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 5 ways retirees in Thailand lose money (and how to stop it)
Retiring in Thailand can be affordable and enjoyable, but many retirees lose money due to common mistakes. High living costs, scams, and unexpected expenses can quickly drain savings. There are five ways that retirees in Thailand can lose money and...
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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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Confusion reigns over ‘proof of earnings’ letters for Retirement Visa
A letter crossed the desk of The Thaiger today. Not the first on this topic. Seems to be a growing chorus of concerned people on the ‘Retirement Visa’. We share this person’s despair and worries about the future and this vexatious problem. Name withheld due to privacy… “My visa renewal date is February 7. I inquired at the immigration office…
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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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“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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Netherlands to Thailand, the long way
by Wattanapol Matcha Want to catch up with your father? Usually a short drive, phone call or quick email will solve that. But it wan’t quite so easy for this Dutchman. 28 year old William Coniris has completed a 17,900 kilometre cross-continent bicycle ride from the Netherlands to visit his 58 year old father, who lives in Thailand. The 10…
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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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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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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…
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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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BMA says it’s time to sort out Bangkok’s soi dogs
Bangkok’s governor says the time is up for the capital’s stray dogs. He says ‘enough is enough’ and that too many people are being bitten and harassed. Measures adopted by the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration have so far proved insufficient and new plans are now being made to address the ongoing problem of stray dogs. The sight of soi dogs has…
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13 year old Muay Thai fighter dies from head injuries
Whilst legislation is pending, and under heated discussion about banning Muay Thai for certain age-groups, another tragedy has unfolded. A 13 year old muay thai fighter has died after a taking blow that sent him head first into the ground during a charity match in Samut Prakan on November 10. The Nation reports that a Mathayom 1 schoolboy named Anucha…
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Making ends meet – washing cars for 5,000 baht a day
A 70 year old Aussie expat has rolled up his sleeves and ended up with a prosperous little local business in Rayong. An Australian pensioner is washing cars in Rayong to make ends meet. And he’s reported to Ban Muang reported that he and his wife are earning a decent income. Thai customers have been heaping praise on 70 year…
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Thailand’s creative entrepreneurs funding passions through Airbnb
2,000 Airbnb Homes and Experiences hosts in Thailand are members of the Creative Community 25% of all creative Thai hosts are based in Bangkok. One in every five Thai Experience hosts are from the arts, music, fashion or entertainment industries. Like tourism, which now accounts for more than 10 percent of the world’s global GDP, the creative economy is thriving worldwide.…
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Meliá Hotels International signs up Meliá Phuket Karon
Meliá Hotels International, a leading Spanish hotel company, has announced the signing of Meliá Phuket Karon, the second property in Thailand, followed by Meliá Phuket Mai Khao. Meliá Phuket Karon will be the group’s sixth property in Thailand, continuing their dedication in providing exceptional hospitality with a Spanish touch, to the island’s thriving accommodation market. Scheduled to open in 2021,…
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Event round-up November 2018
by The Sponsorship Experts, Paul Poole (South East Asia) The month kicks off with the last Spartan Thailand race of the year, held in Hua Hin on 3 November. Participants can choose between two different courses, the 21km Spartan Beast race with more than 30 obstacles designed to really push people to their limits, and the 5km Spartan Sprint race…
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Leicester City players arrive in Bangkok for Vichai’s funeral
PHOTO: Goal.com Leicester City football club players and fans have paid emotional tributes to Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, who died in a helicopter crash last week, ahead of last night’s Premier League match against Cardiff City. Meanwhile, Leicester City players and officials have arrived in Thailand to attend the funeral of the club’s owner and mentor at Wat Thepsirin in Bangkok. His…
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Central Group set to open new lifestyle mall in Cherng Talay
RENDERINGS: From Phuketify website Cherng Talay has become the new ‘go to’ area with an exciting array of new retail and entertainment options opening up at the end of this year and into next year. Including this one… A new lifestyle shopping mall is set to open by the end of 2019 in Cherng Talay, with Central Group investing a…
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Surachate Hakparn is the “People’s Policeman”
The new immigration chief Maj-Gen Surachate Hakparn, and the Thai government’s poster boy for rounding up all the baddies, has been hailed as the ‘People’s Policeman’. That’s according to the Immigration department’s own website. “He’s the man people are turning to when they need help in times of trouble.” Yesterday the Maj-Gen’s Immigration Bureau website featured a story about a…
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Chinese investment sets new records in property purchases
The demand for property, especially in Bangkok, continues unabated. Despite a drop off in absolute tourism numbers, enquiries from Chinese real estate buyers remains strong, setting new records. Not only are the Chinese the most frequent tourists to Thailand, they are the most enthusiastic property buyers, stetting a new record for Q3 this year. Number two in foreign investors into…
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Foreign language Number One songs – rare indeed
The lack of non-English music is a constant in the US, and most other English-speaking markets. The world music industry has been a tightly controlled clique for decades with record labels having the power to determine which artists ever make it onto the charts. The selection of foreign music Number One hits in the American charts, for example, is tiny.…
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Last weekend’s horror road toll – nearly 11,000 died so far in 2018
At least 10,794 people have lost their lives on Thailand’s roads this year. This tally, with only two months remaining, is a timely reminder of the danger that lurks on Thai roads from Dr Taejing Siripanich, secretary-general of the Don’t Drive Drunk Foundation. Statistically, compared to last year, this is a drop in overall deaths on Thailand’s roads. But Taejing…
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A tale of three expats
Three expats, three lifestyles, three locations. We spoke to the trio and publish their thoughts on the costs of living to provide a broad comparison of lifestyles for expats living in the Kingdom. There are plenty of other variations and the story is not meant to be a definitive list of costs. The people are real but the names are…
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Alcohol sales banned October 24
Alcohol sales will be strictly prohibited Wednesday, October 24. Today day marks the end of the Buddhist Lent. Police say offenders will face a 10,000 baht fine and/or a six-month jail term. “The ban on alcoholic sale applies to both shops and restaurants, retailing and wholesaling,” the Royal Thai Police deputy spokesman Pol Colonel Krissana Pattanacharoen said on Tuesday. He…
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Soi Dog Foundation responds to rabies and dog registration stories
PHOTO: Bangkok Thailand Soi Dog Phuket’s Soi Dog Foundation has sent The Thaiger a response to an article published on October 16. The story was sourced from our Bangkok partners ‘The Nation’ and, according to Soi Dog, contains some glaring inaccuracies. You can read the original article HERE. We reprint the response from the Soi Dog Foundation below… “The Department…
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King Chulalongkorn Day
October 23 is a national holiday in Thailand as it marks “King Chulalongkorn Day”, known in Thai as “Wan Piyamaharaj Day”. He remains highly revered in Thailand and his portrait can often be seen, alongside the current King Rama X, in homes, shops and halls around the Kingdom. The day commemorates the passing of King Chulalongkorn, otherwise known as King…
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Calls to restrict foreign property purchases in Bangkok
Dr. Sopon Pornchockchai, the President of the Thailand Agency for Real Estate Affairs, is calling for controls to restrict foreign property buyers. Thailandproperty.news is reporting than he is justifying his comments saying the growth in income of Thais is slower than the property price rises being pushed up by high foreign demand. “Some measures should be adopted, such as higher…
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Thai-flag footwear NOT ok
Thai social media is all in a lather today after photos of the latest fashion footwear in Paris were posted depicting Thai flags on the shoe designs. Well, so they thought. Not only were they outraged and angry, they are demanding apologies and jail for the perpetrators. But a legal spokesperson in Thailand points out that these are foreigners parading…
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