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 do you need before moving from the US to Thailand?

    The Thaiger key takeaways The most common medical emergencies for expats in Thailand include motorcycle accidents, tropical diseases, and food or water-borne illnesses. Air pollution and heat-related conditions like heatstroke also pose serious seasonal health risks, especially in northern and...

  • The best events and activities for expat families in Thailand | Thaiger

    The best events and activities for expat families in Thailand

    by Tabby Farrar Thailand has become one of the world’s favourite destinations for travellers and expats. As well as culture and natural beauty, the nation offers a huge range of family-friendly activities. Below is a calendar of some key family and child-orientated events, followed by some all-year-round activities. JANUARY What: National Children’s Day – Wan Dek Where: National When: Second…

  • Thailand’s opium cultivation “down by 40%” | Thaiger

    Thailand’s opium cultivation “down by 40%”

    The cultivation of opium is on the decline in Thailand, but the illegal practice persists in several northern districts, the Office of the Narcotics Control Board reported this week. Secretary-general Sirinya Sitdhichai cited remote rural highlands in Chiang Mai’s Om Koi, Mae Taeng and Chiang Dao districts and in Tak’s Umphang, Mae Ramat and Tha Song Yang districts as places…

  • THAIGER TODAY Tuesday, January 23 | Thaiger

    THAIGER TODAY Tuesday, January 23

    3 killed and many more injured in latest Yala bombing | Another bus with Chinese tourists ends up in a road ditch in Chiang Mai | Later on the Israeli mob hit on Samui | Central Pattana introduce cashless technology at 4,000 stores | Bullets flying in Hat Yai yesterday | Exports up 9.9% over past 12 months.

  • UK to shift visa approvals from Bangkok to New Delhi | Thaiger

    UK to shift visa approvals from Bangkok to New Delhi

    United Kingdom Visa and Immigration (UKVI) will relocate its visa approval centre from Bangkok to New Delhi, starting in June this year. The move is part of UKVI’s longstanding global strategy to modernise its visa operations and consolidate visa decision-making in large regional hubs, said a press release issued by the British Embassy to Thailand on Friday. There will be…

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

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

    Last day for 2017. But it’s the middle of the ‘Seven Days of Danger’ and the road carnage continues despite an all out effort of Thailand’s police to stem the flow. Not surprisingly, drunk-driving is still the leading cause of deaths on our roads. PLEASE be safe tonight, make arrangements ahead of time for your safe return home after celebrations.…

  • DAY ONE – Seven days of danger. Road toll down. | Thaiger

    DAY ONE – Seven days of danger. Road toll down.

    As Thai holidaymakers journeyed to their hometowns for the annual New Year Festival with accompanying high traffic volumes on highways and crowded transport hubs, the Road Safety Operation Centre on Friday reported a slight decrease in accidents, deaths and injuries on the first of the seven-day road safety promotion period ending January 3. Thursday saw 41 deaths and 500 injuries…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • 19 students injured in Chiang Rai van accident | Thaiger

    19 students injured in Chiang Rai van accident

    A van carrying students overturned on a road in Chiang Rai province on Wednesday morning, injuring everyone on board. The accident took place on Paholyothin Road in the Mae Chan district at about 6.40am. Most students sustained minor injuries and were allowed to return home following treatment, but some remained hospitalised as of press time. The van had collision insurance…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • Buddha decorations cause outcry in Chiang Mai | Thaiger

    Buddha decorations cause outcry in Chiang Mai

    An American and his Thai wife on Tuesday agreed to remove 36 Buddha-head images from the fence at their Chiang Mai house following a Facebook uproar. With tears in her eyes, 34 year old Nualchan Sonchanthuek says she and her American husband, 68 year old Paul Blum did not expect the images would generate a commotion and they simply wanted…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • Lanna hopes to foster Phuket-Chiang Mai trade | Thaiger

    Lanna hopes to foster Phuket-Chiang Mai trade

    PHUKET: Tourism officials from northern provinces are hoping that a scheme to circulate tourists within the country will lead to better trade connections between Chiang Mai and Phuket. Samroeng Chaisen, head of the ‘Office of Strategy Management Upper Northern Provincial Cluster 1’, Supawan Teerarat of the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau, and other relevant officers met on June 16 to…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • Swedish, Filipino ATM skimmers nabbed in Chiang Mai | Thaiger

    Swedish, Filipino ATM skimmers nabbed in Chiang Mai

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Swedish, Filipino ATM skimmers nabbed in Chiang Mai The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Police have arrested two ATM skimmer suspects – a Swedish man and a Filipino – in Chiang Mai along with 500 fake electronic cards. Following a tip-off by a bank about someone…

  • 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: 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 Property Watch: Lost in Chiang Mai | Thaiger

    Phuket Property Watch: Lost in Chiang Mai

    PHUKET: I’ve always had an aversion to things that go bump in the night, but as our Thai Smile jet ramps up to 33,000 feet, an extended period of turbulence has left my forehead battered, but not bruised. Yes, the flight attendants shock orange uniforms put me into a Halloween mood, yet they move about the cabin like apparitions –…

  • 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: 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: Rice tests approved; Abhisit for vox pops amnesty; Ranong border dispute; Nenkham’s 8 tonnes of gold; Chiang Mai trains resume | Thaiger

    Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Rice tests approved; Abhisit for vox pops amnesty; Ranong border dispute; Nenkham’s 8 tonnes of gold; Chiang Mai trains resume

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Rice importers unfazed as tests approved The Nation / Phuket GazettePHUKET: As the government scurries to restore consumer confidence in Thai rice, buyers abroad are unfazed by problems with pesticides and fumigation.“Foreign importers are still placing orders for our rice,” Wallop Pitchyapongsa, secretary-general of the Thai Rice…