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 News

    Debt plagues even Thailand’s lucky lottery jackpot winners

    A Thai woman who sells eggs at a market in Prachin Buri province, central Thailand, won the first prize of six million baht in the government lottery yesterday, but it’s still not enough to pay off her 10 million baht debt. Upon realising she won the lottery, Siriphan aka “Amy” gave away 500 trays of chicken and duck eggs at Kong…

  • World News

    Thai Vietjet launches Bangkok – Okinawa route

    The inaugural flight on Thai Vietjet Air‘s new Bangkok – Okinawa route took off from Suvarnabhumi Airport and land landed safely at Naha Airport in Japan yesterday. Budget carrier Thai Vietjet Air is currently the only airline servicing the nonstop route, flying on Thursdays and Sundays. Passengers on the inaugural flight were given a warm welcome from Miss Okinawa, Naha Airport…

  • Crime News

    Thai monk charged with attempted murder after leaving policeman in need of urgent brain surgery

    A Thai policeman underwent urgent brain surgery after being attacked by a Buddhist monk at a temple in Phitsanulok province in northern Thailand on Wednesday. Police have charged the monk with attempted murder. At 2.30pm, officers of Matum Patrol Police Force were informed that a monk was displaying manic behaviour, harassing people and destroying property at Wat Tha Chang temple…

  • Crime News

    Human skeleton found in sewer near Bangkok

    A human skeleton was found in a sewer along a motorway in Nonthaburi province, just north of Bangkok, in central Thailand yesterday. Police believe the skeleton belonged to a man who died at least seven months ago. At 11pm, officers at Mueang Nonthaburi Police Station were informed that a human skull and other human bones were discovered by employees inside…

  • Thailand News

    Thai AirAsia boosts flights from Chiang Mai to 6 international destinations

    Low-cost carrier Thai AirAsia will soon boost flights daily from Chiang Mai Airport in northern Thailand to six international destinations including Hanoi and Da Nang in Vietnam, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taipei and Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia. Flights will run to these Asian tourist hotspots every day starting Sunday, March 26, 2023. The budget airline is celebrating the boost in flights…

  • World News

    Malaysia bans foreign male performers from cross-dressing on stage

    Performing artists who are male and foreign are no longer allowed to “cross-dress” or dress up like women while performing in Malaysia, according to updated guidelines on live shows and concerts. The Central Agency for Application for Filming and Performing by Foreign Artistes (PUSPAL), under Malaysia’s Ministry of Communications and Digital, recently published some stricter rules regarding live performances by…

  • Northern Thailand News

    Buffalo gores 4 siblings in northeast Thailand

    A buffalo went on a rampage and gored four siblings today in Uthai Thani province in northeast Thailand. Three are seriously injured and one sustained a minor injury. At 10am, officers from Thap Than Police Station were called by residents of Ban Nong Ya Sai village who said a buffalo (kwai) had “gone crazy” and gored four people. Villagers told…

  • Crime News

    Three suspected Burmese migrants found brutally murdered in southern Thailand forest

    Police have launched a murder investigation after the bodies of three men were found dumped in a forest in Songkhla province in southern Thailand yesterday. Police suspect the men were migrant workers, possibly from Myanmar. At 7.30am, officers at Bang Klam Police Station were informed that three men were found dead at a fly-tipping spot in the forest, around 200…

  • Bangkok News

    Bangkok police officer shot by SWAT team dies in hospital

    UPDATE #4 The mentally disturbed police officer who was shot by SWAT officers at his home in the Sai Mai district of Bangkok after a 27-hour standoff passed away from his injuries in hospital yesterday. After firing more than 50 shots over the course of the siege, Pol. Lt. Col. Kitikarn Sangboon was shot three times by the SWAT team…

  • Thailand News

    Ancient Buddhist stupa emerges from Mekong river in Thailand

    A Buddhist stupa believed to be over 700 years old has emerged from the Mekong River between Laos and northeast Thailand. Buddhists are flocking to Nong Khai province in Isaan to catch a glimpse of the sacred structure, which has emerged as the river’s water level has drastically fallen as Thailand enters the summer season. Phra That Lah Nong –…

  • World News

    Bali to ban foreigners from renting motorbikes

    Governor of the Indonesian island of Bali, I Wayan Koster, said that foreigners will soon be banned from renting motorbikes and scooters on the island. He said he will request all motorbike rental shops to ban foreigners from using their services. The governor has had enough of foreign tourists violating traffic rules… “As tourists, act as tourists, using the vehicles prepared…

  • Bangkok News

    SWAT team shoots frenzied Bangkok police officer 3 times as he jumps from window (video)

    UPDATE #3 The frenzied police officer who opened fire in Bangkok yesterday is seriously injured after being shot three times in the left arm, left thigh and left side of his chest by SWAT officers as he jumped out of the window holding a knife at 12.25pm. After Pol. Lt. Kitikarn Sangboon fired more than 30 continuous shots at 12:13pm,…

  • Crime News

    BREAKING: Frenzied police officer finally detained 24 hours after opening fire in Bangkok

    UPDATE #2 At 12.25pm, SWAT police entered the frenzied police officer‘s house in the Sai Mai district in Bangkok and were able to detain him, more than 24 hours after he opened fire into the street. Officers entered the house upon hearing more than 30 continuous gunshots from inside the property at 12.13pm. Pol. Col. Kitikarn Sangboon was taken to…

  • Thailand News

    Authorities scramble to find radioactive cylinder stolen from power plant in Thailand

    Thai authorities are scrambling to find a steel tube containing the radioactive isotope Caesium-137 believed to have gone missing from a power plant at an industrial estate in Prachin Buri province in central Thailand on February 23. Staff noticed the cylinder was missing on Friday and filed a record at Sri Maha Phot Police Station that day. The company said…

  • Crime News

    Frenzied police officer firing shots in Bangkok shows no signs of surrender after 22 hours

    UPDATE After 22 hours of failed negotiations, the frenzied police officer who opened fire in the Sai Mai area of Bangkok at 11am yesterday has not surrendered to the police and is still inside his house on Soi Jiramakorn. At 6.50pm, SWAT officers fired tear gas into 51 year old Pol. Lt. Kitikarn Sangboon’s house. However, deputy national police chief…

  • Crime News

    Frenzied police officer opens fire in Bangkok

    A Royal Thai Police officer started firing gunshots randomly at Soi Jiramakorn in the Sai Mai district of Bangkok at 11am this morning and still has not been arrested as of 5pm. No one is reported to be injured. Police identified the gunman as 51 year old Pol. Lt. Kitikarn Sangboon, an inspector with the Special Branch of the RTP.…

  • Thailand News

    Broken railway crossing barrier in Thailand costs local mayor his life

    The Mayor of Nasan was killed by an oncoming train as he drove his car over a railway crossing yesterday in Surat Thani province in southern Thailand. One of four barriers was broken. Kosol Sutthangkun, the 63 year old Mayor of Nasan Municipality, was driving home from a funeral when he was fatally struck by Bangkok – Trang Express Train…

  • World News

    Fake cop repeatedly scams people in central Thailand, gambles the dirty money away in Cambodia

    A Thai man posing as a police officer has been arrested in Phra Nakhon Sri Ayutthaya province. The fake cop used his uniform to appear trustworthy but was in fact scamming people all over central Thailand. The “policeman” said he took the dirty money to gamble in Poipet, Cambodia, and would return to scam people again after gambling it all…

  • Thailand News

    THAI says Suvarnabhumi Airport passengers should arrive 4 hours early, AOT says ‘not true’

    Thai Airways (THAI) and Airports of Thailand (AOT) can’t agree on waiting times at Suvarnabhumi Airport. THAI recommends that passengers on international flights should arrive four hours ahead of departure due to delays at the airport. AOT says this is “not true” and asks passengers to arrive three hours ahead of schedule. In a Facebook post, THAI asks for passengers’…

  • Phuket News

    Tigerair Taiwan to launch only direct Taiwan – Phuket route

    Budget airline Tigerair is launching direct flights between Taiwan and Phuket, southern Thailand, in May. Tigerair, a subsidiary of China Airlines, will be the only airline currently servicing the Taipei – Phuket route directly, twice per week. Phuket will become the airline’s second destination in Thailand. Tigerair currently serves direct flights between Taoyuan and Don Mueang Airport (DMX) in Bangkok.…

  • Thailand News

    Thai AirAsia flight diverts to Chiang Mai Airport to escape hail storm

    Thai AirAsia flight FD9122 from Don Mueang Airport in Bangkok to Nan province in northern Thailand diverted to Chiang Mai Airport yesterday after getting caught in a hail storm. After taking off from Bangkok at 5.25pm, the aircraft began experiencing turbulence upon almost reaching Nan Nakhon Airport, where it was scheduled to land at 6.45pm. A passenger told Matichon that…

  • Phuket News

    Two foreign kayakers rescued from Phuket sea

    The search for two missing foreign tourists who disappeared after renting kayaks from a hotel on Coconut Island in Phuket, southern Thailand, on Friday has been called off. It turns out they were rescued by the captain of a yacht later that day. At 6pm yesterday, officers at Mueang Phuket Police Station, Tourist Police, Phuket Marine Police, and Koh Kaeo…

  • Crime News

    Thai man attacks nephew’s 2 Pit Bulls with a meat cleaver

    Two Pit Bulls are seriously injured after they were attacked with a meat cleaver by their owner’s neighbour, who is also his uncle, on Saturday night in Surat Thani province, southern Thailand. Late Saturday night, the Surat Thani Rescue Radio Centre received a call to help the two dogs attacked with a knife. Rescue workers found two Pit Bull dogs…

  • Thailand News

    Foreign tourist dies on Doi Inthanon in northern Thailand

    A foreign tourist lost consciousness and died at a car park on Doi Inthanon mountain in Chiang Mai province, northern Thailand, yesterday afternoon. The male tourist – name and nationality unknown – travelled to the mountain as part of a tour group, reports ThaiRath. He was estimated to be between 50 and 60 years old. The tour guide took the…

  • Crime News

    Thai woman suffers for 6 years after surgeon leaves drill bit inside her leg

    A Thai woman is rallying for justice after a doctor at Saraburi Hospital in central Thailand left a broken drill bit inside her leg during surgery more than six years ago, taking away her ability to walk and causing her years of unbearable pain. Yesterday, the Social Justice Campaign Network took 57 year old Chantra Wutthiyanan, in a wheelchair, to…

  • Crime News

    14 year old girl shot dead in southern Thailand

    A 14 year old girl was shot dead in front of a mosque in Pattani province in southern Thailand this morning. At 8.35am, officers at Yarang Police Station were notified of a shooting in front of Darul Nad Watul Islamiyah Mosque near Pracharak School in Moo 6, Puyook subdistrict, Mueang district. Police rushed to the scene to find that a…

  • Thailand News

    Oxford Dictionary lists ‘pad thai’ as an international word joining ‘sushi’ and ‘pizza’

    Pad thai is a national dish of Thailand loved so much worldwide that it has made it into the online Oxford Dictionary, gaining the same international status as the words “sushi” and “pizza.” Under the category “Food” the website Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries defines pad thai as… “pad thai: noun “A dish from Thailand made with a type of noodles made…

  • Crime News

    Pervy man caught taking upskirt videos on MRT Blue Line in Bangkok

    A pervy man was pictured setting up a secret camera and taking upskirt videos of women on the MRT Blue Line in Bangkok on Wednesday. Yesterday, the citizen journalist watchdog page ‘Social Hunter Reborn V3’ posted pictures of a man who’d set up a secret camera on the floor of the MRT… “Warning to the women using the MRT Blue…

  • Crime News

    Dept of Corrections denies existence of ‘VIP rooms’ in Thai prisons

    Contrary to allegations in the media that inmates in Thai prisons can buy their way into an air-conditioned, smoking room with unlimited TV, the Department of Corrections says there is no such thing as a VIP room when you’re behind bars in Thailand. On Tuesday, Deputy Director-General of the Department of Corrections Sitthi Suteewong said he would like to clarify several points…

  • Crime News

    Burmese man stabs Burmese woman to death outside Bangkok shopping mall

    A Burmese man stabbed a fellow Burmese woman to death outside Platinum Mall in Bangkok, Thailand, at midday today. The killer told the police he was angry at the deceased for telling their employer that he was slacking at work. At 12pm, officers from Phayathai Police Station were informed of a stabbing outside the Platinum Fashion Mall in the Ratchathewi…