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.
  • Crime NewsUPDATE: Corpse found floating in Gulf of Thailand

    UPDATE: Corpse found floating in Gulf of Thailand

    UPDATE: A man has confessed to the murder of 23 year old Chalermchai Siang, whose body was found floating on the surface of the ocean 500 metres away from the shore in Nakhon Si Thammarat Province on Monday. Three rocks had been attached to Chalermchai’s body in an attempt to weigh it down and his wrists and ankles had been…

  • World NewsMyanmar’s ex-leader Suu Kyi sentenced to 5 years in prison

    Myanmar’s ex-leader Suu Kyi sentenced to 5 years in prison

    Ousted leader of Myanmar Aung San Suu Kyi has been found guilty of corruption and sentenced to five years in prison by a court in Myanmar, according to an anonymous source with access to her trial, which is being tightly controlled by the junta. The charge was the first of 11 corruption charges filed against her, so her prison sentence…

  • Thailand NewsMan becomes first person ever to rollerblade across Thailand

    Man becomes first person ever to rollerblade across Thailand

    A Thai man set a new record on Sunday by becoming the first person in the world to rollerblade from the northernmost to the southernmost tip of Thailand. The man’s journey from Mae Sai district in Chiang Rai to Betong district in Yala covered 2,051 kilometres and took 55 days. People have famously run the same route and many Thai’s…

  • Cannabis NewsUS company opens medical marijuana clinic in Thailand

    US company opens medical marijuana clinic in Thailand

    A US cannabis company has jointly opened a medical marijuana clinic in Thailand, making it the first foreign franchise to do so. The clinic, located on Bangkok’s Sukhumvit Soi 13, treats Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, cancer, eating disorders and insomnia. The clinic predicts that changes to Thai laws in July will allow them to give patients THC-dominant products for research purposes. Smoking…

  • Thailand NewsCountry with biggest penis size revealed… it’s not Thailand

    Country with biggest penis size revealed… it’s not Thailand

    In a recent survey conducted by online pharmacy From Mars comparing erect penis sizes in 86 countries, Thai penises were ranked as the 7th smallest in the world (#80). The average erect Thai penis measures in at 4.27 inches (10.8cm). We’re not sure on the accuracy of the measurements, or how they performed them. Some of the measurements may be…

  • Crime NewsCorpse found floating in Gulf of Thailand

    Corpse found floating in Gulf of Thailand

    Fishermen discovered the body of a man floating on the surface of the sea around 500 metres away from the coast in Nakhon Si Thammarat province in southern Thailand yesterday. The man’s wrists and ankles had been tied up with ropes and weighed down with rocks. His identity remains unknown. The swollen corpse of a man, around 165 centimetres tall…

  • Thailand NewsTourism to Thailand is increasing, but still has nothing on pre-pandemic levels

    Tourism to Thailand is increasing, but still has nothing on pre-pandemic levels

    As entry restrictions into Thailand continue to ease, tourists are trickling back into the kingdom. Numbers of foreign arrivals are high compared to last year, but numbers are still low when compared with pre-pandemic levels. Tourism is expected to increase further from May 1, when tourists will no longer have to undergo any pre-travel or on-arrival Covid tests, and unvaccinated…

  • Northern Thailand NewsYoung Thai woman missing for 1 year makes contact with family

    Young Thai woman missing for 1 year makes contact with family

    A Thai woman who was filed as a missing person over a year ago made contact with her elder sister on Friday. The 23 year old, from the northeast province of Buriram, reportedly said she broke off contact with her family because she didn’t want them to find out that a Phuket debt collector was chasing her for 100,000 baht.…

  • Thailand NewsNo quarantine for unvaccinated travellers in Thailand and other countries

    No quarantine for unvaccinated travellers in Thailand and other countries

    International travellers who are unvaccinated for Covid-19 will soon be able to enter Thailand by air without quarantine, as long as they provide a negative PCR test result taken within 72 hours of departure. They’ll just need to upload their negative test result onto the Thailand Pass system before boarding their flight. Thailand’s Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration on Friday…

  • Thailand NewsCourt lifts 4 year hijab ban at Pattani school

    Court lifts 4 year hijab ban at Pattani school

    The court has lifted a ban on hijabs set four years ago at a school in Pattani, southern Thailand. The school claimed that wearing a hijab – or Islamic headscarf – to school went against the Education Ministry’s regulations. Four years of court battles between the school and parents finally ended yesterday when the Yala Administrative Court announced a ruling…

  • Phuket NewsTwo Ukrainian fugitives arrested in Phuket over US tax evasion scandal

    Two Ukrainian fugitives arrested in Phuket over US tax evasion scandal

    Two Ukrainian nationals wanted for fraud and tax evasion in the US were arrested in Phuket on Tuesday. The men fled to Thailand after warrants for their arrest were issued in Florida earlier this month. The pair are accused of providing employment for hundreds of illegal immigrants in America from 2007 – 2021 and evading $10 million in employment taxes.…

  • Thailand NewsInstant noodles replace flowers at unusual Thai funeral

    Instant noodles replace flowers at unusual Thai funeral

    Bouquets of instant noodles replaced flowers at an unusual funeral today at a temple in Phitsanulok province, northern Thailand. In a magnificent display, hundreds of sachets of Mama noodles and other dried foods were arranged like flowers around the coffin. Prabhali Konghoon, who died peacefully at age 68, had unique wishes for his funeral which his relatives carried out for…

  • Crime NewsThai activist writes about his sex life behind bars, gets put back in prison

    Thai activist writes about his sex life behind bars, gets put back in prison

    A Thai activist is facing one year behind bars for writing about his sexual experiences in prison on his Facebook account. Ekachai Hongkangwan was sentenced to one year in prison without parole yesterday. The activist’s relatives have applied to get him out on bail and are awaiting the Supreme Court’s final decision, which is expected to take two to three…

  • Thailand NewsBillionaire asks PM Prayut to scrap Thailand Pass and Test & Go

    Billionaire asks PM Prayut to scrap Thailand Pass and Test & Go

    An American-born Thai billionaire has written another open letter to Thailand’s PM Prayut Chan-o-cha calling for an ease in entry restrictions to help the country’s tourism industry recover. William ‘Bill’ Heinecke, founder of the huge Minor Group, says scrapping Thailand Pass and Test & Go will attract international tourists back into the kingdom. The letter, written yesterday, presents quite the…

  • Thailand NewsNorthern Thai man reveals secret to 44 baht electricity bill

    Northern Thai man reveals secret to 44 baht electricity bill

    In Thailand, the price of your electricity bill almost completely depends on your use, or non use, of air conditioning, especially if you decided to sleep with it on. But one man in Phitsanulok, central Thailand, found a way to get his bill down from 4000 baht to just 44 baht, yet keep his air conditioner on all day and…

  • Thailand NewsGhost demands 20K baht from Thai man who destroyed spirit house

    Ghost demands 20K baht from Thai man who destroyed spirit house

    A Thai man from Chon Buri province claims a vengeful spirit possessed his body and forced him to attempt suicide on two occasions. A Buddhist monk reportedly communicated with the spirit in the early hours of this morning and, apparently, the ghost wants the man to rectify a crime he committed 19 years ago… by repaying 20,000 baht and ordaining…

  • Thailand NewsService Hall at Don Mueang Airport collapses in storm

    Service Hall at Don Mueang Airport collapses in storm

    A thunderstorm hit Bangkok yesterday, causing the Service Hall at Don Mueang International airport to collapse. The hall was built just one year ago but hasn’t yet been used due to low levels of international travel throughout the pandemic. No injuries or deaths were reported. Luckily there was no one in there at the time. The walls of the Service…

  • Crime NewsPolice arrest murder suspect on the run for 15 years in southern Thailand

    Police arrest murder suspect on the run for 15 years in southern Thailand

    Police arrested a man on suspicion of a murder which took place nearly 15 years ago this morning in Yala province, southern Thailand. Police found the suspect on the side of the road in Betong district and arrested him on a warrant issued by Chiang Rai Provincial Court back in 2007. Police believe the murder was a politically motivated attack.…

  • Thailand NewsThai monk celebrating Songkran passes out drunk, says he didn’t do anything wrong

    Thai monk celebrating Songkran passes out drunk, says he didn’t do anything wrong

    A Buddhist monk was found passed out on the floor with his private parts on show at his temple after he got drunk to bring in the Thai New Year. The monk, who resides at a temple in the northeastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima, says he didn’t do anything wrong. The 50 year old ex-policeman, who has been ordained as…

  • Thailand NewsThai rapper ‘Elevenfinger’ suspected of bombing PM Prayut’s residence

    Thai rapper ‘Elevenfinger’ suspected of bombing PM Prayut’s residence

    A political rapper known as “Elevenfinger” has become the main suspect in the bombing that happened at Prime Minister of Thailand Prayut Chan-o-cha’s residence on Sunday. The rapper was pictured with the group of motorcyclists who approached the gates of the PM’s residence and threw a bomb, which exploded on the lawn opposite the house. The rapper was arrested today…

  • Thailand NewsBomb thrown at PM Prayut’s house, protesters burn coffin decorated with his image

    Bomb thrown at PM Prayut’s house, protesters burn coffin decorated with his image

    Yesterday, a teenager threw a “ping pong” bomb at Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha’s house. On the same day, a mob of “Red Shirt” protesters took to the streets of Bangkok to burn a coffin adorned with pictures of PM Prayut’s face. Yesterday’s protests were to commemorate the 12th anniversary of the 2010 Red Shirt protests, where 90 people died…

  • South Thailand NewsBoth sides in Thailand’s Southern Insurgency agree to 40 day ceasefire

    Both sides in Thailand’s Southern Insurgency agree to 40 day ceasefire

    The Thai government and the most influential rebel group in Southern Thailand have agreed to stop violence for 40 days, from April 3 – May 14, for the holy month of Ramadan and the Songkran holidays. For the first time in the decades-long conflict, unarmed rebels will be allowed to visit their families during Ramadan. The agreement was made at…

  • Thailand NewsPolice arrest tiger cub smugglers in Central Thailand

    Police arrest tiger cub smugglers in Central Thailand

    Police seized a four month old tiger cub in a car park in the central province of Nonthaburi yesterday. Three men wanted on arrest warrants were arrested on suspicion of possessing and trafficking protected wildlife without permission. All three men confessed to importing the tiger cub from Laos. The cub was found in a basket inside a Honda pickup truck…

  • Thailand NewsThailand’s latest ganja product: marijuana infused fish sauce

    Thailand’s latest ganja product: marijuana infused fish sauce

    There are few products left in Thailand that haven’t yet been infused with cannabis since Anutin Charnvirakul’s marijuana mystery tour began. The latest product, marijuana infused fish sauce, debuted at an event in the northeastern province of Khon Kaen last weekend. Yum? As we have said many times before, products are currently allowed to contain a maximum of 0.2% THC,…

  • Thailand News1 groom, 3 brides at unusual Thai wedding… who paid the dowry?

    1 groom, 3 brides at unusual Thai wedding… who paid the dowry?

    Thai traditions went out the window at an unusual wedding last week in Nonthaburi province, central Thailand. The groom was in for a surprise when his three girlfriends asked for his hand in marriage and presented him with a dowry of 100,000 baht each on his 35th birthday. Together, the women have a total of nine children with the groom,…

  • Thailand NewsTourist impaled in the neck by needlefish while swimming at Thailand beach

    Tourist impaled in the neck by needlefish while swimming at Thailand beach

    A needlefish impaled a tourist in the neck while he was swimming at a popular beach in Thailand on Thursday. Careful not to remove the needlefish from his neck, lifeguards gave the man first aid on Ao Tan Khu beach in the eastern province of Trat by Cambodia before taking him to a local hospital at around 1pm. Local officials…

  • Thailand NewsPolice catch Rayong homemade bomb maker, says he learned through YouTube

    Police catch Rayong homemade bomb maker, says he learned through YouTube

    Police have caught the man who allegedly made nine bombs and left them strewn across a main road in Rayong on Tuesday night. One of the bombs exploded and eight were defused by Rayong police on Wednesday. The police used CCTV to figure out the criminal behind the operation, who said he used YouTube to learn how to make the…

  • Thailand NewsDate set for Liverpool vs. Manchester United pre-season friendly in Bangkok

    Date set for Liverpool vs. Manchester United pre-season friendly in Bangkok

    The date has been set for Liverpool F.C’s pre-season friendly with their rivals Manchester United at the Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok. The two English Premier League giants will go head to head for the Bangkok Century Cup on July 12. Liverpool will travel to Thailand for the first time since 2015 to kick off their first pre-season tour since the…

  • Thailand NewsHotels in Koh Samui learn how to prevent and treat box jellyfish stings

    Hotels in Koh Samui learn how to prevent and treat box jellyfish stings

    With most of the fatal box jellyfish stings in Thailand over the past decade in Koh Samui and Koh Phangan, representatives from 20 hotels attended a lecture at the Hive Hotel on Koh Samui to learn about preventing and treating stings from box jellyfish, known as one of the most venomous marine animals in the world. By providing the knowledge to…

  • Thailand NewsUPDATE: Iranian tourist’s body found after white water rafting accident

    UPDATE: Iranian tourist’s body found after white water rafting accident

    The body of the Iranian tourist who went missing yesterday after a white water rafting accident in Phang Nga province has been found. Police are preparing to investigate everyone involved in the incident. 42 year old Bahzadifar Javad Gholamabbas was white water rafting in Song Phraek with his four friends and two tour operators when their rubber boat hit a…