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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...

  • Baby green turtle born at Koh Racha | Thaiger

    Baby green turtle born at Koh Racha

    A green turtle was born at 2 am this morning (September 8) after the 20 year old mother laid 87 eggs on Koh Racha on August 15. The eggs were kept in the safe place by villagers as this is the first group of turtle found around Racha Island in the past 14 years. Initially, the mother laid the eggs…

  • The tide is low but it has been lower in the past | Thaiger

    The tide is low but it has been lower in the past

    It’s been drier in the past. Bang Wad dam May 2015 Bang Wad dam is low for this time of the year but Richard Rognard reminds us with photos from May 2015, the driest the dam has ever been. Of course this was immediately following a very dry ‘dry season’ when there was almost no rain for over four months.…

  • Phang Nga rape victim and her mother meet psychologist | Thaiger

    Phang Nga rape victim and her mother meet psychologist

    The victim and her mother from Baan Koh Raed, Phang Nga, have been brought by officers from the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security to see a psychologist after facing severe depression from case and the pressure from their neighbours. They also claim they have been facing ongoing harassment from other villagers. The 34 year old mother and 15…

  • Is Phuket’s Bang Wad dam running dry? | Thaiger

    Is Phuket’s Bang Wad dam running dry?

    Last year’s dry season, the traditional December to April period when there is little rain in Phuket, was very wet. So after four months of this year’s wet season you’d think the dams would be getting close to full. Right? The Bang Wad dam in Kathu, one of the island’s main fresh water sources, is at a low point that…

  • Thachatchai checkpoint to be renovated – better security | Thaiger

    Thachatchai checkpoint to be renovated – better security

    Phuket authorities, led by the Governor, are planning on the renovation of Thachatchai checkpoint, the northern gateway of Phuket. Yesterday (August 6), the meeting gathered many local departments to discuss on how to make the gateway of Phuket more modern in terms of equipments, building and manpower and increase the security standards. “Phuket is the centre of passenger arrivals by…

  • THAIGER TODAY Thursday, September 7 | Thaiger

    THAIGER TODAY Thursday, September 7

    11 suspects identified over Phang Nga rape case | The ‘Dowry Scammer’ has netted 2 – 3 million Baht | ‘Persecution of Muslims in Burma’ report released in Bangkok | High-speed railway starting next month | ‘Run 2 Gether’ route around Phuket Town announced | Sea Turtles saved from trawler nets

  • Urban push is on in Phuket’s Cherngtalay area | Thaiger

    Urban push is on in Phuket’s Cherngtalay area

    Phuket tourism is no longer just about the beach and the urban push is ‘game on’. One leading example is Cherngtalay which is near to the destination resort Laguna Phuket and Bangtao Beach. Upcoming in the fourth quarter of this year will be the X2 Vibe Bangtao that is set to usher in a rush of new ‘off beach’ properties. Within…

  • Rohingya crisis emerging as thousands flee across Bangladesh border | Thaiger

    Rohingya crisis emerging as thousands flee across Bangladesh border

    Cox’s Bazaar, Bangladesh by The Daily Star, Asia News Network and The Nation Tens of thousands of Rohingyas wait for food; govt, aid agencies yet to start adequate relief distribution Shafiqa Begum was among the crowd chasing a minivan distributing food packets among starving Rohingyas near Tyingkhali Rohingya camp. Holding her eight-day-old daughter tightly to her chest, she tried her best…

  • Dolphin found on Bang Tao beach | Thaiger

    Dolphin found on Bang Tao beach

    Bang Tao beach lifeguards found the body of a 1.2-meter long dolphin on the beach today (September 6). Phuket Marine Biological Center took the body from the beach and kept it frozen while waiting for an autopsy to determine the cause of death. The dolphin is 1.2-meter long with a width of about 20 cm and weighs 20 kilograms. It…

  • Let’s ‘Run 2 Gether’ on October 1 | Thaiger

    Let’s ‘Run 2 Gether’ on October 1

    ‘Run 2 Gether Phuket Town’ is the very first event combining able-bodied and disabled runners to be held in Phuket on October 1, 2017. It will be a Fun Run/Walk of 3.3 Kilometres around Phuket Town with the first 900 registered to receive a Shirt and Medal. It starts at 5am in the morning and will start and finish outside…

  • 1 Bride and 13 Grooms – Loei woman charged | Thaiger

    1 Bride and 13 Grooms – Loei woman charged

    Story from The Nation Police want to find out if the parents of Jariyaporn Buayai conspired in her alleged duping of at least 13 men into marriage. Jariyaporn, 32, from Loei’s Wang Saphung district, is accused of tricking the men into marrying her and then fleeing with their dowries and wedding gifts. She allegedly married four men in one month,…

  • Hawksbill Sea Turtles saved from trawler nets | Thaiger

    Hawksbill Sea Turtles saved from trawler nets

    The crew from the Nikorn Marine 824 speed boat have saved two Hawksbill Sea Turtles near Racha Island yesterday (September 5). They were both injured from trawler nets. The turtles were found on the way from Racha Island back to Chalong Pier. After a veterinarian’s inspection, the turtles were found to be injured from the netting wrapped around their flippers.…

  • Special October broadcasting to honour HM Rama IX | Thaiger

    Special October broadcasting to honour HM Rama IX

    The Government is asking television broadcasters to return to black and white and show programs about His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej during the 20 days leading up to his cremation, starting from October 1. For the duration of funerary rites, the Thai Cabinet is asking all channels to cooperate by toning down their programming – to black and white and low-key…

  • “Harassment and threats” from local community – Phang Nga rape case | Thaiger

    “Harassment and threats” from local community – Phang Nga rape case

    Latest from The Nation The family of a 15-year-old girl who was allegedly raped by more than 40 perpetrators on different occasions in Phang Nga’s Takua Thung district has reportedly faced harassment and threats from members of the local community. The Muslims for Peace Foundation, which has stepped in to aid the family, urged authorities to extend their full protection…

  • Seub Nakhasathien Foundation visits Phuket’s crocodile | Thaiger

    Seub Nakhasathien Foundation visits Phuket’s crocodile

    ‘Laypang’, the 200 kilogram male crocodile from the old tin mine near Laypang Beach has been moved to a bigger rehabilitation pond today (August 5). A specialist vet has found that it’s now moving more easily in the larger enclosure while the Seub Nakhasathien Foundation paid a visit to provide some advice. The new, larger cement pond is 6×5 meters…

  • Ten reef sharks found off Phuket | Thaiger

    Ten reef sharks found off Phuket

    Blacktip reef sharks have been found in shallow water in Koh Hong area, Krabi, today (September 5). The sharks were about on metre long and weighing an estimated 10 kilograms each. They were spotted at the beach in Koh Hong where they hunt for small fish in the shallow waters. The national park officers were able to get some pictures…

  • THAIGER TODAY Tuesday, September 5 | Thaiger

    THAIGER TODAY Tuesday, September 5

    Police investigating 40 men in Phang Nga village over rape case | Khao San Road vendors being moved off the footpath | 16 Thai airlines grounded | Our favorite crocodile has a name | Samui has critical rubbish problem

  • 40 men accused of raping 14 year old girl being investigated | Thaiger

    40 men accused of raping 14 year old girl being investigated

    Phang Nga’s Governor, Pakkapong Tawipat, has sent an investigative team to work on the rape case that happened in a village in Kokloy, Phang Nga, where a 14-year-old girl was raped by 40 local men from May to October last year. “The team is chaired by the Vice Governor, Ekkarat Leesen. We have moved the girl and her family out…

  • Bang Tao crocodile has a name | Thaiger

    Bang Tao crocodile has a name

    After another veterinarian checkup, the saltwater crocodile found in an old tin mine near Layan and Bang Tao beaches has been named “Laypang”. Fisheries Officers visited a crocodile farm, show and zoo but haven’t found yet any record about a missing crocodile while the Marine Specialist said that this maybe the beginning of a saltwater crocodile study in Thailand. Yesterday…

  • 14 year old Phang Nga girl raped by 40 local men | Thaiger

    14 year old Phang Nga girl raped by 40 local men

    On September 3, the mother of a 14 year-old girl from Takuatung, Phang Nga, reported to Kokloy Police that her daughter had been raped by 40 men from the same village – repeatedly from May to October last year. There are 3 men charged over the case so far. “We still can’t reveal the number of the criminals in this…

  • THAIGER TODAY Monday, September 4 | Thaiger

    THAIGER TODAY Monday, September 4

    Nigerian charged over shooting/robbery but claims innocence | Phuket’s favorite crocodile not eating | Five provinces still inundated with floodwaters | The Cambodian Daily forced to close paper today | Dolphins sighted between Koh Racha and Coral Island.

  • Captured Croc isn’t eating. BKK specialist on the way. | Thaiger

    Captured Croc isn’t eating. BKK specialist on the way.

    Fisheries officers are investigating whether the captured crocodile comes from nature or was owned by an individual. After catching the crocodile spotted at Bangtao Beach on August 25 and which came from a tin mine lake near Laypang Beach, Phuket’s Governor visited the crocodile at the rehabilitation pond in Thalang. The 200-kilogram reptile still hasn’t eaten any food provided by…

  • Dolphins spotted between Koh Racha and Phuket | Thaiger

    Dolphins spotted between Koh Racha and Phuket

    Dolphins have been spotted by tour groups heading to Koh Racha over the weekend. On September 2, at about midday, Surachet Mitsee and many other travellers spotted dolphins swimming alongside their boat between Koh Racha Island and Coral Island. They started to see a group of 7-8 grey dolphins at about 4 nautical miles from Chalong Pier. The dolphins consist…

  • Jet auction. Starting bid only 30 million Baht. | Thaiger

    Jet auction. Starting bid only 30 million Baht.

    Need a new way to get around? Need to avoid Phuket’s traffic? Get your own plane! And not just any plane but an Airbus A310. Here’s what Wikipedia says about this fine, slightly used, jet aeroplane… “The Airbus A310 is a medium- to long-range twin-engined wide-body jet airliner that was developed and manufactured by Airbus. Entering service in 1983, it…

  • Thai Student’s bodies recovered from California river | Thaiger

    Thai Student’s bodies recovered from California river

    From The Nation US rescuers has retrieved remains of two Thai postgraduate students at the South Florida University from their car that plunged into a river in the US more than a month ago.The retrieval operation sent rescuers go down from a helicopter to the Kings River where the car is stuck and pulled the car to a river bank.…

  • DSI assisting Rawai’s Sea Gypsies with land probe | Thaiger

    DSI assisting Rawai’s Sea Gypsies with land probe

    A DSI (Department of Special Investigations) team led by Deputy Director of the DSI, Pol Lt Col Prawut Wongsinil, visited the village yesterday (August 31) drawing a crowd of approximately 100 villagers. “We visited the sea gypsies today to advise them on how to present their proof in Court efficiently. If they forget or leave out some details, it can…

  • Tuk Tuk driver fined 500 Baht for threatening tourists | Thaiger

    Tuk Tuk driver fined 500 Baht for threatening tourists

    Following a video posted on the Facebook page “Spotlight Phuket”, showing a Tuk Tuk driver threatening tourists after failing to negotiate the fare, Patong police have fined the driver, 36 years old Pannawit Nakamin, 500 Baht. The incident took place in front of a massage shop in Soi Kebsup at about 5.00 am yesterday (August 31) after the Tuk Tuk…

  • THAIGER TODAY Friday, September 1 | Thaiger

    THAIGER TODAY Friday, September 1

    Crocodile captured after two day hunt around Bang Tao beach | Songkhla’s much BIGGER croc problem | Huge individual drug haul in Krabi valued at 100 million Baht | 459 metre tower gets Government funding | Buddhist nationalists protesting Rohingya violence | Tricks from last week’s Flow Jam event in Bangkok.

  • Suspect arrested over shooting robbery in Rawai | Thaiger

    Suspect arrested over shooting robbery in Rawai

    A 27 years old Nigerian, Chijcke Jamer Hukwunwe, has been charged over the alleged shooting/robbery of Russian woman, Elena Kharenko, in Rawai on August 30. He was found in a house in Rawai at 7.30pm last night (August 31) with many valuables such as gold necklaces, watches and some cash following the investigation of CCTV footage near the crime scene.…

  • Bang Tao Croc Captured. Week-long search over. | Thaiger

    Bang Tao Croc Captured. Week-long search over.

    That crocodile, that was first spotted swimming off Bang Tao beach and then making its way into an old tin mine lake, has been captured after two days and two nights of hunting. The 3 metre crocodile is a salt water crocodile, originally thought to be a fresh water croc. Headed by the Phuket Fisheries Office, croc experts and local…