Thailand

  • Thai LifeCleaning the concrete and paving in Thailand

    Cleaning the concrete and paving in Thailand

    With the wet season comes the rain. And with the rain, plus the ongoing hot weather, mould and algae growing on all our outdoor walls and paving. Rain + algae + mould looks awful and can be very slippery. Stains can also make your investment look old and unwanted. Black mould can cause allergies for some people You have two…

  • Thailand NewsElection date confirmed for February 24 next year

    Election date confirmed for February 24 next year

    PHOTO: Deputy PM Wissanu Kreangam arrives at the Army Club in Bangkok – The Nation Make it a date. February 24 is now the official date of the next Thai general election. The poll date has now been confirmed after years of delays, mis-starts and excuses. The NCPO has now announced that the ban on political activities will be lifted…

  • EntertainmentDystopian Thai film approved by censor board

    Dystopian Thai film approved by censor board

    A new Thai movie ’10 Years Thailand’ will screen nation wide next week after having finally been approved by the censor board last Monday. The film is a dystopian anthology made by four Thai film makers and is based on the 2015 Hong Kong film ‘Ten Years’. The film is directed by Aditya Assarat, Wisit Sasanatieng, Chulayarnon Siriphol and Apichatpong…

  • Northern Thailand NewsVIDEO: Seven injured – Surin Fair fireworks goes wrong

    VIDEO: Seven injured – Surin Fair fireworks goes wrong

    A 47 year old Thai man sustained serious burns and six others suffered minor injuries when fireworks, being lit near a pond in Wat Jumphon in Surin’s Muang district as part of a local festival, exploded into the audience last night. The Nation reports that the seven victims were watching stage performances at an outdoor cinema at the fair when…

  • Phuket NewsTwo workers’ camps go up in flames within four hours

    Two workers’ camps go up in flames within four hours

    PHOTOS: Newshawk Phuket, Khun Patong8144 and The Thaiger There have been two separate fires today, in different areas in Phuket. At this stage The Thaiger believes that both were Burmese workers’ living accommodation, or work camps. There has been no immediate reaction from police about any connection between the two fires, both at workers camps within four hours of each other.…

  • Chiang Mai NewsFirst ever ‘Elephant Travel Mart 2018’ to promote ecotourism in Thailand

    First ever ‘Elephant Travel Mart 2018’ to promote ecotourism in Thailand

    A new ecotourism event, Elephant Travel Mart 2018, jointly hosted by ‘Save Elephant Foundation’ and ‘Asian Elephant Projects’, aims to bring together ethical elephant tour operators and tour agencies in Chiang Mai on December 14. The event, taking place at Khum Kan Toke, Chiang Mai, is conceived by the founder of ‘Save Elephant Foundation’, Sangduen Chailert (Lek), who works tirelessly…

  • Thailand NewsThai PM foreshadows coming Royal coronation

    Thai PM foreshadows coming Royal coronation

    The Thai PM has announced that His Majesty’s coronation will take place after the next general election, slated for February 24 next year. Gen Prayut says the government is waiting for the King to issue a royal command which would announce the date and set in motion the schedule for the coronation ceremonies. As part of the traditional ceremony, water…

  • Thai LifeRemembering King Bhumibol, the musician

    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…

  • Business NewsGovernment poised to cast tax net over online transactions

    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…

  • OpinionDecember 4 – Thailand’s national day of shame

    December 4 – Thailand’s national day of shame

    Today is Thai Environment Day. Today convenience stores, trade stores and shopping malls will refrain from providing single-use plastic bags to shoppers and at the same time will campaign for donation of cloth bags to be distributed to hospitals for containing medicines. Whether any of this actually happens, we will see. The proposed plastic bag-free day is the outcome of…

  • Bangkok NewsFive dead and five injured from two families in head-on collision

    Five dead and five injured from two families in head-on collision

    PHOTO: The Nation A tragedy for several Chachoensao families last night ager a collision killed five. Chachoensao is just east of Bangkok. Five people were killed and another five critically injured after the pick-up truck of a family returning from a shopping trip collided head-on with an another pick-up truck just one kilometre before reaching the family’s home. Police and rescue…

  • Krabi NewsKoh Phi Phi has to address critical water problems

    Koh Phi Phi has to address critical water problems

    Special Report by Pratch Rujivanarom – PHOTOS: Sitang Pilailar “The groundwater is currently unsafe for consumption and a threat to health. Harmful pathogens and heavy metals originating from water pollution offshore have contaminated it.” The administrative authority of the Phi Phi Islands has once again called for help from the central government and state agencies to help address the chronic house…

  • EntertainmentMinister promises a year of ‘Khon’

    Minister promises a year of ‘Khon’

    “The ministry will next year nominate nuad thai (Thai massage) and the southern traditional dance nora for inclusion on the UNESCO list.” The Culture Ministry is planning a year of activities to further promote ‘khon’, the classical masked-dance theatre that has now been added to UNESCO’s list of ‘Intangible Cultural Heritage’. Members of the UN Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organisation…

  • Thai LifeThais need to have more babies to reverse declining population

    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…

  • Krabi NewsSingapore businessman’s Porsche hits Krabi Police officer

    Singapore businessman’s Porsche hits Krabi Police officer

    A Singaporean businessman, driving a luxury sports car, has hit Krabi police at a checkpoint yesterday in Krabi. The Krabi City Police were conducting a scheduled checkpoint at about noon yesterday on Petkasem Road in Krabi City. The Porsche was driven by 65 year old Simon Ong Chin Sim, a Singaporean businessman, His vehicle struck traffic police Sen Sgt Maj…

  • Northern Thailand NewsAlleged drug mule shot dead in clash with troops in Chiang Rai

    Alleged drug mule shot dead in clash with troops in Chiang Rai

    PHOTO: Chiang Rai and Myanmar border at Mae Sai A drug mule has been shot dead on the border between Chiang Rai and Myanmar, and 350,000 methamphetamine pills were seized following a clash between an Army task force and a group of drug smugglers. The commander of the Pha Muang Taskforce says the incident happened at 12.30am along the Myanmar…

  • Bangkok NewsMinister raises ethical concerns of private schools listing on the SET

    Minister raises ethical concerns of private schools listing on the SET

    PHOTO: Singapore International School of Bangkok Trading in the shares of SISB Company Limited, the manager of the Singapore International School, begins today in the SET’s (Stock Exchange of Thailand) Market for Alternative Investment. The Education Minister Teerakiat Jareonsettasin says that although the move does not violate the Private School Act 2007, there was a question of ethics. The Minister has assigned…

  • South Thailand NewsSurat Thani monk arrested over molestation allegations

    Surat Thani monk arrested over molestation allegations

    Surat Thani police have served an arrest warrant on a 35 year old monk at the Wat Dang Nai. Sanook is reporting that Phra Mongkhon faces charges of molesting under 15 year old boys. The arrest of the monk follows an official complaint made by a parent to police back in April who claimed her 13 year old son had…

  • Northern Thailand NewsPrawit hands back seized assets from illegal money-lenders

    Prawit hands back seized assets from illegal money-lenders

    PHOTO: The Nation Deputy PM Prawit Wongsuwan has presented 2,012 debtors in the Loei province, in far north-east Thailand, assets valued around 3.4 billion baht. The hand-over includes 1,773 land-title deeds held as collateral in dodgy loan scams. Many people, holding documents to their chest, couldn’t hold back tears of joy over getting the assets they thought were lost due…

  • Thailand NewsEducation Ministry sets up investigation unit to fight corruption

    Education Ministry sets up investigation unit to fight corruption

    The Education Ministry is poised set up its own version of a DSI (Department of Special Investigations) style department tasked with investigating corruption amongst education officials. Speaking to provincial education officials and legal affairs officials this week, Education Minister Thirakiart Charoensetthasilp says his ministry planned to form a special team of legal experts, similar to the DSI, to address corruption…

  • South Thailand NewsDrugs-in-book being sent to Phuket, seized in Songkhla

    Drugs-in-book being sent to Phuket, seized in Songkhla

    PHOTO: Hatyai Police A man has been arrested in Hat Yai, Songkhla trying to smuggle crystal methamphetamine inside a book in a parcel bound for Phuket. Hat Yai Police have arrested 31 year old Preawpan Tamakunapohn at a hotel in Hat Yai. He was found with three bags of crystal methamphetamine totaling 82.31 grams. One bag was found in his…

  • Thailand NewsThai government being urged to legalise e-cigarettes and vaping

    Thai government being urged to legalise e-cigarettes and vaping

    by Jintana Panyaarvudh Allowing smoke-free products seen as more effective in discouraging tobacco smokers than the introduction of plain packaging for cigarette packets. The Nation reports that a network of e-cigarette users and importers is suggesting that lifting the ban on smoke-free products and issuing appropriate regulations would be a more-effective measure to discourage people from smoking rather than selling…

  • South Thailand NewsSouthern Muslim leaders disapprove of LGBT partner bill

    Southern Muslim leaders disapprove of LGBT partner bill

    “Only in the South has our public forum on the Life Partnership Bill heard opposition.” Muslim leaders in Thailand’s South have rejected the proposed Life Partnership Bill, which would allow LGBT couples to marry. The Nation reports that, if the bill becomes law, the religious leaders say they will not perform marriage rituals for LGBT couples. No religious leader is…

  • Thailand NewsFast-lane online visa system launched at Thai airports

    Fast-lane online visa system launched at Thai airports

    The Immigration Bureau acting commissioner Pol Maj-General Surachate Hakparn has officially launched the e-Visa on Arrival system today that is expected to cut visa processing times to as little as one minute and reverse the downward trend of Chinese tourist visitation. Surachate launched the new system which been trialled at Suvarnabhumi and Don Muang airports since November 15. The launch…

  • FoodHua Hin seafood sellers told not to overcharge customers

    Hua Hin seafood sellers told not to overcharge customers

    “Sea Write author Somchai Liewwarin complained that he was charged several thousand baht for just a few plates of seafoods.” PHOTO: Downshiftology Food-shop owners and street food sellers in Hua Hin say they will sign an MoU with the Hua Hin municipal office which will require them to strictly abide by trading rules and not to overcharge their customers, especially for…

  • Bangkok NewsBritish Airways sued after man is seated next to obese passenger on BKK flight

    British Airways sued after man is seated next to obese passenger on BKK flight

    “Mr Prosser says he suffered nerve damage and a pelvic injury which has resulted in a permanent spasm in his back.” A tourist who visited Thailand is suing British Airways after claiming he suffered injuries and loss of earnings after being forced to sit next to an obese passenger on a 12 hour flight. ThaiVisa reports that 51 year old…

  • Phuket NewsChinese-speaking local guides take to the streets

    Chinese-speaking local guides take to the streets

    More than 100 Chinese-speaking Thai tour guides have today protested and filed an official complaint to tour companies to stop supporting illegal tour guides. The complaints have become a regular fixture in the PR game between tour guides and the provincial officials. This morning about 100 Chinese-speaking Phuket tour guides protested by walking along the road in Wichit and handing…

  • Thai LifeALERT: Amoxicillin use in Thai orange orchards

    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…

  • Thai LifeSmart Visa qualifications updated

    Smart Visa qualifications updated

    The Smart Visa scheme was introduced last year as a new category to recognise the changes in people visiting and working in Thailand, and the skills the Thai Government are trying to attract to the Kingdom. Now the government’s introduced a fine-tune to the new visa, adding three new professions suited to the so-called Smart Visa. The cabinet has approved…

  • Bangkok NewsDon’t complain about the oranges. Market customer shot after complaint.

    Don’t complain about the oranges. Market customer shot after complaint.

    A Pathum Thani fruit vendor has been arrested today shortly after she allegedly shot and killed a customer who complained of “rotten oranges” at her market store, just north of Bangkok. Klong Luang police were alerted to the shooting at 8am inside the Iyara Market in Pathum Thani’s Klong Luang district. Police say 30 year old Saranya Saksaeng was shot…