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.
  • Crime NewsBail denied for Polish murder suspect in Bangkok, Thailand

    Bail denied for Polish murder suspect in Bangkok, Thailand

    UPDATE #2 A court in Bangkok, Thailand, denied the bail request of the Polish tourist accused of murdering and dismembering his Ukrainian girlfriend at a high-rise condo last weekend. South Bangkok Criminal Court denied bail to 25 year old Jan Jerzy Lagoda-Filippow, citing that he is a flight risk since he already tried to flee the country for Cambodia once.…

  • Phuket NewsSpeedboat crashes in Phuket, 37 injured

    Speedboat crashes in Phuket, 37 injured

    A speedboat crashed into a channel marker in Chalong Bay in Phuket, southern Thailand, yesterday injuring four Thais and 33 foreign tourists, mostly Russians. The driver is thought to have fallen asleep as he crashed into the huge concrete pillar in the sea about 100 metres away from the shore of Chalong Bay at 5.30pm. The boat, the Thanathip Marine…

  • Pattaya NewsPattaya Police ban prostitution on the beach

    Pattaya Police ban prostitution on the beach

    Thailand’s Tourist Police have banned sex workers from selling services on the beach in Pattaya. Last night, Tourist Police and officers from Pattaya City Police Station headed down to Pattaya Beach and instructed the city’s ladies and ladyboys of the night to move along. The police informed the sex workers that from now on, they are no longer permitted to…

  • Cannabis NewsSingapore hangs 2 cannabis traffickers in 3 weeks

    Singapore hangs 2 cannabis traffickers in 3 weeks

    A man was hanged at Changi Prison in eastern Singapore at dawn today for trafficking 1.5 kilogrammes of cannabis. He is the second cannabis trafficker to be executed at the prison in just three weeks. The 37 year old ethnic Malay Singaporean was hanged today after a last-minute plea to stop the execution was rejected by the appeal court without…

  • Thailand NewsThai man drinks crocodile blood twice a day

    Thai man drinks crocodile blood twice a day

    A businessman in southern Thailand claims his secret to great health is by drinking crocodile blood mixed with alcohol twice a day. He says he used to be exhausted but is now full of life after two months on the reptile juice. Every day, 52 year old Rojakorn Nanon from Na Tham Tai subdistrict in Trang province starts and finishes…

  • Crime NewsMayor sentenced to death over land activist’s murder in Thailand

    Mayor sentenced to death over land activist’s murder in Thailand

    The Lower Court sentenced the former Mayor of Wang Wiset district to the death penalty today over the murder of a lawyer and land rights activist in Trang province, southern Thailand, two years ago. The hitman and another man were sentenced to life imprisonment. Today, Trang Provincial Court sentenced 52 year old Charinrat “Chuan” Kruthirat to death after he and…

  • World NewsHuge brawl erupts at Thailand v Indonesia SEA Games football final (video)

    Huge brawl erupts at Thailand v Indonesia SEA Games football final (video)

    The SouthEast Asia (SEA) Games football final between Indonesia and Thailand turned into a Muay Thai match yesterday when Thailand netted an equalising goal in injury time, sparking a dramatic brawl. But Indonesia ran out victors scoring three more goals in extra-time to win their first SEA Games men’s football medal in 32 years with a 5-2 victory. After a…

  • Thai LifeBuddhist monk wins lottery in Thailand

    Buddhist monk wins lottery in Thailand

    A Buddhist monk won the 6 million baht jackpot in Thailand‘s national lottery draw yesterday. He says he will spend the money on making repairs at his temple in Nakhon Ratchasima province. Phra Ajahn Praphas, a 63 year old monk residing at Wat Nong Bua in Ban Pho subdistrict of Korat’s Mueang district, won the lottery’s first prize of 6…

  • Thailand NewsPolice help 9 foreign tourists stranded at the border of Thailand

    Police help 9 foreign tourists stranded at the border of Thailand

    The Royal Thai Police helped nine foreign tourists who were stranded near the Cambodian border in Sa Keao province, eastern Thailand, to find a place to rest their heads last night. The tourists, including six Spanish nationals, one Ukrainian national, and two Indian nationals, were “very impressed” with the work of Sa Keao Tourist Police, soldiers of the 13th Ranger…

  • Crime NewsPolish killer asks Bangkok taxi driver to help cut up Ukrainian woman’s body via Google Translate

    Polish killer asks Bangkok taxi driver to help cut up Ukrainian woman’s body via Google Translate

    UPDATE In an interview with Thai news platform CH3, a taxi driver revealed that the Polish man, who was arrested for allegedly murdering his Ukrainian girlfriend, “Alona,” and attempting to dismember her in a Bangkok condo room, asked him to help get rid of her body via Google Translate. The taxi driver said that he picked up the suspect, Lagoda…

  • Crime NewsFuture MFP MP arrested for drink driving in Bangkok

    Future MFP MP arrested for drink driving in Bangkok

    A soon-to-be Member of Parliament from Thailand’s Move Forward Party (MFP) was arrested for drink driving in Bangkok in the early hours of the morning. Today, she apologised for her behaviour and announced her resignation from the party. The drink driver held the 27th spot on the MFP’s party list, meaning she would have definitely become an MP once MFP…

  • Crime NewsFamily, friends bid farewell to Thai-British teen murdered in Thailand

    Family, friends bid farewell to Thai-British teen murdered in Thailand

    UPDATE 3 Family and friends bid farewell to Thai-British teenager Woramet “Ben” Taota in an emotional funeral ceremony held in Lampang province in northern Thailand yesterday. Ben was murdered by local criminal 44 year old Chaiwat in what police suspect to be a drug deal gone wrong. He was last seen riding away from his house on a motorbike with…

  • Crime NewsPolish man murders and dismembers Ukrainian girlfriend in Bangkok condo

    Polish man murders and dismembers Ukrainian girlfriend in Bangkok condo

    A Polish man allegedly murdered and dismembered his 25 year old Ukrainian girlfriend “Alona” inside a condo room in the heart of Bangkok, Thailand. He tried to flee the country via taxi yesterday but was arrested near the border of Cambodia in Sa Keao province last night. Yesterday, police from Wat Phraya Krai Police Station were informed that the body…

  • Crime NewsWanted Cambodian sex offender arrested in Thailand

    Wanted Cambodian sex offender arrested in Thailand

    A man who fled to Thailand after allegedly committing sex crimes in Cambodia was arrested in Chanthaburi province yesterday. Chanthaburi Immigration officers arrested 23 year old Samnang I-eng of Cambodian nationality under an arrest warrant issued by Chon Buri Provincial Court on November 24, 2020, after he allegedly fled an arrest warrant in his home country. Samnang is accused of,…

  • Crime NewsThai-Finnish couple suspected of running prostitution ring in Finland

    Thai-Finnish couple suspected of running prostitution ring in Finland

    A Thai-Finnish couple aged around 60 years old is suspected of running a prostitution ring spanning six cities in Finland operating since 2014. The Helsinki police department wrapped up its investigation and handed the case over to Western Finland’s prosecutor’s office. The woman allegedly sub-letted Thai massage shops in the six cities of Joensuu, Kuopio, Mikkeli, Jyvaskyla, Kokkola, and Seinajoki…

  • Economy NewsThai baht soars as voters back pro-democracy parties

    Thai baht soars as voters back pro-democracy parties

    The Thai baht hit a five-week high this morning after pro-democracy parties came out as the biggest winners in yesterday’s General Election after nearly a decade of military-backed rule in Thailand. The baht rallied 0.9% this morning to 33.70 against the greenback for the first time since April 5 after opposition parties Move Forward Pary (MFP) and Phue Thai won the…

  • Thailand NewsPolice report 38 election violations across Thailand

    Police report 38 election violations across Thailand

    The Royal Thai Police (RTP) reported 38 violations of election regulations across Thailand yesterday with a record high of 75% of the eligible population, or over 39 million people, exercising their right to vote. Pol. Lt. Gen. Nitthitorn Jintakanon – Director of the Security and Public Order of Election Management Centre – reported that violations included 26 cases of people…

  • Thai LifeDetermined 19 year old leaves ICU to cast vote in Thailand’s General Election

    Determined 19 year old leaves ICU to cast vote in Thailand’s General Election

    The political drive of Thailand’s youth was exemplified by a resilient 19 year old who left the intensive care unit (ICU) at a hospital in Chanthaburi to exercise his right to vote in Thailand’s General Election yesterday. Staff at Bangkok Chanthaburi Province transferred Kampanat, aka “Boom,” – suffering from a severe allergic reaction – via wheelchair out of the hospital…

  • Phuket NewsBody of missing Russian tourist found floating in Phuket sea

    Body of missing Russian tourist found floating in Phuket sea

    The body of the Russian tourist swept away by strong waves at Promthep Cape on Friday was found floating off the coast of Phuket, southern Thailand, yesterday afternoon. A fisherman spotted the body of a foreign man floating in the sea near Laem Saeng Nakhlay, about 200 metres from Phuket’s Kalim Beach, and informed the authorities at 12.50pm, reports DailyNews.…

  • Crime NewsBody of missing teen found buried in northern Thailand forest

    Body of missing teen found buried in northern Thailand forest

    UPDATE #2 The body of 16 year old “Ping Pong” was found buried in the forest in Lampang province, northern Thailand, this morning after a week-long search. Ping Pong went missing on Saturday, May 6, after she did not return from a motorbike ride with 17 year old Woramet “Ben” Taota, a dual Thai-British national, whose body was found in the…

  • Chiang Mai NewsPolice say woman found dead in Chiang Mai condo wasn’t murdered

    Police say woman found dead in Chiang Mai condo wasn’t murdered

    UPDATE Despite police saying that they assumed the woman found dead in a condo room in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand, this morning was murdered by her foreign husband, they are now saying she was not murdered at all. Pol. Lt. Col. Phirom Yosalai, an inspector at Mae Ping Police Station, said the woman is expected to have died from an…

  • Crime NewsTaiwanese drug traffickers arrested in Thailand

    Taiwanese drug traffickers arrested in Thailand

    Police caught two Taiwanese men and two Thai men with 15 kilogrammes of ketamine disguised as Chinese tea and fake police uniforms in Chachoaengsao province in eastern Thailand on Wednesday. The drugs were smuggled from Laos and bound for Cambodia. At 5.30pm, police arrested four men on the roadside of Soi Wat Hua Noen in Lat Khwang subdistrict, Ban Pho…

  • Crime NewsThai woman found dead in Chiang Mai condo, farang husband missing

    Thai woman found dead in Chiang Mai condo, farang husband missing

    This story has been updated. Police launched a murder investigation after the body of a Thai woman was discovered in a rented room at a famous condo in Chiang Mai province, northern Thailand, this morning. The deceased’s “farang husband,” who also lives in the room, is nowhere to be found. At approximately 10.45am, officers at Mae Ping Police Station were…

  • Crime NewsShooting instructor opens fire in Rayong, Thailand

    Shooting instructor opens fire in Rayong, Thailand

    A shooting instructor who is a former soldier fired gunshots from inside a house in Rayong province in eastern Thailand this morning. Police surrounded the house but the gunman still hasn’t surrendered. No injuries or fatalities have been reported. At 7am, officers at Mueang Rayong Police Station received a call from 70 year old “Rang” to help arrest his “manic”…

  • Crime NewsKiwi tourist pleads guilty to ecstasy possession in Phuket, Thailand

    Kiwi tourist pleads guilty to ecstasy possession in Phuket, Thailand

    A tourist from New Zealand pleaded guilty to drug possession at a court in Phuket, southern Thailand, on Monday. In September, police arrested 45 year old Ari Michael Salinger after finding two ecstasy tablets on his person. He was released on bail and his passport was confiscated while awaiting trial. On Monday, the court sentenced Salinger to a “small fine”…

  • World NewsBrothers, 6 and 3, take parents’ car for joyride in Malaysia

    Brothers, 6 and 3, take parents’ car for joyride in Malaysia

    A six year old boy in Malaysia put his three year old brother in the passenger seat of his parent’s car and took it for a 2.5 kilometre joyride before crashing into a lamppost late Tuesday night. The motive? They wanted to buy a toy car. After the boys’ father fell asleep, they waited for their mother to go to…

  • Crime NewsTourists warned against taking ‘Happy Water’ drug in Thailand

    Tourists warned against taking ‘Happy Water’ drug in Thailand

    Thailand‘s Department of Medicine is warning partygoers against taking “Happy Water,” a dangerous cocktail of various illicit drugs which has become an “epidemic” in the country’s nightlife scene, reports KhaoSod. Happy Water is made by mixing various drugs into a sweetened drink, typically including ketamine, ecstasy, methamphetamine, diazepam, caffeine, and tramadol all in one, according to the Deputy Director-General of…

  • Pattaya NewsDrunk man rescued from Pattaya sea after argument with girlfriend

    Drunk man rescued from Pattaya sea after argument with girlfriend

    A heavily drunk man was found floating on a buoy 30 metres from the shore in Pattaya, eastern Thailand, in the early hours of this morning. His mother said he got into the sea after quarrelling with his girlfriend. At 5am, officers at Mueang Pattaya Police Station were informed that someone had disappeared in the sea at Jomtien Beach in…

  • Thailand NewsTourists flee as python slithers into Thailand’s Emerald Pool (video)

    Tourists flee as python slithers into Thailand’s Emerald Pool (video)

    A two-metre-long python slithered into the popular Emerald Pool in Krabi province in southern Thailand on Tuesday, sending panicked tourists clambering in all directions. In a chaotic TikTok clip, tourists scream as one brave swimmer splashes water at the python on the poolside in an attempt to drive it away. But yesterday was a hot day. The python wanted to…

  • Pattaya NewsSouth African cracks head open in fight over 9,000 baht go-go bar bill in Pattaya

    South African cracks head open in fight over 9,000 baht go-go bar bill in Pattaya

    A South African tourist cracked his head open during a fight about a 9,000 baht drinks bill outside a go-go bar on Pattaya’s Walking Street in Chon Buri province, eastern Thailand, last night. Police took him to the station where he agreed to pay. In the middle of the night, officers at Mueang Pattaya Police Station were informed that a foreign tourist…