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.
  • Thailand NewsSwedish ‘plogging’ trend reaches Koh Lanta, Thailand

    Swedish ‘plogging’ trend reaches Koh Lanta, Thailand

    Koh Lanta – an island along Thailand‘s Andaman coast – saw its first ever plogging event last week, according to the Embassy of Sweden in Bangkok. There’s nothing worse than a beautiful landscape spoiled by plastic waste and debris. A movement in Sweden has come up with a solution. ‘Plogging’ is an activity that combines jogging with picking up litter.…

  • Thailand News‘Rave for Maddi’ raises £5000 for British woman after balcony fall in Thailand

    ‘Rave for Maddi’ raises £5000 for British woman after balcony fall in Thailand

    A charity fundraising event entitled ‘Rave for Maddi’ held in Coventry, England, raised 200,000 baht (£5000) to help the recovery of the young British woman who fell from a second-floor balcony in Koh Pha Ngan in southern Thailand on New Year’s Eve. A GoFundMe appeal raised over 3 million baht (£73,500) from over 1,400 donors to pay for 21 year old…

  • Phuket NewsHigh Stakes: Police shut down Phuket cannabis store for 30 days due to gambling

    High Stakes: Police shut down Phuket cannabis store for 30 days due to gambling

    Police ordered the closure of ‘Hi Kush’ cannabis store in Phuket, southern Thailand, for 30 days, from yesterday February 7 to March 8, after finding evidence of gambling at the establishment. Officers from Phuket City Police Station arrested a man named Ratchakrit and 13 others for, “organising gambling (poker), gambling at a property without permission and conspiracy to gamble.” The…

  • Crime NewsConvicted South African drug trafficker writes letter from inside Thai prison

    Convicted South African drug trafficker writes letter from inside Thai prison

    A 23 year old South African woman serving a long prison sentence for drug trafficking wrote an eloquent letter offering a glimpse into how it feels to be locked away in Thailand. Ashley Oosthuizen was found guilty of international drug trafficking after she signed for a package containing MDMA at the restaurant she worked at in Koh Samui, ‘Hot in…

  • Thailand NewsNine Swedish tourists rescued after longtail boat capsizes in Thailand

    Nine Swedish tourists rescued after longtail boat capsizes in Thailand

    Nine Swedish tourists and a Thai boat driver were rescued from the Krabi sea in southern Thailand when their longtail boat capsized near Hong Island on Sunday. At 12.30pm, Chief of Than Bok Khorani National Park Weerasak Srisatchang was informed that a longtail boat carrying “many foreign tourists” capsized in the waters of Koh Hong island in Krabi province. Park…

  • Transport NewsNo one responsible for Service Hall collapse at Don Mueang Airport, confirms AOT

    No one responsible for Service Hall collapse at Don Mueang Airport, confirms AOT

    No one is responsible for the partial collapse of the newly-built Service Hall at Bangkok’s Don Mueang Airport in April last year, confirms Airports of Thailand (AOT). Excessive rainfall was blamed for the incident. Tomorrow, February 8, the repaired Service Hall will open for use, some ten months after its collapse. On April 17, 2022, parts of the roof and…

  • Thailand NewsThai child buys grandma gold ring with money saved selling kanom pang ping

    Thai child buys grandma gold ring with money saved selling kanom pang ping

    A giving and entrepreneurial Grade 5 student from Chai Nat province in central Thailand has won over the hearts of the nation by buying his grandma a gold ring with money he saved up selling ‘kanom pang ping.’ On Sunday, 11 year old “Ice” went to a gold shop in Chai Nat with his mother with 4,700 (US$140) baht in…

  • Thailand NewsCanadian couple cycle 2500km around Thailand for children’s charity

    Canadian couple cycle 2500km around Thailand for children’s charity

    A Canadian couple are cycling 2,500 kilometres around Thailand with the goal of raising one million baht for a children’s education charity. Chantal Jauvin and William Thomas – from Canada – are over half way through their cycling journey to raise money for the Foundation For Rehabilitation & Development of Children and Family (FORDEC). FORDEC is one on the main…

  • Thailand NewsOne year old rescued from 15-metre-deep hole in Thailand

    One year old rescued from 15-metre-deep hole in Thailand

    UPDATE At 10.40am, the one year old girl trapped in a 15-metre-deep hole in Tak province in northern Thailand was successfully rescued. The young child was immediately rushed to the hospital for a medical examination after being stuck in the muddy, narrow hole all night. ORIGINAL STORY Rescuers have been working for over 16 hours to attempt to rescue a one…

  • Thailand NewsBody of German tourist who jumped from Koh Pha Ngan ferry found near Koh Tao

    Body of German tourist who jumped from Koh Pha Ngan ferry found near Koh Tao

    A body found floating in the sea near Koh Tao is believed to be the missing German tourist who jumped off a ferry shortly after it departed from Koh Pha Ngan in southern Thailand one week ago. At 4pm yesterday, the Kusol Sattha Rescue Foundation was informed that a tourist boat came across the body of a male tourist floating…

  • Thailand NewsRescuers race to save 1 year old trapped in 15-metre-deep hole in Thailand

    Rescuers race to save 1 year old trapped in 15-metre-deep hole in Thailand

    Rescuers have been working for over 16 hours to attempt to rescue a one year old girl trapped in a narrow, 15-metre-deep hole in Tak province in northern Thailand. At 9.30am, rescuers made a breakthrough and managed to reach the toddler. They are now in the process of bringing her up out of the hole. Yesterday, a Burmese couple left…

  • World NewsBangkok Airways suspends Hat Yai and Da Nang routes until further notice

    Bangkok Airways suspends Hat Yai and Da Nang routes until further notice

    Regional airline Bangkok Airways based in Thailand announced the temporary suspension of two of its routes “until further notice.” Bangkok Airways will suspend all flights on the domestic Bangkok – Hat Yai route on March 1, 2023. International route Bangkok – Da Nang, in Vietnam, will be suspended from May 1, 2023. The airline did not reveal the reason for…

  • World NewsCambodia claims Louis Vuitton logo inspired by ancient Khmer art

    Cambodia claims Louis Vuitton logo inspired by ancient Khmer art

    A media outlet in Cambodia claims that the symbol on the famous Louis Vuitton logo is inspired by ancient Khmer art. Facebook page ‘Ebook Cambodia’ posted a photo of a classic Louis Vuitton handbag against an ancient Cambodian stone carving of an Apsara, a type of historical divine dancer known for exquisite costumes and captivating hand movements. The Apsara’s sarong…

  • Crime NewsThai police can’t find alleged ‘macau888’ kingpin’s rare Lamborghini

    Thai police can’t find alleged ‘macau888’ kingpin’s rare Lamborghini

    UPDATE Police searched three locations in Thailand but the super rare Lamborghini they planned to seize from alleged macau888 gambling kingpin Benz Daemon today is nowhere to be found. Police did however seize other luxury cars belonging to various suspects in the case including Benz Daemon, who is believed to be in hiding in Hong Kong. Netizens are criticising the…

  • Thailand NewsAmerican tourists spend more money in Thailand than Europeans, survey says

    American tourists spend more money in Thailand than Europeans, survey says

    American tourists spend more money in Thailand on average than European tourists, according to a survey conducted by the Tourism Council of Thailand (TCT). The TCT polled 200 Western tourists about their holiday spending habits during Q4 of last year. On each trip to the kingdom, Americans said they spend 96,269 baht on average per person (US$2,887) and Europeans said…

  • Crime NewsThai police to seize rare Lamborghini from alleged ‘macau888’ gambling network kingpin

    Thai police to seize rare Lamborghini from alleged ‘macau888’ gambling network kingpin

    Thailand’s cyber police say they will seize a super rare Lamborghini owned by the alleged owner of the illegal online gambling network ‘macau888‘ today. The Lamborghini Mad Bull Liberty Walk Aventador V2 is one of only 50 in the world with an estimated value of 37 – 44 million baht. It is the only one in Thailand. The ‘Liberty Walk’…

  • World NewsThailand offers amnesty to ‘little ghosts’ in South Korea

    Thailand offers amnesty to ‘little ghosts’ in South Korea

    The Thai government calls for all Thais working illegally in South Korea – known as ‘little ghosts‘ – to return to Thailand before February 28. Any little ghost who does not return to Thailand before this date will face a 30 million won fine (800,000 baht), warned the government. Today, government spokesperson Ratchada Thanadirek revealed that the South Korean Immigration…

  • Thailand NewsBangkok’s Jodd Fairs market is relocating

    Bangkok’s Jodd Fairs market is relocating

    Famous night market Jodd Fairs in the Rama 9 area of Bangkok will be relocating to Ratchada at the end of the year. The new night market is expected to open in January 2024. In November 2021, the famous Talat Rot Fai Ratchada (Train Night Market Ratchada) which permanently closed during the Covid-19 pandemic made a comeback under the rebranded…

  • Thailand NewsWater buffalo gores farmer to death in northeast Thailand

    Water buffalo gores farmer to death in northeast Thailand

    A female water buffalo in heat gored a farmer to death in Nakhon Nayok province in northeast Thailand yesterday. Officers at Ban Na Police Station were informed that a buffalo chased and killed a man at Village No. 7 in Ban Phrao subdistrict. Police and rescue workers from the Sawang Ariya Foundation travelled to the scene to investigate. Police found…

  • Thailand NewsThai police return 6.5 million baht Richard Mille watch to Vietnamese tourist

    Thai police return 6.5 million baht Richard Mille watch to Vietnamese tourist

    Not all Thai police are bad eggs as proven by Lumpini Police officers who managed to reunite a Vietnamese tourist with an expensive Richard Mille wristwatch that he lost in Bangkok on Wednesday night. A Vietnamese tourist took a taxi from a hotel in the Lumpini area of Bangkok to Asiatique on the river. Later on, he ordered a private…

  • Thailand NewsMurderer transports woman’s corpse to landfill site via motorbike in central Thailand

    Murderer transports woman’s corpse to landfill site via motorbike in central Thailand

    UPDATE After a woman’s corpse wrapped in a yellow blanket was found dumped at a landfill site in Prachin Buri province in central Thailand yesterday, police uncovered important CCTV footage of the murderer transporting her body via motorbike. Police believe the murder to be a result of a love triangle. At 4.39am on January 27, a man is pictured driving…

  • Thailand NewsWoman’s dead body tied up and dumped at landfill site in central Thailand

    Woman’s dead body tied up and dumped at landfill site in central Thailand

    Police launched a murder investigation today after a rubbish collector discovered the decaying body of a woman wrapped in a blanket and tied up with rope at a landfill site in Prachin Buri province in central Thailand. Officers at Rabo Phai Police Station were informed today that someone found a body wrapped in a blanket at the landfill site in…

  • Environment NewsUncontrollable landfill site fire in Samut Prakan worsens air quality

    Uncontrollable landfill site fire in Samut Prakan worsens air quality

    Bangkok, Thailand, has seen the worst air pollution levels of the year so far today. An uncontrollable fire raging for two days straight at a rubbish dump in Samut Prakan province, just south of the capital, has pumped more PM2.5 dust into the air. A fire has plagued a landfill site in the Phraeksa district since Tuesday night in an…

  • Thailand NewsNan FC youth players allegedly brutally attack 17 year old in Thailand

    Nan FC youth players allegedly brutally attack 17 year old in Thailand

    Several football players from Nan FC’s youth team in northern Thailand allegedly beat up a 17 year old and left him for dead at a petrol station on Sunday. At 1.30am on Sunday, 17 year old Somchai (pseudonym) was found badly injured and unconscious on the floor in front of the PT gas station at Sai Sawan Intersection in Mueang…

  • Thailand NewsBritish couple in Bangkok raise money for son born with rare illness

    British couple in Bangkok raise money for son born with rare illness

    A British couple living in Bangkok is raising £70,000 (2.85 million baht) to support the care of their five-month-old baby boy Finley who was born with an extremely rare illness. Finley Phillips was born with a rare chromosomal disorder that affects just 10 people worldwide. In the womb, Finley developed a duplication of chromosome 14 which has resulted in craniosynostosis…

  • Thailand NewsFruit vendor wins 30 million baht lottery jackpot in Thailand

    Fruit vendor wins 30 million baht lottery jackpot in Thailand

    A fruit vendor from the Rayong province in eastern Thailand won 30 million baht (US$916,310) in the government lottery yesterday. He says it will pay off his debt and pay for his children’s education. The new-found millionaire, 33 year old Phongpat Witheethep, was at the market in Pluak Daeng district where he sells fruit for a living when he spotted…

  • Environment NewsBangkok is third most polluted city in the world

    Bangkok is third most polluted city in the world

    Bangkok was ranked the third worst city in the world for air pollution after PM2.5 dust reached unhealthy levels. A heavy blanket of smog encased the capital’s skyscrapers as nationwide agricultural burning and forest fires pumped tiny dust particulates into the air, exacerbated by the city’s chockablock traffic and stone-dry weather. At 10am, Bangkok’s air quality index (AQI) measured 198,…

  • Thailand NewsSchool in Thailand under fire for transporting 100 boy scouts in articulated lorry

    School in Thailand under fire for transporting 100 boy scouts in articulated lorry

    A school in Nakhon Si Thammarat province, southern Thailand, is facing backlash after more than 100 boy scouts were crammed into an articulated lorry to go on a school trip. Netizens grew concerned after a clip of an 18-wheel articulated lorry carrying a truckload of children wearing boy scout uniforms circulated on social media. Yesterday, the director of Wat Lam…

  • Thailand News‘Not possible anyone else was involved’ in Leo Rex’s death in Thailand, says friend

    ‘Not possible anyone else was involved’ in Leo Rex’s death in Thailand, says friend

    UPDATE The friend who discovered the body of American fitness YouTuber ‘Leo Rex‘ aka ‘Leo and Longevity’ at his home in Pattaya, eastern Thailand, on Monday says it’s “not possible” anyone else was involved in his death. Charles Anthony Hughes – aka ‘Tony Huge’ – released a video statement about the death of 34 year old Laith Abdullah Algaz… “Yes,…

  • World News‘Unruly’ Italian passenger tied to her seat on Vistara flight

    ‘Unruly’ Italian passenger tied to her seat on Vistara flight

    Vistara cabin crew tied an ‘unruly’ Italian passenger to her seat after she allegedly became violent on a flight from Abu Dhabi to Mumbai in India on Monday. Airline staff alleged in a police complaint that 45 year old Paola Perruccio of Italian nationality assaulted a member of the cabin crew and spat on another mid-air. The complaint alleges that…