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.
  • Pattaya NewsMountain B fire claims 19th life, 23 year old woman dies in hospital

    Mountain B fire claims 19th life, 23 year old woman dies in hospital

    A 23 year old woman injured in the Mountain B nightclub fire in Chon Buri’s Sattahip district on August 5 passed away at Chon Buri hospital at 2.50am today – leaving her five year old daughter without a mother or father. The fire, which has now claimed 19 lives and 26 people who are still receiving treatment in hospital, also…

  • Crime NewsTenant fined 140,000 baht for keeping dog in Bangkok condominium

    Tenant fined 140,000 baht for keeping dog in Bangkok condominium

    South Bangkok Criminal Court has ruled that a tenant who violated condominium rules by keeping a dog in the apartment must pay a 141,500 baht fine and interest of 5% per year until the sum is paid in full. The decision comes after the condo filed a lawsuit against the dog owner in December last year. On top of the…

  • Thailand Protest News‘Democracy Must Go On:’ Protestors have three demands for Thailand’s government

    ‘Democracy Must Go On:’ Protestors have three demands for Thailand’s government

    Hundreds of pro-democracy demonstrators gathered at the Naga Courtyard at Thammasat University’s Rangsit campus in Pathum Thani province, central Thailand, yesterday to join a peaceful rally hosted by the student council entitled ‘Democracy Must Go On.’ Protestors demand three things from the Thai government… Resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha A people’s constitution Reformation of the monarchy under a democratic…

  • Pattaya NewsDeath toll of Mountain B fire rises to 17

    Death toll of Mountain B fire rises to 17

    Another person injured in the Mountain B fire died in hospital this morning, raising the total death toll of the tragedy to 17. The blaze which swept through the nightclub in Sattahip district, Chon Buri province, happened a week ago today. Lt. Cl. Palitdet Chumngern, a marine in the Royal Thai Navy, died at 7.54am this morning at Sririraj Hospital,…

  • Thailand NewsUPDATE: Thailand introduces fine for not wearing seat belt in the back seat

    UPDATE: Thailand introduces fine for not wearing seat belt in the back seat

    UPDATE: The Royal Thai Police will go easy on people who break the new seat belt law “in the early phase” according to Deputy Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Bureau Pol. Maj. Gen. Jirasan Kaewsaeng-ek. The officer confirmed yesterday that from September 5, the driver and all passengers – including those in the back seat – are required by law…

  • Thailand Protest NewsAmnesty International urges Thailand to free activists and return bail rights

    Amnesty International urges Thailand to free activists and return bail rights

    Amnesty International is urging Thailand to free all political prisoners, drop all current allegations made against activists and return bail rights to activists who get arrested. The requests are detailed in a letter signed by 4,701 people addressed to Justice Minister Somsak Thepsuthin. Amnesty International UK ran a campaign to gain support for the letter. Amnesty International Thailand gathered at…

  • Pattaya NewsMountain B fire death toll rises to 16

    Mountain B fire death toll rises to 16

    The Mountain B tragedy continues as another person injured in the fire dies in hospital. A 23 year old man identified as Sittichai Ouilert died at Chon Buri hospital at 10.21pm yesterday, after he was caught in the fire which swept through a Chon Buri nightclub on Thursday night. A total of 13 people died at the scene in the…

  • Thailand Weather UpdatesTropical storm ‘Mulan’ to hit several provinces of Thailand between August 11-13

    Tropical storm ‘Mulan’ to hit several provinces of Thailand between August 11-13

    Tropical storm “Mulan” which started at 4am this morning in the upper South China Sea is headed for Thailand, according to the Meteorological Department. The storm is travelling at 20 kilometres per hour and is expected to hit China’s Hainan island first, then Vietnam and then arrive in Thailand as soon as tomorrow. As a result, northern Thailand and some…

  • Thailand NewsToad travels from Thailand to Wales in student’s suitcase

    Toad travels from Thailand to Wales in student’s suitcase

    A university student was toad-ally shocked when an unfamiliar amphibian jumped out of her suitcase in Cardiff, Wales, in the UK, having travelled over 6,000 miles from Thailand. Hannah Turian recently completed her second year studying psychology at Cardiff University and went to Thailand to volunteer in a school during the summer break. After travelling for 35 hours, she finally…

  • Visa InformationCCSA to consider extending Thailand tourist visa on arrival to 45 days

    CCSA to consider extending Thailand tourist visa on arrival to 45 days

    Tourists might soon be granted a visa on arrival/visa exemption which allows them to stay in Thailand for a maximum of 45 days. Currently, passport holders of certain countries are granted 30 day visa exemptions on arrival, and others are granted visas on arrival with a maximum stay of 15 days. The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) will propose the…

  • Crime NewsPoliceman poses as Buddhist monk to trick drug dealers in central Thailand

    Policeman poses as Buddhist monk to trick drug dealers in central Thailand

    A policeman swapped his tight, zip-up uniform for saffron robes last week in a cunning plan to lure two drug dealers to arrest in Ratchaburi province, central Thailand – but he also broke the law in doing so. Villagers in Ban Pong district complained to police that Ya Ba, a cheap version of Methenamine, was being sold at a famous…

  • Thailand NewsLocal hero predicts building collapse, saves countless lives in eastern Thailand

    Local hero predicts building collapse, saves countless lives in eastern Thailand

    A man from the Sattahip district in Chon Buri province saved countless lives on Saturday when he warned residents to quickly evacuate the precarious row of four townhouses on Soi Wat Noi road. The alert neighbour, 50 year old Saneh Wongpoon, heard creaking noises coming from his ceiling and noticed a part of the roof caving in. The row of…

  • World NewsSeoul sees worst floods in 80 years, 7 dead, 6 missing

    Seoul sees worst floods in 80 years, 7 dead, 6 missing

    Seoul and surrounding areas are inundated with water after one of the heaviest rain storms in 80 years hit the South Korean capital last night. At least seven people have died and at least six people are missing. At least five people died in Seoul and two others in neighbouring Gyeonggi province, according to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures…

  • Northern Thailand NewsUPDATE: Sexy Thai model fined 5,000 baht for dancing topless in club

    UPDATE: Sexy Thai model fined 5,000 baht for dancing topless in club

    UPDATE: Thai model and DJ “Oil Kissyface” has been slapped with another 5,000 baht for more sexy antics. Oil was previously fined 5,000 baht under the Public Obscenity Act after a video of her dancing topless at a nightclub in Khon Kaen last week went viral on social media. After news of her fine caught the nation’s attention today, another…

  • Pattaya NewsCourt releases Mountain B owner on bail for 300k baht following fire in eastern Thailand

    Court releases Mountain B owner on bail for 300k baht following fire in eastern Thailand

    Today, Pattaya Provincial Court released “Sia B” – the 27 year old owner of Mountain B pub – on bail for 300,000 baht. He was arrested on Saturday following the tragic fire that struck Mountain B pub in Sattahip district of Chon Buri province on Friday, killing 15 people in total and injuring 40 more. Sia B was released on…

  • World NewsNigerian monkeypox case who fled Thailand is banned from Cambodia for 3 years

    Nigerian monkeypox case who fled Thailand is banned from Cambodia for 3 years

    Cambodia has ordered the deportation of a 27 year old Nigerian man who recently recovered from monkeypox. The man originally fled Thailand last month, after testing positive for the virus, and because he had overstayed his education visa, which expired in January. Cambodian immigration announced yesterday that he had recovered and they planned to send him back to Nigeria soon.…

  • Thailand NewsBlood pours from Thai man’s mouth who chewed pork skewer with blades inside it

    Blood pours from Thai man’s mouth who chewed pork skewer with blades inside it

    Blood poured from a man’s mouth after he chewed a skewer of grilled pork yesterday in the Samut Prakan province in central Thailand. He found several pieces of sharp cutter blades inside the meat, which he bought from a vendor in Phra Pradaeng district. The 29 year old man, Tongpoon, bought two skewers of grilled pork – or “Moo Ping”…

  • Crime NewsKaren woman stabbed to death in central Thailand

    Karen woman stabbed to death in central Thailand

    A Karen woman was found dead lying in a pool of blood outside of a condo building in Nonthaburi province yesterday at 11pm. Police said she had been stabbed in the neck with a knife. Officers from Bang Bua Thong Police Station, doctors from the Institute of Forensic Sciences, and rescue workers from the Ruamkatanyu Foundation were called to the…

  • Pattaya NewsCheap sound absorption panels believed to be cause of Mountain B fire

    Cheap sound absorption panels believed to be cause of Mountain B fire

    Cheap and flammable sound absorption panels are thought to have caused the tragic fire at Mountain B nightclub in Sattahip district, Chon Buri province, on Thursday night. The total death toll rose to 15 after a man injured in the fire died in hospital on Saturday. Around 40 people were injured in total. The owners of Mountain B soundproofed the…

  • South Thailand News4,000 Muslims protest against construction of Kuan Yin statue in southern Thailand

    4,000 Muslims protest against construction of Kuan Yin statue in southern Thailand

    More than 4,000 Muslims gathered yesterday to protest against the construction of the largest Kuan Yin statue in the world on Khao Lon mountain in Songkhla province, southern Thailand. President of the Islamic Committee of Songkhla Province Sakkriya Bilsal alongside an imam from every mosque in the province were among those opposing the construction of the 200-metre-tall statue of a…

  • Pattaya NewsUPDATE: Chon Buri nightclub blaze kills 13 & injures 41 people

    UPDATE: Chon Buri nightclub blaze kills 13 & injures 41 people

    UPDATE: The Thai government has confirmed that Mountain B pub, which was struck by a devastating fire last night, was open without a license. Police reported that the pub owner, Pongsiri [surname reserved] was arrested on July 16 this year for opening Mountain B without a license and for opening beyond the times permitted by law. An initial investigation reveals…

  • Pattaya NewsThai PM Prayut orders safety inspections of entertainment venues after Mountain B fire

    Thai PM Prayut orders safety inspections of entertainment venues after Mountain B fire

    Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has ordered government agencies to conduct safety inspections of entertainment venues following the devastating fire last night at Mountain B pub on Sukhumvit Road in Sattahip district of Chon Buri province, killing 13 people and injuring at least 41 more. PM Prayut has ordered the relevant agencies to work with the pub owner to assist…

  • Visa InformationThailand’s Entry Requirements August 2022

    Thailand’s Entry Requirements August 2022

    Travelling to Thailand in August 2022? Here’s everything you need to know before you go. If you’re planning to stay in the kingdom for less than 30 days, and you hold a passport from one of these 64 countries, you don’t need a visa to enter Thailand. Tourists are no longer required to apply for Thailand Pass or buy health…

  • Politics NewsThai university students to hold protest on August 10 despite government ban

    Thai university students to hold protest on August 10 despite government ban

    Students of Thammasat University will hold a protest on August 10 at the university’s Rangsit campus, just north of Bangkok in Pathum Thani province, despite the Thai government’s ban on protests. A new ban on public gatherings was published in the Royal Gazette on Monday to “prevent the spread of Covid-19.” The controversial ban on protests is permitted under the…

  • Pattaya NewsVIDEO: European tourist roams around Pattaya stark naked | Thaiger

    VIDEO: European tourist roams around Pattaya stark naked

    Just another day in Pattaya. Onlookers were dismayed when a European man wearing nothing but a bum bag casually strolled down a busy street in Pattaya’s Bang Lamung district at around midnight last night. The naked tourist had nothing on but a fanny pack and a camera slung over his shoulder. South Pattaya police said the naked man spat on…

  • Thailand NewsMan goes fishing in the road to prove a point in northeast Thailand

    Man goes fishing in the road to prove a point in northeast Thailand

    A man from Nakhon Ratchasima province, northeast Thailand, sarcastically grabbed his fishing rod and launched it into a pond-sized pothole this morning in an attempt to bring attention to the sorry state of road affairs in Non Man Thet village. The village has been waiting over 10 years for the road to be repaired and he has had enough. The…

  • Transport NewsChiang Rai Airport to stay closed until August 6 following Nok Air incident

    Chiang Rai Airport to stay closed until August 6 following Nok Air incident

    The Nok Air plane which skidded off Chiang Rai Airport’s runway during landing on Saturday night was finally lifted out of the mud and removed at 4am today, but the airport will remain closed until August 6 due to poor safety standards. The incident sparked a safety inspection by the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT), which found that the…

  • Crime NewsUndercover policeman arrested for selling meth to teenagers in northeast Thailand

    Undercover policeman arrested for selling meth to teenagers in northeast Thailand

    Police in Maha Sarakham province in northeast Thailand arrested a man yesterday for selling Yaba (“crazy drug”) – branded methamphetamine pills cut with caffeine – to teenagers in the Kantharawichai district. Turns out the drug dealer is an undercover policeman. Yesterday, officers from the Royal Thai Police and Maha Sarakaham Provincial Special Operations Unit closed in on a hut in…

  • GuidesWhat to do if you get bitten by a snake in Thailand

    What to do if you get bitten by a snake in Thailand

    Tropical Thailand is home to over 200 species of snakes, more than 60 of which are considered venomous and a danger to humans. Snakes don’t usually attack unless provoked or threatened, but it doesn’t hurt to be aware of how to deal with a snake bite if you live or are travelling to the Land of Sssmiles. The way a…

  • Phuket NewsGerman tourist tests positive for monkeypox in Phuket, Thailand

    German tourist tests positive for monkeypox in Phuket, Thailand

    A German man has tested positive for monkeypox in Phuket, becoming Thailand’s third recorded case of the virus since the global outbreak began. The 25 year old German tourist travelled to Thailand on July 18 for a holiday in Phuket. Shortly after arriving in the kingdom, he began presenting with monkeypox symptoms. At first, the man developed a fever and…