Guides
Thailand guides on travel, culture, cuisine, and lifestyle—discover top destinations, hidden gems, visa information, and essential tips. Plan your journey with The Thaiger, your trusted source for expert Thailand guides.
-
Sponsored Thailand vs. the West: What expats save on healthcare each year
Healthcare in Thailand is much cheaper than in Western countries, making it a great choice for expatriates looking for affordable medical care. Both public and private healthcare options offer high-quality services, with savings of up to 80% on procedures like...
-
Missing airline food? Thai Airways has a solution
What’s the deal with airline food? Some people think it’s actually good. Really good. Thai Airways is selling their “high quality” airline meals on land since many flights are grounded due to the coronavirus pandemic travel restrictions. They’ve had such a great response over the past 2 months that they’re extending their weekly lunch special. From 9am to 2pm today…
-
Students mock Culture Ministry guidelines on how to talk to elders
As political differences continue to divide the generations, Thailand’s Culture Ministry has weighed in on the matter, issuing guidelines on how the younger generation should interact with their elders. “Stand straight, hold hands below your waist, bow slightly. Do not stand too close or too far from pooyai. If receiving orders, stand straight, with arms by your side. In other…
-
Top 10 English-language news sources in Thailand (2020)
This post is mainly for newbies, tourists and people-interested-in-Thailand news and views. Locals probably already have their favourite daily news sources, or trawl through many of these. All these Top 10s do it well, in their own way. Some do it better than others, whilst punching out daily news. We think they’re all stars because doing media in Thailand, in English,…
-
Don’t break the law, Thai education minister warns student protesters
The education minister is warning students to abide by the law when protesting. If they break the law, they can be arrested on campus, he says. The grim advice comes from someone who has been there, done that. Back in 2014, Education Minister Nataphol Teepsuwan was arrested as a protest leader for the People’s Democratic Reform Committee. Teepsuwan slipped in…
-
Thailand approves use of marijuana in local health promotion hospitals
The blending of marijuana with other pharmaceutical products for the purpose of medical treatment is being given the go-ahead by the Thai government. Nation Thailand reports that the Ministry of Public Health has approved 17 formulations for use in local health promotion hospitals. “Sub-district Health Promoting Hospitals are hospitals that are operated by either the MOPH or Department of Local…
-
Pattaya students get toilet training
Students in Pattaya’s’s Nongprue district attended a unique training course this weekend – on how to properly use public toilets in the Covid-19 era. The course took place yesterday at the Wat Suthawas school. Nong Prue municipality teachers led the training, which several dozen students attended. The course focused on keeping proper hygiene as well as 7 steps for proper…
-
Thai farmers mystified as government classifies harmless herbs as “hazardous”
Following a backlash from the country’s farmers, Thailand’s Agriculture and Cooperatives Ministry has agreed to update its list of “Type 2” hazardous substances to remove 13 herbs and vegetables. The government says it will instead move these to the “Type 1” list, meaning farmers don’t have to be registered as producers, but will still have to inform officials when exporting…
-
Opposition party threatened with boycott over comments about “haircut” teacher
The president of The Association of Secondary School Administrators says the group will boycott the Kao Klai party unless one of its members apologises for comments he made about the teacher at the centre of the “ugly haircut” debacle. In a report in Thai PBS World, Ratchachai Sornsuwan calls Wirote Lakhana-adisorn’s comments offensive and demands an apology. The MP has…
-
Thai teacher gives “ugly” haircut as punishment for student’s long hair
A Thai teacher has reportedly angered a student’s mother after cutting her daughter’s hair when she showed up to school with long hair which, until recently, was against government school rules. The mother says her child was given the “ugly” haircut as a punishment in front of her peers and says the teacher was trying to humiliate the girl. Education…
-
Bangkok running enthusiasts enjoy new pop-up track at Central World
As Bangkok residents enjoy the freedom of Covid restrictions being lifted, the city’s Central World mall has unveiled a pop-up running track to help people get back in shape after lockdown. The mall’s managment team has installed a 500 metre track, which is open to the city’s runners every evening from 5 pm to 8 pm, until July 22. The…
-
Thai virology expert says no need to panic over new swine flu threat
One of Thailand’s leading virologists says that while the new swine flu recently discovered in China does have the potential to become a pandemic, there is no reason to panic at this stage. However, Dr. Yong Poovorawan adds that the catchily named G4 EA H1N1 virus is a mutation of the H1N1 virus, which took hold back in 2009. Because…
-
Thailand may ease up on medical cannabis restrictions
Thailand may be getting a little more cannabis-friendly. The Food and Drug Administration has drafted a bill to allow private companies to produce medical marijuana. Another stipulation would allow international travellers to bring medical cannabis for personal use if they have the proper import and export license. Attorney Wirot Poonsuwan wrote an article for Khaosod English explaining the legislations that…
-
Health minister wants travel bubbles to begin in July, but not for tourists
“No one will be allowed to arrive masquerading as a businessperson in order to go on holiday.” Thailand’s public health minister and deputy PM Anutin Charnvirakul said yesterday that businesspeople, international students and ‘experts’ will be the first groups of foreigners allowed to reenter Thailand next month under the travel bubble model. Anutin revealed the timetable after discussing a travel…
-
Thailand disease expert says salmon cannot be infected with Covid-19
Fish lovers can relax, says the deputy director-general of Thailand’s Disease Control Department. “It is not possible for salmon to be contaminated with Covid-19.: Dr. Thanarak Palipat’s reassurance comes amid reports that chopping boards used for imported salmon at a market in China could carry the virus. Beijing’s Xinfadi Market is at the centre of a new Covid-19 outbreak, with…
-
Schools, colleges, universities to reopen, restaurants and hotels can serve alcohol from Monday
The spokesman for the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration announced yesterday that schools, colleges and other educational institutes will be allowed to re-open on Monday, and alcohol can again be served in restaurants and hotels, but NOT in pubs, bars or other entertainment venues. The national curfew is also being lifted as of Monday. International schools and tuition schools are…
-
Bangkok schools to cut class sizes
Bangkok schools will need to shrink classes down to 20 students per class with a maximum of 400 students per day to ensure social distancing and prevent the return of the coronavirus. There are 437 schools under supervision from the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, or BMA. Schools with more than 400 students will need to split students into two groups or…
-
Parents wary about school preparations for return to class on July 1
Schools are set to re-open on July but parents, whilst keen to see their children back at school again, are rightly concerned about efforts being taken to keep them safe from Covid-19 infection. Although children worldwide have, generally, been spared the ravages of Covid-19, they are still able to become infected and pass it on to older members of their…
-
6 guidelines issued for schools to re-open in July
The government is considering allowing schools in Covid-19 infection-free areas to open in July, and the Public Health Ministry has issued 6 guidelines to schools nationwide on how to guard against the spread of virus among students and faculty once they reopen. The Department of Health’s director-general made the announcement yesterday. “The first point that must be emphasised is preventing…
-
Top 10 countries for investment in Covid era – World Trade Group
“Where to invest?”. Where is the next ‘good thing’ as the world starts to look to opportunities and new business models? Looking around the world, and perusing stock markets, there continues to be some traditional businesses failing but others thriving during the Covid-19 era. Investors look to countries with economical and political stability when choosing to invest money and unveil…
-
Thai Doctor faces charges in “wombs-for-hire” scandal
A Thai doctor faces charges of human trafficking and involvement in a Chinese-funded cross-border surrogacy service, using Thai women to carry babies for Chinese couples. Police say that the doctor, whose name is being withheld, previously worked at a state hospital in the Victory Monument area of Bangkok and allegedly provided “assisted-reproductive services” to surrogate Thai mothers, usually at clinics…
-
Government prepares for safe reopening of schools on July 1
Officials from Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health are working closely with the Education Ministry to facilitate the safe reopening of schools on July 1. There has been recent debate if the schools system would be ready by that date. The rollout of online learning has only been since Monday this week, with early bugs being ironed out and teachers, and…
-
Officials fix online class glitches, schools may wait on opening
Schools are set to open July 1, but it could change if it seems too risky to have students, teachers and parents crowding schools so soon after the country was in the middle of its Covid-19 outbreak. Meanwhile, the government is working on getting kids set up with virtual classrooms after glitches in the system and many without access to…
-
Pattaya police chief battles Thailand’s Iron Chef in cook-off for the needy – VIDEO
Police in Pattaya are doing more than continue their project to cook food for the needy and unemployed: yesterday they had an upbeat cook-off between the police chief and a famous Thai TV chef. The project is designed for locals who are unemployed or furloughed due to the current Covid-19 crisis. Read more about that HERE. The Pattaya City police…
-
Criticism over bad English lesson in Thai online class
Thai schools are pushing for online learning to slow the spread of the coronavirus, but a recent English lesson posted online is just proof that basic English levels remain poor in the country. The video of a Thai teacher with poor pronunciation spread across the internet, with some saying she should be a student rather than a teacher. The teacher…
-
Social distancing pandas fill empty seats at Bangkok restaurant
An “X” usually marks the seats in restaurants and other establishments to make sure people are social distancing to prevent spread of the coronavirus. Sometimes the “X” on the empty is marked with red tape, unintentionally sending a negative message. Now one Vietnamese restaurant in Bangkok has found a more fun way to make sure people are sitting apart but…
-
Thailand to manufacture anti-viral drug to treat Covid-19 patients
The state-owned enterprise responsible for the manufacture of pharmaceuticals in Thailand says it plans to produce a licenced version of Favipiravir, the anti-viral drug that has proved successful in treating some Covid-19 patients. Nation Thailand reports that The Government Pharmaceutical Organisation developed the drug in March, but there is a waiting period of about a year before the product can…
-
Online learning system to support re-opening of schools
Thailand’s Ministry of Education is launching an online learning system designed as a back-up in the event that the re-opening of schools is deemed unsafe. With Thaialnd’s schools set to reopen their doors from July 1, a televised and online system is being tested to supplement children’s learning. The new system, set to be tested next Monday, May 18, will…
-
Obesity on the rise in the Land of Smiles
Thailand has a health problem and it appears to be an even bigger concern than the current Covid-19 pandemic. The World Health Organisation says nearly one third of the Thai population is now overweight and 9% of the country is obese. Malaysia currently holds the dubious honour of having the highest obesity rate in Southeast Asia – but Thailand is…
-
Cooking with Bibi – let’s make papaya salad (somtam)
Bibi heads out onto the streets to try some home-made Somtam, that spicy Papaya Salad that makes the eyes water of even the most chilli-loving farang. Then she puts on the chef hat and tries for herself. Let’s go cooking on Thailand’s streets with Bibi. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIZAzyNwXLE&fbclid=IwAR0EgQmfLX-F0aYBMI7u3YykJXuQ_2T-ZzIJ-OTtD35OzMxUjwpecQLWqmA
-
The top 10 most expensive condominiums in Bangkok
Bangkok is never short on luxury condominiums, and one new project keeps overtaking the others, in terms of price and amenities. Here are the 10 most expensive condominium units in Bangkok for sale, in 2020. The most expensive condominium on the list is priced at 650 million baht (20 million US$). Which one is for you? No.1 98 Wireless –…
Don't forget to check out some other things to do in Thailand - get help starting a business or finding a job in Thailand, buy Thailand property, rent a yacht or book a medical procedure worldwide.