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.
  • Tourism NewsNok Air scraps only route to Mae Hong Son in northern Thailand

    Nok Air scraps only route to Mae Hong Son in northern Thailand

    Nok Air flights between Bangkok and Mae Hong Son Airport in northern Thailand will be discontinued on April 19. The province, home to the popular backpacker town Pai, will be only accessible by road since Nok Air was the only airline servicing the airport commercially. The airline said they can no longer fly the Don Mueang – Mae Hong Son…

  • Northern Thailand News6 elderly Thais killed in collision with soldier’s pickup truck filled with illegal cigarettes

    6 elderly Thais killed in collision with soldier’s pickup truck filled with illegal cigarettes

    Six elderly Thais were killed in a collision with a soldier’s pickup truck in Buriram province, northeast Thailand, this morning. The soldier – the only person to survive the crash – was carrying 257 sleeves of illegal cigarettes which he attempted to hide in the woods nearby. Six elderly Thais dressed in traditional outfits were on their way to set…

  • Thailand NewsForeigner slips and breaks his neck on mossy seawall steps at Thailand beach

    Foreigner slips and breaks his neck on mossy seawall steps at Thailand beach

    A 55 year old foreign man slipped on some mossy steps and “broke bones in his neck” at Cha-am Beach in Phetchaburi province, Thailand, his wife reported on Friday. On Friday, the Facebook page ‘Beach for life‘ was contacted by a Thai woman seeking justice for her foreign husband who is still being treated in hospital after an incident at…

  • World NewsYoung Thai-Italian man vanishes in Hong Kong

    Young Thai-Italian man vanishes in Hong Kong

    A mother from Nonthaburi, central Thailand, filed a missing person report yesterday for her Thai-Italian son who disappeared during a trip to Hong Kong last month, reports CH3. The young man, 22 year old Danilo “No” Benjakul, travelled from Thailand to Hong Kong with a friend on March 8 before disappearing without a trace, his 41 year old mother Chotika told reporters last…

  • Crime NewsKazakhstani tourist arrested for rampage on southern Thailand beach (video)

    Kazakhstani tourist arrested for rampage on southern Thailand beach (video)

    Police arrested a Kazakhstani tourist for attacking people and destroying property yesterday at Haad Rin Beach in Koh Pha Ngan, Surat Thani province, southern Thailand. Yesterday evening, Koh Pha Ngan Tourist Police were informed that a foreign tourist was “going crazy” at Haad Rin Beach, chasing and attacking locals and invading and destroying property at resorts and restaurants along the…

  • Crime NewsGang attacks Swedish tourist for defending waitress in Chiang Mai, Thailand | Thaiger

    Gang attacks Swedish tourist for defending waitress in Chiang Mai, Thailand

    A Swedish tourist was brutally attacked by a gang of young men after he tried to stop them from assaulting a waitress at a karaoke bar in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand, on Friday. The gang also stole the victim’s gold necklace before throwing him into a canal. Yesterday, police arrested three men of Tai Yai ethnicity (an ethnic group from Shan state…

  • Crime NewsThai man stabs wife 21 times before driving into Chao Phraya River

    Thai man stabs wife 21 times before driving into Chao Phraya River

    A Thai man stabbed his wife to death in Lopburi province, central Thailand, today before attempting to commit suicide by driving his Chevrolet pickup truck into the Chao Phraya River in Phra Nakhon Sri Ayutthaya province. However, the killer was saved by one of his relatives who happened to be fishing at the riverbank. This morning, officers at Ban Kum…

  • World NewsMissing Taiwanese student allegedly smuggled into Myanmar from Thailand

    Missing Taiwanese student allegedly smuggled into Myanmar from Thailand

    A female Taiwanese university student who went missing on March 29 is believed to be in Yangon, Myanmar, after flying to Bangkok, according to police in Taiwan. Police believe she fell victim to a human trafficking gang. There is no record of her leaving Thailand. The 20 year old student of Providence University, surnamed Lin, arrived in Yangon on March…

  • World NewsTour helicopter crash near Vietnam’s Ha Long Bay kills 5

    Tour helicopter crash near Vietnam’s Ha Long Bay kills 5

    A helicopter carrying four tourists on a sightseeing trip crashed in the Ha Long Bay area of northeast Vietnam on Wednesday evening. The body of the fifth and final victim of the crash was found this morning. The Bell-505 helicopter took off from Tuan Chau Island at 4.56pm local time and lost contact with air traffic control at 5.15pm, crashing…

  • World NewsEruption of violence in Myanmar sends thousands fleeing into Thailand

    Eruption of violence in Myanmar sends thousands fleeing into Thailand

    Thousands of refugees fled across the Moei River from Myanmar into temporary shelters in Tak province, northern Thailand, after a resurgence of violence between Myanmar’s military and rebel groups. KhaoSod reports that as many as 8,000 people have sought refuge in Tak’s Mae Sot and Mae Ramat districts, whereas the Bangkok Post reports that the number is more than 5,000.…

  • CannabisA first look at Cloud Nine: Bangkok’s retro-futuristic cannabis destination

    A first look at Cloud Nine: Bangkok’s retro-futuristic cannabis destination

    Thailand’s most ethereal cannabis dispensary, Cloud Nine, has officially opened its doors in Bangkok, right next to Terminal 21 shopping mall in Asoke. Kitted out with minimalist retro-futurist decor, sheer white drapes, clouds hanging from the ceiling, and luminous lighting with bursts of blue, Cloud Nine certainly lives up to its name. The cannabis connoisseurs here are invited to buy…

  • Tourism NewsThailand’s Koh Kradan voted best beach on earth

    Thailand’s Koh Kradan voted best beach on earth

    Thailand’s unspoiled Koh Kradan island off the coast of Trang province was ranked the best of the ‘Top 100 Beaches on Earth 2023‘ by the UK website World Beach Guide. Four other Thai beaches made the top 100 including Railay Beach in Krabi province (9), Freedom Beach in Phuket (18), Laem Beach on Koh Yao Yai island in Phang Nga…

  • Tourism NewsAgoda reveals top 5 cheapest tourist destinations in Thailand

    Agoda reveals top 5 cheapest tourist destinations in Thailand

    Khon Kaen – the capital of Isaan – is the cheapest tourist destination in Thailand, offering the most competitive room rates, according to online travel giant Agoda. The average going room rate in Khon Kaen on Agoda’s platform is 1,030 Thai baht (US$30). Joining Khon Kaen in the top five most affordable tourist destinations in Thailand – based on average room…

  • Crime NewsThai man holds 9 year old son hostage on overpass and threatens to jump

    Thai man holds 9 year old son hostage on overpass and threatens to jump

    A stressed Thai man held his nine year old son hostage and threatened to jump off an overpass over the Phetchkasem Road in Nakhon Pathom province in central Thailand yesterday, reports MGROnline. Radio Centre 191 received a report that a stressed man holding his nine year old son hostage might jump off an overpass in front of Ban Nong Hin…

  • Northern Thailand NewsThai monk does goal celebration after escaping military conscription (video)

    Thai monk does goal celebration after escaping military conscription (video)

    A Buddhist monk ran around the room like a celebrating footballer upon drawing a black card at a military conscription draftee selection event in Nakhon Ratchasima in northeast Thailand on Sunday, meaning that he won’t be required to serve in the military. Cheers erupted from the crowd when a black card was drawn for 24 year old Phra Phuwanai Gayputsa…

  • Thai LifeThai woman finds rat claw in chilli paste (video)

    Thai woman finds rat claw in chilli paste (video)

    A Thai woman was eating jaew bla ra (chilli paste with pickled fish) that she bought from a market in Prachin Buri province in central Thailand yesterday when she noticed a mysterious foot – with fingernails – floating in the sauce. She didn’t know what it was until netizens informed her that it looked like a rat claw. In a…

  • Crime News‘He survived the Boxing Day tsunami’: Family grieves for Australian resort owner killed on his birthday in Krabi

    ‘He survived the Boxing Day tsunami’: Family grieves for Australian resort owner killed on his birthday in Krabi

    UPDATE The Australian man who was tragically stabbed to death at the resort he owned in Krabi, southern Thailand, on his 57th birthday has been identified as Peter Heppell from Perth. The fatal attack happened on Sunday at Heppell’s resort in Khao Thong district, Melina’s Monkey House and Whale Bar, which he named after his daughter Melina who was swept away…

  • Crime NewsAustralian resort owner stabbed to death in Krabi, Thailand

    Australian resort owner stabbed to death in Krabi, Thailand

    An Australian man was stabbed to death at his resort in Krabi province, southern Thailand, on Sunday. The Thai husband of one of the victim’s former employees has confessed to the crime, police say. On Saturday evening, officers at Ao Nang Police Station were informed by staff at Krabi Hospital that a foreigner was stabbed to death at a resort…

  • World NewsPhuket Airport gains new direct flights to Vietnam and China

    Phuket Airport gains new direct flights to Vietnam and China

    Phuket International Airport in southern Thailand is gaining two new direct flights to China and Vietnam. The first is to Chongqing in China operated by Chongqing Airlines and the second is the first-ever service from Phuket to Hanoi in Vietnam serviced by VietJet. Chongqing Airlines’ inaugural flight OQ2093 landed on the runway in Phuket yesterday afternoon with 128 tourists on board,…

  • Crime NewsMaldivian tourist caught smuggling 25 live birds out of Thailand

    Maldivian tourist caught smuggling 25 live birds out of Thailand

    Officials at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok caught a tourist attempting to smuggle 25 exotic live birds out of Thailand on a flight to the Maldives yesterday morning, reports KhaoSod. Customs officials made quite the discovery when they inspected luggage destined to board flight PG711 to Malé in the Maldives at 9.20am, reported Prasert Sornsathapornkul, the Director of the Division for the…

  • Thailand NewsFamily desperate for young Brit in intensive care in Thailand to return home

    Family desperate for young Brit in intensive care in Thailand to return home

    The young British man who sustained life-threatening injuries in a motorbike crash in Thailand in February is still in intensive care in Bangkok and his family cannot afford to pay for his return home. The 24 year old ice hockey player from Blackburn, Josh Richardson, was in Thailand for less than 24 hours when he got into a motorbike collision…

  • Bangkok NewsGovernor Chadchart aims for no more than 6 deaths in Bangkok this Songkran

    Governor Chadchart aims for no more than 6 deaths in Bangkok this Songkran

    Governor of Bangkok Chadchart Sittipunt said that he hopes no more than six people will die during Songkran festivities in the capital of Thailand from April 13-15. Yesterday, Governor Chadchart chaired a meeting with Bangkok Alcoholic Beverage Control Committee to discuss measures to prevent alcohol-fuelled accidents, injuries, and deaths in Bangkok this Thai New Year. The committee will implement measures…

  • Crime NewsThree men who killed Chinese student in Thailand arrested in Wuhan

    Three men who killed Chinese student in Thailand arrested in Wuhan

    UPDATE Police in Wuhan, China, yesterday arrested the three men suspected of murdering a Chinese university student and dumping her body in a ditch in Nonthaburi, Thailand, on Thursday. Deputy national police chief Surachate “Big Joke” Hakparn has sent Thai immigration officers to Wuhan to assist in the Chinese police’s investigation. The young Chinese men are believed to have kidnapped…

  • Thailand NewsThailand’s lottery office stops paying out prizes with cash

    Thailand’s lottery office stops paying out prizes with cash

    Thailand‘s lucky lottery winners can no longer claim their prize in cash from the Government Lottery Office (GLO), effective immediately, according to an announcement by government deputy spokesperson Traisuree Traisorankul this weekend. If the winner’s prize exceeds 2 million baht, the GLO will transfer the money only to a Government Savings Bank account or an account with the Bank of Agriculture and…

  • Thailand NewsChiang Rai skywalk closed for repairs after glass panel shatters

    Chiang Rai skywalk closed for repairs after glass panel shatters

    If you were planning on standing on the Chiang Rai skywalk in northern Thailand to stare into a thick layer of hazardous dust this week, think again, because the tourist attraction is now closed for repairs after a piece of the glass floor shattered yesterday. Tourists standing 486 feet above sea level were terrified yesterday when a loud bang erupted…

  • Pattaya NewsStreet dog uncovers stash of Yaba pills in eastern Thailand

    Street dog uncovers stash of Yaba pills in eastern Thailand

    Locals rang the police when a street dog they call “Namtan” (brown sugar) ran down the street with a packet of over 1,000 Yaba (methamphetamine) pills in her mouth inthe Sattahip district of Chon Buri province, eastern Thailand on Thursday, reports NaewNa. The “soi dog” ripped apart and chewed the packet, which contained seven smaller packets with 1,160 pills of “crazy…

  • Crime NewsKidnappers flee Thailand after killing Chinese student

    Kidnappers flee Thailand after killing Chinese student

    Police believe that the three Chinese men suspected of kidnapping and killing a female Chinese university student, whose body was discovered in Nonthaburi province on Saturday, have already fled Thailand on a flight to Chengdu, China, reports CH7. On Saturday, a resident of Moo 6 in Bang Yai district discovered the body of 22 year old Jin Can, a third-year music…

  • Northern Thailand NewsChiang Mai ranks as most polluted city in the world for 9 days running

    Chiang Mai ranks as most polluted city in the world for 9 days running

    Northern Thailand continues to battle a thick layer of smog with Chiang Mai being ranked as the world’s most polluted city by PM2.5 rating for nine days in a row, according to the IQAir website, reports ThaiRath. The highest air quality index (AQI) value was found at the Health Hospital in Ban Khai Hospital in Mae Na Wang subdistrict, Mae…

  • Crime NewsShooting at Samut Sakhon prison in Thailand, 2 correctional officers dead

    Shooting at Samut Sakhon prison in Thailand, 2 correctional officers dead

    Two correctional officers – a married couple – were found dead at their residence inside Samut Sakhon Provincial Prison in central Thailand yesterday. Police suspect that the husband shot dead his wife before committing suicide. At 5pm, officers at Mueang Samut Sakhon Police Station were informed of a shooting inside an officer’s residence inside the prison in Moo 2, Ban…