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 NewsSnitching on parking space hoggers could earn you 5,000 baht in Thailand

    Snitching on parking space hoggers could earn you 5,000 baht in Thailand

    Snitching on your local parking space hogger could earn you 5,000 baht, according to Thailand‘s Department of Public Relations (PRD). Cones, tyres, bicycles, plant pots and chairs are commonly seen blocking parking spaces on the streets of Thailand’s urban areas. People either want to save the parking space for themselves or simply don’t want others to park outside their property.…

  • Politics NewsBREAKING: Prayut reinstated as Prime Minister of Thailand

    BREAKING: Prayut reinstated as Prime Minister of Thailand

    Thailand’s Constitutional Court reinstated Prayut Chan-o-cha as Prime Minister of Thailand. The court ruled this afternoon that Prayut has not yet hit the eight-year constitutional limit set for his role. The court ruled that Prayut became prime minister on April 6, 2017, when the HM the King ratified a new military-drafted constitution. Therefore, PM Prayut can resume his position as…

  • Crime NewsLoan shark bombs debtor’s house in southern Thailand

    Loan shark bombs debtor’s house in southern Thailand

    A loan shark allegedly threw a deadly military-grade hand grenade at a woman’s house in Phattalung province, southern Thailand, after she failed to meet repayments. At 2pm yesterday, police were called to a house in Mueang district after a gardener discovered an explosive device in the grass. Police evacuated neighbours and called Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) officers to the scene.…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • Politics NewsNo coup is being plotted in Thailand, insists Ministry of Defence

    No coup is being plotted in Thailand, insists Ministry of Defence

    A spokesperson for Thailand’s Ministry of Defence wants to put an end to rumours that the Thai army is plotting another coup d’état. Yesterday at 3.30pm, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Defence Gen Kongcheep Tantravanich publicly insisted that no coup d’état is in the works in Thailand… “I assure you that there is no coup at all. Please feel…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • Thailand NewsVIDEO: Nine cars in three days fly off ‘cursed’ road in eastern Thailand

    VIDEO: Nine cars in three days fly off ‘cursed’ road in eastern Thailand

    Shocking CCTV footage reveals a total of nine vehicles losing control in the same place on a highway in Chachoengsao province, eastern Thailand, between September 24 – 26. Security cameras at a used car dealership on Suwinthawong Road in Mueang district captured nine vehicles losing control, seemingly out of nowhere, and spinning off the road. Most of the cars ended…

  • 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 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…

  • Crime NewsForeign gang allegedly extorts Russian couple of crypto worth USk in Thailand

    Foreign gang allegedly extorts Russian couple of crypto worth US$50k in Thailand

    A Russian couple in Koh Samui in southern Thailand claims that a gang of six foreign men – including Russians, Kazakhs and a German – extorted them of cryptocurrency worth US$50,000, or 1.89 million baht. On Sunday, 31 year old Evgeny Abdullin and his wife Ekaterina Abdullin filed a complaint at Koh Samui Police Station. The couple said that six…

  • 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 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…

  • Crime NewsThai court overwhelmed with evidence in Forex-3D fraud case

    Thai court overwhelmed with evidence in Forex-3D fraud case

    UPDATE #2 Thailand’s Criminal Court summoned famous actress “Pinky” and 23 other defendants in the Forex-3D fraud case to court today. Defendants gave testimony and the court examined evidence submitted by victims. However, there are so many documents from victims that the court will need to reconvene on November 29, 2022, to make further progress in the case. Among 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…

  • 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 TravelPhuket welcomes 4 million tourists in 8 months

    Phuket welcomes 4 million tourists in 8 months

    Phuket welcomed four million domestic and international visitors so far in 2022, pumping 66 billion baht into the economy, according to Deputy Governor Pichet Panapong. In recent months, top holidaymakers in Phuket include Indians (120,000 visitors from May – September) and Australians (around 60,000 visitors between May – September). Even with 3000 – 5000 tourists arriving on the island every…

  • 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 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…

  • Thailand NewsOver 1000 people evacuated after Thailand’s Mun river bursts its banks

    Over 1000 people evacuated after Thailand’s Mun river bursts its banks

    The Mun river burst its banks in the early hours of this morning causing flash floods in Ubon Ratchathani province in northeast Thailand. A total of 1,015 people were evacuated from their homes. The river, a tributary of the Mekong, finally overflowed after a steady rise in water levels in recent months. The floods forced the evacuation of 51 communities in…

  • 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 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…