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.
  • World NewsOnlyFans star sentenced to six years in prison in Myanmar

    OnlyFans star sentenced to six years in prison in Myanmar

    Insein Prison Court in Myanmar sentenced a model to six years in prison yesterday for posting content online that “harms culture and dignity,” according to the Burmese military junta. Nang Mwe San is the first woman to ever be imprisoned over OnlyFans content in Myanmar. The 33 year old model and former doctor had previously taken part in anti-military protests…

  • World NewsWoman kidnapped in Malaysia found in southern Thailand

    Woman kidnapped in Malaysia found in southern Thailand

    UPDATE The cosmetics agent who was kidnapped from her home in Malaysia two weeks ago has been found in southern Thailand. Yesterday, she was rescued by police and has since returned home. Seven Malaysian men have been arrested and detained in relation to the woman’s abduction, under Section 3(1) of Malaysia’s Kidnapping Act (1961), said Malaysian police. At 5.10pm on…

  • Thailand NewsVIDEO: 500 year old Buddhist stupa collapses in Chiang Mai revealing hidden treasures

    VIDEO: 500 year old Buddhist stupa collapses in Chiang Mai revealing hidden treasures

    The stupa at Wat Si Suphan in northern Thailand’s Chiang Mai province collapsed yesterday, revealing ancient Buddhist relics hidden away for over 500 years. No one was injured and the school right next door was miraculously unharmed. After several days of heavy rain, one of the oldest stupas (“chedi” in Thai) in Chiang Mai, located on Wua Lai Road in…

  • Thailand NewsThai doctor warns against eating bats after ‘bat hunter’ sells for 100 baht per kilo

    Thai doctor warns against eating bats after ‘bat hunter’ sells for 100 baht per kilo

    A Thai doctor warns the public of the dangers of eating bat meat after a “bat hunter” in Sukhothai, northern Thailand, claimed that bat meat is good for your health. The man sells bats for 100 baht a kilogram. The “bat hunter,” 33 year old Somchai Wongpanat, made headlines in Thai media yesterday after claiming that eating bat meat “restores…

  • Thailand NewsAirports of Thailand reports 200% increase in traffic at Suvarnabhumi Airport

    Airports of Thailand reports 200% increase in traffic at Suvarnabhumi Airport

    Thailand’s aviation industry is flying high, according to new data released by leading airport operator Airports of Thailand (AOT). Suvarnabhumi Airport has seen a 200% increase in traffic in the fiscal year 2022 when compared with the previous year. Between October 2021 – August 2022, Suvarnabhumi facilitated 168,421 flights, which is a 58.36% increase from the previous fiscal year. During…

  • Thailand Weather UpdatesTropical Storm Noru hits northeast Thailand, 1 dead, 2 injured

    Tropical Storm Noru hits northeast Thailand, 1 dead, 2 injured

    Tropical Storm Noru hit northeast Thailand yesterday causing heavy rainfall, strong winds, and flash flooding in several provinces. A tree fell onto a car in Srisaket, killing one man and injuring two more people. At 6.55pm, officers from Huai Thap Than Police Station were informed that a tree had fallen onto a car near Huai Yang Lake. Police and rescue…

  • World NewsSoi Dog Foundation steps up fight against rabies and dog meat trade in Vietnam

    Soi Dog Foundation steps up fight against rabies and dog meat trade in Vietnam

    Today, September 28, is World Rabies Day. Thailand‘s Soi Dog Foundation would like to announce its new initiatives to help rid Hanoi in Vietnam of dog-mediated rabies by 2030. Soi Dog has partnered with the Department of Animal Health (DAH) in Hanoi and the Global Alliance for Rabies Control (GARC) to help eradicate rabies from the Vietnamese capital. The goal…

  • World NewsEmbassy warns citizens not to take cannabis from Thailand into Malaysia

    Embassy warns citizens not to take cannabis from Thailand into Malaysia

    The Malaysian Embassy in Thailand sent out a warning to remind citizens that taking cannabis across the border into Malaysia is illegal. Thailand became the first Southeast Asian country to decriminalise the plant back in June, which is now widely accessible in every nook and cranny of the nation. As soon as Thailand legalised weed, the Malaysian government banned its citizens…

  • Economy NewsThai baht plunges to 38 against US dollar for first time in 16 years

    Thai baht plunges to 38 against US dollar for first time in 16 years

    The volatile Thai baht has depreciated to 38 against the US dollar even faster than foreseen by economists. The last time the baht reached 38 to the dollar was 16 years and two months ago on July 26, 2006. The baht has hit the 38 mark even earlier than expected by the Head of Capital at Kasikorn Bank Kobsidthi Silpachai,…

  • Thailand NewsVenomous snake emerges from parcel at sorting office in Thailand

    Venomous snake emerges from parcel at sorting office in Thailand

    An extremely venomous snake escaped from a parcel at a sorting office in Kanchanaburi province, western Thailand, yesterday. One has to ask, what did the intended receiver do to deserve such a life-threatening package? Post office staff said the one-metre long stripy snake slithered out from a pile of parcels at the sorting office in Tha Muang district. When staff…

  • Thailand NewsCustomer buys brand new Honda PCX motorbike with coins in eastern Thailand

    Customer buys brand new Honda PCX motorbike with coins in eastern Thailand

    Employees at a motorbike shop in Chon Buri province, eastern Thailand, couldn’t believe it when a customer asked if he could pay for a brand spanking new Honda PCX – for a price of 102,500 baht – with coins. Most people in Thailand have a pile of pennies they don’t know what to do with, but not nearly enough to…

  • Thailand NewsThailand legalises abortion up to 20 weeks

    Thailand legalises abortion up to 20 weeks

    Thailand is extending the legal limit of abortion from 12 to 20 weeks. The new law will come into effect 30 days after its announcement by the Ministry of Public Health in the Royal Gazette, which was published yesterday, September 26. The new law stipulates that pregnant women in Thailand may legally abort a pregnancy up to 20 weeks so…

  • Thailand NewsVIDEO: Colossal crocodile stomps through road in eastern Thailand

    VIDEO: Colossal crocodile stomps through road in eastern Thailand

    A colossal crocodile was spotted stomping through the rainy streets of Chachoengsao province in eastern Thailand last week. Locals driving through the rain in Bang Kaew district did a double take when they realised what they initially thought was a monitor lizard was a crocodile. A clip reveals the 2 metre long beast sauntering through the road in heavy rain…

  • Thailand Weather UpdatesTropical Storm Noru to hit northeast Thailand on Thursday

    Tropical Storm Noru to hit northeast Thailand on Thursday

    UPDATE Tropical Storm Noru is forecast to hit Thailand on Thursday, two days later than initially expected. The typhoon will cause rainfall all over Thailand but is expected to directly impact Mukdahan and Amnat Charoen provinces in northeast Thailand. The typhoon will bring heavy rain and flooding similar to the Dianmu storm that hit Thailand in September last year, according…

  • Thailand NewsVIDEO: Floods tear through highway in northeast Thailand

    VIDEO: Floods tear through highway in northeast Thailand

    Dramatic aerial footage of floods in northeast Thailand reveals water hurling through a 30-metre gap in the highway that links Rasi Sali district, Srisaket province to Phon Sai district, Roi Et province. Floods have turned the surrounding farmland into what looks like a reservoir after several days of heavy rain. As water levels rose, pressure built up and finally burst…

  • Bangkok NewsVIDEO: Fire falls like rain from communication cables in Bangkok

    VIDEO: Fire falls like rain from communication cables in Bangkok

    Fire fell like rain onto the road in Bangkok this morning in yet another communication cable fire. The clip was filmed near the entrance of Nidhiprinya School in Din Daeng district at around 4am. Burning plastic dripped from the amass of glowing cables onto the and onto a lorry parked below. The Twitter user who posted the clip said the…

  • Cannabis NewsTourist breaks Singaporean law by consuming cannabis in Thailand

    Tourist breaks Singaporean law by consuming cannabis in Thailand

    A Singaporean tourist says she didn’t mean to consume cannabis in Thailand in July. Weed might be legal in the Land of Smiles, but it is still a crime for Singaporeans to consume cannabis at home and abroad. Sueanne said she ate a “very nice bowl of noodles” in Chiang Rai, northern Thailand, that were so delicious that she ordered…

  • World NewsTropical Storm Noru hits the Philippines, 5 rescue workers killed

    Tropical Storm Noru hits the Philippines, 5 rescue workers killed

    Five rescue workers have died after Tropical Storm Noru made landfall on the main island of the Philippines. Noru is the strongest storm to hit the island nation so far this year. Typhoon Noru, known as Karding in the Philippines, caused winds up to 240 kilometres per hour (149mph) on Luzon island, which is home to 64 million people. The…

  • Thailand Weather UpdatesHeavy rain warning in 48 provinces of Thailand

    Heavy rain warning in 48 provinces of Thailand

    Heavy rainfall is expected all day today until 6am tomorrow in 48 provinces of Thailand, according to the Meteorological Department. Rain and potential flash flooding is expected in Bangkok and surrounding areas and also in northern, northeastern, central, eastern, and southern western regions. North Thunderstorms are expected in 70% of the following provinces: Mae Hong Son, Chiang Mai, Lamphun, Tak,…

  • Thailand NewsWoman smashes up her 1.5 million baht car over feud with Ford Thailand

    Woman smashes up her 1.5 million baht car over feud with Ford Thailand

    A woman who smashed up her Ford Everest with a crowbar in Korat, northeast Thailand, on Thursday says she wants “justice, not attention.” The 42 year old businesswoman, Runghathai (surname withheld), resorted to clambering on her bonnet and smashing her windscreen because of an ongoing feud between her and Ford Thailand which began in March. Runghathai says that she drove…

  • Thailand NewsMilitary conscription in Russia could benefit Thailand’s economy

    Military conscription in Russia could benefit Thailand’s economy

    Thailand could be an attractive and realistic option for men fleeing military conscription in Russia. Reports say that men are fleeing Russia after President Vladimir Putin announced a plan to conscript 300,000 civilians into military service in Ukraine. Several European countries such as Lithuania have already closed their doors to Russian citizens, citing widespread support for Putin’s unprovoked invasion of…

  • Thailand NewsNine people hospitalised by chemical leak in Nakhon Pathom, Thailand

    Nine people hospitalised by chemical leak in Nakhon Pathom, Thailand

    UPDATE Police say that nine people are being treated in hospital as a result of the chemical leak at the Indorama Polyester Industries factory in Nakhon Pathom in central Thailand on Thursday morning. The leak caused a “foul, burning stench” which impacted three districts of the province, forcing the temporary closure of several schools. Deputy Commander of the Nakhon Pathom…

  • Thailand Weather UpdatesTropical Storm Noru is about to hit Thailand

    Tropical Storm Noru is about to hit Thailand

    Tropical Storm Noru has been brewing in the Pacific Ocean and is on its way to Thailand, according to the Meteorological Department. Noru is expected to cause isolated and heavy rainfall in northern and northeastern Thailand from Tuesday to Thursday (September 27-29). A tropical depression just east of the Philippines intensified into a tropical storm on Friday at around 1pm.…

  • Crime NewsThai man ‘does not regret’ death of ‘crazy’ son who stabbed grandma in the genitals

    Thai man ‘does not regret’ death of ‘crazy’ son who stabbed grandma in the genitals

    A Thai man says he does not regret the death of his “crazy” son, who allegedly tried to rape his aunty and grandmother in Samut Prakan in central Thailand last night. The perpetrator stabbed his elderly grandmother in the neck and genitals. Neighbours ran inside and tied him to a pole. After that, he started having seizures, fell unconscious and…

  • Covid-19 NewsThailand’s ‘state of emergency’ finally draws to a close

    Thailand’s ‘state of emergency’ finally draws to a close

    Thailand’s Emergency Decree will finally come to an end on October 1 after being extended 19 times since the beginning of the pandemic. As a result, Thailand’s Covid-19 task force – the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) – will be dissolved. The decision to end the state of emergency has been in the pipeline for some time and was…

  • Thailand NewsThai army saves man walking 1350 kilometres from Songkhla to Buriram

    Thai army saves man walking 1350 kilometres from Songkhla to Buriram

    A man who lost his job in the southern province of Songkhla decided to walk back home to Buriram in northeast Thailand. After 12 days of walking on Sunday, the 42 year old man stumbled across an army barracks in Phatthalung province, the next province along. The soldiers took care of him and paid for his train ticket back to…

  • Thailand NewsThai navy buys pilotless aircraft from Israel for 4 billion baht

    Thai navy buys pilotless aircraft from Israel for 4 billion baht

    Thailand has signed a contract to buy Hermes 900 “unmanned aerial vehicles” (UAV) from an Israeli defence company, according to an announcement made today by the Royal Thai Navy (RTN). The purchase will cost 4 billion baht ($US107,003,360). The pilotless aircraft will patrol Thailand’s seas to “protect the sovereignty of Thailand’s waters and shipping routes.” The drones will also assist…

  • Thailand NewsThailand’s repeat drink driving offenders will be jailed

    Thailand’s repeat drink driving offenders will be jailed

    New legislation in Thailand means that people caught drink driving more than once will go to jail. First time offenders could go to jail or get a fine. The harsher punishments are intended to act as a DUI deterrent to reduce the overall number of deaths on Thailand’s dangerous roads. Thailand’s roads are the deadliest in Southeast Asia and among…

  • Crime NewsVIDEO: Man breaks into ex-wife’s home and kidnaps her in central Thailand

    VIDEO: Man breaks into ex-wife’s home and kidnaps her in central Thailand

    A bitter Thai man broke into his ex-wife’s home in Nakhon Pathom province and kidnapped her on Tuesday night. The woman’s home security camera captured the terrifying moment he smashed his way into the house, locked his arms around her neck and dragged her outside. She says it is the second time her ex-husband has kidnapped her. At 10.25pm, Jeerawat…

  • World NewsDrug cartel in southern Thailand allegedly kidnaps Malaysian woman over drug feud

    Drug cartel in southern Thailand allegedly kidnaps Malaysian woman over drug feud

    Thai police are assisting Malaysian police in their search for a cosmetics agent who was abducted from her home in Tumpat in Kelantan state in Malaysia last week. Thai police believe she was smuggled across the border into southern Thailand where she is being held captive, according to a spokesperson. The New Straits Times reports that four men in a…