Chiang Mai News
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Thai-Chinese gang arrested for dating app scam at Chiang Mai’s luxury resort
Police yesterday revealed that a Thai-Chinese gang had been arrested in Chaing Mai for operating illegal dating scam activities after a tip off. Police apprehended 24 people after a member of the public alerted authorities to a group of Chinese men behaving suspiciously at the luxury Chaing Mai holiday resort. The gang included 20 Chinese and 4 Thai, 2 of…
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Shopping mall in Chiang Mai goes dark, couldn’t afford 20 million baht power bill
Tenants and staff were in shock after a shopping mall in Chiang Mai suddenly announced temporary closure due to economic fallout from Covid-19. Or is it economic mismanagement? Thai media have reported that the centre had more than 20 million baht in debt from electricity bills and had to close immediately because they were unable to pay the bill. Today,…
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Doi Suthep’s controversial land and houses returned to treasury department
After almost 4 years of waiting, protests and arguments, the Court had returned the controversial land and housing project at the foot of Doi Suthep in Chiang Mai to the Treasury Department. The Department’s Director-General revealed 45 houses would be demolished, and land would be adjusted for the “benefit of the residents”. For the other 9 condominiums in the area,…
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Chiang Mai elephant camp invites tourists to visit for free this Songkran
If you can’t splash each other this Songkran, splash an elephant instead — in Chiang Mai. Chiang Mai’s Maesa Elephant Camp invites tourists to splash in the water with elephants during the Songkran holidays, which will be celebrated this week from April 13 – 16. The camp is open from 9am – 3pm every day and admission is free. After…
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Reward offered for reporting people who spread fake Covid news in Chiang Mai
Chiang Mai tourism operators are offering gift vouchers to anyone who can provide information that leads to the arrest of people spreading news about the city’s Covid-19 situation. Concerned that such false accounts could jeopardise Songkran tourism in the northern city, businesses have come together to offer vouchers worth up to 50,000 baht. According to a Nation Thailand report, tourism…
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Zoning revised: Chiang Mai open to tourism, restrictions ease in several provinces
Restrictions are easing across Thailand, especially in Chiang Mai. The northern province is now fully open to international tourism and can welcome travellers entering under the Test & Go and Sandbox schemes. Restaurants in Chiang Mai can also serve alcohol until 11pm. A number of provinces have been reclassified on the Thai government’s colour-coded zoning scale based on local Covid-19…
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Elephant camp in Chiang Mai put up for sale due to drop in tourists during pandemic
Elephant parks and sanctuaries relying on foreign tourists for an income and funds to feed the animals have been hit hard during the pandemic. One elephant park in Chiang Mai is now up for sale due to the drastic drop in the number of visitors over the past two years. The owner says she’s been unable to afford the 2…
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Body of dead baby with children’s toys found in freezer at Chiang Mai home
The body of a baby has been found in a freezer at a home in Chiang Mai along with children’s toys. The baby was stillborn and a report from the Bangkok Post says police suspect the father put the body in the freezer more than a year ago. A man cleaning and renovating his 83 year old mother’s house found…
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Despite shortage, Chiang Mai Covid-19 patients can now get drive-thru Favipiravir
Just days after health officials admitted there is a shortage of Favipiravir pills in Thailand, Chiang Mai’s mayor has announced that mild and asymptomatic Covid-19 patients can get the pills for free in drive-thru services. The services are available at Chiang Mai Municipal Hospital. This news comes less than a week after Thailand’s Public Health Ministry secretary said from now…
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French expat with Alzheimer’s rescued after getting lost in Chiang Mai forest
More than 200 people teamed up for a rescue effort to find a French expat with Alzheimer’s disease who went missing in Chiang Mai. He was found the next morning in an abandoned temple in a forest. The 70 year old man says he was driving to the French Embassy in Chiang Mai when he forgot the way home. His…
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French expat who went missing in forest turns up safe in Chiang Mai
A French man who went missing in a Chiang Mai forest made his way to a hilltop temple, and is now safe. The man, Jacques Moriceau, went missing in a forest in Doi Tao district between late Thursday night and early Friday morning. He had driven to submit documents to the French consulate, and got lost on his way home…
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Despite Covid-19, tourism authorities still optimistic about this coming year
The Tourism Authority of Thailand is keeping its chin up, and has high hopes for tourism income this year. The TAT governor told the Bangkok Post today he hopes to target wealthy travellers, skilled professionals, and remote workers. The target age groups include millenials and retirees alike. He says the goal for tourism this year is to earn the country…
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Appeal Court upholds ruling: army needn’t compensate for shooting activist
A human rights activist who was shot by the army in 2017 at a checkpoint in Chiang Mai is not entitled to compensation according to the Appeal Court. Yesterday the court upheld a previous ruling by the Civil Court that dismiss the lawsuit arguing that the army pay compensation to the family of Lahu human rights activist Chaiyaphum Pasae. The…
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Man arrested for tricking a 12 year old into sending sexual videos on Free Fire
Thai police arrested a 24 year old man for allegedly deceiving a 12 year old girl into sending sexually explicit videos of herself through Thailand’s popular online survivor shooter game Free Fire, which is played on a smartphone. He allegedly used the photos to blackmail the girl’s parents. The child’s parents filed a complaint with local police in November and…
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23 Chiang Mai restaurants closed due to Covid-19 outbreaks
Due to several Covid-19 outbreaks in the Muang district, Chiang Mai authorities have closed 23 restaurants from between 3 days and 2 weeks. The order came as Chiang Mai battles with increased Covid-19 infections like most of the rest of Thailand, pummelled by post-New Year’s holiday outbreaks and the rise of the Omicron variant. Chiang Mai reported 304 Covid-19 infections…
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Judge fined, driving licence suspended after Chiang Mai drink-driving crash
A court in Chiang Mai has fined a senior judge 14,500 baht and suspended his driving licence for 6 months after he caused a collision while drink-driving. Video footage posted on social media on December 31 shows a car driving into a rescue operation car at an intersection in the Muang district of Chiang Mai. The Bangkok Post reports that…
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Chiang Mai police under fire after “pretties” joined road safety campaign
Two Thai models in Chiang Mai were giving out free coffee to keep drivers alert during the New Year holiday’s “seven deadly days” on the road, but what the women were wearing is what really got the attention of the drivers. Dressed like they were going out to a nightclub in heels and tight dresses, which is typically considered provocative…
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Chiang Mai hoteliers ordered to strictly follow Covid prevention for Test & Go travellers
Chiang Mai health officials are ordering hoteliers to be more strict when it comes to Covid-19 preventative measures, especially when it comes to the Test & Go entry scheme, after two foreign travellers in the northern province tested positive for the Omicron variant. Under the Test & Go scheme (registration is closed), fully vaccinated travellers can enter Thailand after passing…
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Chiang Mai identifies 2 possible Omicron cases in tourists
Two foreigners who are visiting Chiang Mai have tested positive for Covid-19 and are believed to have the Omicron variant, marking the first detected in the province. Both travellers had come through Suvarnabhumi Airport as part of the Test & Go programme and both passed an RT-PCR test. One visitor was a 22 year old German traveller and the other…
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Chiang Mai street vendor with busty top files sexual harassment complaint with police
The Chiang Mai street vendor who went viral for her revealing cardigan-style top just filed a sexual harassment complaint with Thai police. The 23 year old known as Nong Olive is known for wearing an open chest shirt, showing her cleavage and midriff, while making Thai-style pancakes, which is a popular street food known in Thai as “khanom Tokyo.” Nong…
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Chiang Mai and Hua Hin can now serve alcohol in restaurants
The booze news keeps flowing like alcohol now cam in several more tourist locations around Thailand this weekend. While nightlife and entertainment venues still officially remain shuttered, restaurants are now being allowed to serve alcohol in Cha-am, Hua Hin, and 5 key districts in Chiang Mai. Chiang Mai is the latest to ease restrictions on serving and consuming alcohol in…
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Covid-19 falling, even in Deep South, but still dire in Chiang Mai
According to the Ministry of Public Health, the good news is that, throughout Thailand, Covid-19 infection rates are successfully falling. The bad news is that Chiang Mai, traditionally a popular tourist and expat living destination, is a notable exception to the rule, with an increasingly dire situation on the ground there. Infection numbers in the Deep South of Thailand continue…
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Chiang Mai tourism almost exclusively domestic for now
With Chiang Mai currently experiencing the fourth-highest daily infections in the country – 357 people in today’s figures – it’s not surprising that international tourism has hardly bounced back since the reopening of Thailand 2 weeks ago. The effect of the Covid-19 pandemic on the province has been estimated to have lost tourism revenue as high as 70 billion baht…
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Moderna vaccine rollout finally begins in Chiang Mai
Chiang Mai marked a step in the right direction yesterday as, after a months-long wait, the province began its first injections of the Moderna mRNA vaccine. The Northern province has been experiencing a spike in Covid-19 infection in the last few weeks that has made it one of the daily most infected provinces in Thailand, so the first batch of…
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Chiang Mai airport welcomes first international flight, 83 tourists
Chiang Mai has officially joined Thailand’s big reopening launch as the first international flight brought tourists to the “Charming Chiang Mai” programme. After nearly 2 years of being closed to international flights, Chiang Mai Airport welcomed a flight of 83 travellers from South Korea last night. The first flight was operated by Korean carrier Jeju Air and departed from Seoul’s…
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November 1 re-opening of Thailand – The Fine Print
And now for some of the fine print, answering questions you may have had about re-entry to Thailand from next Monday, November 1. Who can travel to Thailand? Travellers will be categorised into 3 groups… • The first are fully vaccinated visitors from 46 countries (www.thaiembassy.com). They must stay one night in either a SHA+ certified hotel or an ASQ…
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ICUs in Chiang Mai nearly full amidst Covid-19 surge
In Chiang Mai, surging Covid-19 infections have filled ICUs and plunged the province into crisis, just days before international reopening. Doctors are warning that the province is near critical levels as it has just two hospitals that are capable of treating severe Covid-19 patients and they are reporting that their intensive care units are nearly at full capacity. Daily infections…
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Senior hotels association member says NYE stars will boost Phuket tourism
The president of the Thai Hotels Association’s southern chapter is backing the government’s decision to spend millions of baht on Phuket’s end-of-year festivities. Officials have confirmed that K-Pop star Lalisa “Lisa” Manoban and Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli will perform in Phuket on New Year’s Eve. Critics have derided the plan due to the cost involved, with many suggesting the money…
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Chiang Mai Covid-19 infections swell ahead of reopening
November 1 is fast approaching and with it a major reopening effort all across Thailand. But a few of the target Blue Zone areas that the government has focused on due to their popularity with foreign tourists are struggling, as Chiang Mai in particular has been battling a swell in Covid-19 infections. Chiang Mai has seen their daily infection numbers…
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Chiang Mai ready to re-open despite new cluster of infections
The governor of Chiang Mai says the province is ready for the planned November 1 re-opening to foreign tourists. Despite a new cluster of infections being detected at the large market of Talad Muang Mai, Prajon Pratsakul insists the northern province is ready to re-open. The Bangkok Post reports that 478 Covid-19 cases have been traced to the market, which…
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