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 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...
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Free Wi-Fi available at 30 BTS stations in Bangkok
Alt Telecom has launched its free Wi-Fi service in 30 BTS stations and secured the management rights to all commercial areas on Bangkok’s skytrain stations. Future plans involve providing free Wi-Fi to all BTS stations in the capital. This follows on Alt Telecom’s new concession agreement with Spotwerks (Thailand), who are currently in charge of service delivery and income generation…
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Remembering King Bhumibol, the musician
In remembrance of the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej The Thaiger is proud to share one of His Majesty’s many talents, his musical prowess. A renown Jazz musician, he started at age ten with the clarinet and, due to his talent, learned to play the saxophone and trumpet as well. Late in his life he jammed alongside some of the jazz greats…
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“Plastic, the Material that Binds the Planet” – Talk in Phuket
by Ocean Recovery Alliance Join us for a deep dive talk on plastic pollution and some of the global activities underway to slow the flow of pollution to our waters. Speaker, Doug Woodring, was recently awarded the Prince’s Prize for Innovative Philanthropy from Prince Albert of Monaco for his work on this topic, and he is a leading global thought…
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Government poised to cast tax net over online transactions
As the world continues its relentless move online, and away from traditional retail, governments are having to find new ways to track and tax online transactions. The Thai Revenue Department is poised to cast a wider net over online vendors and other businesses that have been evading taxes. The National Legislative Assembly (NLA) is soon to approve amendments to the…
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Even Chris Hemsworth hates Bangkok traffic
MONTAGE IMAGE: Coconuts Once again it seems that even the gods must succumb to one of life’s most dreaded challenges, traffic. Even worse, Bangkok traffic. Last month in a previous post from India, Chris Hemsworth is seen in his car trying to deal with the traffic of Ahmedabad, amazed the Australian actor and Marvel’s cinematic universe ‘Thor’ is heard saying “beautiful…
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The Long March towards electric cars
by Syed Mansur Hashim – The Daily Star They’ve sold 770,000 electric vehicles last year, up 50% on the year before. And there’s already 352,000 electric buses on their roads already. When it comes to electric vehicles (EVs), the world has some catching up to do. According to Forbes magazine, Chinese manufacturers produced and sold 770,000 EVs in 2017. This…
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Internet freebies rolled out for Christmas
The government is finalising plans to give more than 11 million low-income Thai citizens free internet SIM cards and other subsidies that will together cost taxpayers billions of baht. The roll out is part of a charm offensive from the ruling NCPO in the lead up to next year’s poll, scheduled for February 24. The Finance Ministry is proposing that…
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Measles outbreak closes Tak school
A school near the Myanmar border in Tak’s Mae Ramat district has been closed indefinitely after local public-health officials discovered 13 students were contagious with measles. Tak is on Thailand’s central west border with Myanmar. Six of the students from the New Road Learning Centre are currently in serious condition in hospital. Most of the school’s students are Burmese children…
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Thais need to have more babies to reverse declining population
A government advisory body is urging the Government to come up with measures to encourage Thais to have more babies. The National Economic and Social Development Board (NESDB) has urged the government to implement additional measures to improve the birth rate in Thailand, following a recent study detailing the impact of a shrinking population. Thailand, with the fertility rate of…
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Dam levels low in some regions – Dry season
PHOTO: Srinagarind Dam, Kanchanaburi The Royal Irrigation Department says there be enough water for domestic consumption this dry season. But they acknowledge that water reserves in many dams around the country are running low. The RID director-general, Thongplew Kongjun, is assuring the public that the country will have enough water for domestic consumption and businesses during this dry season. But…
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Walking on air. 314 metres above Bangkok.
PHOTO: The Nation King Power International Group has opened what is being marketed as the world’s biggest glass-bottomed skywalk. The new tourist (and local) attraction is on the rooftop of the 78 storey Mahanakhon building on Narathiwat Road in Bangkok’s Bang Rak district. Mahanokon is Thailand’s tallest building at 314 metres. The glass skywalk has 360 degree panoramic view, vertically…
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SHOW DC launches new 60,000 capacity outdoor SHOW DC Arena
Latest event space establishes SHOW DC’s positioning as the events venue of choice in downtown Bangkok with combined capacity of 90,000 Large scale events have a new stage in downtown Bangkok at SHOW DC, which has launched the biggest outdoor event venue in the city. Named SHOW DC Arena, the 120 million baht investment in a 31,790 sqm outdoor entertainment space…
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Kata Rocks celebrates its fourth anniversary in grand style
Kata Rocks’ fourth anniversary was yet another celebration of the finer things in life, with guests enjoying a lavish Champagne Brunch Pool Party. Kata Rocks GM Somjai Tungkoo, said the fully-booked champagne brunch pool party on Saturday, November 24 was the resort’s best anniversary celebration to date. “It is truly gratifying how much people look forward to our anniversary parties…
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Chiang Mai’s small to medium hotels face challenges
FILE PHOTO (This hotel is not for sale!) Chiang Mai’s small to medium accommodation sector is facing fresh challenges as the tourist mix in the northern city changes, and shrinks in arrival numbers. The fallout from declining tourist arrival numbers, especially Chinese since the Phuket Phoenix tourist boat tragedy in mid-July, is forcing more than 10 small hotels and hostels…
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Phuket’s world champion flow-boarder is back in town
Annissa Flynn, Phuket’s young surf star, has done it again by retaining her world title in the arena of flow-boarding. ‘Anni’ won through in the final using her well-honed skillset of wake-boarding, surfing and skateboarding to put together three winning runs at the FlowRider FLOW Tour World Flowboarding Championships, hosted by Surf House Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic. Annissa…
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Government ready to develop medications, rejects seized marijuana
by Khanittha Thepphajorn and Kornrawee Panyasuppakun The move to getting medical marijuana legalised is edging closer. The bill on the issue has already made headway through the National Legislative Assembly (NLA). Yesterday, a bill was passed with 145 votes, allowing marijuana to be used for medical and research purposes. Only one legislator abstained. The NLA’s Somchai Swangkarn said a vetting committee…
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“We are doing all we can” – the search for ‘Boss’ Yoovidhya
The Royal Thai Police are hitting back at claims from a top Thai prosecutor that they are doing nothing to bring international Red Bull heir and fugitive, Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya, back to Thailand to face justice. Original story HERE. Daily News reports that a RTP spokesman, Pol Col Krissana Patanacharoen, says the Thai police were doing all they can. He…
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Uncertainty in Bangkok’s residential property market – CBRE
CBRE, an international property consultancy company, is reporting ‘looming uncertainty’ in the Bangkok residential property market. Although developers have recently increased their launches of condominiums, sales to Thai buyers have slowed in some locations and are likely to slow further with the coming imposition of tighter mortgage lending. Some developers are trying to find locations where there is real demand from…
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Walk on the wild side – the new Mahanakhon SkyWalk
YIKES! Is there anything more terrifying than a ride in a border visa-run passenger van? We think we’ve found it. The Mahanakhon SkyWalk – Thailand’s highest observation deck and rooftop bar at 314 metres high – offers spectacular panoramic views of Bangkok from Thailand’s tallest building. But that’s not the really scary bit. The new premium attraction, now open to…
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18 children dead as officials try to fight vaccine denial – Measles outbreak
“Young kids should avoid known infected areas, and patients should be quarantined.” Measles has now infected 2,280 people in the South and killed 18 in the mainly Muslim border provinces already this year. The largest group affected were young children up to the age of four. “Measles vaccination is free and is in line with Islamic principles,” Songkhla’s public-health chief…
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Phuket teenager helps mother clean up roads before school
A 17 year old boy helps his mother clean up the road before going to school every day. Pohnwit ‘Mint’ Kongrun is studying at the Phuket Vocational College. Pohnwit helps his mother to clean up the road outside their home in Narisorn Road near Suthat Road in Phuket Town every day before heading to school. Pohnwit says, “My mother is working…
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Thai Environment Day – December 4
December 4 every year is declared Thai Environment Day. This year, according to Thai Residents, leading department stores, supermarkets, and convenience stores will not be giving away any plastic bags on that date (there’s a list of the participating stores below). “The main goal, since the establishment of December 4 to be the national environmental day is to educate the…
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“Round up the BKK soi dogs and send them up-country” – Soi Dog Foundation responds
The scheme to control stray dogs recently announced in Bangkok is inappropriate and unlikely to be effective, according to Soi Dog Foundation (SDF). The Thapthan shelter in Uthai Thani, where it is proposed that captured dogs will be impounded, is one of the best shelters in the country, but it is already at or near capacity. The former Bangkok Governor and…
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Despite a ban, permission has been sought to launch 64,000 lanterns for Loy Krathong
Enthusiasts are seeking permission to fly 64,000 lanterns on the night of Loy Krathong in Chiang Mai, despite a nation-wide ban. Loy Krathong is on this Thursday. Meanwhile, the Chiang Mai provincial administration has imposed strict regulations on the release of flying lanterns into the sky as well as on the sale and ignition of firecrackers and fireworks on Loy…
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ALERT: Amoxicillin use in Thai orange orchards
The Thai Public Health Ministry is checking on pharmacies and antibiotics manufacturers that may have distributed amoxicillin (an antibiotic) for farms – reportedly used widely in northern and central orange orchards – as it could lead to drug resistance or even fatal allergies in humans as well as contaminating the environment. Amoxicillin is an antibiotic often used for the treatment…
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Return to Elephant Jungle Sanctuary
By Mark Louie Maycong Phuket is one of the Thailand’s most popular tourist destinations and continuously booming. There are so many attractions and activities that you can enjoy. One of them is visiting the Elephant Jungle Sanctuary. Visiting this place is heaven on earth specially for animal lovers. You get to know the elephants and their back stories and learn…
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Weakness in the BKK condo market
PHOTO: Nara 9 – www.nara9.net Property consultants, Edmund Tie & Company – South East Asia – report that the new condo supply for 2019 is ‘unlikely to increase’ and that sales rates are disappointing in Q3. Their report says that the take-up rate of newly launched condominium projects in Q3 in Bangkok’s CBD dropped from last year’s 58% to only…
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Hotel #4 for Centara Hotels in Krabi
PHOTO: Centara Grand Beach Resort & Villas Krabi, another of the Centara properties along the Krabi coast Centara Hotels & Resorts, Thailand’s largest hotel group, has just signed a Hotel Management Agreement for a 180 room property on Ao Nang Beach, Krabi. The new hotel will be under its ‘Centara’ brand. Centara Ao Nang Beach Resort & Spa Krabi will…
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Plain packaging for cigarettes being introduced to discourage smoking
PHOTO: Example of the changes to cigarette packaging now being implemented in Thailand In the moves to modify polices relating to smokers in Thailand, some of the new legislation is directed towards manufacturer packaging Cigarette packets will soon be plain and much less attractive under the new regulations approved by the National Tobacco Products Control Committee. Public Health Minister Piyasakol…
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Less growth – but more engagement. Social media in Thailand.
PHOTOS: Facebook/Kla Tangsuwan Wisesight, a BKK-based social media analytics company, says social media is reaching saturation point in Thailand but that engagement is increasing. The company is forecasting that Facebook will keep on increasing, 4% in 2018, to a total of 51 million users in Thailand. Wisesight says the application of artificial intelligence will continue to root out fake accounts.…
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