leah

Leah is a translator and news writer for the Thaiger. Leah studied East Asian Religions and Thai Studies at the University of Leeds and Chiang Mai University. Leah covers crime, politics, environment, human rights, entertainment, travel and culture in Thailand and southeast Asia.
  • Bangkok NewsCorpse found in Bangkok water tank might not be a murder case

    Corpse found in Bangkok water tank might not be a murder case

    UPDATE A 27 year old woman from Myanmar believes the corpse discovered in a water tank in Bangkok yesterday is her deceased sister. She does not believe her sister was murdered. Wen, who rents a room next to the disused building where the corpse was discovered, asked police to see the body and inspect the scene as she believed it…

  • Thailand NewsNavy rescues 1 sailor from Gulf of Thailand, 30 still missing

    Navy rescues 1 sailor from Gulf of Thailand, 30 still missing

    UPDATE 3 Last night, the Royal Thai Navy rescued one missing sailor – Chief Petty Officer Natee Timdee – found floating in the Gulf of Thailand. Natee was unconscious when he was found but his condition is now “safe.” The navy reports that 30 sailors are still missing. At 8:45pm, the HTMS Kraburi docked at Prachuap Pier after patrolling the…

  • Thailand NewsBody and 9 sailors found alive by oil tanker are not from HTMS Sukhothai, says navy

    Body and 9 sailors found alive by oil tanker are not from HTMS Sukhothai, says navy

    UPDATE 2 The Royal Thai Navy says the nine sailors found alive and one dead body discovered by an oil tanker in the Gulf of Thailand are not crew members from the HTMS Sukhothai which sank off the coast of Prachuap Khiri Khan province last night as widely reported in Thai media. At least four boats sank in Thailand’s waters…

  • Bangkok NewsBuilder discovers corpse inside water tank in Bangkok, Thailand

    Builder discovers corpse inside water tank in Bangkok, Thailand

    Police are launching a murder investigation after a builder discovered a corpse stuffed into a water tank at a disused building in Bangkok this morning. Doctors estimate that the deceased died six months ago. At 10:10am, officers from Bangkok’s Hua Mak Police Station travelled to a four-storey building in Ramkhamhaeng Soi 1 in Suan Luang district to investigate the discovery of…

  • Thailand NewsBody of Canadian man washes up on beach in southern Thailand

    Body of Canadian man washes up on beach in southern Thailand

    The body of a 63 year old Canadian man washed up on a beach on the mainland of Surat Thani province in southern Thailand yesterday evening. He went missing from Koh Pha Ngan island six days ago. At 8pm, officers from Khanom Police Station rushed to Khanom Beach after a decaying body was discovered on the shore in front of the…

  • Visa InformationThailand bans Ugandan visa overstayer for 5 years

    Thailand bans Ugandan visa overstayer for 5 years

    Immigration police arrested a woman from Uganda yesterday morning in Pathum Thani province for overstaying her visa by 90 days. She is banned from entering Thailand for the next five years. At 9 am yesterday, Superintendent of Pathum Thani Immigration Pol. Col. Charoenpong Khantilo reported the arrest of a foreign visa overstayer. Pathum Thani Immigration Police arrested 40 year old…

  • Thailand NewsNavy ship sinks in the Gulf of Thailand, 73 rescued, 33 missing

    Navy ship sinks in the Gulf of Thailand, 73 rescued, 33 missing

    This story has been updated. The Royal Thai Navy‘s HTMS Sukhothai sank in the Gulf of Thailand last night, around 20 miles from the coast of Prachuap Khiri Khan province, with 106 navy personnel on board. Navy vessels, tug boats and oil tankers rescued 73 crew members from the water, three of whom are in critical condition, and are still searching…

  • Crime NewsVIDEO: Thieves mess with the wrong gold shop owner in northern Thailand

    VIDEO: Thieves mess with the wrong gold shop owner in northern Thailand

    Four thieves attempted to rob a gold shop at gunpoint yesterday in the Mueang district of Tak province in northern Thailand. Turns out the gold shop owner is a shooting competition champion. At 12.55pm, a gang of thieves shot through Yaowarat gold shop’s glass shopfront and let themselves in. As one of the robbers tried to cut through the steel…

  • Thailand NewsThailand’s Full Moon Party attracts 12,000 tourists

    Thailand’s Full Moon Party attracts 12,000 tourists

    At least 12,000 foreign and Thai tourists attended Thailand’s final Full Moon Party of the year last night on Koh Pha Ngan island in Surat Thani province, southern Thailand. A downpour of rain didn’t stop revellers from singing, dancing, and drinking on the island’s Haad Rin Beach on the 15th lunar night of 2022. Koh Pha Ngan administrative officials, officers…

  • Thailand Weather UpdatesFlash flood warning issued for 9 provinces in southern Thailand

    Flash flood warning issued for 9 provinces in southern Thailand

    Heavy rain and flash flooding is expected to continue on southern Thailand‘s east coast for at least another two days, from December 9-10, according to the Songkhla Meteorological Centre. A monsoon from the northeast is moving southward to the Gulf of Thailand and a second monsoon is moving northward through upper Malaysia, said the centre. Heavy rainfall is expected today,…

  • Visa InformationPolish overstayer wanted by Interpol arrested in Koh Samui, Thailand

    Polish overstayer wanted by Interpol arrested in Koh Samui, Thailand

    Yesterday, Immigration Police arrested a Polish man in Koh Samui, southern Thailand, wanted on an Interpol red notice for assault and illegal possession of firearms. He had overstayed his student visa by 36 days, which was cancelled by immigration on November 3 because he didn’t attend classes. Surat Thani Immigration Police were patrolling the island in their Smart Control Cars,…

  • Crime NewsPolish men attack Cambodian woman with acid, knife and hammer in Thailand

    Polish men attack Cambodian woman with acid, knife and hammer in Thailand

    A young Cambodian woman says she was brutally attacked by Polish men in Chon Buri province in eastern Thailand. The attackers slashed her with a knife, beat her with a hammer, and threw acid on her face, body, and genitals, leaving her dripping with blood and in need of 260 stitches. Yesterday, the Secretary-General of the People’s Advocacy Team Foundation…

  • EventsTravis Scott to headline Rolling Loud Thailand festival

    Travis Scott to headline Rolling Loud Thailand festival

    American rapper Travis Scott will headline Rolling Loud Festival set to take place in Pattaya in eastern Thailand during Songkran next year. Rolling Loud’s inaugural three-day party in Thailand, held from April 13-15 at Legend Siam in Pattaya, marks the festival’s expansion into Asia for the first time. Scott is one of three headliners, according to Rolling Loud’s website. Festival organisers…

  • Thailand Weather UpdatesBangkok could hit lows of 18°C next week

    Bangkok could hit lows of 18°C next week

    Get your woolly jumpers ready as Bangkok and surrounding areas could hit lows of 18° Celsius next week, according to Thailand’s Meteorological Department. Between December 12-14, the Thai capital will feel cold and breezy for the first time in a long time, if the department’s predictions are correct. A moderate high-pressure cell from China is expected to cover upper Thailand…

  • Thailand NewsBeastly reptile crocs the world of small village in southern Thailand

    Beastly reptile crocs the world of small village in southern Thailand

    A quiet village in Surat Thani province in southern Thailand was disturbed by a gigantic saltwater crocodile last night. Villagers in Ban Si Thong in Tha Chana district were dumbstruck when they spotted a four-metre-long crocodile emerging from a ditch in the middle of the night, just 100 metres away from the community. The beast did not come alone and…

  • Crime NewsPolice arrest wanted Swedish criminal hiding in southern Thailand

    Police arrest wanted Swedish criminal hiding in southern Thailand

    Immigration Police held a press conference yesterday about the arrest of a wanted Swedish criminal hiding out in Hua Hin, southern Thailand, in their continued crackdown on illegal foreigners in the kingdom. After coordinating with Swedish police, Thai Immigration Police arrested 52 year old Heinz Henry Andreas of Swedish nationality at a rented house in Hua Hin District, Prachuap Khiri…

  • Thailand NewsFisherman accidentally harpoons his own face in eastern Thailand | Thaiger

    Fisherman accidentally harpoons his own face in eastern Thailand

    A fisherman from Rayong province in eastern Thailand accidentally speared himself in the face with a fish harpoon yesterday. He is now in stable condition. Yesterday afternoon, 30 year old Sarot from Rayong’s Chamao district went fishing with some friends at the Mor Mui Reservoir in the Pluak Daeng district. He dived into the water and tried to spear a…

  • Crime NewsPolice arrest another Chinese visa overstayer living it up in Thailand

    Police arrest another Chinese visa overstayer living it up in Thailand

    Immigration police arrested yet another Chinese visa overstayer in their sustained crackdown on foreigners living illegally in the Kingdom of Thailand. Police arrested 43 year old Chao [surname withheld] at YESMUM Chinese restaurant in Rayong province’s Pluak Daeng district at 8pm yesterday. Chao’s passport revealed that his visa ran out on October 31, 2021, and he overstayed in Thailand for…

  • Thailand NewsFirework maker killed in firework accident in eastern Thailand

    Firework maker killed in firework accident in eastern Thailand

    A man from Sa Keao province in eastern Thailand was killed in an explosion yesterday while he and his son were making fireworks for a funeral. His son was seriously injured. At around 12.30pm, officers from Mueang Sa Kaeo Police Station received a report of an explosion at a home in Mueang district. Police travelled to the scene with volunteers…

  • Business NewsTesla to launch in Thailand this month

    Tesla to launch in Thailand this month

    Elon Musk’s Tesla Motors aims to launch in Thailand this month after a period of recruiting in the kingdom. The company will sell electric vehicles (EVs) in Thailand. Tesla registered as a company in Thailand in May this year with an initial registered capital of 3 million baht. The company is releasing two cars initially, the Model 3 and Model…

  • World NewsThailand teaches Indonesia how to legalise cannabis

    Thailand teaches Indonesia how to legalise cannabis

    Government officials from Indonesia – a country famous for having some of the strictest drug laws in the world – flew to Thailand to learn about the kingdom’s liberal medical cannabis policies this morning. News that old-fashioned Indonesia is considering legalising medical cannabis comes as quite a shock given that lawmakers in the country approved a Draconian law that bans…

  • Cannabis NewsHomeowner beats cannabis thief to death in northeast Thailand

    Homeowner beats cannabis thief to death in northeast Thailand

    Police let off a man who allegedly beat a cannabis thief to death in Udon Thani province in northeast Thailand last month. Police say he had the right to protect his assets. Yesterday, 55 year old Wanna filed a case with the Commander of the Udon Thani Provincial Police force against her neighbour who escaped prosecution after allegedly beating her younger…

  • Thailand NewsThai rapper ‘Milli’ makes BBC 100 Women 2022 list

    Thai rapper ‘Milli’ makes BBC 100 Women 2022 list

    Thailand’s very own rapper “Milli” is the only Thai national to make it on the BBC 100 Women 2022 list, which features 100 “inspiring and influential women from around the world.” Bangkok-born Danupha “Milli” Khanatheerakul rose to fame after appearing on the popular Thai TV show The Rapper 2 in 2019. Milli’s 2020 single “Pak Korn” (Calm Down) was a…

  • Thailand NewsShopee stops all bank payments after hackers steal from customer in Thailand

    Shopee stops all bank payments after hackers steal from customer in Thailand

    E-commerce platform Shopee announced a permanent end to purchases made by bank payment starting today onwards. The decision comes after a customer in Thailand was hacked via Shopee and lost tens of thousands of baht from a bank account linked to the app. The hackers allegedly used the Shopee app to get into bank accounts and transfer money without even…

  • Bangkok NewsVIDEO: Taxi meter rises suspiciously quickly in Bangkok, Thailand

    VIDEO: Taxi meter rises suspiciously quickly in Bangkok, Thailand

    A passenger of a taxi in Bangkok, Thailand, filmed the meter rising suspiciously quickly and posted it on Twitter, asking netizens, “Is this normal?” Facebook page “Do you want to be famous? I’ll make you famous return part 5.3” – comrades of citizen journalism in Thailand – publicised the video on Sunday. The passenger said they got in the taxi at…

  • Thailand NewsMan wins 144 million baht in Thailand’s lottery

    Man wins 144 million baht in Thailand’s lottery

    A lucky Thai man won a whopping 144 million baht (US$4,101,396.48) in Thailand‘s government lottery on December 1. Today, Pachara Nathakitpaisan travelled to the Government Lottery Office in Nonthaburi province, central Thailand, to claim 96 million baht of his winnings. On December 1, the number 375805 was drawn for the lottery’s first prize of 6 million baht. Pachara bought 16…

  • South Thailand NewsRailway bomb kills three in southern Thailand

    Railway bomb kills three in southern Thailand

    Three maintenance workers were killed and four were injured by a bomb blast this morning on a railway in Songkhla province, southern Thailand. The workers were repairing the tracks after they were damaged by an explosion on Saturday which derailed and damaged a freight train but caused no injuries. At 12.50pm on Saturday, freight train 707 from Hat Yai in…

  • Thailand NewsCAAT warns Thai VietJet for cancelling three Phuket – Bangkok flights in one day

    CAAT warns Thai VietJet for cancelling three Phuket – Bangkok flights in one day

    UPDATE The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) has warned Thai VietJet that the airline will be punished if it doesn’t start complying with aviation rules. The warning comes after Thai VietJet cancelled three services on its Bangkok – Phuket route on Thursday. A flight from Bangkok to Phuket was cancelled due to accumulated delays at Suvarnabhumi Airport, says Thai…

  • Economy NewsThai baht soars to six-month high against US dollar

    Thai baht soars to six-month high against US dollar

    The Thai baht opened at 34.78 against the US dollar today, strengthening from yesterday’s close of 35 to a six-month high. The baht’s sudden rise is down to the Bank of Thailand’s (BOT) hiking the policy rate by a quarter point earlier this week. The BOT remains committed to a gradual monetary tightening policy, raising the policy rate from 1%…

  • Thailand NewsStop giving monkeys cigarettes, beg locals in Lop Buri, Thailand

    Stop giving monkeys cigarettes, beg locals in Lop Buri, Thailand

    Locals in Lop Buri province in central Thailand – famous for its out-of-control monkey population – are begging tourists to stop giving monkeys cigarettes. Monkey lovers in Lop Buri were saddened to see a clip circulating on social media in which a visitor to the city flicked a lit cigarette to a monkey. In the clip, the innocent monkey picked…