Chiang Mai News
Chiang Mai news, politics, business, culture, and tourism—stay updated with breaking stories, local events, and expat insights from Thailand’s northern hub. Get the latest from The Thaiger, your trusted Chiang Mai news source.
-
Sponsored How to reduce out-of-pocket medical expenses in Thailand?
Managing medical expenses in Thailand is important as healthcare costs continue to rise. The country’s healthcare system includes both public and private options, but even with the Universal Coverage Scheme (UCS) for citizens, many still face high out-of-pocket medical expenses....
-
Chiang Mai airport threatens to sue Grab car driver
PHOTO: Chiang Mai Airport surveillance camera “The Airport Director claims that security staff were only doing their job and that Grab cars were not currently registered as public transport vehicles.” Chiang Mai airport officials are denying a Grab car driver’s claims that officials attacked him and say counter-charges will be filed against the man. Workpoint News report that 39 year…
-
Second hand car dealers arrested over 5 year old scam in Chiang Mai
PHOTO: Daily News Police in Chiang Mai say they have arrested a married couple involved in an alleged scam of 52 people in the northern Thailand city. The incidents were reported to police five years ago. 55 year old Anucha “Teng” Dorkmaingam and his 39 year old wife Warawee or Suthicha Suphan were arrested at a Chiang Mai restaurant. Daily…
-
Lampang public servant on the run after murdering wife and attempting suicide
A senior public servant from Lampang is on the run after allegedly strangling his wife then fleeing after failing to successfully hang himself from the stair handrails in his house. Lampang is a province south-east of Chiang Mai in northern Thailand. Sanook.com reports that a two page will was found on a desk in the house. Serm Ngam police responded to…
-
UPDATE: Air Force pilot killed in Chiang Mai jet training crash
PHOTO: Squadron Leader Naruephol Lertkuson A Royal Thai Air Force jet trainer crashed in Chiang Mai province killing a pilot and injuring one other. Eyewitnesses say the pilot ejected safely from the aircraft but one crew member was found dead near the crash scene having ejected from the crashing plane too late. The incident happened in Tha Wang Tan of the…
-
Thai Justice officials push for action against parents of teenage biker in Chiang Mai
The Thai Justice Ministry is urging police to take action against the parents of a 13 year old boy whose foot was torn off in a crash on a 1000cc Kawasaki motorcycle they bought him. The incident in northern Chiang Mai on July 6 was caught on video that went viral drawing a lot of criticism online. Read The Thaiger story…
-
Chiang Mai teenager survives big bike collision but loses leg – VIDEO
A 13 year old Chiang Mai teenager is lucky to escape with his life after a high-speed crash in front of the Sri Arun Market in the San Kampaeng district of Chiang Mai. The person posting video of the incident estimated he was traveling at 150 kph when he hit another motorbike, before sliding into a car at high speed.…
-
Chiang Mai hotels battle disruptors
by Bill Barnett Thailand’s northern tourism hub of Chiang Mai has become a victim of its own volume-driven success. According to hospitality data provider STR, market-wide hotel occupancy for the first five months of the year is down 5.1%, compared to the same period in 2018. In the newly released C9 Hotelworks Chiang Mai Hotel Market Update, the comparison between…
-
Chiang Mai protesters petition Governor over Rinkham Intersection upgrade
An activist group is taking its protest about the upgrading of an intersection in Chiang Mai to the local governor. The Chiang Mai Highway District Office 2, which has been tasked with overseeing the project, and Chiang Mai governor Supachai Iamsuwan will hold a press conference to address residents’ concerns at the Chiang Mai Government Complex next Tuesday. The proposed…
-
Dengue fever claims its first case in Chiang Mai for 2019
A 12 year old fifth grader has succumbed to a case of dengue fever – its first victim in Chiang Mai this year. Sutheerat Mahasing, an academic at the Chiang Mai Public Health Office, says Chanon Jomputu had died on Wednesday this week. But Sutheerat dismissed rumours that the death resulted from a “new strain” of the dengue virus, blaming…
-
Lost and found: 5.4 million meth pills and ‘ice’ discovered in Chiang Mai cave
PHOTOS: Maesai news online 5.4 million methamphetamine pills and 185 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine have been found hidden in a cave north of Chiang Mai. A border patrol police and Army troops from the 5th Cavalry Taskforce in the Chiang Dao district found the drugs in a cave in Ban Tham Klaeb in Tambon Ping Khong yesterday while patrolling the area. The…
-
Chiang Mai’s red bus drivers plan mass protest against Grab
The war to dominate Chiang Mai’s local public transport sector is hotting up with the drivers of the city’s Rot Daeng vans (red song taews) planning a mass protest against the growing popularity of the Grab Taxis. Sanook reports that Bunniam Buntha, representing Chiang Mai’s Rot Daeng drivers, says they plan to assemble the 2,465 members in a mass protest. Sanook…
-
Dog viciously attacks child in Chiang Mai – owner offers 3,000 baht compensation
A Chiang Mai mother is calling for action after her 11 year old son was mauled by a dog (guess the breed) that escaped from a local restaurant near their house. “Nong Saeng” was playing with friends in a car park near “The Fusion” at a construction site in Muang district where his family lived. The dog attacked the boy, ripping a…
-
New Zealand expat found dead in Chiang Mai condo
PHOTO: Galare Thong Condominium – Google An elderly New Zealand expat has been found dead in a condo in Chiang Mai last night (Sunday). Police from the Muang Chiang Mai police station said the body of 79 year old Warwick Ernest Purser was found in a pool of blood beside his bed in a room on the 12th floor of…
-
Chiang Mai netizens outraged after porn movie released online
Chiang Mai locals are sharing their outrage over a porn video shot in a local massage shop where the massage ends up in a lot more than just a happy ending. The clip is called “Thai VIP Massage” and is credited to ThaiSwinger.com. Manager Online reports that netizens are calling for the police to investigate the adult movie shot in…
-
Motorbike riders injured in Chiang Mai underpass – VIDEO
PHOTOS: Chiang Mai Traffic Police Many motorbike passengers and drivers have been injured as they headed down and stopped inside the Fa Harm Underpass in Chiang Mai yesterday. Chiang Mai News reports that the accident happened at 6pm last night inside the Fa Harm Underpass on Super Highway Road, northbound. Police and emergency responders arrived at the scene to find…
-
Grab or Uber, or Red Buses? Tourist poll in Chiang Mai.
Thai tourists in Chiang Mai have been polled in the The Mae Jo survey checking on the popularity of public transport options around the northern city. There were 423 respondents to the poll carried out between January 9-23. So who did the Thai tourists prefer? Uber and Grab or local red buses (Rot Daeng)? 76% of Thai tourists want to see…
-
Is Airbnb taking over the Thai hotel industry?
Airbnb is posing a less significant threat to hotels in Thailand than expected, but its influence in the longer term should not be underestimated, according to real estate company JLL Offering new alternatives to travellers, Airbnb is certainly taking some of the wind out of the sails of the traditional hotel accommodation model. However, findings from Jone Lang Lasalle (JLL) shows…
-
Grab electric tuk tuks launch in Chiang Mai
Grab, the nemesis of the old taxi and red bus network in Chiang Mai, has signed an agreement with government and private sector partners to establish the Chiang Mai Smart Mobility Alliance Network. It is the first such partnership in South East Asia. Thai aim is to reduce Chiang Mai’s public transport footprint by 35% within the next five years. The…
-
Airports of Thailand open bidding for new duty free contracts at three airports
Airports of Thailand (AoT) says they will finalise the bidding process to announce who will manage the commercial areas at three provincial airports – Phuket, Had Yai and Chiang Mai – on June 10. King Power Duty Free has had a stranglehold on the duty free concession areas of the country’s four main airports but are having to bid for…
-
British man beaten up by Thai thugs in Pai for ‘interfering’ in an argument
PHOTOS: Daily News 37 year old Luke Benjamin Thornton has ended up in hospital in Chiang Mai after trying to break up a fight in Pai, north of Chiang Mai, on May 20. Daily News reports that Luke was trying to stop a fight between locals and tourists and was beaten unconscious with a wooden club and kicks. They reported that…
-
Burmese man arrested for doing stunts on his Honda around Chiang Mai roads – VIDEO
PHOTOS: Daily News | VIDEO: Jeep Jenjira Pansena A video posted by Jeep Jenjira Pansena has prompted the Chiang Mai police to arrest a Burmese man caught doing stunts on the city’s roads. 21 year old “Mai”, who lives in San Sai and works as a masseur, was standing up on his Honda Click, amongst other ‘moves’ while hurtling around the…
-
Chiang Mai and Hua Hin in Top 10 Asian retirement locations
Hua Hin and Chiang Mai are two of the best retirement destinations in Asia, according to the US News and World Report. Phuket and Bangkok, usually included in lists of Asian retirement locations, didn’t make it onto this list. ThaiVisa reports that they were included in the site’s 10 best places to retire in Asia. The report considers the cost of…
-
American Alzheimer’s patient, living in Thailand, heads to The Philippines
PHOTOS: Thaivisa “Mum is doing OK. She keeps forgetting who I am. But we must live completely in the moment with Alzheimer’s, and stay happy.” In an exclusive interview with Thaivisa, the daughter of the Alzheimer’s patient who claimed that her 77 year old mother was forced out of Thailand by new immigration rules, sent Thaivisa photos of their departure.…
-
Chiang Mai Song Thaew drivers see red over Grab
Chiang Mai’s Grab vs traditional public transport continues. The issue has simmered for two years with occasional outbreaks of violence and an ongoing war of words on social media. Thai PBS reports that the spat has become a major problem again between the public Red Song Thaews and Grab Cars in the northern city. On the one hand members of…
-
Young British man found dead in Chiang Mai condo
PHOTO: Thai Rath A maid discovered a British man dead in the bedroom of a room on the eighth floor of a luxury condo in the Chang Khlan district of Chiang Mai over the weekend. 39 year old Kapadia Sarfaraaz was found face down on the bedroom floor. Police found no signs of a struggle or wounds on the body. But they say…
-
German tourist dies after ghost-riding on his high power bike
A German tourist has been killed after ghost-riding (riding in the opposite direction to the traffic) on his high-power motorcycle. He crashed head-on with a pickup truck in Chiang Mai road early this morning. The tourist has been identified as Jan Single. Police also found a quantity of marijuana in a zip-lock plastic bag he was carrying at the time…
-
Chiang Mai songthaews and tuk-tuk drivers complain about Grab
Drivers of red public songthaews and tuk-tuks have submitted a petition to Chiang Mai’s provincial governor complaining about the Grab ride-hailing App. The Grab service is offered on a very intuitive smartphone app and provided by normal drivers. The petition said the Grab App had caused their income to drop by more than 50%. They say the service is illegal and…
-
Family of Canadian man who died ziplining in Chiang Mai calls for changes
PHOTO: Spencer Donaldson at the Flight of the Gibbon zipline in Chiang Mai, moments before he jumped to his death – Supplied by Spencer’s family. “Flight of the Gibbon isn’t listed on the website of Association for Challenge Course Technology as a member and the Association have denied that the Chiang Mai ride is a member.” The family of a Canadian…
-
New rugby league for northern Thailand – The Lanna Rugby Tens League
With the expansion of rugby in Asia, often the drivers are still individuals at grassroots levels who are making a massive impact. In northern Thailand, Tom Stubley and the newly formed Lanna Rugby Club, in cooperation with others in the region, are forming a new tens rugby union league called the Lanna Rugby Tens League due to start in June…
-
Chinese tourist caught stealing GoPro from couple – VIDEO
A Chinese man has been caught stealing a camera from a Spanish couple in Chiang Mai. The incident happened on Tuesday and was captured on CCTV. The Spanish tourists had been visiting Wat Phra That Doi Suthep when they put a GoPro camera on the bench they had been sitting on. After realising they’d left the camera there, they returned but…
Don't forget to check out some other things to do in Thailand - get help starting a business or finding a job in Thailand, buy Thailand property, rent a yacht or book a medical procedure worldwide.