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 NewsThailand’s largest group of foreign tourists come from Malaysia

    Thailand’s largest group of foreign tourists come from Malaysia

    In July, Malaysians made up the largest portion of Thailand’s foreign arrivals, according to the Ministry of Tourism and Sports. Thailand welcomed 220,554 Malaysian tourists in July, most of them arriving via the land border crossing in Songkhla province. In a post-pandemic world, Malaysian travel to Thailand has never been easier, with the removal of Thailand Pass and insurance requirements. The…

  • Thailand NewsVIDEO: King cobra slithers into closet in southern Thailand

    VIDEO: King cobra slithers into closet in southern Thailand

    A terrified homeowner in Trang province, southern Thailand, woke up yesterday morning to find a 2.1 metre long king cobra taking a nap in his wardrobe. He locked the snake inside the closet and urgently called a rescue team for help. At 9am, a snake rescue foundation received a request for help from a villager in Palian district and deployed…

  • Crime NewsActivist sentenced to 2 years in prison for wearing Thai dress that ‘mocks’ H.M. Queen

    Activist sentenced to 2 years in prison for wearing Thai dress that ‘mocks’ H.M. Queen

    A 23 year old Thai activist has been sentenced to two years imprisonment for royal defamation, under Section 112 of the Criminal Code, for attending a protest in traditional Thai attire. Her catwalk show was interpreted by royalists as “mocking” H.M. Queen Sirikit, the queen mother of Thailand. Bangkok South Criminal Court read the verdict of Jatuporn “New” Saeoueng’s sentence…

  • Thailand NewsKayaking tourists swept out to sea in eastern Thailand, 1 dies and 1 survives

    Kayaking tourists swept out to sea in eastern Thailand, 1 dies and 1 survives

    Two tourists were swept out to sea while kayaking in Rayong province, eastern Thailand, yesterday afternoon. One of the men drowned and the other clung to his friend’s body all night in the open sea until he was rescued by a passing fishing boat this morning. Three tourists, all of mixed Thai and Taiwanese nationality, travelled on holiday to Koh…

  • Bangkok NewsFloods leave cars underwater at Bangkok condo

    Floods leave cars underwater at Bangkok condo

    In the relentless flash flooding ravaging Thailand, the water level at a car park at a condominium in the Bang Khen district of Bangkok reached new heights on Saturday night. In eerie photos posted by the Facebook page ‘Survive – Sai Mai must Survive,’ the roofs of cars in the basement car park on the Theparak – Phahon Yothin Road…

  • Tourism NewsMore tourists are venturing into rural Thailand, says Airbnb

    More tourists are venturing into rural Thailand, says Airbnb

    Airbnb says more tourists in Thailand are opting for ‘off-the-beaten-track’ destinations, benefiting the environment and local economies. Thailand’s usual top tourist destinations are places with international airports – Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Koh Samui and Phuket. According to Airbnb, more tourists are venturing out of these hubs and into “lesser-known” destinations such as Koh Lanta, Trat, Pai and Cha-Am. Koh Lanta…

  • Crime NewsBangkok woman stabs husband to death after a few days isolating in the same room

    Bangkok woman stabs husband to death after a few days isolating in the same room

    A woman stabbed her husband to death this morning in Bangkok. The couple were both infected with Covid-19, living in a house of five, and had been isolating in the same room for a few days. Officers from Udom Suk Police Station received a report at 6.57am today that a woman had killed her husband at their home in the…

  • Thailand NewsWoman gives birth in pickup truck as floods block hospital entrance in eastern Thailand

    Woman gives birth in pickup truck as floods block hospital entrance in eastern Thailand

    A Laotian woman gave birth in the back of a Toyota pickup truck on Sukhumvit Road in Rayong province, eastern Thailand, this morning. She gave birth right outside the hospital, but couldn’t get in because the entrance was completely flooded. Rayong has been hit particularly hard by the heavy rainfall and flash flooding experienced in Thailand this week. Today at…

  • Road deathsTrain smashes into car in eastern Thailand, 1 killed, 3 seriously injured

    Train smashes into car in eastern Thailand, 1 killed, 3 seriously injured

    A car crashed through a barrier and was hit by a train in Chon Buri province, eastern Thailand, at 2am today. One woman was killed in the crash and three more people are seriously injured. Officers at Don Hua Lo Police Station received a report at 2am that a train had hit a car where the road and railway track…

  • Bangkok NewsVIDEO: Pro-wakeskater surfs Bangkok floods

    VIDEO: Pro-wakeskater surfs Bangkok floods

    Flooded Bangkok became a playground for world-renowned pro-wakeskater and wakeboarder Daniel Grant, who showed off his skills on the submerged streets outside Bangkok University last night. Gnarly! The Bangkok-born, 24 year old half-Thai watersports champion made flying through the floods on his wakeskate board look easy and he even landed kickflips in the ankle-deep water. Wakeskating is like wakeboarding, except…

  • Covid-19 NewsAre face masks still required on domestic flights in Thailand?

    Are face masks still required on domestic flights in Thailand?

    The world is moving on from the Covid-19 pandemic, but face masks are still popular in Thailand. You might see people on domestic flights in Thailand wearing masks, but are they mandatory? The Thai government made face masks “voluntary” back in June but still recommends wearing them in crowded spaces. The news was published in the Royal Gazette and said……

  • Bangkok NewsAirbus A380 lands at Thailand’s Don Mueang Airport for the first time ever

    Airbus A380 lands at Thailand’s Don Mueang Airport for the first time ever

    An Airbus A380 aircraft landed on the runway at Bangkok’s Don Mueang International rt (DMK) for the first time ever yesterday. The Emirates flight was redirected to Bangkok’s smaller airport due to heavy rainfall disrupting the runway at Suvarnabhumi Airport. At 9.40pm, flight EK363 from Guangzhou in China descended on DMK after the runway became impassible at Suvarnabhumi International Airport,…

  • Thailand NewsJapan donates cute trains to Thailand, ready for public use next month

    Japan donates cute trains to Thailand, ready for public use next month

    On Tuesday, the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) conducted a trial run of a cute white and purple locomotive donated by Japan. It is one of 17 Kiha 183 passenger trains donated by the Hokkaido Railway Company, which will be used for short tourism routes as soon as next month. Governor of the SRT Nirut Maneephan said the trains will…

  • Bangkok NewsVIDEO: Rain leaks into Thailand’s 12 billion baht Parliament building, again

    VIDEO: Rain leaks into Thailand’s 12 billion baht Parliament building, again

    Rain is pouring through the roof at the Parliament complex in Bangkok’s Dusit district, which opened in May last year and cost 12.28 billion Thai baht to construct, according to former Democrat Party MP Watchara Petthong. The former MP posted a video of an overflowing wheelbarrow and bucket on the drenched floor at the Parliament complex on Facebook yesterday, complaining…

  • Bangkok NewsFire engulfs warehouse in Bangkok, 7 firefighters hospitalised

    Fire engulfs warehouse in Bangkok, 7 firefighters hospitalised

    Seven firefighters are in hospital after a wall collapsed onto them while they put out a huge blaze at a warehouse in Bangkok last night. At 9.30pm yesterday, officers at Bang Kho Laem Police Station received a report that a fire had engulfed a warehouse on Rat Burana Soi 15 in the Bang Pakok subdistrict of Bangkok. Firefighters rushed to…

  • Politics NewsActing PM of Thailand Prawit insists he wasn’t sleeping on the job

    Acting PM of Thailand Prawit insists he wasn’t sleeping on the job

  • World News3 year old dies after being left in kindergarten van all day in Japan

    3 year old dies after being left in kindergarten van all day in Japan

    A three year old girl died after being left inside a kindergarten van for around five hours on Monday in Makinohara, Shizuoka prefecture, in Japan. The young girl, China Kawamoto, is suspected to have died of heatstroke. Yesterday, police searched Kawasaki Kindergarten and the director and principal’s homes, who were arrested under suspicion of professional negligence causing death. The van…

  • Cannabis NewsThai man sits on roof for 2 days because his family won’t let him smoke marijuana

    Thai man sits on roof for 2 days because his family won’t let him smoke marijuana

    A disgruntled man in northeast Thailand climbed onto the roof when his family cut off his access to marijuana and stayed up there for two days. Yesterday evening, he got hungry and climbed down before being taken to hospital. The man’s wife said her 42 year old husband Kantaphi is a “weed addict,” so she took him from Bangkok to…

  • Crime NewsCorpse with phone charger tied around neck dumped in pond in northern Thailand

    Corpse with phone charger tied around neck dumped in pond in northern Thailand

    A murder investigation has been launched in Phayao province, northern Thailand after a woman’s corpse was found floating face down in a pond yesterday. Police suspect she was strangled to death with a phone charger, which was tied around her throat. Her right ankle was tied up with rope. Officers from Muang Phayao Police Station were called to Village 13…

  • World NewsChiang Mai, Thailand rated No.1 city for healthcare in southeast Asia

    Chiang Mai, Thailand rated No.1 city for healthcare in southeast Asia

    In a recent online survey, Chiang Mai was rated the No.1 city in Southeast Asia for the overall quality of healthcare. Two more Thai cities made the top 10, with Bangkok coming in at No.3 and Pattaya coming in at No.4. The index uses data from the website Numbeo and works out the results as follows… “Health Care Index is an…

  • Bangkok NewsFloods disrupt Bangkok, Governor Chadchart pushes stranded vehicles

    Floods disrupt Bangkok, Governor Chadchart pushes stranded vehicles

    Heavy rainfall which began yesterday and continued throughout the night caused flash flooding in several areas of Bangkok and its surrounding provinces, disrupting traffic, education, and business. Deep flooding caused Chaeng Wattana Road and Phahon Yothin Road heading towards Saphan Mai in Bang Khen district to become impassible last night leaving many cars stranded. At 8am today, remaining floodwater congested…

  • Thailand NewsLocals pray to blue snake in northeast Thailand

    Locals pray to blue snake in northeast Thailand

    On Sunday, villagers in Nakhon Ratchasima in northeast Thailand spotted a blue snake in a tree that has never been seen before in Thailand. Villagers lit incense and prayed to the snake, believing it is sure to bring them good luck. Isaan is brimming with snakes, but no one has ever reported seeing this kind of snake before. The bright…

  • Thailand News‘Fish sauce’ leaking through ceiling turns out to be corpse fluid in central Thailand

    ‘Fish sauce’ leaking through ceiling turns out to be corpse fluid in central Thailand

    Last night, a 49 year old teacher living in Nonthaburi province, central Thailand, told her apartment manager that fermented fish sauce was leaking through her ceiling and dripping down her wall. Pornphimon went away for the weekend and when she returned yesterday at 8pm, she noticed a putrid smell in her apartment. She said, “black water” was coming through the…

  • Crime NewsThai man turns to knife crime because his ex-wife ‘wants a farang husband’

    Thai man turns to knife crime because his ex-wife ‘wants a farang husband’

    A 40 year old Thai man stabbed his ex-mother-in-law on Saturday night in Buriram province in northeast Thailand. He told police that he lost it because he heard that his ex-wife “wants a farang husband.” When Chutiphon heard that his 36 year old ex-wife Suthani was looking for a Western husband, he drank himself into a hole and climbed over…

  • Thailand NewsTruck carrying elephant overturns in northern Thailand

    Truck carrying elephant overturns in northern Thailand

    UPDATE The 50 year old male elephant who was badly injured in a road accident in Chiang Mai yesterday finally made it to the elephant hospital in Lampang province, 20 hours later. At around 9am yesterday, the truck transporting “Pooh Kham” from Mae Chaem to an elephant camp in Mae Wang overturned on the windy roads. At first, Pooh Kham…

  • Thailand NewsBritish tourist hospitalised after accident at the Grand Canyon in northern Thailand

    British tourist hospitalised after accident at the Grand Canyon in northern Thailand

    A 21 year old British tourist ended up in hospital after a backflip gone wrong off a giant inflatable at the notoriously dangerous ‘Grand Canyon’ water park in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand. The Grand Canyon – somewhat less spectacular than its American counterpart but still beautiful – is located in a once-deserted quarry in the Hang Dong district. The park…

  • Crime NewsSuspected thief electrocuted to death in Bangkok, Thailand

    Suspected thief electrocuted to death in Bangkok, Thailand

    A Thai man was electrocuted to death in a suspected robbery sometime before 5am this morning on the side of a hotel in Bangkok. The hotel said they turn on electric wires during the night to prevent robberies. Lumphini Police Station received a report at 8am that a suspected thief had been electrocuted to death on the side of a…

  • Crime NewsUPDATE: Chaiwat denies murdering Karen activist ‘Billy’ in western Thailand

    UPDATE: Chaiwat denies murdering Karen activist ‘Billy’ in western Thailand

    UPDATE: Chaiwat denies murdering Karen activist ‘Billy’ in western Thailand Former superintendent of Kaeng Krachan National Park, Chaiwat Limlikitaksorn, denies all allegations that he and three other national park officials abducted and murdered Karen activist Porlajee “Billy” Rakchongcharoen in 2014. Last month, Chaiwat and three others were indicted after the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) found additional evidence that Billy…

  • World NewsMalaysian victim of human trafficking dies in northern Thailand

    Malaysian victim of human trafficking dies in northern Thailand

    A Malaysian couple travelled to Thailand on Tuesday to look for their son but found out that he died at Mae Sot Hospital in Tak province, northern Thailand, on May 11. The 23 year old man is believed to have fallen victim to a job scam and trafficked to Myanmar. The hospital said Zhan had been “abused.” Zhan Feng, from…

  • Thailand NewsThailand provides over 600,000 free cancer treatments in 9 months

    Thailand provides over 600,000 free cancer treatments in 9 months

    Under the universal healthcare ‘Gold Card’ scheme, the government of Thailand provided 603,060 free cancer treatments in nine months. The free cancer treatments were provided by the National Health Security Office between October 1, 2021, and June 30, 2022, according to Deputy Spokesperson Ratchada Thanadirek. The number exceeded the government’s expectations by almost double. The government initially predicted that the…