leah

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 NewsNok Air to launch flights between Bangkok and Hyderabad

    Nok Air to launch flights between Bangkok and Hyderabad

    Budget airline Nok Air will launch direct flights between Bangkok in Thailand and Hyderabad in India on February 19, 2023. A state-of-the-art Boeing 737-800 aircraft with 189 Economy Class seats will service the nonstop route from Don Mueang International Airport to Rajiv Gandhi International Airport four times per week. Flight DD959 will take off from Hyderabad at 00.45am on Mondays,…

  • Bangkok NewsBangkok taxi fare increase effective today

    Bangkok taxi fare increase effective today

    Bangkok taxi fares will increase to a minimum fare of 40 baht today after staying at 35 baht for 30 years. The increased fare, which applies to Bangkok registered taxis with no more than seven seats, is effective today according to its announcement in the Royal Gazette yesterday. However, passengers may not notice a rise in fares straight away as…

  • Thailand NewsJeep plunges down mountainside in Thailand, driver dies, 5 Israeli tourists survive

    Jeep plunges down mountainside in Thailand, driver dies, 5 Israeli tourists survive

    A jeep tumbled 30 metres down a mountainside and into a river yesterday in Chiang Rai province in northern Thailand. The Thai driver died in the accident and five Israeli tourists survived with injuries. At 2pm yesterday, officers at Mueang Chiang Rai Police Station were informed that a fatal car crash occurred near the entrance of an Akha Pang Klang…

  • Thailand News3 million baht raised for British woman who fell from balcony in Thailand

    3 million baht raised for British woman who fell from balcony in Thailand

    A GoFundMe appeal raised nearly 3 million baht (£73,500) to cover the medical costs of a 21 year old British woman who sustained serious injuries after falling from a low balcony in Koh Pha Ngan in southern Thailand on New Year’s Eve. Maddi Neale-Shankster, a beauty therapist from Coventry in England, suffered a broken back, two collapsed lungs, and her…

  • Crime NewsInternational school teacher accused of molesting kindergarten pupil in Koh Samui

    International school teacher accused of molesting kindergarten pupil in Koh Samui

    A teacher at an international school in Koh Samui in Surat Thani province, southern Thailand, has been accused of molesting a kindergarten pupil. Deputy Commissioner of the Royal Thai Police Pol. Maj. Gen. Surchate “Big Joke” Hakparn travelled to the island yesterday to attend a meeting about the progress of the case so far. The parents of a kindergarten student…

  • Tourism NewsThailand Tourism Ministry strives for 80 million international tourists in 2027

    Thailand Tourism Ministry strives for 80 million international tourists in 2027

    Thailand‘s Ministry of Tourism and Sports set a sky-high target of 80 million international tourists in the kingdom by 2027. The target exceeds Thailand’s current total population of 69 million. To frame the ambitious figure, pre-pandemic Thailand welcomed an average of 40 million international tourists per year. In 2022, Thailand welcomed 11.5 million international arrivals, exceeding the Tourism Authority of…

  • Thailand News85% of restaurants at Suvarnabhumi Airport are ‘Clean Food, Good Taste’ certified

    85% of restaurants at Suvarnabhumi Airport are ‘Clean Food, Good Taste’ certified

    Thailand‘s Department of Health certified 85% of restaurants in the passenger terminal at Suvarnabhumi Airport as having “Clean Food, Good Taste,” according to the department’s director-general Suwanchai Wattana. Suwanchai congratulated the operators of 58 restaurants (85.29% of restaurants in the terminal) who passed the health and safety standard with flying colours at an award ceremony yesterday. Any hungry passengers waiting…

  • Thailand NewsEntrepreneur killed in motorbike crash in Thailand

    Entrepreneur killed in motorbike crash in Thailand

    Little is known about the death of award-winning entrepreneur and philanthropist Eli Ostreicher, who was killed in a motorbike accident in Thailand, yesterday at 39 years old. Reports say the accident happened in Bangkok. Eli Ostreicher was born in London’s Hasidic community and later moved to New York City, where he ran five companies including one of his most successful…

  • South Thailand NewsInsurgents kill defence volunteer in southern Thailand, 2 injured

    Insurgents kill defence volunteer in southern Thailand, 2 injured

    Suspected insurgents launched a targeted attack on eight territorial defence volunteers in Narathiwat province in southernmost Thailand this morning. One volunteer was killed and two more are injured. At 8am, officers at Si Sakhon Police Station were informed that insurgents detonated a roadside bomb and fired shots with automatic rifles at Si Sakhon defence volunteers, killing one and injuring two,…

  • Thailand NewsThailand enacts law to prevent recidivism among sexual and violent offenders

    Thailand enacts law to prevent recidivism among sexual and violent offenders

    Thailand will implement a law later this month that aims at preventing recidivism among prisoners put away for violent or sexual offences after their release from prison. Yesterday, government spokesperson Ratchada Thanadirek said in a Cabinet meeting that the Measures to Prevent Recidivism of Sexual and Violent Crimes Act (2022) will come into force on January 23. The new act requires…

  • Bangkok NewsThais pay respect to albino buffalo sculpture toppled by drunken Englishman

    Thais pay respect to albino buffalo sculpture toppled by drunken Englishman

    The atmosphere is sombre outside Samyan Mitrtown in Bangkok where buffalo enthusiasts and art lovers laid bouquets of flowers to pay their respects to the toppled albino buffalo sculpture which was ruined by a drunk English tourist who attempted to mount it on the weekend. “Kwai: Calm” (buffalo: calm) the fibreglass albino buffalo remains in a sorry state on its…

  • Cannabis NewsThailand to track cannabis users in government database

    Thailand to track cannabis users in government database

    Thai nationals will soon be required to show their ID cards when purchasing cannabis flowers. The ID and sales information will be entered into a government database, according to the Department of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine (DTAM). Registered vendors will be required to insert the buyers’ ID into a “device” linked with the government system and input information regarding…

  • Thailand NewsGerman tourist falls near summit of Tiger Cave Temple in southern Thailand

    German tourist falls near summit of Tiger Cave Temple in southern Thailand

    A young German tourist is injured after falling from the top of the stairs at Tiger Cave Temple in Krabi province in southern Thailand yesterday afternoon. At 3pm, Krabi Tourist Police were informed that a German tourist needed medical help after an accident near the summit of the mountain. Rescue workers climbed over 1,000 steps, which took more than one…

  • Crime NewsThai police seize 30 kilograms of heroin bound for Hong Kong hidden in puppy pads

    Thai police seize 30 kilograms of heroin bound for Hong Kong hidden in puppy pads

    Thai authorities seized a sizeable 30 kilograms of heroin yesterday in Samut Prakan province, just north of Bangkok, believed to be headed to Hong Kong. Police arrested a Hong Konger and a Thai national during the raid. Officers from the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) raided a house in the Kanchanaphisek 39 area of Samut Prakan to find…

  • Tourism NewsDaily direct flights between Phuket and Shanghai to takeoff next week

    Daily direct flights between Phuket and Shanghai to takeoff next week

    Daily flights between Phuket in southern Thailand and Shanghai in China will takeoff next Wednesday, January 18, operated by Shanghai’s Juneyao Airlines. The inaugural flight will be the first direct service between Phuket and mainland China in almost three years. China reopened its borders yesterday, and given that China was once Thailand’s top tourism market, Thailand braced itself for an…

  • Covid-19 NewsThailand informs airlines about removal of Covid-19 vaccine rule

    Thailand informs airlines about removal of Covid-19 vaccine rule

    Unvaccinated travellers heading to Thailand can now feel at ease knowing airlines around the world have been informed that Thailand no longer requires arrivals to prove they are vaccinated against Covid-19. Thailand momentarily reintroduced the two-dose Covid vaccine entry requirement with barely any notice as a measure to mitigate the risk of importing a caseload of coronavirus from China, which…

  • World NewsMalaysia investigates Russian daredevils who trespassed onto Merdeka 118

    Malaysia investigates Russian daredevils who trespassed onto Merdeka 118

    Malaysian authorities are investigating a Russian ‘daredevil’ couple for trespassing after videos of them standing on top of the second tallest building in the world, the unfinished Merdeka 118 tower in Kuala Lumpur, went viral. On Saturday, Malaysia‘s Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said there are no records of the Russian couple entering or exiting Malaysia. On December 28, Malaysian…

  • World NewsThai army shoots dead 6 foreign ketamine traffickers

    Thai army shoots dead 6 foreign ketamine traffickers

    Thai paramilitary rangers shot dead six drug traffickers smuggling 300 kilograms of ketamine into Thailand in the forests of Chiang Mai province near the border of Myanmar at 3am today. In the dead of night in the dense jungle, Thai paramilitary rangers crossed paths with “foreign drug traffickers” in Mon Pin subdistrict in Chiang Mai’s Fang district. The rangers reported that…

  • Phuket NewsBritish man claims he was tortured by Thai police

    British man claims he was tortured by Thai police

    A British man claims he was tortured by Thai police for seven days straight in Phuket, southern Thailand when his holiday abroad went gravely wrong. British authorities have launched an investigation into the alleged abuse, reports FirstPost. He allegedly sustained broken ribs, bruised limbs, septic infections, swollen wrists, and lost four teeth in the ordeal. The victim, 51 year old Carl…

  • Thailand NewsCharred corpse discovered in sugarcane field in Thailand

    Charred corpse discovered in sugarcane field in Thailand

    A sugarcane harvester found a charred human corpse in the middle of a sugarcane field in Suphan Buri province in central Thailand yesterday. Officers at U Thong Police Station were informed that a dead body was found at a sugarcane plantation in Chorakhe Samphan district and rushed to the scene to investigate with rescue workers. Officers found the body of…

  • Covid-19 NewsThailand U-turns on Covid-19 vaccine entry requirement

    Thailand U-turns on Covid-19 vaccine entry requirement

    Just days after Thailand reintroduced the two-dose Covid-19 vaccine entry requirement, Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul says the requirement will be dropped with immediate effect. However, the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) has informed airlines globally that unvaccinated tourists must provide either proof of recovery from Covid in the past six months or a doctor’s note explaining why they are…

  • Thailand NewsForeign tourists rescued from sinking long-tail boat in southern Thailand (video)

    Foreign tourists rescued from sinking long-tail boat in southern Thailand (video)

    A Thai tour guide’s long-tail boat carrying two foreign tourists sank in the waters of Krabi province in southern Thailand, on Saturday. Luckily, nearby boats and national park officials were able to rescue them just in time. The ship’s 43 year old captain, Prasit Sansamut, took two foreign tourists – their nationalities unspecified – out on a long-tail boat to…

  • Bangkok NewsDrunk British tourist allegedly destroys prized albino buffalo sculpture in Bangkok

    Drunk British tourist allegedly destroys prized albino buffalo sculpture in Bangkok

    A drunk, British tourist allegedly destroyed a giant albino buffalo sculpture exhibited in the Sam Yan area of Bangkok at the weekend. At 2am on Saturday, a group of drunk British and German tourists passed by the Bangkok Art Biennale 2022 art exhibition outside Samyan Mitrtown in Bangkok. This year, the concept of the exhibition is “CHAOS: CALM” and features…

  • Thailand NewsBREAKING: Unvaccinated tourists can fly to Thailand, so long as…

    BREAKING: Unvaccinated tourists can fly to Thailand, so long as…

    After facing an international backlash for reintroducing the two-dose Covid-19 vaccine entry requirement at the last minute, Thailand will allow unvaccinated tourists to fly into the country so long as they have either proof of recovery from Covid in the past six months OR a doctor’s letter explaining why they are not vaccinated. The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT)…

  • Thailand NewsYoung Welshman seriously injured in motorbike accident in Koh Samui, Thailand

    Young Welshman seriously injured in motorbike accident in Koh Samui, Thailand

    A 28 year old Welshman remains in a government hospital in Koh Samui, southern Thailand, after a motorbike collision on Boxing Day. Adam Davies, from Dinas Cross in Pembrokeshire, sustained multiple injuries including a fractured skull in three places, bleeding in the brain, a punctured lung, five broken ribs, a fractured collarbone, broken shoulder blade, fractured ankle, and other minor…

  • Crime NewsMan stabs 14 year old girl to death upon release from prison in northeast Thailand

    Man stabs 14 year old girl to death upon release from prison in northeast Thailand

    A man released from prison three days ago stabbed a 14 year old girl to death as she got off the school bus in Roi Et province in northeast Thailand this morning. The assailant, 36 year old Preecha Wichaisorn, followed the school bus on a motorbike until it reached Ban Lao Wittayakhan School at 8am. As the students were getting…

  • Thailand NewsWoman hit with 6.5 million baht parking fee in Thailand

    Woman hit with 6.5 million baht parking fee in Thailand

    A Thai woman was hit with a 6.5 million baht ($US190,870) parking fee after leaving her car for just two hours at a shopping mall car park in Nonthaburi province, just north of Bangkok, in central Thailand. CH3‘s programme “Nai Krasae” (“Trending”) reported yesterday that an unidentified woman parked her car at a “well-known shopping mall.” The name of the shopping…

  • Transport NewsThailand’s long-distance trains to relocate to new Bangkok rail hub from January 19

    Thailand’s long-distance trains to relocate to new Bangkok rail hub from January 19

    The State Railway of Thailand is relocating 52 train services from Hua Lampong Station to Bangkok‘s new central rail hub – Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal (formerly Bang Sue Junction) – from January 19. Passengers catching long-distance, rapid and express train services will depart from Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal in Bangkok’s Chatuchak district from this date onward. Inbound trains…

  • Crime NewsVIDEO: Angry farang chases Thai-French woman who rejected him in Pattaya

    VIDEO: Angry farang chases Thai-French woman who rejected him in Pattaya

    An angry farang (Westerner) of unknown nationality chased a half-Thai half-French woman around the pool at a Pattaya hotel in eastern Thailand when she rejected his advances on Monday. Twitch streamer ‘Justketh’ was live-streaming at the hotel’s pool where only she and the older man were present. Keth told The Thaiger… “He had been sitting in the pool and drinking…

  • Crime News15 year old stabs teen to death at Thai market

    15 year old stabs teen to death at Thai market

    A 15 year old boy stabbed a 16 year old boy to death at Owl Night Market in Nonthaburi province, just north of Bangkok in central Thailand, on Tuesday. The teenagers apparently did not know each other. The deceased’s 15 year old friend Tee (pseudonym) told police that he was at the market with his friends when another group of…