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 NewsNorthern Thai man reveals secret to 44 baht electricity bill

    Northern Thai man reveals secret to 44 baht electricity bill

    In Thailand, the price of your electricity bill almost completely depends on your use, or non use, of air conditioning, especially if you decided to sleep with it on. But one man in Phitsanulok, central Thailand, found a way to get his bill down from 4000 baht to just 44 baht, yet keep his air conditioner on all day and…

  • Thailand NewsGhost demands 20K baht from Thai man who destroyed spirit house

    Ghost demands 20K baht from Thai man who destroyed spirit house

    A Thai man from Chon Buri province claims a vengeful spirit possessed his body and forced him to attempt suicide on two occasions. A Buddhist monk reportedly communicated with the spirit in the early hours of this morning and, apparently, the ghost wants the man to rectify a crime he committed 19 years ago… by repaying 20,000 baht and ordaining…

  • South Thailand NewsRebel group PULO won’t engage in peace talks if independence is off the table

    Rebel group PULO won’t engage in peace talks if independence is off the table

    The leader of a rebel group in Thailand’s Deep South said the rebels will not engage in peace talks with the Thai government if the possibility of independence in Thailand’s southern border region is off the table. Under the framework of Thailand’s current constitution, the kingdom remains indivisible. The group’s leader Kasturi Makhota made the announcement days after his rebel…

  • Thailand NewsService Hall at Don Mueang Airport collapses in storm

    Service Hall at Don Mueang Airport collapses in storm

    A thunderstorm hit Bangkok yesterday, causing the Service Hall at Don Mueang International airport to collapse. The hall was built just one year ago but hasn’t yet been used due to low levels of international travel throughout the pandemic. No injuries or deaths were reported. Luckily there was no one in there at the time. The walls of the Service…

  • Thailand NewsThai monk celebrating Songkran passes out drunk, says he didn’t do anything wrong

    Thai monk celebrating Songkran passes out drunk, says he didn’t do anything wrong

    A Buddhist monk was found passed out on the floor with his private parts on show at his temple after he got drunk to bring in the Thai New Year. The monk, who resides at a temple in the northeastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima, says he didn’t do anything wrong. The 50 year old ex-policeman, who has been ordained as…

  • Thailand NewsThai rapper ‘Elevenfinger’ suspected of bombing PM Prayut’s residence

    Thai rapper ‘Elevenfinger’ suspected of bombing PM Prayut’s residence

    A political rapper known as “Elevenfinger” has become the main suspect in the bombing that happened at Prime Minister of Thailand Prayut Chan-o-cha’s residence on Sunday. The rapper was pictured with the group of motorcyclists who approached the gates of the PM’s residence and threw a bomb, which exploded on the lawn opposite the house. The rapper was arrested today…

  • Cannabis NewsYou can grow ‘as many cannabis plants as you like’ in Thai homes from June 9, but…

    You can grow ‘as many cannabis plants as you like’ in Thai homes from June 9, but…

    People in Thailand will be allowed to grow “as many cannabis plants” as they like in their own homes from June 9, according to Thailand’s health minister and medical marijuana pioneer Anutin Charnvirakul. However… if you don’t read the fine print you can still get into trouble with the law. As usual, the fine print is confusing. Bottomline, don’t be…

  • Thailand NewsBomb thrown at PM Prayut’s house, protesters burn coffin decorated with his image

    Bomb thrown at PM Prayut’s house, protesters burn coffin decorated with his image

    Yesterday, a teenager threw a “ping pong” bomb at Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha’s house. On the same day, a mob of “Red Shirt” protesters took to the streets of Bangkok to burn a coffin adorned with pictures of PM Prayut’s face. Yesterday’s protests were to commemorate the 12th anniversary of the 2010 Red Shirt protests, where 90 people died…

  • Thailand NewsPolice arrest tiger cub smugglers in Central Thailand

    Police arrest tiger cub smugglers in Central Thailand

    Police seized a four month old tiger cub in a car park in the central province of Nonthaburi yesterday. Three men wanted on arrest warrants were arrested on suspicion of possessing and trafficking protected wildlife without permission. All three men confessed to importing the tiger cub from Laos. The cub was found in a basket inside a Honda pickup truck…

  • Thailand NewsThailand’s latest ganja product: marijuana infused fish sauce

    Thailand’s latest ganja product: marijuana infused fish sauce

    There are few products left in Thailand that haven’t yet been infused with cannabis since Anutin Charnvirakul’s marijuana mystery tour began. The latest product, marijuana infused fish sauce, debuted at an event in the northeastern province of Khon Kaen last weekend. Yum? As we have said many times before, products are currently allowed to contain a maximum of 0.2% THC,…

  • Thailand NewsBurmese continue to flood across Thai-Myanmar border, fleeing unrest

    Burmese continue to flood across Thai-Myanmar border, fleeing unrest

    Police raided a house in the northern province of Chiang Rai yesterday to find 71 Burmese migrants hiding inside. A Thai man who was also inside the house told police he was hired to pick up the migrants who had illegally crossed over the border from Myanmar and transport them to the house. The migrants told police they were heading…

  • Thailand News1 groom, 3 brides at unusual Thai wedding… who paid the dowry?

    1 groom, 3 brides at unusual Thai wedding… who paid the dowry?

    Thai traditions went out the window at an unusual wedding last week in Nonthaburi province, central Thailand. The groom was in for a surprise when his three girlfriends asked for his hand in marriage and presented him with a dowry of 100,000 baht each on his 35th birthday. Together, the women have a total of nine children with the groom,…

  • Thailand NewsPolice catch Rayong homemade bomb maker, says he learned through YouTube

    Police catch Rayong homemade bomb maker, says he learned through YouTube

    Police have caught the man who allegedly made nine bombs and left them strewn across a main road in Rayong on Tuesday night. One of the bombs exploded and eight were defused by Rayong police on Wednesday. The police used CCTV to figure out the criminal behind the operation, who said he used YouTube to learn how to make the…

  • Thailand NewsDate set for Liverpool vs. Manchester United pre-season friendly in Bangkok

    Date set for Liverpool vs. Manchester United pre-season friendly in Bangkok

    The date has been set for Liverpool F.C’s pre-season friendly with their rivals Manchester United at the Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok. The two English Premier League giants will go head to head for the Bangkok Century Cup on July 12. Liverpool will travel to Thailand for the first time since 2015 to kick off their first pre-season tour since the…

  • Thailand NewsDog owner winning first ever lawsuit against a veterinary hospital in Thailand

    Dog owner winning first ever lawsuit against a veterinary hospital in Thailand

    The owner of a labrador named ‘Journey’ who died on the operating table filed Thailand’s first-ever lawsuit against a veterinary hospital and is winning. Journey’s owner, who is claiming financial and emotional damages, has won the first of three court hearings. 11 year old Journey was suspected to have a tumour in her lung and walked into the operating room…

  • Thailand NewsHotels in Koh Samui learn how to prevent and treat box jellyfish stings

    Hotels in Koh Samui learn how to prevent and treat box jellyfish stings

    With most of the fatal box jellyfish stings in Thailand over the past decade in Koh Samui and Koh Phangan, representatives from 20 hotels attended a lecture at the Hive Hotel on Koh Samui to learn about preventing and treating stings from box jellyfish, known as one of the most venomous marine animals in the world. By providing the knowledge to…

  • Thailand NewsThailand takes number one spot as most searched destination on Agoda

    Thailand takes number one spot as most searched destination on Agoda

    Thailand is the most searched destination in the world for trips in the next six months, according to the travel search engine giant Agoda. Thailand has seen a 500% increase in searches on Agoda from January to March 2022. The top three incoming travellers to Thailand are from Japan (#1), the US (#2) and Singapore (#3). Travelling into Thailand can…

  • Thailand NewsExorcist in Thailand expels evil spirit from woman’s vagina

    Exorcist in Thailand expels evil spirit from woman’s vagina

    A woman who claims she had “black magic in her private parts” for 25 years finally had the evil spirit expelled by exorcists in central Thailand’s Ratchaburi. A somewhat disturbing clip circulating online displays an exorcism for a woman who claimed that her vagina had been possessed by an evil spirit for 25 years. She described the spirit’s presence as…

  • Thailand NewsHomemade bomb explodes on Rayong road, 8 other bombs being defused

    Homemade bomb explodes on Rayong road, 8 other bombs being defused

    A homemade bomb packed with gunpowder, nails, and steel nuts exploded and eight undetonated bombs were found on a main road in eastern Thailand’s Rayong. The blast caused minor damage to the road and no one was injured. The nine bombs are being defused today by the province’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal team. One bomb defused today caused a big blast,…

  • Thailand NewsHill tribes in Chiang Mai resist construction of coal mine

    Hill tribes in Chiang Mai resist construction of coal mine

    Villagers from Omkoi, a district 150 kilometres south west of Chiang Mai, are running a campaign to resist an upcoming mining project which they say will impact their way of life, health, livelihoods and the local environment. The villagers are filing a lawsuit against the International Energy Agency who did not notify or involve local people in the planning of…

  • Thailand NewsThai government pushes use of electric vehicles to reduce carbon emissions

    Thai government pushes use of electric vehicles to reduce carbon emissions

    The Thai government has approved a budget of 3 billion baht to subsidise the price of electric vehicles and has installed free-to-use EV charging stations at Benjakitti Park in Bangkok to promote the shift to a low carbon society. The spokesperson for the prime minister, Thanakorn Wangboonkongchan, announced today that PM Prayut Chan-o-cha aims to promote electric vehicles and make…

  • Thailand NewsMassive water monitor lizard disturbs Southern Thailand home

    Massive water monitor lizard disturbs Southern Thailand home

    Possibly one of the heaviest Asian water monitor lizards ever reported was found at a home in Southern Thailand. The massive lizard weighing around 100 kilograms was safely relocated by a rescue team yesterday after lying in front of the door at a house in Nakhon Si Thammarat. 29 year old Teerasuk Pudee returned from work to find what he…

  • Phuket NewsVietnamese man tries to paddle from Phuket to India on inflatable boat to see his wife

    Vietnamese man tries to paddle from Phuket to India on inflatable boat to see his wife

    A devoted Vietnamese husband attempted to row through the Bay of Bengal from Phuket to India on an inflatable boat to see his wife who he hadn’t seen in two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Thai marines found 37 year old Ho Huang Hung yesterday around 80 kilometres away from the Andaman coast after he had been at sea…

  • Thailand News70 year old grandma in Isaan Thailand arrested for growing one cannabis plant

    70 year old grandma in Isaan Thailand arrested for growing one cannabis plant

    A 70 year old woman from Khon Kaen in northeast Thailand spent Saturday night in a jail cell after she and her relative were arrested for growing one cannabis plant each. After 24 hours without freedom, they were granted bail of 10,000 baht each. The grandma told police she boils the leaves to make medicine to treat her illnesses. However,…

  • Thailand NewsThai woman dresses as bear to sell more Kratom

    Thai woman dresses as bear to sell more Kratom

    Now that kratom is legal in Thailand, one woman in the Isaan province Buriram is dressing up in a bear costume and standing on the side of the road to attract business. Apparently, it has worked and her roadside sales of kratom leaves have shot up to over 1,000 baht per day. 40 year old Monradee Mordham from Udon Thani has…

  • World NewsThai woman who claims she escaped organ harvesting sentenced to 6 months in prison

    Thai woman who claims she escaped organ harvesting sentenced to 6 months in prison

    A Thai woman who claimed a Chinese gang stole her blood and attempted to steal her organs in Cambodia has been sentenced to six months in prison with no parole. 25 year old Areeya Komkratok admitted she fabricated the entire story because she urgently wanted to return to Thailand. Areeya, along with seven other Thai people who were lured into…

  • Thailand News“Ganja-naburi”: Kanchanaburi is becoming Thailand’s medical marijuana capital

    “Ganja-naburi”: Kanchanaburi is becoming Thailand’s medical marijuana capital

    Kanchanaburi… more like “Ganja-naburi.” The western province is becoming a hub for medical marijuana, aka ganja, with more and more community enterprises getting licences to grow the once-criminalised plant. 260 kilograms of cannabis were harvested for the second time at a medical marijuana event in Kanchanaburi yesterday. The cannabis was planted six months ago by eight community enterprises that are…

  • Thailand NewsAll Betong airport flights cancelled just 24 hours after airport opening

    All Betong airport flights cancelled just 24 hours after airport opening

    Less than 24 hours after PM Prayut Chan-o-cha arrived on the first flight into Betong International Airport to chair the opening ceremony, all scheduled flights in and out of the airport have been suspended. At present, it is not possible to book flights in or out of Betong and it is not yet known when flights will resume. The Tourism…

  • Northern Thailand NewsRoles reversed as Thai bride pays 12.8 million baht dowry

    Roles reversed as Thai bride pays 12.8 million baht dowry

    A Thai bride presented a dowry worth a staggering 12.8 million baht to her groom at Khon Kaen Convention Centre on Sunday. Instead of paying a dowry himself, 33 year old groom Micky received 2 million in cash, 500,000 baht’s worth of jewellery, a 5 rai land title deed valued at over 500,000 baht, a 7 million baht house, and…

  • Thailand NewsYoung Swiss man needs O negative blood donations after heatstroke on Thailand island

    Young Swiss man needs O negative blood donations after heatstroke on Thailand island

    A 25 year old Swiss man needs donations of the blood type O negative (O-) after he went running on Koh Chang off the coast of the eastern province Trat and suffered a heatstroke. Theo Zwahlen is in a coma in the ICU at Bangkok Hospital in Chanthaburi. Theo has kidney failure, acidosis, brain damage, rhabdomyolysis (muscle breakdown) and a…