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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Workers claim Chiang Mai’s Dhara Dhevi resort owes 10 million baht in unpaid wages
A group of 70 workers, representing over 200 employees at a luxury resort in northern Thailand, have filed an official complaint with Chiang Mai’s Department of Labour and Welfare, claiming they have not been paid for 4 months. Thai Residents reports that the workers are all from the 5 star Dhara Dhevi resort in Chiang Mai, which closed its doors…
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Covid-19 update: 1 new case, no new deaths (May 14)
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration announced 1 new case of Covid-19 this morning at its daily press briefing in Bangkok. Dr. Taweesilp Visanuyothin, spokesman for the CCSA, announced the new case is in Chiang Mai, which had previously been clear of new case reports for over a month. The 39 year old man had recently returned from Phuket and is…
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South Korean man found dead in Chiang Mai, cause of death unknown
Chiang Mai police report that a South Korean man was found dead in his condominium yesterday. The man was identified as 37 year old Jeon Hee-seok, and was found by his wife at around 5am. Chiang Mai police report that there were no signs of of struggle or physical altercation and Jeon had no known medical conditions. His wife told…
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Arrests in Chiang Mai for “sextortion”, child porn
A 20 year old Thai man has been charged with extortion after police in Chiang Mai province arrested him for posing as a woman to blackmail a university student online. Acting on a warrant, the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Division and the Internet Crimes Against Children task force arrested Natthawut Klinhom. Police say the victim, aged 19, filed a complaint against…
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Plans to renew northern forests destroyed in recent fires
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, along with The Royal Forest Department says they have conducted plans to revive the northern forests which have been destroyed by this year’s burning season and other forest fires. But some good news, the Royal Forest Department says the number of hotspots detected in the North has fallen to 28. The fewer hotspots,…
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The China Bounce – are the Chinese packing their bags ready to come back to Thailand?
by Bill Barnett of c9hotelworks.com The results of a comprehensive new survey of consumers in Mainland China’s first tier cities concludes that 53% of respondents would like to travel internationally sometime this year. Citing the opportunity, the most popular months for trips abroad for the remainder of the year are, specifically, August, October and December. Thailand is one of the…
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Chiang Mai still struggling for some fresh air
Chiang Mai is suffering yet another day of poor air quality index, according to aqicn.org. And whilst the air quality is bad, it’s still a lot better than it was a month or so ago when the readings zoomed up to 300-400, and somedays, even higher. aqicn.org data reports that Chiang Mai’s air quality index had a PM2.5 level of…
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Chiang Mai farmer trampled by elephant, dies
In the second such incident in a week, a farmer has been trampled to death by an elephant yesterday in Thailand’s northern Chiang Mai Province. Police say the body of 68 year old Sa-ard Khamsrijai was found in the garden of his vegetable farm in San Sai district. Officers say the body had wounds consistent with trampling, and a female…
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Food queues run 2 kilometres around Chiang Mai moat
There was a group of Chiang Mai city volunteers who published a donation point to receive offerings that are serving the dual purpose of helping impoverished victims of the Covid-19 pandemic and letting the goodness of this year’s otherwise-non-existant Songkran festival shine through. The response, from donators and recipients has been phenomenal. Over the last week the queues running around…
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Chiang Mai hiking spots go up in flames
Wildfires in Thailand’s north have made plenty of news in recent months, and now, Chiang Mai’s Doi Mon Jong mountain, one of northern Thailand’s most popular hiking spots has become the latest victim. Doi Mon Jong, in the province’s Om Koi District, is considered a legendary “unseen” destination for its breathtaking views, beauty and nature. Nearly 20 rai (3.2 hectares)…
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Abandoned newborn girl discovered in Chiang Mai
An infant girl was found abandoned outside a grilled pork stand in Chiang Mai Province in Thailand’s north early yesterday. The baby was found by a “drunken man” at 6:30am. Abandoned children are a common problem in Thailand. Unwanted pregnancies, pregnancy out of wedlock, family problems and other issues can cause young mothers to cast aside their babies. The infant was…
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Potential catastrophe facing Thailand’s elephant camps
Elephant Nature Park in Chiang Mai, along with many other camps in Thailand, have been forced to close their doors due to the current Coronavirus situation in Thailand. Apart from resulting in hardship for the elephants, it will seriously hurt Thailand’s tourism industry in the future if no support is forthcoming soon. And whilst we’re hunkering down in our homes…
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Grab driver turns himself in over missing wallet: cash still missing
A Grab taxi driver has turned himself in to police in Chiang Mai police after a Dutch tourist lost 500 euros at an exchange booth in the city. The 27 year old Duct national, identified as “Edwin T.” reported to police after dropping his wallet at a booth at in the city’s Saphan Lek on Monday. CCTV showed a Grab…
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Police intercept huge meth shipment and a tonne of marijuana
The Narcotics Suppression Bureau have reported a number of cases in the Chiang Mai province, northern Thailand. Both dugs cases involve a truck and an attempt to hide the illicit drugs in large sacks which were packed with dog food. In the first case, 38 year old Jiradech Isipriya from Chiang Mai as well as 3 other members of a…
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Kitten killer arrested in Chiang Mai
The internet is abuzz with outrage and indignation as netizens and animal lovers express their outrage over a man in arrested in northern Thailand for adopting kittens, then killing them. Officers in Chiang Mai arrested the man, identified as Waitaya Kadpab, on animal cruelty charges for adopting and killing up to 12 kittens. Authorities told Thai media that several people…
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Yala judge’s suicide letter forces spotlight on independence of the Thai judiciary
The suicide letter from a former Yala judge, who took his own life on Saturday, continued to raise many suspicions about the independence of the Thai judicial system. Khanakorn Pianchana, previously the head of the trial court at Yala Provincial Court in southern Thailand, took his own life on Saturday in his Chiang Mai residence. He posted a 2 page…
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Chiang Mai to see passenger numbers fall by 40% in wake of virus fears
The numbers at Chiang Mai’s international airport will fall 40% to 3.5 million in the first six months of this year if the outbreak of Covid-19 coronavirus drags on until the middle of the year. Chiang Mai airport deputy director Thananrat Prasertsri said late last week that flights to the airport during the period January 1 to February 25 dropped…
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Rogue policeman turned burglar recaptured in Chiang Mai
A former policeman who escaped a Chiang Mai hospital after being arrested for burglary has been re-arrested. The ex-cop, identified only as “Pawaret,” was assaulted by homeowners after he attempted to burglarise a home last weekend, which led to rescue workers taking him to hospital. He subsequently escaped the in the early hours of the morning. His escape caused panic…
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Once bustling, Chiang Mai tourist areas are now deserted
Thai news agency MCOT has become the latest media outlet to bemoan the devastating effect of the coronavirus (Covid-19) on Thai tourism, after their reporters went to the once thriving area of Nimmanhaemin. Online blurbs about the area still describe it as having “buzzing dining and nightlife, hip cafes, fashion boutiques and a weekend craft market.” But a month after…
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Arrested former cop escapes cuffs, flees Chiang Mai hospital
A former Chiang Mai policeman, arrested for a burglary in his home district of Sanpatong, has escaped from custody. Police are now hunting for the the fugitive. The officer, identified only as “Pawaret,” was arrested over the weekend and held at a police station but had to be taken to the local hospital because he’d had suffered injuries after an…
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Thai Airways starts to trim back schedules due to loss of demand
Thai Airways is cutting back services to South Korea and Singapore out of Bangkok due to “a dramatic fall in demand” and cancellations caused by the coronavirus outbreak. The vice president of sales at Thai Airways, Nond Kalinta, says the national carrier had adjusted flight schedules to match commercial demand. He confirmed the following changes. • Flights reduce on the…
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Man claims he was attacked and robbed by “foreigners”
A student in Chiang Mai says he was mugged by “foreigners from Europe.” Twenty-four year old Theerapat Saen-in posted his alleged ordeal on Thai social media earlier this week. According to his post he was taking photographs at a view point on Doi Suthep when he was approached by “farangs.” He says they bashed him on the head with a…
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44th Chiang Mai Flower Festival in full bloom
The Chiang Mai Flower Festival kicked off at the city’s Suan Buak Had park yesterday. Mayor Tassanai Buranupakorn officially opened the festival which he hopes will bring much-needed tourists to the city. Tassanai said Suan Buak Had was Chiang Mai’s first public park and has always been the location of the annual Flower Festival, now in its 44th year. This…
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Thai government scraps Mekong blasting project
The government has officially abandoned a controversial plan to blast rapids on the Mekong river in Chiang Mai province. The Chinese-led dredging and blasting plan, initiated in 2001, met with fierce opposition from locals and environmental groups, and the Cabinet agreed to scrap it at a weekly meeting on Tuesday. The plan was to enable ships to carry goods from…
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Army officer wounded in Chiang Mai firefight with drug runners
A firefight with drug smugglers in Chiang Mai province’s Chiang Dao district has left an army officer wounded and in hospital. A patrol was dispatched to a border village in Chiang Dao on Sunday, after a tip-off. The informant said drugs would be brought across the border through the Nong Kalang pass. Early yesterday a group was spotted coming from…
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Chiang Mai confirms first coronavirus case
Chiang Mai health officials have confirmed the first positive case of the coronavirus in the northern city. The patient had come for treatment from Maharaj Nakorn Chiang Mai Hospital and later tested positive for the virus. The Ministry of Public Health announced yesterday that five more people in Thailand had been confirmed as carrying the novel coronavirus, and one of…
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Chinese tourist in Chiang Mai dead after whiskey binge
Police in Chiang Mai Province were notified Wednesday of a Chinese tourist who had passed away from unknown causes at a resort in Mae Rim. Fearing the spread of the Wuhan Coronavirus which has gripped Asia, officials went to retrieve the body wearing precautionary medical protective suits. Dr Chatuchai Maneerat of the Chiang Mai Provincial Public Health Office reported later…
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South Korean cycling prospect killed in Chiang Mai crash
A cyclist from the Korea Cycling Federation has died after being struck by a pickup truck during a training exercise in Chiang Mai. 18 year old Eom Se-beom was pronounced dead in an ambulance on his way to a hospital. It’s believed the truck crossed the centre line and crashed into Eom as he headed down a slope. Eom was…
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“Chinese pneumonia” detected at Chiang Mai airport
Three Thai passengers are in hospital after being routinely screened at Chiang Mai International Airport with suspected cases of the suspected “viral pneumonia” that is affected the Chinese city of Wuhan. A fourth person, this time a Chinese national, has been found to be infected with influenza A (H3N2), and repatriated to China for treatment. The virus, which many initially…
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Chiang Mai rescue worker disguises himself to thwart student suicide
PHOTO: CTN News A rescue worker dressed up as a homeless man to thwart a possible suicide attempt of a young student who was about to jump from a pedestrian bridge in Chiang Mai. Withawat Sinworasrithaweekhun, chief of the rescue team, headed to the bridge in front of Chiang Mai‘s Maejo University overt the weekend after learning a young student…
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