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.
  • Road deathsAbbot crashes into motorbike killing village chief’s daughter in northeast Thailand

    Abbot crashes into motorbike killing village chief’s daughter in northeast Thailand

    The abbot of a famous temple pulled out onto the main road causing a motorbike to crash into his car in Khon Kaen province, northeast Thailand, yesterday afternoon. The village headman’s 23 year old daughter died in the crash and her brother was injured. The 74 year old monk, Phra Sen Sikayom, is the acting abbot of Wat Suwannaram in Bang…

  • TravelThai AirAsia launches new routes from Bangkok to Bangladesh and India

    Thai AirAsia launches new routes from Bangkok to Bangladesh and India

    Low-cost airline Thai AirAsia announced plans to launch direct routes from Bangkok’s Don Mueang Airport to Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh and to Lucknow in northern India. The airline’s Bangkok – Dhaka service will operate four times per week commencing November 24, 2022. The flight will depart from Don Mueang at 11pm on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays and arrive…

  • Crime NewsVIDEO: Porsche-driving Frenchmen put Thai man in a coma in Koh Samui

    VIDEO: Porsche-driving Frenchmen put Thai man in a coma in Koh Samui

    Police arrested two Frenchmen who got out of a Porsche and attacked a Thai man on Saturday night in Koh Samui, Surat Thani province, southern Thailand. The victim suffered a brain hemorrhage and was rushed to hospital for emergency surgery. He remains in a coma in the ICU. At around 9pm, one of the men was caught on camera kicking…

  • Crime NewsVIDEO: Canadian man arrested for rollerblading on busy Bangkok road

    VIDEO: Canadian man arrested for rollerblading on busy Bangkok road

    A Canadian man has been arrested for rollerblading on Sukhumvit Road in Bangkok. Police tracked him down after a clip of him weaving in and out of the traffic circulated on social media over the weekend. Police summoned 37 year old Jordan Joseph McIver to Lumpini Police Station yesterday to arrest him under suspicion of “obstructing a public road in…

  • Thailand TravelThai Lion Air to resume direct flights to Taipei

    Thai Lion Air to resume direct flights to Taipei

    Budget airline Thai Lion Air will resume its direct service between Bangkok and Taipei in Taiwan on December 17. Tickets start at 2,950 baht one-way. Flight SL396 will depart from Bangkok’s Don Mueang International Airport on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays at 8.35pm and will arrive in Taipei at 1.25am the next day. Flight SL397 will depart from Taipei’s…

  • Thailand NewsMonk ends Buddhist Lent with a bang in northeast Thailand

    Monk ends Buddhist Lent with a bang in northeast Thailand

    Police picked up an inebriated, half-naked monk from the side of the road in Khon Kaen province, northeast Thailand, on one of the most auspicious Buddhist holidays of the year – Awk Pansa (exit Pansa) on Monday. Buddhist monks and maechis came out of their temples for the first time in three months on Monday upon completion of a period of…

  • World NewsJapanese woman loses millions in intergalactic romance scam

    Japanese woman loses millions in intergalactic romance scam

    A woman from Japan transferred 4.4 million yen to a man who said he was stuck on an International Space Station (ISS) and needed money for a rocket back to earth so he could marry her. The 65 year old woman, from Shiga Prefecture, told police that she fell in love with a man she met online in June and…

  • Crime NewsManager of famous Thai rapper ‘Illslick’ given 2 years in prison over sex scandal

    Manager of famous Thai rapper ‘Illslick’ given 2 years in prison over sex scandal

    Yesterday, the court sentenced ‘Lily,’ the manager of famous Thai rapper ‘Illslick’, to two years in prison with no parole for ‘luring’ an 18 year old to have sex with the rapper in Khon Kaen in northeast Thailand in February last year. Khon Kaen Provincial Court found Lily [surname withheld] guilty of “satisfying the lust of others by luring, supplying, leading…

  • Thailand NewsFuneral for victims of daycare centre massacre in pictures

    Funeral for victims of daycare centre massacre in pictures

    Three temples held royally-sponsored funeral and cremation ceremonies today for the victims of the massacre at a daycare centre in Nong Bua Lamphu province in northeast Thailand on Thursday. Toys, bicycles, flowers, fruit, and incense were laid out in front of wreaths adorned with pictures and names of the victims, who were mostly young children. Locals from over 6000 households…

  • Thailand NewsRussian President Vladimir Putin accepts invitation to APEC meeting in Thailand

    Russian President Vladimir Putin accepts invitation to APEC meeting in Thailand

    Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed his attendance at the upcoming Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting which will be held in Bangkok next month from November 18-19, according to Minister of Foreign Affairs Don Pramudwinai. The Russian Federation is one of APEC’s 21 members. Putin attended an APEC summit hosted by Thailand 19 years ago in 2003. More than 30 countries…

  • Crime NewsLoan shark shoots debtor 8 times in the head in southern Thailand

    Loan shark shoots debtor 8 times in the head in southern Thailand

    A loan shark chose revenge over repayments on Sunday when he shot a debtor eight times in the head outside a tea shop in Songkhla province in southern Thailand. At 8pm, officers at Khuan Meed Police Station received a call that someone had been shot dead in the Chana district. Police found the body of 42 year old Chusit [surname…

  • Thailand NewsBeware of snakes when the Chao Phraya river overflows, officials warn

    Beware of snakes when the Chao Phraya river overflows, officials warn

    As Bangkok and Pathum Thani prepare for the Chao Phraya river to overflow, officials warn people affected by floods to look out for poisonous snakes, scorpions, and centipedes. Water levels in the Chao Phraya river are reaching breaking point in lower central Thailand. The river is teeming with snakes which will flood into urban areas when the river overflows, warns…

  • Crime NewsPM Prayut declares war on drugs to prevent mass shootings in Thailand

    PM Prayut declares war on drugs to prevent mass shootings in Thailand

    Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha declared a war on drugs and a clampdown on gun control laws after a massacre at a daycare centre in northeast Thailand sparked urgent calls for change on Thursday. A former police sergeant facing trial for drug charges murdered 37 people – including 24 children under six years old – at a daycare centre in…

  • Thailand NewsVIDEO: Police officer reprimanded for laughing during interview on daycare centre massacre

    VIDEO: Police officer reprimanded for laughing during interview on daycare centre massacre

    The Royal Thai Police have taken away a senior police officer’s spokesperson duties after he burst out laughing while giving an interview on the death toll of the daycare centre massacre in Nong Bua Lamphu province, northeast Thailand, on Thursday. On Thursday afternoon – just hours after the gun and knife rampage that claimed the lives of 37 people, including…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket ‘ready’ to open nightclubs until 4am

    Phuket ‘ready’ to open nightclubs until 4am

    The Phuket Tourism Association is pushing for later closing times in nightclubs. Entertainment venues in Phuket, southern Thailand, are “ready” to open until 4am, according to the Chairman of the Phuket Tourism Association Thanet Tanipirayakit. The association hopes to extend the closing times of entertainment venues on Patong beach’s Bangla Road from 2am to 4am in a Phuket Sandbox-style pilot…

  • Thailand NewsAlcohol sales ban in Thailand today to mark end of Buddhist Lent

    Alcohol sales ban in Thailand today to mark end of Buddhist Lent

    Thailand celebrates an auspicious Buddhist holiday today known as ‘Awk Pansa‘ (exit Pansa) to mark the final day of Buddhist Lent. Being one of Thailand’s five major Buddhist holidays, alcohol sales are banned for 24 hours nationwide. Saffron-robed monks and white-robed maechis exit their temples today for the first time since July 14, upon completion of a period of focussed…

  • Thailand NewsHow to donate to families of victims of daycare centre massacre in Thailand

    How to donate to families of victims of daycare centre massacre in Thailand

    The Thai government has opened a channel for the public to donate money to families impacted by the massacre of 37 people, mostly young children, at a daycare centre in Nong Bua Lamphu province, northeast Thailand, last Thursday. If you would like to donate to the injured or the families of those who lost their lives, you can transfer your…

  • Crime NewsFinnish CEO detained for alleged mistreatment of 1,100 Thai berry pickers

    Finnish CEO detained for alleged mistreatment of 1,100 Thai berry pickers

    Finnish police have arrested and detained the CEO of berry company “Polarica” under suspicion of human trafficking. CEO Jukka Kristo allegedly “deceived” 1100 Thai berry pickers and housed them in “poor conditions.” This year, Kristo’s company flew around 1100 Thais to Finland to work as berry pickers – an industry that heavily relies on a foreign workforce. The CEO has…

  • Thailand NewsNo Buddhist temples willing to cremate body of daycare centre killer

    No Buddhist temples willing to cremate body of daycare centre killer

    No Buddhist temples are willing to cremate the body of the man who massacred 37 people, mostly young children, at a daycare centre yesterday in Nong Bua Lamphu province in northeast Thailand, according to independent Thai journalist Sorayuth Suthassanachinda. At present, the mass murderer’s body is sitting inside an ambulance as “no temples are willing to conduct religious ceremonies because…

  • Crime NewsMassacre in Thailand: No drugs detected in system of daycare centre killer

    Massacre in Thailand: No drugs detected in system of daycare centre killer

    It comes as a great shock that no drugs were detected in the body of the ruthless killer who massacred 37 people – including 24 children under 6 years old – yesterday at a daycare centre in Nong Bua Lamphu province in northeast Thailand. The former policeman was dismissed from the force for failing a drug test. He appeared in…

  • Thailand NewsThailand lowers flags to half-mast to mourn daycare centre massacre victims

    Thailand lowers flags to half-mast to mourn daycare centre massacre victims

    Prime Minister of Thailand Prayut Chan-o-cha asks government agencies nationwide to fly their Thai flags at half-mast today to mourn the victims of the tragic daycare centre massacre in Nong Bua Lamphu province yesterday. The spokesperson for the PM’s office, Anucha Burachaisri, said the prime minister was deeply saddened by the news yesterday. He requested that state agencies raise flags…

  • Thailand NewsKing, Queen and PM Prayut to visit mass shooting victims in northeast Thailand

    King, Queen and PM Prayut to visit mass shooting victims in northeast Thailand

    Today, H.M. King Maha Vajiralongkorn, H.M. Queen Suthida and Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha will travel to Nong Bua Lamphu province, northeast Thailand, to visit injured victims in hospital and to offer support to the families of those who lost their lives in yesterday’s tragic daycare centre massacre. The gunman killed 37 people in total, most of them young children under…

  • Crime NewsThailand daycare centre massacre: Death toll rises to 37

    Thailand daycare centre massacre: Death toll rises to 37

    The death toll of the massacre at a daycare centre in Nong Bua Lamphu province, northeast Thailand, yesterday has risen to 37 after another victim died from their injuries in hospital. Including the attacker, who fatally shot himself, 38 people were killed in total. He killed 24 young children, including 21 boys and three girls. At 12.50pm, 34 year old former policeman…

  • Crime NewsBritish CEO arrested at Bangkok Airport over 40 million baht fraud accusations

    British CEO arrested at Bangkok Airport over 40 million baht fraud accusations

    Police arrested a British man at Suvarnabhumi Airport today who has been wanted by police in Thailand since December last year. The CEO allegedly defrauded victims of over 40 million baht (almost £1 million). On December 22, 2021, South Bangkok Criminal Court issued arrest warrant 671/2564 for 57 year old Mark Edward Kirkham of British nationality. The warrant states that…

  • Thailand NewsNong Bua Lamphu Hospital needs urgent blood donations after mass shooting

    Nong Bua Lamphu Hospital needs urgent blood donations after mass shooting

    Nong Bua Lamphu hospital urgently needs blood donations following the mass shooting at a nursery in the province this afternoon. The hospital posted on Facebook requesting urgent help from people of all blood groups. People can donate on the second floor of the diagnostic building at Nong Bua Lamphu Hospital. The culprit, a former policeman, shot dead 34 people in…

  • Crime NewsBREAKING: Nursery mass shooter shoots dead wife and child before killing himself

    BREAKING: Nursery mass shooter shoots dead wife and child before killing himself

    UPDATE The man who killed at least 32 people in a mass shooting at a nursery in Nong Bua Lamphu province today shot dead his wife and son before fatally shooting himself. ORIGINAL STORY A man shot dead at least 32 people, mostly young children, at a nursery in Na Klang district, Nong Bua Lamphu province, northeast Thailand, this afternoon.…

  • Crime NewsBREAKING: at least 32 dead in massacre at daycare centre in northeast Thailand

    BREAKING: at least 32 dead in massacre at daycare centre in northeast Thailand

    This story has been updated. A man killed at least 32 people, mostly young children, in a gun and knife attack at a daycare centre in Nong Bua Lamphu province in northeast Thailand this afternoon. Many more are injured. The perpetrator escaped and police are attempting to track him down. Police identified the attacker as 34 year old Panya Khamrap,…

  • Politics NewsNever forget Thailand’s October 6 massacre

    Never forget Thailand’s October 6 massacre

    No one has ever been held accountable for the tragic massacre of peaceful demonstrators at Thammasat University on October 6, 1976. On this day 46 years ago, Thai police, military, and ring-wing paramilitaries shot, lynched, and beat leftist demonstrators protesting the return of dictator Field Marshal Thanom Kittikachorn to Thailand, who was ousted in 1973. The 1973 uprising restored democratic…

  • Crime NewsFans stage simulation of Tangmo’s death in protest of law activist’s defamation case

    Fans stage simulation of Tangmo’s death in protest of law activist’s defamation case

    Crime investigation activist Atchariya Ruangrattanapong travelled to Mueang Nonthaburi Police Station this morning to acknowledge accusations of defamation filed against him. He and two others are accused of making a blasphemous statement about the autopsy results of famous actress Tangmo, who died in suspicious circumstances in the Chao Phraya River in February. The 54 year old activist’s fans staged a…

  • Crime NewsThai chicken vendor fakes being a lawyer and wins in court

    Thai chicken vendor fakes being a lawyer and wins in court

    A Thai man who sells chicken for a living in Kamphaeng Phet province, central Thailand, has been arrested for pretending to be a lawyer for several years. He allegedly faked his license to practise law, fought several court cases, and even won a few. The chicken vendor, Pornthep Kachenpak, got away with it for years by “outsourcing.” His method was…