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.

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  • The new Smart Visa and digital nomads | Thaiger

    The new Smart Visa and digital nomads

    PHOTO: neverendingvoyage.com The new Smart Visa might be a visa solution for some, but not all, of the ‘digital nomads’ that have been become ubiquitous in Thailand, from all over the world. Whereas the young professionals might have taken off around the world on a break between their schooling and the start of their professional careers, now they’re taking their…

  • Three more illegal tour guides arrested in Phuket blitz | Thaiger

    Three more illegal tour guides arrested in Phuket blitz

    Three more Chinese-speaking illegal tour guides have been arrested yesterday (December 27) and the day before following the illegal tour guide crackdown initiated by Phuket’s Governor. Yesterday in Soi Sakdidech, in Phuket Town, a team of Phuket provincial authorities along with representatives of Royal Thai Navy Area 3, Provincial Internal Security Operations Command and Volunteer Defense Corps checked a Chinese…

  • THURSDAY MORNING NEWS BRIEFING – All your local news in 3 minutes | Thaiger

    THURSDAY MORNING NEWS BRIEFING – All your local news in 3 minutes

    Today is the start of the Seven Days of Danger, one of two periods during the year when Thais, expats and tourists die in preventable road crashes. In large numbers. It’s also the day when we’re told we’ll start to feel the effects of the weakening tropical depression Tembin which started off as a typhoon, killing 200 in The Philippines,…

  • Paramilitary soldier dies following yesterday’s Narathiwat attacks | Thaiger

    Paramilitary soldier dies following yesterday’s Narathiwat attacks

    One of two paramilitary soldiers wounded during series of attacks in Narathiwat’s Sisakhon district yesterday (Tuesday) has succumbed to his injuries at Naradhiwat Rajanagarindra Hospital. The deceased, 35 year old Kamjorn Tanma, a native of Chiang Mai province, was scheduled to wed his girlfriend tomorrow. A bathing ceremony for Kamjorn was held at Bangnara Temple in Narathiwat’s Muang district, presided…

  • 26 year old Chinese tourist drowns an hour after arriving in Phuket | Thaiger

    26 year old Chinese tourist drowns an hour after arriving in Phuket

    A Chinese tourist drowned at Patong Beach yesterday while waiting to check into his hotel. Police say 26 year old An Huifeng drowned shortly after he and his girlfriend went into the water while they were waiting to check in. Police spoke to the man’s girlfriend and found out that the two arrived in Phuket only an hour before and…

  • SUNDAY MORNING NEWS BRIEFING – All your local news in 3 minutes | Thaiger

    SUNDAY MORNING NEWS BRIEFING – All your local news in 3 minutes

    One more sleep until Santa comes down the chimney. Not there are many chimneys in Phuket – perhaps leave the back door open instead. A final decision on the Thepa Coal Plant seems to be dragging on, a Chinese tourist drowned only an hour after arriving on the island, BKK police have seized 72 modified motorbikes and Toon’s close to…

  • Elephant kills mahout at Chiang Mai Zoo | Thaiger

    Elephant kills mahout at Chiang Mai Zoo

    A 32 year old male elephant fatally attacked its keeper at Chiang Mai Zoo yesterday morning, acting zoo director Wutthichai Moungman later confirmed. Senior mahout Somsak Riang-ngern died instantly. The attack at the elephant camp on the hill outside the display zone took place at 8am when the five-tonne Plai Ekkasit, which has apparently been in rut since Sunday, suddenly…

  • JetStar flight makes an emergency landing at Chiang Mai | Thaiger

    JetStar flight makes an emergency landing at Chiang Mai

    A Jetstar Airways plane flying from Vietnam made an emergency landing at Chiang Mai International Airport at 11.46am on Monday, officials said. The flight had taken off from Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi heading to India, they said. The Chiang Mai airport received the emergency landing request at 11:20am, and the plane landed safely. The plane had 181 passengers…

  • Hi So Hill in Chiang Mai ends up being an expensive scam | Thaiger

    Hi So Hill in Chiang Mai ends up being an expensive scam

    Story from Thai language ‘Manager Online‘ The enticing advertisement online promised a dream: quiet retirement in the beautiful hills of Chiang Mai. Many foreigners thought this was what they deserved after a life of saving so they eagerly signed up to buy houses in the luxurious, quality development. Now they are left with illegal properties that they can’t sell and their dreams are over.…

  • 14 injured in van and pick-up crash in Chiang Mai | Thaiger

    14 injured in van and pick-up crash in Chiang Mai

    Eleven Chinese tourists and three locals have been injured after a pick-up truck crashed into a van yesterday afternoon in Chiang Mai. Among the 11 Chinese tourists, five were severely injured and remain in a local hospital. The Chinese consulate general based in Chiang Mai says that the five severely injured tourists are still being treated at the hospital but…

  • Looking Back: The rise and fall of Chiang Mai | Thaiger

    Looking Back: The rise and fall of Chiang Mai

    PHUKET: Chiang Mai has existed as a city for over 700 years. It is older than Bangkok and probably as old as Sukhothai. In the past, Chiang Mai was the capital of the Kingdom of Lanna, an independent kingdom rich in resources and unique in its culture and traditions. The city was founded by King Mengrai, who came to the…

  • Vietjet launches new routes from Phuket to Bangkok, Chiang Rai | Thaiger

    Vietjet launches new routes from Phuket to Bangkok, Chiang Rai

    PHUKET: Vietnamese low-cost airline Vietjet announced its ‘domestic debut’ in Thailand on September 6 and the launch of new flight routes from Phuket to Bangkok and Chiang Rai this month. The ‘new-age’ airline already flies from Bangkok to Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi and operates 53 routes in Vietnam and to Thailand, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, China and Myanmar…

  • More than a dozen tourists dead in Chiang Mai bus crash | Thaiger

    More than a dozen tourists dead in Chiang Mai bus crash

    CHIANG MAI: At least 14 Malaysian tourists were killed and many others injured when their tour bus hit a power pole and ran off a mountainous road in Chiang Mai’s Doi Saket district yesterday. Police said that the bus was on national highway 118 through Ban Pang Fan village between Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai provinces when the driver lost…

  • Flights to Chiang Mai disrupted as smog levels soar in North | Thaiger

    Flights to Chiang Mai disrupted as smog levels soar in North

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Flights to Chiang Mai disrupted as smog levels soar in North The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The volume of tiny dust particles in the upper North rose beyond the safety level again yesterday and poor visibility reportedly prevented at least four flights from landing at…

  • Phuket flight denied landing as smog shrouds Chiang Mai | Thaiger

    Phuket flight denied landing as smog shrouds Chiang Mai

    PHUKET: A flight from Phuket was forced to abort landing at Chiang Mai International Airport today after smog reduced visibility over the northern city to 800 meters, reported The Nation. Air Asia Flight FD3161 departed Phuket on time at 10:35am, but was unable to make its scheduled landing at Chiang Mai at 12:30pm for safety reasons. Bangkok Airways Flight PG241…

  • Man boards Chiang Mai plane with fake gun | Thaiger

    Man boards Chiang Mai plane with fake gun

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Man boards Chiang Mai plane with fake gun The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Chiang Mai International Airport has launched an investigation into reports that a passenger managed to board a flight with a fake gun inside his bag. The passenger, flying from Chiang Mai to…

  • Tourist’s body found in Chiang Mai lake | Thaiger

    Tourist’s body found in Chiang Mai lake

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Tourist’s body found in Chiang Mai lake The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The body of a South Korean tourist was found in a large man-made lake in Chiang Mai’s Hang Dong district yesterday. Police believe Song Tae Khy, 22, drowned while swimming with his friends…

  • Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Violence stakes rise as red shirts ordered to protect poll; Chiang Mai named coup retreat capital; Govt fails to secure loans to pay rice farmers | Thaiger

    Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Violence stakes rise as red shirts ordered to protect poll; Chiang Mai named coup retreat capital; Govt fails to secure loans to pay rice farmers

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Violence feared as red shirts ordered to protect poll The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: The likelihood of a volatile confrontation during this Sunday’s snap election has increased after a red-shirt leader yesterday urged government supporters to help ensure the voting would not be interrupted.Thida Tavonseth, chairperson of…

  • Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Protests may cost B40bn; Tourism fears rise; Army maintains no coup; OAG stirs elections wasteful | Thaiger

    Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Protests may cost B40bn; Tourism fears rise; Army maintains no coup; OAG stirs elections wasteful

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Prolonged siege may cost Bt40 bn The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: The Bangkok Shutdown is expected to whack Bt40 billion off the economy or 0.2 percentage point off its growth as consumers cut back on daily living and travel expenses, according to the University of the Thai…

  • Phuket Gazette Thailand News: More Nui victims found; Chiang Mai freezes over; DSI targets PDRC assets; Suthep vows Bangkok jam | Thaiger

    Phuket Gazette Thailand News: More Nui victims found; Chiang Mai freezes over; DSI targets PDRC assets; Suthep vows Bangkok jam

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Bone discovery linked to serial killer Nui The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Police have found several bones at an uninhabited spot in Loei where a confessed serial rapist and murderer allegedly attacked and strangled a girl earlier this year.DNA tests will be conducted to determine if the…

  • Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Firebombs at Bangkok rally; Hospital warns thieves drug patients; Chiang Mai quake; Flood defenses down | Thaiger

    Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Firebombs at Bangkok rally; Hospital warns thieves drug patients; Chiang Mai quake; Flood defenses down

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Patients robbed after thieves spike water with animal sedative The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: “Watch out!” the Public Health Ministry is warning all hospital users nationwide, after the recent sedation of a number of patients at major Bangkok hospitals when they unwittingly ingested a dangerous…

  • Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Experts offer recipe for reconciliation; Blair meets Democrats; Southern protests unabated; Chiang Mai train derails again | Thaiger

    Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Experts offer recipe for reconciliation; Blair meets Democrats; Southern protests unabated; Chiang Mai train derails again

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Experts rely on trust to deliver reconciliation The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Democracy, elections, trust and civil society are key elements for reconciliation, panelists said at a forum yesterday to find solutions for Thailand’s major political divide.Jens Orback, Sweden’s former minister of democracy, said nations have diversities…

  • Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Police wanted for tourist extortion; Chiang Mai train derails; Egypt exodus; Royals in better health | Thaiger

    Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Police wanted for tourist extortion; Chiang Mai train derails; Egypt exodus; Royals in better health

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Police officers suspended over alleged extortion of tourists The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Four Bangkok-based policemen have been suspended for allegedly extorting Bt2 million from two Italian tourists after making a false allegation against the victims and holding them captive.Arrest warrants have been issued for two of…

  • Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Chiang Mai, Hua Hin best for retirees; Phuket’s best Raceweek | Thaiger

    Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Chiang Mai, Hua Hin best for retirees; Phuket’s best Raceweek

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Chiang Mai, Hua Hin best The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: The Live and Invest Overseas website has ranked Chiang Mai and Prachuap Khiri Khan’s Hua Hin district as a couple of the world’s best places to retire due to the low cost of living and beautiful beaches.The…

  • Phuket Gazette Thailand News: National lottery impossible, says expert; Supercar hit list targets rich; Akeyuth murder suspect surrenders; Mobs face off in Chiang Mai | Thaiger

    Phuket Gazette Thailand News: National lottery impossible, says expert; Supercar hit list targets rich; Akeyuth murder suspect surrenders; Mobs face off in Chiang Mai

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Thai national lottery ‘statiscally impossible’: expert The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: After conducting a three-decade-long study, Chulalongkorn University statistician Theeraporn Verathaworn has discovered that the numbers drawn fortnightly in the state lottery are highly improbable. Hence, he said, the system should become fully automated and…

  • Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Govt readies to evacuate Thais from South Korea; Democrat Kingkarn to challenge Chiang Mai; Charter showdown looms | Thaiger

    Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Govt readies to evacuate Thais from South Korea; Democrat Kingkarn to challenge Chiang Mai; Charter showdown looms

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Govt readies evacuation plan for Thais in South Korea The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Labour Minister Phadermchai Sasomsap yesterday instructed the Thai ambassador in Seoul to prepare a plan for the speedy evacuation of all Thais after North Korea on Saturday declared it was at a “state…

  • Phuket takes precautionary measures after terrorist threats to US consulate in Chiang Mai | Thaiger

    Phuket takes precautionary measures after terrorist threats to US consulate in Chiang Mai

    PHUKET: Phuket’s top cop has increased security measures across the island in the wake of Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yoobamrung’s warning of possible Al-Qaeda and Salafist terrorists attacks on the United States consulate in Chiang Mai this month (story here). “Although the information gathered pointed to terrorist plans to target the United States consulate in Chiang Mai, we will not…

  • Thailand News: Reward for Chiang Mai rape-murder case; Drunk driving law tightened; Going for gold | Thaiger

    Thailand News: Reward for Chiang Mai rape-murder case; Drunk driving law tightened; Going for gold

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community British victim’s mother offers Bt493,000 for infomation Phuket Gazette / The NationPHUKET: The mother of a British woman who was raped and murdered in Chiang Mai 12 years ago yesterday offered 10,000 British pounds (nearly 493,000 baht) to anyone who comes forward with information leading to an…

  • Germany’s Pfizenmaier ousts Noppowan in Phuket ITF final | Thaiger

    Germany’s Pfizenmaier ousts Noppowan in Phuket ITF final

    PHUKET: Dinah Pfizenmaier has won the opening Phuket Chang ITF Women’s Pro Circuit event, defeating Noppowan Lertcheewakarn 6-2, 6-4 in the final at Thanyapura Sports and Leisure Club this afternoon.With local support weighing on the side of her opponent and number six seed from Thailand, the 20-year-old German showed early signs of nerves, losing the first game through four unforced…

  • Phuket misses out on Dance Festival as it moves to Chiang Mai | Thaiger

    Phuket misses out on Dance Festival as it moves to Chiang Mai

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Dance Festival moves to Chiang Mai due to flooding The Nation Thanks to the flooding, the Dance Center has not only postponed its International Dance Festival but relocated it from Bangkok and shortened it. It’s set for tomorrow. “This is the 11th edition and the first…