasak paints a rosy tourism picture as he steps down from Ministry | Thaiger

    Weerasak paints a rosy tourism picture as he steps down from Ministry

    Weerasak Kowsurat, outgoing Tourism and Sports Minister In a final spin at the microphone as Sports and Tourism Minister, Weerasak Kowsurat made statements about Thailand’s tourism numbers and the Thai baht that differed from other published numbers and local anecdotal reports. Weerasak claimed, despite the appreciation of the baht, that Thailand has attracted as many as 21.08 million tourists in the…

  • “Thailand shouldn’t have water problems” – a personal view | Thaiger

    “Thailand shouldn’t have water problems” – a personal view

    OPINION Post from a concerned Phuket resident who is worried about the future of the island’s most precious resource, fresh water. Despite being surrounded by water, potable water supplies are in peril for the forthcoming high season with lower-than-usual rainfall and the dams still at historically-low levels at the time of publishing this story. The person has asked to be anonymous……

  • Future Forward’s Thanathorn on European and US lecture tour – VIDEO | Thaiger

    Future Forward’s Thanathorn on European and US lecture tour – VIDEO

    The Future Forward leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit spoke with American NBC’s Andrea Mitchell about his hopes and aspirations for Thailand’s future. He also addresses his own current situation in regards to charges he is facing over alleged media shareholdings. Thanathorn is currently suspended from participating in the new Thai parliament as an MP as he awaits the Constitutional Court to hear…

  • Thailand keeping track of foreigners – the TM30 reporting form | Thaiger

    Thailand keeping track of foreigners – the TM30 reporting form

    The TM30 reporting procedure is a Thai immigration requirement. The form is designed to assist keeping track of foreigners – tourists and expats – whilst in Thailand. It must be completed by the owner or landlord to report the stay of guests within 24 hours of their arrival. As with many things in Thailand the enforcement will not be uniformly applied…

  • King urges new cabinet to solve problems for Thailand’s happiness and security | Thaiger

    King urges new cabinet to solve problems for Thailand’s happiness and security

    PHOTO: Thai PBS “In the process of doing a job, there will be problems, and that it was normal that they must be solved at the core so the administration of the country can proceed smoothly.” – HM The King His Majesty has offered moral support to PM Prayut and the newly sworn-in cabinet ministers, urging them to perform their…

  • Thai Airways close to sale of used planes to US company | Thaiger

    Thai Airways close to sale of used planes to US company

    PHOTO: Thai Airways Airbus A340, Airplane Pictures Thai Airways International President Sumeth Damrongchaitham reports that the national airline expects to sign an agreement this month with a US logistics firm on the sale of eight used A340 aircraft worth between 4-4.5 billion baht. The company is in the process of examining the contract before closing the sale deal of Thai Airways…

  • HM The King swears in new Prayut Cabinet | Thaiger

    HM The King swears in new Prayut Cabinet

    The new Palang Pracharat government, led by Prayut Chan-o-cha has been sworn in tonight by His Majesty The King. The ceremony heralding the return of civilian rule in Thailand after five years of military government. The ceremony took place at 6pm in the Amphorn Satharn Throne Hall with all 36 ministers were present. The historic occasion marked the first time…

  • Document agent nabbed in Pattaya for helping foreigners get driving licences | Thaiger

    Document agent nabbed in Pattaya for helping foreigners get driving licences

    PHOTO: Naew Na A Thai female has been arrested for helping foreigners obtain Thai driving licences illegally and register their vehicles with fake stamps and documentation. Naew Na report that 44 year old Wikanda “Vicki” Munghangern was arrested in a sting outside her office which is, conveniently, located near the Bang Lamung Department of Land Transport. Polcie allege the woman…

  • Thai couple walk away from dramatic road crash | Thaiger

    Thai couple walk away from dramatic road crash

    PHOTOS: Sanook A blue sedan has split in two in a dramatic incident on a road leading to the Ngam Wong Wan Road in Bangkok’s northern suburbs. Sanook reports that a Thai couple have escaped totally unscathed after the man admitted to police that he lost control after hitting a rock and slammed into roadside barriers. The 29 year old…

  • Koh Phi Phi dugong died from a gastrointestinal infection | Thaiger

    Koh Phi Phi dugong died from a gastrointestinal infection

    PHOTO: Department of National Parks, Wildlife & Plant Conservation Another dead dugong was discovered over the weekend off Koh Phi Phi in Krabi province. Department of Marine and Coastal Resources veterinarians have determined the death was caused by stomach infection and chronic inflammation of the intestines. Another was found off the coast of Trang on the weekend as well. The…

  • Phantom V wins Multihull Solutions Regatta in Phuket | Thaiger

    Phantom V wins Multihull Solutions Regatta in Phuket

    PHOTOS: Phuket Yacht Club The 2019 Multihull Solutions Regatta has been run and won after the final day of excellent racing conditions off southern Phuket. The Stealth catamaran Phantom V with its boat builders Alan Carwardine and Roger Diggleman on board, as well as owner Andrew Hurford, won the Racing Multihull Division of the 2019 Multihull Solutions Regatta. Its four…

  • Thai politician sought after quartet arrested with large drugs haul | Thaiger

    Thai politician sought after quartet arrested with large drugs haul

    by Jessada Chantharak A Narathiwat politician is on the run following the issuing of an arrest warrant after being implicated in a major local drug bust. A politician at the Narathiwat OrBorTor has been implicated by four drug suspects as the person who hired them to move 459 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine, a very large quantity of ‘ice’. Three men, aged…

  • Another sea turtle saved from a random trawling net in Phuket | Thaiger

    Another sea turtle saved from a random trawling net in Phuket

    PHOTOS: Andaman Flying Tiger Today (July 15), local seniors have discovered a sea turtle trapped inside an old fishing net (trawl) at Mai Khao beach along the northern west coast of Phuket. The turtle was luckily uninjured and was rescued, then released back to the ocean. Excellent photos from Andaman Flying Tiger.

  • Thai farmers and residents from four provinces unhappy about proposed motorway | Thaiger

    Thai farmers and residents from four provinces unhappy about proposed motorway

    About 100 affected residents and farmers, from the Phetchaburi, Samut Songkhram, Ratchaburi and Nakhon Pathom provinces, are demanding the Thai Department of Highways scrap their environmental impact statements and start again. The protests are over the 109 kilometre Nakhon Pathom to Cha-am Motorway. A seminar was held over the weekend called “The Future of Petchaburi and the Motorway to the…

  • New Thai cabinet to be sworn in Tuesday in Bangkok | Thaiger

    New Thai cabinet to be sworn in Tuesday in Bangkok

    PHOTO: Amphorn Satharn Throne Hall The new Thai cabinet will be sworn in tomorrow (Tuesday) at the Amphorn Satharn Throne Hall in Bangkok near the Dusit Palace, 3 kilometres north of the Grand Palace. The announcement was made by the the Secretariat of the Cabinet over the weekend. All 36 Cabinet appointees will travel by shuttle leaving the Phakdee Bordin…

  • White caps & tight racing – Day two of the Multihull Solutions Regatta in Phuket | Thaiger

    White caps & tight racing – Day two of the Multihull Solutions Regatta in Phuket

    PHOTOS: Phuket Yacht Club The racing multihull boats sailed two races on Sunday – the second day of racing in the annual Multihull Solutions Regatta off Chalong Bay in Phuket. The first race was a three-lap windward-leeward in Chalong Bay and the second a longer course out to the safe water mark just before Cape Panwa. Whitecaps and winds gusting to…

  • Thaksin Shinawatra starting new party called Pheu Dharma | Thaiger

    Thaksin Shinawatra starting new party called Pheu Dharma

    Despite his self-imposed exile in 2008 and living overseas ever since, Thaksin Shinawatra’s shadow still looms large over Thai politics. And now sources claim he’s planning a comeback with a new party, all being engineered offshore, just as the fragile new Thai government starts to run the country. Fugitive former PM Thaksin Shinawatra is rumoured to be forming a new…

  • BTS Skytrain stations get maintenance checks after falling concrete | Thaiger

    BTS Skytrain stations get maintenance checks after falling concrete

    It wasn’t the sky falling. It was the Skytrain Station falling on a road in Bangkok. The Bangkok Mass Transit System (BTS) has announced maintenance work underway at 22 BTS Skytrain stations after a concrete slab fell from the Ari station onto the road below, just missing drivers. Executive director of the BTSC Surapong Laoha-Unya said they prioritised the safety…

  • Thailand’s tourism – stormy weather ahead | Thaiger

    Thailand’s tourism – stormy weather ahead

    Thailands tourism industry finds itself in stormy weather as a falloff in visitors spook trade, even forcing candid admissions from some of Thailand’s tourism chiefs. Thailand has suffered a slump in tourism figures since the beginning of the year as hoteliers and tourism trade leaders have confirmed a huge 20 to 30% drop for June in tourist numbers and trade…

  • American and Thai wife arrested for selling ‘ice’ in Bang Lamung, Pattaya | Thaiger

    American and Thai wife arrested for selling ‘ice’ in Bang Lamung, Pattaya

    An American and his Thai wife have been arrested in Pattaya for possessing nearly a kilogram of crystal methamphetamine, plus a hand gun along with ammunition. The arrest follows a longer investigation as police became aware of the couple’s activities. Police have confirmed that the man is an American citizen. 39 year old Bart Helmus and 30 year old Sirinapha Wisetrit…

  • Fishermen find dead leatherback turtle on Saun Son beach, Rayong | Thaiger

    Fishermen find dead leatherback turtle on Saun Son beach, Rayong

    PHOTO: Department of Marine and Coastal Resources A group of fishermen in Rayong, eastern Thailand, found a dead leatherback turtle on Saun Son beach in Rayong province on Friday. Department of Marine and Coastal Resources officials estimate the dead turtle was about 10 years old and 79 x123 centimetres in size. The remains were already in a bad condition with…

  • Bangkok’s Anantara adds second luxury charter boat | Thaiger

    Bangkok’s Anantara adds second luxury charter boat

    Anantara Riverside Bangkok Resort is launching its second luxury riverboat by the end of 2019. Manohra River Song is currently under construction in a shipyard, just north of Bangkok. The 50 million baht boat will join Manohra Dream offering luxury river cruises on Chao Phraya River. In addition to sailing to Ayutthaya, 70 kilometres north of Bangkok, the second vessel will…

  • Visiting time to see baby dugong Mariam is now restricted | Thaiger

    Visiting time to see baby dugong Mariam is now restricted

    Tourists and local well-wishers are flocking to get a glimpse of ‘Mariam’. She’s become an internet hit. But that’s also caused other problems. The high number of Thai and foreign tourists heading to Duyong Bay in Tambon Koh Libong in Kantang district, Trang, to watch officials looking after seven month old orphan dugong Mariam is prompting authorities to issue regulations to…

  • Crackdown on Bangkok amusement parks without operating permits | Thaiger

    Crackdown on Bangkok amusement parks without operating permits

    The roller coaster ride is over. 15 amusement parks in Bangkok, out of a total of 48, don’t have construction or operating licenses. The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration and other agencies started field inspections of all permanent amusement parks in 26 of the city’s districts two months ago. In addition, eight amusement parks don’t meet the published standards for safety signs,…

  • Russian woman arrested for allegedly using Thai nominee in business | Thaiger

    Russian woman arrested for allegedly using Thai nominee in business

    PHOTO: Bangkokbiznews A Russian businesswoman has been arrested for using a Thai nominee company to run a real estate firm in Pattaya. Immigration police arrested the woman who they claim had been in hiding for three years since a warrant was issued back in 2016. The acting commissioner of Pattaya Immigration reported that Natalia Nikiforova was arrested in Chon Buri’s Bang Lamung…