Lauren Day
Thailand
Lauren Day is the ABC's South East Asia correspondent, based in Bangkok. She previously worked as an award-winning reporter for 7.30 in Melbourne and researcher for Four Corners in Sydney. Lauren has been at the ABC for over 10 years in newsrooms across the country including Perth, Hobart, Darwin, Cairns, and Brisbane. Follow Lauren on Twitter: @L_Day or email her at day.lauren@abc.net.au. For more secure communication, email laurendayabc@protonmail.com
Latest by Lauren Day
Thailand was the first country in Asia to decriminalise cannabis. A year later, it's having second thoughts
After Thailand decriminalised the sale of marijuana for recreational use in 2022, weed dispensaries have exploded around the country, but already the future of this industry is up in the air.
Thailand's most popular political party faces dissolution after failed bid to change defamation laws
The Move Forward Party was attempting to change some of the world's strictest defamation laws and now faces the risk of dissolution and a ban on its leaders after losing the legal case.
When a trans icon bought Miss Universe, she promised to reform it for the next generation. A year later, she's sold half of it
When Thai media mogul Anne Jakkaphong Jakrajutatip bought the Miss Universe competition, she promised to transform the beauty pageant. But just a year later, the business is struggling to survive amid claims of rigging, sexual harassment and financial woes.
'I thought this was the day I would die': Thai worker recalls the moment he was abducted by Hamas
Before the war, about 30,000 Thai nationals were working in Israel's agriculture sector. Wichian Temthong was one of them. He endured 51 days as a Hamas hostage in a tunnel in Gaza.
After 20 years in a tiny cage, these 'broken bears' are finally feeling the grass beneath their paws
The extraction of bear bile involves animals being hunted and caged in farms across Asia, despite the fact the trade in these products is illegal almost everywhere – including Australia. But there is an end in sight.
Thai police are hunting a notorious fugitive in the jungle. 'Wealthy' Pang is daring them to catch him
A well-known Thai fugitive known as "Wealthy Pang" has been on the run since October, and his TikTok videos taunting the police chasing him have stirred up some serious questions about corruption and misconduct in the country's most powerful institutions.
Half a million Russians arrived in Phuket in six months. Now, there is growing resentment
On the holiday island of Phuket, an influx of Russians buying property and setting up their own businesses is driving up prices and driving a wedge between the new residents and Thai locals.
An alleged cult stayed hidden in the mountains for years until followers broke free. These are their stories
In a remote island community in the Philippines, a young man convinced villagers he was their saviour. Now, he is accused of leading a doomsday cult and fostering child marriages, rape, forced labour and human trafficking.
Why these Israeli towns fear an enemy in the north could enter the war — again
The town of Shlomi is one of dozens of communities within 2 kilometres of Israel's border with Lebanon that have been evacuated over fears that a second front line could open up in the north and drag in other regional players. Here's what the ABC found on a visit there.
Teenager allegedly carries out fatal shooting in luxury Bangkok shopping mall
Thai police say they have arrested a 14-year-old boy after a fatal shooting at Thailand's most famous shopping mall.
This woman could be Thailand's worst serial killer. Families of her alleged victims want the death penalty
Investigators looking into the poisoning of a woman on a pier unearthed a string of other crimes connected with "Am Cyanide". This is how Thailand's worst suspected serial killer was brought undone.
A Thai village chief invited dozens of cops for dinner. Then he allegedly told his henchman to kill one
A powerful village chief invited dozens of police officers to his house for a wild party. But when one of them wound up dead, it kicked off a huge scandal that threatens the unchecked power of Thailand’s authorities.
Why Anthony Albanese's 'warm congratulations' to Cambodia's new leader has sparked outrage
Hun Manet received "warm congratulations" from Anthony Albanese after becoming Cambodia's prime minister, but members of the Cambodian diaspora in Australia have expressed shock and outrage over the move.
Myanmar photojournalist jailed for 20 years over cyclone aftermath reporting
A court in Myanmar sentences a photojournalist for an underground news agency to 20 years in prison with hard labour for his coverage of a deadly cyclone's aftermath.
Myanmar's ailing former leader Aung San Suu Kyi being denied medical care in prison, son says
The son of Myanmar's detained former leader Aung San Suu Kyi says she is being refused urgent medical care despite her ill health.
The billionaire patriarch of Thailand's fabled political dynasty has returned home to be arrested. Here's why
The return of a billionaire fugitive will set the stage for one of the most dramatic days in Thai political history. Here's what you need to know about former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
How a split-second decision off the island of Aceh may have saved four Australians
When two boats set off towards an Indonesian island for a birthday surfing trip, none of those on board could have predicted the next few days. Here's how the survivors managed more than 36 hours at sea.
'We all pray to God he will be found': Search continues for Indonesian crew member as Australian surfers reunite
Four Australian surfers who went missing off the coast of Aceh are reunited to recover with their friends, while the search continues for the final missing Indonesian crew member, Fifan Satria.
Australians found 'bobbing around on their surfboards' after going missing in Indonesia
Four Australians and two Indonesian crew whose boat went missing during a surf trip off the coast of Aceh have been found alive after several days at sea, while one crew member is still missing.
Pig abattoir ceases operations amid investigation into 'serious and disturbing' allegations
Warning: This story contains content that may distress some readers. A pig abattoir has ceased operations amid a formal investigation into "serious and disturbing allegations" of mistreatment of animals, including one pig having its testicles torn off by machinery.
Calls for investigation after pig gassing footage aired
There are calls for greater scrutiny of the pork industry after the ABC's 7.30 program airs video of pigs being stunned by carbon dioxide before slaughter.
Hidden cameras capture carbon dioxide stunning in Australia's pork industry
The use of carbon dioxide to stun pigs before slaughter is legal and widespread – but activists believe the industry doesn't want you to know what it looks like.
Veronica's final hours were cruel and 'degrading'. But with her family, she was wrapped in love
The harrowing calls for help made by Veronica Nelson as she was dying in a Victorian prison cell have sent shock waves across the nation. As calls for urgent reforms mount, Veronica's family is still finding a path through grief.
Meet the bodybuilder with no hands or feet changing perceptions of disability
Vanessa Calafiore started Pilates to help with chronic pain that comes with a limb deficiency. What it turned into was a love for bodybuilding, fitness and an awe-inspiring story.
What is the 'Barbie drug' and why are authorities worried?
The Therapeutic Goods Administration has issued a warning about Melanotan-II, a substance being widely spruiked on social media platforms that promises to give users a tan without the sun — but can have serious side effects.