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.
  • Pattaya News

    ‘Real owner’ of Mountain B nightclub released on bail for 1 million baht cash

    Pattaya Provincial Court released the “real owner” of Mountain B nightclub on bail for one million baht in cash yesterday afternoon. Police say Somyot “Sia Yot” Panprasong is the prime investor and mastermind behind the illegal nightclub, which went up in flames on August 5, claiming the lives of 19 people. Police put out an arrest warrant for 55 year…

  • Road deaths

    Truck overturns in NE Thailand, driver dies, losing 1.5 million baht of beer

    A tow truck carrying 1.5 million baht’s worth of beer overturned as it went round a sharp turn on a road in Khon Kaen province, northeast Thailand, this morning. The driver was instantly killed in the accident. Peuai Noi Police Station received a call at 7.30am to say that an alcohol truck had overturned in the Pueai Noi district. Police,…

  • Crime News

    Hong Kong man goes to Thailand to meet ‘lover,’ gets trafficked to Myanmar

    A man from Hong Kong travelled to Thailand in July to meet his “lover” who he met online three years ago. Upon arriving in Bangkok, he was captured by a human trafficking gang and taken to Myanmar, where he was detained, abused, and forced to work as a fraudster for one month. After his family paid a ransom, 28 year…

  • Crime News

    Four national park officials indicted over Karen activist’s murder in western Thailand

    Four national park officials have been indicted for the murder of Karen activist Porlajee “Billy” Rakchongcharoen. The four men are accused of abducting and murdering Billy in Kaeng Krachan National Park in the western province of Phetchaburi in 2014. Yesterday, the Office of the Attorney General informed the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) of its decision to indict the four…

  • Thailand News

    Dangerous social media trend encourages Thai teens to take Rohypnol

    Parents in Thailand have been warned that a dangerous TikTok trend is encouraging teenagers to take Rohypnol, commonly known as “roofies” or “date rape drug.” Rohypnol is a strong drug that causes extreme drowsiness, and dizziness known for causing blackouts. Rohypnol is commonly associated with “date rape,” with many people worldwide – mostly women – reporting that they have been…

  • Crime News

    Jealous Swedish man stabs Thai boyfriend in the chest in Pattaya, Thailand

    A Swedish man stabbed his boyfriend in the chest yesterday at a condominium in Pattaya, Chon Buri province, after misunderstanding that he was having a love affair with another man. Police are still trying to track down the Swedish man, who went on the run after the attack. At 5pm yesterday, Sawang Boriboon Foundation received a report that a man…

  • Crime News

    Court issues arrest warrant for Sia B’s father, the ‘real owner’ of Mountain B

    At 4pm today, Pattaya Provincial Court issued an arrest warrant for Sia B’s father who is suspected of being the “real owner” of Mountain B nightclub, which caught fire on August 5, claiming the lives of 19 people and injuring many more. The police investigation so far reveals that Sia B’s father used his son’s name to open the venue.…

  • Tourism News

    Thailand ranks as fourth most popular destination among Chinese travellers

    Chinese tourists are finally returning to Thailand. International flights out of China have increased 200% this month compared with the same period last month. Out of those flights, Thailand is the fourth most flown-to destination by mainland Chinese tourists, according to the Variflight civil aviation data service. South Korea came in first place, Japan came in second and the United…

  • Chiang Mai News

    E. coli contamination found at popular waterfall in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand

    A popular waterfall on Doi Suthep mountain in the northern province of Chiang Mai is brimming with E. coli bacteria from human feces, warns Dr Rungsrit Kanjanavanit, a Green Globe award-winning conservationist and professor of cardiology at Chiang Mai University. The doctor warns against drinking or washing your face in the waterfall… “While driving up Doi Suthep mountain, there is…

  • Thailand News

    The Power of Resilience: Anna wins the Miss Universe Thailand crown by Mouawad

    The daughter of two Bangkok garbage collectors now wears a dazzling crown adorned with peridot, topaz, and diamonds designed by luxury jewellery company Mouawad. Beauty queen Anna Sueangam-iam was born into a life of hardship yet grew up to become Miss Universe Thailand 2022, the well earned winner of a crown fittingly named ‘The Power of Resilience.’ Anna grew up…

  • Pattaya News

    Mountain B fire claims 19th life, 23 year old woman dies in hospital

    A 23 year old woman injured in the Mountain B nightclub fire in Chon Buri’s Sattahip district on August 5 passed away at Chon Buri hospital at 2.50am today – leaving her five year old daughter without a mother or father. The fire, which has now claimed 19 lives and 26 people who are still receiving treatment in hospital, also…

  • Crime News

    Tenant fined 140,000 baht for keeping dog in Bangkok condominium

    South Bangkok Criminal Court has ruled that a tenant who violated condominium rules by keeping a dog in the apartment must pay a 141,500 baht fine and interest of 5% per year until the sum is paid in full. The decision comes after the condo filed a lawsuit against the dog owner in December last year. On top of the…

  • Pattaya News

    Death toll of Mountain B fire rises to 17

    Another person injured in the Mountain B fire died in hospital this morning, raising the total death toll of the tragedy to 17. The blaze which swept through the nightclub in Sattahip district, Chon Buri province, happened a week ago today. Lt. Cl. Palitdet Chumngern, a marine in the Royal Thai Navy, died at 7.54am this morning at Sririraj Hospital,…

  • Covid-19 News

    Covid-19 “hospitel” isolation in Thailand to end September 1

    One option for Covid-19 patients with no or mild symptoms in Thailand is to check into a hotel designated for Covid-19 isolation, known as a “hospitel,” but not for much longer. The remaining “hospitels” are set to change back to regular hotels on September 1, according to the Director-General of the Department of Health Service Support Dr Thares Krasaniyarawiwong. The…

  • Thailand News

    UPDATE: Thailand introduces fine for not wearing seat belt in the back seat

    UPDATE: The Royal Thai Police will go easy on people who break the new seat belt law “in the early phase” according to Deputy Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Bureau Pol. Maj. Gen. Jirasan Kaewsaeng-ek. The officer confirmed yesterday that from September 5, the driver and all passengers – including those in the back seat – are required by law…

  • Thailand Protest News

    Amnesty International urges Thailand to free activists and return bail rights

    Amnesty International is urging Thailand to free all political prisoners, drop all current allegations made against activists and return bail rights to activists who get arrested. The requests are detailed in a letter signed by 4,701 people addressed to Justice Minister Somsak Thepsuthin. Amnesty International UK ran a campaign to gain support for the letter. Amnesty International Thailand gathered at…

  • Thailand Weather Updates

    Tropical storm ‘Mulan’ to hit several provinces of Thailand between August 11-13

    Tropical storm “Mulan” which started at 4am this morning in the upper South China Sea is headed for Thailand, according to the Meteorological Department. The storm is travelling at 20 kilometres per hour and is expected to hit China’s Hainan island first, then Vietnam and then arrive in Thailand as soon as tomorrow. As a result, northern Thailand and some…

  • Thailand News

    Thailand introduces fine for not wearing seat belt in the back seat

    Not wearing a seat belt in the back seat of a car in Thailand will soon be punishable by a 2,000 baht fine. The rule will come into effect 120 after its publication in the Royal Gazette on September 5, 2022. The Royal Gazette wrote the new rule into the Road Traffic Act (No.13) 2022, published on May 7. The…

  • Thailand News

    Toad travels from Thailand to Wales in student’s suitcase

    A university student was toad-ally shocked when an unfamiliar amphibian jumped out of her suitcase in Cardiff, Wales, in the UK, having travelled over 6,000 miles from Thailand. Hannah Turian recently completed her second year studying psychology at Cardiff University and went to Thailand to volunteer in a school during the summer break. After travelling for 35 hours, she finally…

  • Visa Information

    CCSA to consider extending Thailand tourist visa on arrival to 45 days

    Tourists might soon be granted a visa on arrival/visa exemption which allows them to stay in Thailand for a maximum of 45 days. Currently, passport holders of certain countries are granted 30 day visa exemptions on arrival, and others are granted visas on arrival with a maximum stay of 15 days. The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) will propose the…

  • Thailand News

    Local hero predicts building collapse, saves countless lives in eastern Thailand

    A man from the Sattahip district in Chon Buri province saved countless lives on Saturday when he warned residents to quickly evacuate the precarious row of four townhouses on Soi Wat Noi road. The alert neighbour, 50 year old Saneh Wongpoon, heard creaking noises coming from his ceiling and noticed a part of the roof caving in. The row of…

  • Pattaya News

    Fans flock to free entry Pattaya Music Festival held every weekend of August

    Tens of thousands of music fans are flocking to Pattaya Music Festival this month in the eastern province of Chon Buri. The festival is held every Friday and Saturday of the month at stages in several locations in Pattaya, kicking off at 5pm. Entry is free. Festival goers are more than ready to party after the festival was postponed in…

  • World News

    Seoul sees worst floods in 80 years, 7 dead, 6 missing

    Seoul and surrounding areas are inundated with water after one of the heaviest rain storms in 80 years hit the South Korean capital last night. At least seven people have died and at least six people are missing. At least five people died in Seoul and two others in neighbouring Gyeonggi province, according to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures…

  • Northern Thailand News

    UPDATE: Sexy Thai model fined 5,000 baht for dancing topless in club

    UPDATE: Thai model and DJ “Oil Kissyface” has been slapped with another 5,000 baht for more sexy antics. Oil was previously fined 5,000 baht under the Public Obscenity Act after a video of her dancing topless at a nightclub in Khon Kaen last week went viral on social media. After news of her fine caught the nation’s attention today, another…

  • World News

    Nigerian monkeypox case who fled Thailand is banned from Cambodia for 3 years

    Cambodia has ordered the deportation of a 27 year old Nigerian man who recently recovered from monkeypox. The man originally fled Thailand last month, after testing positive for the virus, and because he had overstayed his education visa, which expired in January. Cambodian immigration announced yesterday that he had recovered and they planned to send him back to Nigeria soon.…

  • Events

    Emirates is recruiting cabin crew in Thailand

    Emirates will hold an event in Bangkok on August 20 to recruit potential cabin crew candidates. The assessment day is “invite only” – applicants are required to apply online and may attend the event if they receive an invitation. All Emirates crews are based in Dubai, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. The airline offers employment benefits for cabin…

  • Thailand News

    Blood pours from Thai man’s mouth who chewed pork skewer with blades inside it

    Blood poured from a man’s mouth after he chewed a skewer of grilled pork yesterday in the Samut Prakan province in central Thailand. He found several pieces of sharp cutter blades inside the meat, which he bought from a vendor in Phra Pradaeng district. The 29 year old man, Tongpoon, bought two skewers of grilled pork – or “Moo Ping”…

  • Crime News

    Karen woman stabbed to death in central Thailand

    A Karen woman was found dead lying in a pool of blood outside of a condo building in Nonthaburi province yesterday at 11pm. Police said she had been stabbed in the neck with a knife. Officers from Bang Bua Thong Police Station, doctors from the Institute of Forensic Sciences, and rescue workers from the Ruamkatanyu Foundation were called to the…

  • South Thailand News

    4,000 Muslims protest against construction of Kuan Yin statue in southern Thailand

    More than 4,000 Muslims gathered yesterday to protest against the construction of the largest Kuan Yin statue in the world on Khao Lon mountain in Songkhla province, southern Thailand. President of the Islamic Committee of Songkhla Province Sakkriya Bilsal alongside an imam from every mosque in the province were among those opposing the construction of the 200-metre-tall statue of a…

  • Pattaya News

    Pattaya loan shark threatens to cut off debtor’s finger

    A department store employee from Pattaya in Chon Buri province is terrified because a loan shark threatened to cut off her finger for missing some debt repayments. The woman secretly voice recorded the creditor and took the evidence to the police. Yesterday, 35 year old Angumalee Suriya from Pattaya revealed that a loan shark offered to deduct 10,000 from her…