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 NewsPolice arrest weight loss pill executive for causing 4 deaths in Thailand

    Police arrest weight loss pill executive for causing 4 deaths in Thailand

    A dietary supplement executive was arrested in Bangkok, Thailand, yesterday after four people died from taking his company’s weight loss pills. Police arrested 50 year old Nuttawat outside a condo in the Huai Kwang district under an arrest warrant issued by Kanchanaburi Provincial Court on January 18, 2022, for, “secretly adding a substance to food, medicine or other edible products…

  • Phuket NewsThai VietJet cancels Phuket – Bangkok flight last minute over 1 extra passenger

    Thai VietJet cancels Phuket – Bangkok flight last minute over 1 extra passenger

    Budget airline Thai VietJet cancelled a flight from Phuket to Bangkok minutes before take-off last night because staff couldn’t find a seat for one passenger. The plane was already taxiing on the runway ready to depart. Flight vz2305 to Bangkok was scheduled to depart from Phuket at 8.25pm. More than 300 passengers boarded and the plane began taxiing down the runway…

  • Pattaya NewsLadyboys steal Russian tourist’s gold necklace in Pattaya, Thailand

    Ladyboys steal Russian tourist’s gold necklace in Pattaya, Thailand

    In a tale as old as time, another foreign tourist had their gold necklace stolen by ladyboys in Pattaya, Chon Buri province, eastern Thailand, in the dead of night. At 3am today, 24 year old Artem [surname withheld] of Russian nationality sought help from officers at Pattaya City Police Station. He said two ladyboys molested him and untied his gold…

  • Thailand NewsMotorbike taxi driver wins 12 million baht lottery jackpot in Thailand

    Motorbike taxi driver wins 12 million baht lottery jackpot in Thailand

    A “win” motorbike taxi driver from Samut Prakan province, just south of Bangkok in Thailand, won 12 million baht (US$345,050.76) in the lottery yesterday. Ek – who works in the King Kaew area of Bang Phli district – revealed that he chose the winning lottery number 375805 using the age of his ex-wife who sadly passed away just one week ago.…

  • Crime NewsBig Joke seizes Tuhao’s private jet in Hua Hin

    Big Joke seizes Tuhao’s private jet in Hua Hin

    A private jet is the latest addition to the Thai police’s shiny collection of assets seized from Tuhao the notorious Chinese gangster. Thai police – led by Surachate “Big Joke” Hakparn – seized Tuhao’s private jet at Bo Fai Airport in Hua Hin, Prachuap Khiri Khan province, western Thailand, yesterday. Police found that the “HS-HAO” plane was owned by Modern…

  • Crime NewsBody of missing woman found tied to water pump in western Thailand

    Body of missing woman found tied to water pump in western Thailand

    Police launched a murder investigation after finding the body of a missing woman tied to a water pump inside a lake in Prachuap Khiri Khan province in western Thailand. Last night, police found the body of a woman estimated to be around 30 years old submerged in a lake in Moo 4, Ang Thong subdistrict, Thap Sakae district. Her body…

  • Tourism NewsTAT launches luxury travel package to Thailand for rich South Korean tourists

    TAT launches luxury travel package to Thailand for rich South Korean tourists

    The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) launched a travel package called ‘Amazing New Chapters: Discover Luxperience in Thailand’ aimed at high-end South Korean travellers. The deal combines business class tickets to Bangkok on Asiana Airlines and a stay at the five-star Siam Kempinski Hotel Bangkok, which costs around 12,000 baht per night. The TAT hopes to make Thailand a desirable…

  • Crime NewsThai police seize 8 businesses in Phuket owned by Chinese gangster Tuhao

    Thai police seize 8 businesses in Phuket owned by Chinese gangster Tuhao

    Tuhao‘s can of criminal worms continues to open as police revealed they seized eight businesses in Phuket, southern Thailand, owned by the notorious Chinese gangster. Yesterday, police seized eight businesses each spanning 10 rai of land in Phuket’s Mueang district, including a jewellery company featuring a snake farm, two real estate companies, a latex company, a herbal medicine company, and…

  • Crime News‘Pinky’ the alleged Forex 3D scammer released on bail after 3 months behind bars

    ‘Pinky’ the alleged Forex 3D scammer released on bail after 3 months behind bars

    UPDATE Savika “Pinky” Chaiyadej was released on bail for 5 million baht yesterday after being detained for over three months inside Central Women’s Correctional Institution in Bangkok. Thailand’s Criminal Court granted bail to Pinky on the condition that she does not leave the country, must inform the court within seven days if she changes her address, and must report to…

  • Crime NewsTuhao’s Chinese gang buys 50 homes in Bangkok luxury village with cash

    Tuhao’s Chinese gang buys 50 homes in Bangkok luxury village with cash

    Tuhao the alleged Chinese drug tycoon and his gang of “businessmen” bought 50 houses in a luxury village in Bangkok – with cash, police say. The gangs’ constant partying drove all 16 remaining Thai households out of the village. Bangkok South Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant to search an entire village in Bangkok’s Soi Laselle area after finding evidence…

  • Bangkok NewsBangkok BTS Skytrain fares to increase next year

    Bangkok BTS Skytrain fares to increase next year

    Global inflation is rising and so is the cost of a ticket on Bangkok’s BTS Skytrain. The BTS Skytrain will get a little bit pricier on January 1, 2023, according to an announcement made by the Bangkok Transit System Corporation (BTSC) today. Fares on the Sukhumvit (Mo Chit – On Nut) and Silom (National Stadium – Saphan Taksin) lines will…

  • Visa InformationThailand advises Indians to obtain visa prior to travelling to avoid long queues

    Thailand advises Indians to obtain visa prior to travelling to avoid long queues

    The Royal Thai Embassy in India advised Indians to obtain visas from the embassy or consulate before travelling to avoid long queues at Bangkok‘s Suvarnabhumi Airport upon arrival in Thailand. International tourists have been flooding into Thailand since High Season began last month. For the first time in years, 50,000 foreign tourists passed through immigration at Suvarnabhumi Airport in one…

  • Crime NewsViolent criminals in Thailand to be tagged for 10 years after release to protect women

    Violent criminals in Thailand to be tagged for 10 years after release to protect women

    Soon, criminals put away for violent crimes against women in Thailand will have to wear an electric monitoring (EM) ankle bracelet for up to 10 years after their release. The new law – Measures for the Prevention of Repeat Offenses in Sexual or Violent Crimes Act – aims to reduce the chance of reoffending, prevent violence against women and make…

  • Thailand NewsTruck overturns carrying 2,560 crates of beer in central Thailand

    Truck overturns carrying 2,560 crates of beer in central Thailand

    A beer delivery truck overturned on the Rangsit – Pathum Thani Road in central Thailand last night, strewing 30 tonnes of booze across the busy road. A forklift was needed to clear up the mounds of bottles and broken glass. Around 61,440 small bottles of a leopard-themed beer, which shall not be named due to Thailand’s archaic and strictly enforced…

  • EventsE-San Music Festival draws thousands to northeast Thailand this weekend

    E-San Music Festival draws thousands to northeast Thailand this weekend

    E-san Music Festival returns for a 10th time in Khon Kaen province in northeast Thailand this weekend. At least 100,000 people are expected to attend. The hippie festival, dubbed “Thailand’s Woodstock,” draws Thais and foreign tourists to Khon Kaen year-in-and-year-out. Usually, E-san Music Festival is held at the province’s giant Ubonratana Dam in the Phu Wiang district. However, the dam…

  • Bangkok NewsMurdered transwoman thrown into canal ‘still alive’ in central Thailand

    Murdered transwoman thrown into canal ‘still alive’ in central Thailand

    The court has denied bail to the delivery driver suspected of murdering the transwoman whose body was found floating in a canal in Pathum Thani province just north of Bangkok in central Thailand on Wednesday. The killer picked up 29 year old Piyada “Goya” Sorrakun in his Mazda 2 from Lumpini Park on Tuesday night. In the car, he threatened…

  • World NewsThai Airways increases flights to Singapore

    Thai Airways increases flights to Singapore

    Next month, Thai Airways will increase its Bangkok – Singapore roundtrip frequency from 21 times per week to 28 times per week. The extra flights will help meet the high demand during the festive season. Commencing December 12, THAI’s Bangkok – Singapore service will run four times every day as follows… Flight TG403 will leave Bangkok at 8am and land…

  • Crime NewsCheating husband says he ‘didn’t mean to’ shoot wife in head in southern Thailand

    Cheating husband says he ‘didn’t mean to’ shoot wife in head in southern Thailand

    UPDATE Southern Thailand gangster Mack Tung Jin told police that he “never intended” to shoot his wife in the head in Nakhon Si Thammarat province on Sunday. He said it was an accident. Police arrested 30 year old Mack the next day at a resort in Krabi province, accompanied by a 17 year old girl, and detained him for questioning.…

  • Visa InformationImmigration police round up visa overstayers in Koh Pha Ngan, Thailand

    Immigration police round up visa overstayers in Koh Pha Ngan, Thailand

    Koh Pha Ngan island in southern Thailand is so idyllic that some foreigners just can’t bear to leave, even when their visa runs out. Yesterday, Surat Thani Immigration Police, and Koh Pha Ngan Provincial Police went on a tour of Thailand’s fifth-biggest island on the hunt for visa overstayers in the kingdom. Three foreigners were arrested and detained at Koh…

  • Thailand NewsFarmer sets car on fire and drives into government building in northeast Thailand

    Farmer sets car on fire and drives into government building in northeast Thailand

    A farmer from Buriram province in northeast Thailand put five gallons of gasoline in his truck, set it on fire with fireworks, and drove it into Buriram Legal Execution Office yesterday. He says his wife’s land was wrongfully seized and sold at auction and no one will help him get justice. At around 11am, 58 year old Manop from Phutthaisong…

  • Bangkok NewsMotorbike passenger almost decapitated by fallen cable in Bangkok, Thailand

    Motorbike passenger almost decapitated by fallen cable in Bangkok, Thailand

    A young Thai man is badly injured after colliding with a hanging cable on a busy road in Bangkok, Thailand. He said he would have been decapitated had he and his friend been driving any faster. Yesterday, he took to Facebook to seek justice after being seriously injured by a hanging cable in Bangkok’s Soi Lad Phrao 101 on Tuesday,…

  • Thailand NewsMan dies trying to eat a coconut in central Thailand

    Man dies trying to eat a coconut in central Thailand

    A Thai man died trying to retrieve a coconut from a palm tree at his home in Samut Sakhon province in central Thailand on Tuesday. Officers from Krathum Baen Police Station and rescue workers from the Ruan Katanyu Foundation travelled to a home in Moo 11 in Om Noi subdistrict to investigate the death of 45 year old Sunthorn from…

  • Thailand NewsWild elephant electrocuted to death in eastern Thailand

    Wild elephant electrocuted to death in eastern Thailand

    A wild elephant was electrocuted to death at a jackfruit plantation in the middle of the jungle in Chachoengsao province in eastern Thailand yesterday. A farmer installed electric wires around his farm to prevent his jackfruit from being stolen by elephants. At 1pm yesterday, officers at Tha Thakiab Police Station were informed that a wild male elephant was found dead…

  • Thailand TravelThailand’s Koh Samui to welcome first cruise ship in three years this weekend

    Thailand’s Koh Samui to welcome first cruise ship in three years this weekend

    On Sunday, a cruise ship will dock in Koh Samui in southern Thailand for the first time in three years, according to the President of the Koh Samui Tourism Association Ratchaporn Poolsawat. An MV Viking Mars cruise liner carrying 700 tourists, mostly Europeans, will make their way to the island from Singapore, said Ratchaporn. Ratchaporn said the return of the…

  • Crime NewsAlleged Chinese drug tycoon married to Thai policewoman surrenders to police

    Alleged Chinese drug tycoon married to Thai policewoman surrenders to police

    Chinese businessman “Tuhao,” wanted on drug charges in Thailand, surrendered to police today after they raided his mansion in Bangkok this morning. The accused is married to a high-ranking Thai police officer who works for the foreign affairs division. Yesterday, Southern Bangkok Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Chaiyanat “Tuhao” Kornchayanant for “conspiring to commit drug offences and possessing…

  • Crime NewsPolice arrest transgender Thai women for filming and disseminating child porn online

    Police arrest transgender Thai women for filming and disseminating child porn online

    On Monday, Thai police arrested a transgender woman in Bangkok for filming and disseminating child pornography on the LINE and OnlyFans platforms. Thailand’s Anti-Trafficking In Persons Division announced the results of their investigation today. Officers from Thailand’s Central Investigation Bureau arrested 29 year old transgender woman named Saranrak – aka “Bee” – who filmed herself having sex with minors and…

  • Crime NewsChinese woman stabs Russian boyfriend’s Chinese mistress to death in Bangkok

    Chinese woman stabs Russian boyfriend’s Chinese mistress to death in Bangkok

    UPDATE The Chinese woman who murdered a fellow Chinese woman in a Bangkok shopping mall toilet yesterday told police that the deceased was in a secret relationship with her Russian boyfriend. The foreign killer was found to have overstayed her visa in the kingdom, said police, adding that 36 year old Tang Jun entered Thailand on a tourist visa which…

  • Thailand NewsAirAsia Thailand passenger data allegedly leaked after ransomware attack

    AirAsia Thailand passenger data allegedly leaked after ransomware attack

    AirAsia group allegedly fell victim to a ransomware attack that leaked the personal data of five million passengers and all staff of AirAsia Thailand, AirAsia Malaysia, and AirAsia Indonesia. The Daixin Team, a ransomware and data extortion group, allegedly leaked the data after the airline refused to pay a ransom. On Monday, the Daixin Team was the focus of a…

  • Thailand NewsCathay Pacific boosts flights to Thailand

    Cathay Pacific boosts flights to Thailand

    Hong Kong flag carrier Cathay Pacific Airways and its budget subsidiary Hong Kong Express are boosting flights to three major tourist destinations in Thailand: Bangkok, Phuket, and Chiang Mai. Cathay’s Hong Kong – Bangkok route will be increased from twice to four times per day next month, according to Chairman of Cathay Pacific Patrick Healy. In January, the airline will…

  • Crime NewsChinese woman stabs fellow Chinese woman 27 times in Bangkok, Thailand

    Chinese woman stabs fellow Chinese woman 27 times in Bangkok, Thailand

    A Chinese woman stabbed a fellow Chinese woman to death in the bathroom at a shopping mall in Bangkok, Thailand, this afternoon. Text messages reveal that the perpetrator had accused the deceased of “messing with” her “man” prior to stabbing her 27 times. At 1pm, officers from Thong Song Hung Police Station were informed that a Chinese woman was stabbed…