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.
  • World NewsRussian tourist to be deported from Bali for naked pic on sacred mountain

    Russian tourist to be deported from Bali for naked pic on sacred mountain

    A Russian man is to be deported from Indonesia after posting a photo of himself on social media standing on a sacred mountain in Bali with his pants around his ankles. Mount Agung – an active volcano – is the highest point in Bali and is especially sacred to Hindus, who believe it to be a replica of Mount Meru,…

  • Thai LifeThai monk throws money from the sky to celebrate his birthday (video)

    Thai monk throws money from the sky to celebrate his birthday (video)

    A Thai Buddhist monk ascended into the air on a crane and threw 150,000 baht cash to attendees of his birthday party at a temple in Surin province in northeast Thailand on Tuesday. To celebrate his 46th birthday and 24th year in the monkhood, Phra Khru Phot Suwannarat – aka Luang Phor Kaen – hired a crane to hoist him…

  • Thailand NewsFrench woman missing in dense jungle on Koh Adang, southern Thailand

    French woman missing in dense jungle on Koh Adang, southern Thailand

    A search party has been launched after a French woman went missing in the jungle on Koh Adang island in Satun province in southern Thailand yesterday, reports the Phuket Express. The tourist, 29 year old Claire Maire Theophane Drapeau, was last spotted veering off the trail into the jungle near a viewpoint on the island sometime yesterday. Satun Police were notified…

  • Tourism NewsTake a Thai history trip on a cute Japanese train

    Take a Thai history trip on a cute Japanese train

    The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) has organised a rail travel tourism programme under the concept of “retrace history,” serviced by cute KIHA 183 passenger trains recently donated by Japan, according to an announcement by government spokesperson Anucha Burapachaisri. The SRT has arranged the following programme in April to give tourists a new, educational experience and insight into Thailand’s history…

  • Visa InformationElderly British man overstays visa in Thailand by 11 years

    Elderly British man overstays visa in Thailand by 11 years

    Immigration Police arrested a 76 year old British man in Bangkok who overstayed his visa in Thailand by a total of 4,142 days (11.3 years), reports KhaoSod. Thailand’s immigration authorities are taking their latest crackdown on foreign overstayers in the kingdom seriously – catching a British national who managed to slip through their net for more than a decade. He might…

  • Thailand NewsStudio Ghibli co-founder accused of spending company funds on Thai girlfriend

    Studio Ghibli co-founder accused of spending company funds on Thai girlfriend

    Studio Ghibli co-founder Toshio Suzuki is caught up in a scandal after being accused of spending the Japanese animation studio’s money on his Thai girlfriend “Kanyada,” who he has been seeing since 2013. The current president of the company, Koji Hoshino, said he is retiring from the company at the end of June due to Suzuki’s misappropriation of company funds…

  • Crime NewsAustralian arrested over Phuket restaurant brawl

    Australian arrested over Phuket restaurant brawl

    UPDATE Police arrested an Australian man for his involvement in the brawl that broke out between foreign staff and foreign customers at Atlas Restaurant in the Patong area of Phuket in southern Thailand early on Monday morning, reports the Phuket Express. Police arrested 34 year old “Karen” of Australian nationality who admitted to starting the fight by throwing a bottle at the…

  • Bangkok NewsShake Shack opens for business in Thailand

    Shake Shack opens for business in Thailand

    World-famous New York burger joint Shake Shack opened its flagship Thailand store at CentralWorld in Bangkok at 10.30am today. The first 500 customers at the store this morning were given handcrafted bamboo Shake Shack fans woven by a community enterprise in Ayutthaya, ready for the summer season. The restaurant’s menu offers American classics like burgers, hot dogs, chicken, fries and also…

  • Crime NewsBody of loan shark found in Thailand river, 7 baht of gold jewellery missing

    Body of loan shark found in Thailand river, 7 baht of gold jewellery missing

    The body of a Thai woman missing for three days was recovered from a river in Chumphon province in southern Thailand yesterday. The gold jewellery she usually wears, worth 220,000 baht, was missing. The deceased – 32 year old Chadathip – ran a loan business and never returned from an appointment she made to chase money from a debtor on…

  • Pattaya NewsPolice detain naked German man on Pattaya Beach

    Police detain naked German man on Pattaya Beach

    A stark naked German man scaring tourists on Pattaya Beach in Chon Buri province, eastern Thailand, was detained and charged by police yesterday, reports DailyNews. Officers from Pattaya City Police Station were informed that a tall foreign man was exhibiting himself on Pattaya Beach, horrifying beachgoers at the busy tourist spot. Police hurried down to the beach to find 63…

  • Northern Thailand NewsRaging wildfire engulfs mountains in northeast Thailand

    Raging wildfire engulfs mountains in northeast Thailand

    A wildfire that started on Khao Chaplu mountain in Nakhon Nayok province in northeast Thailand on Tuesday has spread to engulf 700 rai of land on several mountains in Khao Laem, Khao Kaew and Khao Tabak. Strong winds blew the flames to the peak of Khao Laem mountain yesterday, which looks like an erupting volcano in photos taken from behind…

  • Crime NewsThai woman dies 6 hours after breast surgery, lawyer says clinic doesn’t have license

    Thai woman dies 6 hours after breast surgery, lawyer says clinic doesn’t have license

    UPDATE Police have launched an investigation into Marichche Clinic in Pak Kret district of Nonthaburi province near Bangkok in central Thailand after a customer lost consciousness and died just six hours after her breast augmentation surgery was completed on March 23. Chatri Pinyai, a lawyer of the Department of Health’s legal division, says that breast augmentation is considered a major…

  • Thailand NewsChinese man crushed to death by hydraulic press at factory in Thailand

    Chinese man crushed to death by hydraulic press at factory in Thailand

    A Chinese man died yesterday when his head was crushed by a rubber moulding hydraulic press machine he was repairing at a tire factory in Rayong province in eastern Thailand. At 7.56pm, a 35 year old Chinese mechanic was repairing the machine when something went wrong and the press came down and crushed his head. The mechanic was rushed to Pluak…

  • Visa InformationWhat’s happening with Thailand’s 45 day visa exemption policy?

    What’s happening with Thailand’s 45 day visa exemption policy?

    The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) wants to see 45-day visa-free stays for tourists from 64 countries extended until the end of 2023 to boost tourism recovery. The TAT proposed the extension in January, but the policy is set to end this Friday, March 31, and the Cabinet still hasn’t reached a decision on whether it will be continued, the…

  • Cannabis NewsForeigner deported from China for using cannabis in Thailand

    Foreigner deported from China for using cannabis in Thailand

    A foreigner of unknown nationality was allegedly deported from Shanghai, China, for testing positive for cannabis upon returning from Thailand, where marijuana is legal, according to That’sMag. Getting high is normal in Thailand since cannabis was decriminalised almost a year ago. But China doesn’t share Thailand’s liberal stance on the psychoactive plant. According to the British Consulate-General Shanghai… “Police drug…

  • Crime NewsJealous Thai man slits wife’s throat with machete for ‘talking to another man on the phone’

    Jealous Thai man slits wife’s throat with machete for ‘talking to another man on the phone’

    A Thai man coldly murdered his wife with a machete in Krabi province in southern Thailand yesterday. He said he slit her throat out of rage because she was “topless and talking to another man on the phone.” Then he fled the scene. Police tracked down and arrested 50 year old Prachuap Nuanchan at a shrimp farm in Pak Trae…

  • Phuket NewsDutch woman arrested at Phuket Airport for illegally entering Thailand

    Dutch woman arrested at Phuket Airport for illegally entering Thailand

    A 28 year old Dutch woman was arrested at Phuket International Airport on the weekend for entering and staying in Thailand without permission or a visa. The unnamed woman was taken to Sakhu Police Station to face charges of entering and staying in Thailand illegally. It’s not clear how she managed to enter the kingdom. Under Phuket Immigration’s new yellow…

  • Crime NewsThai man beheads his uncle

    Thai man beheads his uncle

    A Thai man murdered and beheaded his biological uncle yesterday in Songkhla province in southern Thailand. At 8am, officers at Rattaphum Police Station received a report of a murder behind a house in Khao Phra subdistrict. Police found the body of 56 year old Wasana [surname withheld] lying on his side. The deceased’s head was missing and nowhere to be…

  • Thai LifeThai aunty sends underground lottery numbers to police group chat by mistake, gets arrested for gambling

    Thai aunty sends underground lottery numbers to police group chat by mistake, gets arrested for gambling

    Police arrested a 69 year old aunty from Trat province, eastern Thailand, for gambling after she sent her desired underground lottery numbers to the wrong group chat on Line. She sent the picture to the police. On Friday, the Line group “Smart Safety Zone Mueang Trat Police Station” – which has 439 members – received a suspicious message from 69…

  • Crime NewsThai man brutally murders ex-girlfriend in restaurant after failing to win her back

    Thai man brutally murders ex-girlfriend in restaurant after failing to win her back

    A Thai man brutally murdered his ex-girlfriend in the middle of a restaurant in Trat province, eastern Thailand, this morning after failing to win her back. Two more people were injured in the attack. The victim jumped out of her second floor window and ran into the khao man gai (chicken and rice) restaurant where she worked as a waitress in…

  • Crime News11 Thai nationals rescued from brothels in India

    11 Thai nationals rescued from brothels in India

    In a sting operation on Sunday, police raided two prostitution rings disguised as spas in Chandigarh, India, and rescued 18 women, 11 of whom were Thai nationals, reports the IndianExpress. Four men were arrested. After locals complained of brothels operating in the area, police sent decoy customers to enquire about ‘services’ at two locations: Golden Leaf Spa and Pyramid Spa.…

  • Tourism NewsTourists in Thailand urged to download ‘Tourist Police i lert u’ app

    Tourists in Thailand urged to download ‘Tourist Police i lert u’ app

    Foreign tourists in Thailand are advised to download the app “Tourist Police i lert u” which they can use to quickly and conveniently contact the police in case of an emergency, according to government spokesperson Rachada Dhnadirek. Not to be confused with the Thai version of the app, “police i lert u,” the tourist version of the app is available…

  • Crime NewsPolice arrest Mongolian thieves preying on tourists at Suvarnabhumi Airport

    Police arrest Mongolian thieves preying on tourists at Suvarnabhumi Airport

    Police arrested Mongolian thieves repeatedly preying on and stealing from tourists at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, Thailand. Yesterday at 3pm, the Director of Suvarnabhumi Airport, Kittipong Kittikachorn, held a joint press conference with Suvarnabhumi Airport Police to announce the arrests of three members of a Mongolian gang operating at Thailand’s largest airport. Under arrest warrants from Samut Prakan Provincial Court,…

  • Crime NewsIndian man overstays visa in Thailand by 2,048 days

    Indian man overstays visa in Thailand by 2,048 days

    Immigration police arrested an Indian national in Chon Buri province, eastern Thailand, found to have overstayed his visa by 2,048 days (more than five and a half years). Police believe he is part of a call centre gang, reports KhaoSod. The police stopped 38 year old Jatinder Singh – who resides in the Na Jomtien area of Sattahip district –…

  • Crime NewsBrawl erupts between foreign staff and foreign tourists at Phuket restaurant (video)

    Brawl erupts between foreign staff and foreign tourists at Phuket restaurant (video)

    A violent brawl erupted between three foreign staff members at a restaurant in the Patong area of Phuket, southern Thailand, and five drunk foreign tourists in the early hours of this morning. Partygoers notified Patong Police Station that a group of foreign tourists and a group of foreign restaurant staff were attacking each other with chairs at Atlas Restaurant on…

  • Thailand NewsFrenchman lost in Thailand forest has been found

    Frenchman lost in Thailand forest has been found

    UPDATE The missing Frenchman lost in the forest around Khao Eto Mountain in Prachin Buri province in central Thailand was found this morning. The search party scoured the forests all night for Sierra Gamache – who NationTV reports as 73 years old and not 70 years old as reported by DailyNews – after he got lost on his way down the…

  • Cannabis NewsThai man sets ‘high’ score for fastest joint roller at Phuket’s Cannabis Cup

    Thai man sets ‘high’ score for fastest joint roller at Phuket’s Cannabis Cup

    As cannabis remains one of the nation’s hottest political issues in Thailand prior to the election in May, one Thai man won 5,000 baht for rolling a perfect one-gramme joint in just 43 seconds at the first-ever Cannabis Cup in Phuket on Saturday, reports Reuters. Hailed the fastest joint roller in all of Phuket, 30 year old Phuketian Ativat Janmuangthai won…

  • Thailand Weather UpdatesThailand weather forecast: Hot and stormy

    Thailand weather forecast: Hot and stormy

    Much of Thailand can expect hot weather and summer storms in the next 24 hours, with temperatures hitting highs of 39 degrees Celsius in Bangkok, according to the Meteorological Department. Northern Thailand is expected to be hot and hazy today. In Chiang Mai, the air quality index (AQI) was measured at a ‘very unhealthy’ 220 this morning, 33.9x higher than…

  • Koh Samui NewsMurky water at Koh Samui beach caused by plankton bloom, not oil spill: officials

    Murky water at Koh Samui beach caused by plankton bloom, not oil spill: officials

    UPDATE The smelly, murky water putting off tourists from swimming in the sea at Maenam Beach in Koh Samui, southern Thailand, is not an oil spill but caused by a plankton bloom, which is a natural phenomenon, according to the Director of Koh Samui Harbour Authority, Arun Buppako. The photos circulating of green murky water at the beach show dead…

  • Thailand NewsItalian man impaled and killed by forklift in Thailand

    Italian man impaled and killed by forklift in Thailand

    An Italian man tragically died this morning after he was impaled by a forklift in Samut Prakan province, just south of Bangkok in central Thailand, near the factory where he worked as sales manager. He was riding a motorbike taxi when the incident happened, reports ThaiRath. At 10am, officers at Samrong Nuea Police Station were informed of a fatal collision between…