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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  • What it’s like to live in a resort in Thailand? | Thaiger

    What it’s like to live in a resort in Thailand?

    From clear crystal waters to dense lush jungles and rolling hills, iconic locations are magnets that attract travellers seeking relaxation and adventure to Thailand. But as more hotels and resorts start offering rooms or private villas, people may wonder what the perks and privileges of a perpetual holiday lifestyle may be. Bedroom views While city life demands us to constantly…

  • Chiang Mai mountains introduce two new camping facilities | Thaiger

    Chiang Mai mountains introduce two new camping facilities

    PHOTOS: asia.one.com Two new camping grounds are now open and ready to receive visitors in the mountains around Chiang Mai. The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation says the Sui Tang and Doi Lang camping grounds are now open and ready for customers. The Nation reports that Sui Tang is located in the district of Chai Prakan, at…

  • Police track down double murder suspect in Chiang Mai | Thaiger

    Police track down double murder suspect in Chiang Mai

    The main suspect in the murder of a teaching couple in Rayong, east of Bangkok, has been arrested in Chiang Mai. He was arrested along with another man accused of helping him escape. Police have arrested Supakrit Sujasee, a Chiang Mai native, and Panuphong Bualoy early yesterday. Thai media report that they were caught as they were preparing to flee to…

  • Child porn website based in Chiang Mai busted | Thaiger

    Child porn website based in Chiang Mai busted

    Chiang Mai police have arrested the operator of a child pornography website in a raid on his condominium in the northern city. Police and the Thailand Internet Crimes Against Children unit apprehended 24 year old Thai national Korakot Chulthong on Saturday. They also seized seized three mobile phones, a laptop computer, two portable disk drives, bank passbooks and ATM cards.…

  • Yala’s “Suicide judge” moved to Chiang Mai | Thaiger

    Yala’s “Suicide judge” moved to Chiang Mai

    PHOTO: prachatai.com The Southern judge who made headlines for shooting himself in court over alleged ‘interferences’ in a case, has been transferred. Following his recovery, Judge Khanakorn Pianchana was transferred to the Research Justice Division in Chiang Mai, according to the Court of Justice. A probe has also been ordered to see if he broke any disciplinary codes. The transfer comes…

  • Soldiers intercept meth delivery in Chiang Mai | Thaiger

    Soldiers intercept meth delivery in Chiang Mai

    PHOTO: Authorities find it almost impossible to patrol the thousands of kilometres of highland border in northern Thailand Soldiers in Chiang Mai, acting on a tip off, have seized about 380,000 methamphetamine pills at a border village, local media report. The drug haul was not big, considering many of the recent seizures amount to millions of methamphetamine tablets in a…

  • American arrested for sexually assaulting Chiang Mai school girls | Thaiger

    American arrested for sexually assaulting Chiang Mai school girls

    FILE PHOTO Chiang Mai police confirm they have arrested a 75 year old American pensioner who allegedly groped and sexually assaulted a Thai girl on her way home from school. The man was already wanted on a warrant issued from September after an incident outside a school in August. The warrant was for the “forceful molestation of a child under…

  • Unconscious 4 year old rescued from locked car | Thaiger

    Unconscious 4 year old rescued from locked car

    Pattaya police got a report that a child was stuck in a car in front of a shopping mall. When they rushed to the scene a volunteer rescue team, they found a crowd surrounding a car, trying to wake up a sleeping four year old boy. The boy’s mother was there and was in fact the one to call for…

  • American spews racist and offensive slurs in Chiang Mai | Thaiger

    American spews racist and offensive slurs in Chiang Mai

    MONTAGE: YouTube An apparently drunken American has smashed a shop window in Chiang Mai while ranting racist and offensive slurs at onlookers. His outbursts were filmed and widely posted on Facebook. According to a witness, she was minding her own business in front of the shop she was working in when the American began shouting and screaming at her. “I kill…

  • How to celebrate Loy Krathong or Yi Peng in Chaing Mai | Thaiger

    How to celebrate Loy Krathong or Yi Peng in Chaing Mai

    PHOTO: yipengchiangmailanternfestival.com The Loy Krathong festival, known in Chiang Mai as Yi Peng, runs from today until Tuesday, November 12 It started last night at Three Kings Monument around 6pm, where 500 dancers perform terra cotta candle worship dances. People also started lighting candles around the moat and old city, a focus for the events each year. Today, November 10, it’s the…

  • Man opens emergency exit on Chiang Mai to Bangkok flight | Thaiger

    Man opens emergency exit on Chiang Mai to Bangkok flight

    PHOTOS: Sanook.com A Thai Smile flight, due to leave Chiang Mai airport for Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi airport, had to be delayed for hours after a foreigner opened one of the emergency exits as the flight was about to take off. Thai Smile are the low-cost subsidiary of Thai Airways. Thai Residents reports that the incident took place on board flight Thai…

  • Thai Airways moves flights around for Loy Krathong and New Year’s Eve | Thaiger

    Thai Airways moves flights around for Loy Krathong and New Year’s Eve

    PHOTO: Chiang Mai Citylife In view of the fact that residents in northern Thailand traditionally release paper sky lanterns (khom loi) during celebrations such as the upcoming Loy Krathong festival and New Year’s Eve, Thai Airways says it will be making some changes to its schedule for safety reasons. The airlines’ Vice President of Aviation Security and Standards, Pratana Patanasiri,…

  • Suspect confesses in “refrigerator murder” case | Thaiger

    Suspect confesses in “refrigerator murder” case

    A 39 year old man is currently assisting police with their enquiries over the ‘Chiang Mai refrigerator murder’ and was arrested in Chiang Mai on Friday. He was charged with murdering a wealthy nun and stealing nearly two million baht in cash from her ATM card. A manhunt kicked off after the body of 58 year old Wannee Jiracharoenying was…

  • Man arrested in central Thailand after Chiang Mai millionaire’s body found in fridge | Thaiger

    Man arrested in central Thailand after Chiang Mai millionaire’s body found in fridge

    PHOTO: Na Naew A man has been now been arrested and charged with murder, after the body of 58 year old Wannee Jiracharoenying was found stuffed in a refrigerator in her home in the Jom Thong district of Chiang Mai. It’s reported that the woman’s body was found by her brother after he became concerned about her whereabouts. Her hands…

  • 74 year old woman injured in motorbike hit-and-run in Lamphun | Thaiger

    74 year old woman injured in motorbike hit-and-run in Lamphun

    PHOTOS: sanook.com Thai Residents reports that a 74 year old woman has been hospitalised after being struck by a motorbike and knocked to the ground while crossing the road in Lamphun, northern Thailand. The bike did not stop, according to witnesses. Footage of the incident has been posted on social media by the woman’s granddaughter, who attacked the driver in…

  • 39 year old being sought by police over gruesome Chiang Mai millionaire murder | Thaiger

    39 year old being sought by police over gruesome Chiang Mai millionaire murder

    PHOTO: Missing millionaire 58 year old Wannee Jiracharoenying found in a refrigerator – The Times The Provincial Court in southern Chiang Mai province has issued an arrest warrant for a key suspect in the murder of 58 year old Wannee Jiracharoenying. Thai police have broken the case of the murder of the estate developer Wannee, whose body was found stuffed into…

  • Chiang Mai hotel has big plans for Loy Kratong | Thaiger

    Chiang Mai hotel has big plans for Loy Kratong

    137 Pillars House in Chiang Mai has made elaborate arrangements for next month’s Loy Krathong festival, better known as Yi Peng in the North. The full moon on November 11 will see celebrants floating lotus-shaped krathong with flowers, candles and incense on rivers and canals to pay respect to the water spirits and carry away the sadness and setbacks of…

  • Police foil attempt to smuggle one million yaba pills from north to south of Thailand | Thaiger

    Police foil attempt to smuggle one million yaba pills from north to south of Thailand

    Thai Residents reports that acting on intelligence reports, Border Patrol Police (BPP) in Chiang Mai have busted a drug smuggling operation that was attempting to transport a million yaba pills from the north of the country to the south. The operation began on October 22, with the gang planning to transport the pills from Chiang Dao district through the forest…

  • Hotel guest in Chiang Mai runs up bill of nearly 50,000 baht before fleeing | Thaiger

    Hotel guest in Chiang Mai runs up bill of nearly 50,000 baht before fleeing

    A man who claims to be a doctor stayed in a Chiang Mai hotel for 21 nights, running up a bill of nearly 50,000 baht, before instructing the hotel to invoice the Ministry for the Interior and then fleeing the premises. Employees of the hotel say they didn’t expect the man to abscond as he has stayed there on three…

  • Hostage drama in Chiang Mai – Man holds seven 7-Eleven employees hostage. | Thaiger

    Hostage drama in Chiang Mai – Man holds seven 7-Eleven employees hostage.

    PHOTO: Chiang Mai City Life A former Thai soldier has killed himself following a stand-off with police in Chiang Mai where he had taken seven 7-Eleven employees hostage. Eyewitnesses told Chiang Mai Citylife that a man with a gun arrived at the 7-Eleven in Mae Rim district on Chotana Road at around 5am yesterday and took one of the employees hostage.…

  • Burmese man arrested for dealing in methamphetamine pills | Thaiger

    Burmese man arrested for dealing in methamphetamine pills

    PHOTO: Naew Na Naew Na reports that a joint operation between Lamphun immigration and the Muangjee police has resulted in the arrest of a 27 year old Burmese man. Lamphun is just south of Chiang Mai and has a large population of Burmese migrant workers. ‘Thun’ was arrested yesterday along with drug taking equipment and 206 methamphetamine tablets. He was charged with…

  • Chiang Mai Zoo announces results of the inquiry into celebrity panda’s death | Thaiger

    Chiang Mai Zoo announces results of the inquiry into celebrity panda’s death

    PHOTO: SCMP – Original story written by Kay Johnson Chiang Mai Zoo have announced the results of an autopsy to determine the cause of death of celebrity panda Chuang Chuang. They announced the cause was heart failure. Special ‘panda vets’ from China flew into Chiang Mai last month to assist with the investigation into the death of the much-loved Panda who…

  • Ancient human skeletons discovered south of Chiang Mai | Thaiger

    Ancient human skeletons discovered south of Chiang Mai

    Officials from the Fine Arts Office 7 report that they have excavated ancient skeletons in the Wiang Tha Kan archaeological site, in the San Pa Tong district, south of Chiang Mai city. Up to 23 ancient human skeletons, plus the skeleton of a horse, have so far been found. They are estimated to be at least a 1,000 years old.…

  • Chiang Mai karaoke lounges raided over underage hostesses | Thaiger

    Chiang Mai karaoke lounges raided over underage hostesses

    PHOTO: Thailand Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Four hostesses under the age of 18 have been discovered working at two karaoke lounges in the San Kamphaeng area of Chiang Mai, east of the main city. Thailand’s ‘Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force’ worked with local immigration and police after a complaint was received. Na Kaew reports that the investigators followed…

  • Police arrest Chiang Mai couple over home-made CBD oil | Thaiger

    Police arrest Chiang Mai couple over home-made CBD oil

    PHOTO: Urine Drug Test Chiang Mai Police have arrested a husband and wife selling homemade CBD oil (Cannabidiol) online after receiving complaints that a cancer patient died after allegedly using the oil. Police entered the house with a search warrant and found 3.4 million baht cash along with quantities of the CBD oil they were selling online. Officials received information that…

  • Could you be a digital nomad in Thailand? | Thaiger

    Could you be a digital nomad in Thailand?

    Are you a digital nomad? Working online wherever you can find a seat and wi-fi? According to digital nomad websites, some of the most popular locations to work online around the world include Chiang Mai & Bangkok (Thailand), Budapest (Hungary), Belgrade (Serbia), Bali (Indonesia), Lisbon (Portugal) and Buenos Aires (Argentina). What do all these cities have in common? The main…

  • Chinese netizens want to know what caused panda Chuang Chuang’s death | Thaiger

    Chinese netizens want to know what caused panda Chuang Chuang’s death

    PHOTO: Mourners leave flowers outside the panda enclosure where Chuang Cuang died this week The “suspicious circumstances” of Chuang Chuang’s demise drew more than 260 million views on social media platform Weibo.” Chinese experts have now arrived in Chiang Mai to investigate the death of a beloved giant panda Chuang Chuang, who died at the Chiang Mai Zoo earlier this week at…

  • 2.5 million methamphetamine pills seized near Myanmar border | Thaiger

    2.5 million methamphetamine pills seized near Myanmar border

    PHOTO: The Nation Another big delivery of methamphetamine pills has been intercepted in Chiang Mai. This time the couriers were both female. Rangers from the Pha Muang Task Force intercepted 2.5 million methamphetamine pills and arrested two females in a pick-up truck that broke through a checkpoint in the Mae Ai district early yesterday. The arrest followed a tip-off that…

  • Chiang Mai’s favourite giant panda, Chuang Chuang, has died | Thaiger

    Chiang Mai’s favourite giant panda, Chuang Chuang, has died

    PHOTO: Giant Panda Chuang Chuang enjoys his birthday treats at Chiang Mai zoo last year The resident Chiang Mai Zoo giant panda, Chuang Chuang, has died aged 19. The Chiang Mai zoo director made the announcement yesterday. Chuang Chuang was also known as Thewan in Thai and as Kham Ai in the indigenous Lanna language. Pandas normally live for around…

  • 30,000 uni students take the long and winding road up Doi Suthep | Thaiger

    30,000 uni students take the long and winding road up Doi Suthep

    PHOTOS: The Nation Some 30,000 students, past and present, and staff from the Chiang Mai University headed up Thailand’s holiest mountain yesterday on the university’s annual trek to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep. It’s the university’s 55th anniversary of the annual climb. Freshmen from 20 faculties from two of the CMU campuses trekked up the winding 14 kilometre road from…