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 NewsChildren falsely accuse village drunk of murdering 6 year old in central Thailand

    Children falsely accuse village drunk of murdering 6 year old in central Thailand

    Yesterday evening, a 6 year old boy drowned in a lake in Lopburi province in central Thailand. The boy’s 7 year old brother and 5 year old friend told police that an alcoholic man who lives nearby strangled the child and held his body under the water until he died. However, the police’s investigation reveals that the children’s accusation is…

  • Thailand NewsThailand’s second case of monkeypox recorded in Bangkok

    Thailand’s second case of monkeypox recorded in Bangkok

    A Thai man in Bangkok has tested positive for monkeypox, becoming Thailand’s second recorded case of the virus since the global outbreak began in May this year. At 2.30pm today, Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul revealed that the positive result from Wachira Hospital in Bangkok had been confirmed by the Ministry of Health. The 47 year old Thai man started…

  • Crime NewsThieves rob French millionaire’s house at gunpoint in northeast Thailand

    Thieves rob French millionaire’s house at gunpoint in northeast Thailand

    Four thieves armed with guns and knives broke into a French millionaire’s house in the northeastern province of Chaiyaphum in the early hours of Monday morning and robbed millions of baht’s worth of cash and assets. The single-story home in the Noen Sa-nga district is jointly owned by 39 year old Waritsara Poobkhonthot and her French husband Stephane Greco, the…

  • Thailand NewsElderly man hit with 10,000 baht electricity bill in central Thailand

    Elderly man hit with 10,000 baht electricity bill in central Thailand

    An 88 year old man from Kamphaeng Phet province in central Thailand couldn’t believe his eyes when his most recent electricity bill amounted to almost 10,000 baht. Family members and neighbours are contesting the bill on behalf of the old man, who had to take out a loan to pay for his electricity this month. Grandpa’s bill from the Metropolitan…

  • Crime NewsWanted Taiwanese call centre scammer extradited from Albania to Thailand

    Wanted Taiwanese call centre scammer extradited from Albania to Thailand

    A Taiwanese man wanted for allegedly scamming Thai victims from a call centre operation in Dubai arrived at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport yesterday afternoon to face Thailand’s justice system after being arrested in Albania in September. Tzu Yuan Kuo – or “Ayen” – was the “deputy leader” of a call centre gang scamming victims in Thailand, Japan and Malaysia from Dubai…

  • Thailand NewsPanphet’s mother ‘does not blame’ French Muay Thai fighter for her son’s death

    Panphet’s mother ‘does not blame’ French Muay Thai fighter for her son’s death

    The mother of Muay Thai fighter Panphet Phadungchai says she “does not blame” French Muay Thai fighter Anthony Durand for her son’s death and wants him to keep fighting. Anthony Durand announced his resignation from Muay Thai on Sunday, following the death of his opponent Panphet Phadungchai on Saturday. Panphet was knocked out by Anthony in the fifth round of…

  • Thailand NewsThai university researchers test wastewater for monkeypox at Bangkok airport

    Thai university researchers test wastewater for monkeypox at Bangkok airport

    Sewage at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport is being tested for the monkeypox virus by researchers from Naresuan University in the northern province of Phitsanulok. The tests can detect traces of the virus in wastewater immediately – even before the infected person begins to show symptoms – and could be used as a “budget surveillance measure” to catch and control local outbreaks…

  • Thailand TravelBangkok is No.1 most popular tourist destination on Agoda in 2022

    Bangkok is No.1 most popular tourist destination on Agoda in 2022

    Online travel booking platform Agoda reveals that Bangkok takes the No.1 spot as the world’s hottest holiday destination this year, according to its latest booking data assessment. The removal of Covid-19-related entry requirements such as Test & Go and the Thailand Pass is thought to have driven the City of Angels to the top of the list this summer. Pattaya…

  • Thailand NewsThailand says 40 year old smallpox vaccines are effective against monkeypox

    Thailand says 40 year old smallpox vaccines are effective against monkeypox

    Thailand has a stockpile of smallpox vaccines in cold storage which were produced more than 40 years ago in 1979 and 1980. Not only are the vaccines still effective against smallpox, but they are 85% effective against monkeypox too, according to Thailand’s Department of Medical Sciences (DMS). The vaccines could be used in the instance that the global monkeypox outbreak…

  • Crime NewsLoan shark avenges debtor with fermented fish in northern Thailand

    Loan shark avenges debtor with fermented fish in northern Thailand

    A loan creditor broke into a woman’s home in Phetchabun province, northern Thailand, and spread fermented fish all over her house and belongings. Police say the “loan gang” could be prosecuted for breaking and entering if they are found gill-ty of the crime. A 45 year old single mother filed a complaint at Bueng Sam Phan Police Station yesterday after…

  • Phuket NewsUPDATE: Health officials test 19 for monkeypox after contact with fugitive

    UPDATE: Health officials test 19 for monkeypox after contact with fugitive

    UPDATE: All 19 people who had close contact with Thailand’s first ever recorded monkeypox case have all tested negative for the monkeypox virus. All 19 people will isolate for a total of 21 days and will then be tested again to confirm they have not contracted the virus. The 27 year old Nigerian national travelled to Thailand eight months ago…

  • Thailand NewsGovernment scheme helps elderly Thais become social media influencers

    Government scheme helps elderly Thais become social media influencers

    More elderly Thais are using social media than ever before, but very few consider themselves ‘content creators.’ Government agency Thai Media Fund has started a digital training scheme to help Thailand’s aging population use the internet more effectively and generate their content, so they can use social media to turn their passions into profit. Almost 78% of Thailand’s 70 million…

  • Chiang Mai NewsBody of missing Thai – Belgian tourist found in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand

    Body of missing Thai – Belgian tourist found in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand

    Rescue teams have found the body of a Thai – Belgian tourist who went missing after a white water rafting accident in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand, on Friday. The body of 30 year old Nicholas Hinckxt was found in the Mae Taeng River in Mae Taeng district at around 2pm yesterday, some 10 kilometres away from where his boat capsized.…

  • Cannabis NewsThai police seize 200kg of smuggled cannabis but don’t know if it’s illegal

    Thai police seize 200kg of smuggled cannabis but don’t know if it’s illegal

    On Tuesday, police seized a huge amount of cannabis – 203 kilograms – which was smuggled into Thailand from Laos. Police arrested three Thai men in Bueng Kan province in northeast Thailand who picked up the cannabis on the border. Police don’t know what kind of punishment the men will be given, seeing as this is the first case of…

  • Thailand NewsUPDATE: Thailand’s first monkeypox case goes missing

    UPDATE: Thailand’s first monkeypox case goes missing

    UPDATE: The 27 year old man who tested positive for the monkeypox virus in Phuket has been missing since Wednesday, July 20 at 9.05pm, according to Phuket police. Despite Thai media widely reporting that the man escaped from the private hospital in Phuket where he initially presented with symptoms, he was actually staying at Patong Princess hotel when he went…

  • Thailand NewsBREAKING: Thailand’s first monkeypox case allegedly escapes Phuket hospital

    BREAKING: Thailand’s first monkeypox case allegedly escapes Phuket hospital

    Edit: Inaccuracies in this story have been corrected in a recent update. Thailand recorded its first case of monkeypox yesterday. During the night, the 27 year old Nigerian man allegedly escaped from a private hospital in Phuket and drove away in a white car. Officials are currently tracking him down but his whereabouts are unknown. At present, no further details…

  • Thailand NewsElephant stabs mahout to death with its tusks in southern Thailand

    Elephant stabs mahout to death with its tusks in southern Thailand

    An elephant stabbed its mahout – or elephant trainer – to death with its tusks yesterday morning in Nahkhon Si Thammarat province in southern Thailand. The elephant stood watch over the man’s corpse for hours, said police. Yesterday at 10.30am, officers from Chawang Police Station received a report that a man had died after he was pierced by his own…

  • Bangkok NewsBedraggled rats can’t cope in Bangkok floods

    Bedraggled rats can’t cope in Bangkok floods

    Even rats couldn’t cope with the treacherous knee-deep flash floods which struck several areas of Bangkok last night. Bedraggled rats piled up on top of each other on the side of Sukhumvit Road, which was hit particularly badly by the floods after hours of continuous and heavy rainfall. Rats are excellent swimmers and can tread water for up to three…

  • Thailand NewsFloods sweep pickup into dam in eastern Thailand, 1 survives and 2 missing

    Floods sweep pickup into dam in eastern Thailand, 1 survives and 2 missing

    Floods swept an ice delivery pickup truck into a dam in Chon Buri province, eastern Thailand, in the early hours of this morning. The driver managed to escape and swim to safety but two Burmese labourers are still missing. Police from Bo Win Police Station received a call at 5.30am to say that two people were missing after a vehicle…

  • World NewsWoman carries sharp knife onto Vietnam Airlines flight

    Woman carries sharp knife onto Vietnam Airlines flight

    A Vietnamese woman managed to get a sharp knife through airport security and aboard a domestic Vietnam Airlines flight on Monday. The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) has launched an investigation into the incident. An elderly lady is pictured peeling fruit with a sharp 20 centimetre knife on Vietnam Airlines flight VN208 from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi…

  • Crime NewsFour year old witness helps police catch gamblers in central Thailand

    Four year old witness helps police catch gamblers in central Thailand

    Police could not contain their laughter during an interview with a four year old witness to a crime in central Thailand yesterday. The innocent child gave police important information about a group of gamblers, including his parents, during a raid at a house in Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya province in central Thailand. Yesterday, police received a complaint that a group…

  • Thailand NewsUS upgrades Thailand to Tier 2 in human trafficking report, but…

    US upgrades Thailand to Tier 2 in human trafficking report, but…

    The US has promoted Thailand from the “Tier 2 Watch List” up to “Tier 2” in their annual Trafficking In Persons (TIP) Report, as confidently predicted by Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan back in May. However, Thailand still has a long way to go, according to the report. The report praised Thailand’s “significant efforts” to eliminate human trafficking, which include…

  • Phuket NewsElectric vehicles are now available to rent in Phuket, Thailand

    Electric vehicles are now available to rent in Phuket, Thailand

    Phuket has entered a new era of sustainability by welcoming the island’s first ever rentable 100% electric vehicle (EV). Tourists can rent the Nissan Leaf from SIXT Thailand and cruise around Phuket without producing any harmful emissions at all. SIXT Thailand partnered with InterContinental Phuket Resort on the project, who have installed a series of EV charging stations compatible with…

  • Environment NewsThailand’s iconic Maya Bay to temporarily close again

    Thailand’s iconic Maya Bay to temporarily close again

    Thailand’s iconic Maya Bay – located on Koh Pi Pi Leh in Krabi province – will be off-limits to tourists for the duration of August and September for another period of environmental restoration. The bay, made famous by “The Beach” starring Leonardo DiCaprio, reopened to tourists on January 1 after a three and a half year closure. All tourist activities…

  • Thailand NewsUPDATE: Two-faced kitten dies at 4 days old

    UPDATE: Two-faced kitten dies at 4 days old

    UPDATE: Two-faced kitten dies at 4 days old The newborn two-faced kitten who stole the hearts of Thai netizens yesterday sadly passed away at four days old. Tung Ngern and Tung Tong the Janus cat was born by a caesarian section in Lampang, northern Thailand, on Sunday afternoon. After a four-day fight, the kitten stopped breathing at 5.30am today. The…

  • Bangkok NewsUPDATE: Couple narrowly escapes death as steel beam falls onto Bangkok expressway

    UPDATE: Couple narrowly escapes death as steel beam falls onto Bangkok expressway

    UPDATE: The construction company responsible for the steel beam which fell onto a busy Bangkok expressway has agreed to pay 300,000 baht in compensation to the couple inside the pickup truck, which was flung into the air when it collided with the beam, as seen in the dashcam footage below. The couple – Sarawut Warapieng and Moree Warapieng – went…

  • Thailand NewsTwo-faced kitten born in northern Thailand

    Two-faced kitten born in northern Thailand

    A kitten with two faces was born in Lampang province, northern Thailand, on Sunday. Two-faced kittens – also known as “Janus cats” after the two-faced Roman god Janus – don’t generally live longer than a day. However, this tiny Janus kitten is doing considerably well so far and is drinking milk from both mouths, said the kitten’s owner. One side…

  • Bangkok NewsBangkok CCTV footage can now be accessed online

    Bangkok CCTV footage can now be accessed online

    The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration announced yesterday that accessing the capital’s CCTV footage is now easier than ever. CCTV footage can now be requested through two online channels – the CCTV Bangkok website and the Line account @CCTVBANGKOK. If you are involved in an accident or a crime victim in Bangkok, you are entitled to and may want to request public…

  • Thailand NewsFour-legged chicken turns heads at Big Bum Farm in northeast Thailand

    Four-legged chicken turns heads at Big Bum Farm in northeast Thailand

    A farmer in northeast Thailand discovered a four-legged hen in his coup and locals won’t leave it alone. The genetically unusual chicken is believed to bring good luck and might even reveal next month’s winning lottery numbers, according to locals, some of whom visit the chicken every day at – and this is no joke – “Big Bum Farm” in…

  • Thailand NewsThailand could generate up to US billion in tourism revenue next year, says TAT

    Thailand could generate up to US$65 billion in tourism revenue next year, says TAT

    Yesterday, the Tourism Authority of Thailand said the country’s tourism industry could generate up to US$65 billion, or 2.38 trillion baht, next year. The revenue could equate to around 80% of pre-pandemic tourism revenue, said Governor of the TAT Yuthasak Supasorn. Comparatively, the TAT expects Thailand to actualise 1.5 trillion baht in tourism revenue this year. Yuthasak expects Thailand to…