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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Sponsored How to reduce out-of-pocket medical expenses in Thailand?
Managing medical expenses in Thailand is important as healthcare costs continue to rise. The country’s healthcare system includes both public and private options, but even with the Universal Coverage Scheme (UCS) for citizens, many still face high out-of-pocket medical expenses....
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Two tourists’ graffiti might end them up in a Chiang Mai jail
A British and Canadian tourist face up to 10 years in prison after being charged with vandalism. The pair spray-painting graffiti on an ancient city brick wall in Chiang Mai. Reuters have reported that 23 year olds Furlong Lee (UK) and Brittney Schneider (Canada) were arrested at a guesthouse in Chiang Mai and are being held at the provincial court pending further questioning over…
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New Immigration chief sweeping a broom through Chiang Mai Immigration offices
SCREENSHOT: Komchadluek Responding to constant online chatter about the ‘mess’ at the Chiang Mai Immigration offices, the new Immigration chief, Maj-Gen Surachate Hakparn, is poised to transfer the existing Chiang Mai Immigration boss to an inactive post whilst further investigations are made into the office operations. People have been complaining about all matters, from long waits (some cited having to…
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Chiang Mai abbot defrocked over sexual abuse charges
FILE PHOTO An abbot in Chiang Mai has been arrested and defrocked for allegedly sexually abusing “more than 10” boys at his temple in Hang Dong district. 37 year old Phra Phansak Thitsilo, has now had his title reverted back to his lay name, Phansak Saenkhamwang, following his arrest at Wat Sriwaree Sathan in Tambon Sob Mae Kha. The warrant…
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Chinese arrivals down by half in Chiang Mai
PHOTO: Chiang Mai News A crisis meeting for tour operators has been held in Chiang Mai where they learned that Chinese tourism was down 50% in the first nine months of 2018. Some measures were put forward to woo them back – including setting up Chinese language classes to improve communication with the tourists from China. Reasons blamed for the…
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Chiang Mai flasher arrested
A Chiang Mai man has been arrested for allegedly exposing himself to foreign women in downtown Chiang Mai in recent days. Police said 54 year old Anusorn Pheraket,who lives in Tambon Wat Ket in Chiang Mai’s Muang district, was arrested late yesterday. Police have obtained a court order to detain Anusorn pending further questioning before pressing charges. Police tracked down…
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Airport tips for cheapies – Bangkok
Heading out of Bangkok and looking for a few financial short-cuts? Getting to the airport, Don Mueang or Suvarnabhumi, needs a bit of planning. To get to Don Muaeng from the Bangkok on time a taxi is probably going to be your best bet. If it’s in one of the peaks the taxi can take the ‘top floor’ route which…
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Two Chiang Mai resorts demolished for encroachment
PHOTO: Ban Leesor View Suay, one two illegal resorts slated for demolition – The Nation As land occupants cooperated rather than resisted, officials on Monday demolished two resorts encroaching on Doi Luang Chiang Dao forest in Chiang Mai province as per a court ruling, said Chiang Dao District Office deputy chief for national security Phermkiat Thephassadin Na Ayutthaya. Phermkiat led the…
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Tourists flock to Doi Inthanon for the morning mists
Tourists are heading for the hills to enjoy the first of the season’s cold snaps in northern Thailand. Both domestic and international have have been flocking to Chiang Mai’s Doi Inthanon, Thailand’s highest mountain, to enjoy the start of the cooler temperatures, dipping as low as 7 degrees Celsius. The Jom Thong district of Chiang Mai province experiences temperatures of…
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Happy Birthday Sweet 17
PHOTO: The Nation Happy birthday Lin Hui. Lin Hui is one of the stars of Thailand’s ‘panda frenzy’ a decade ago. Today she’s 17 years old and fans assembled at the Chiang Mai Zoo to sing “Happy Birthday” and maybe share some special birthday bamboo. Lin Hui’s mate Chuang Chuang got in on the fun as well, sharing her birthday…
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Australian living in Chiang Mai hangs himself from a roadside tree
An Australian man is believed to have hanged himself from a tree on a roadside in Chiang Mai’s Hang Dong district this morning. The man has been identified as Nicholas James Watek. A passer-by called the Hang Dong police around 9.30am after he saw the man hanging from a tree on Soi Bon Kai Doi Tham in Ban Doi Tham village…
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Greed unravelled the trio’s grisly plot – Phrae double murder
PHOTO: Alan and Nod receive the keys to their new pick-up truck. The bodies of 64 year old Alan Hogg and his 61 year old wife, Nod Suddaen, wee unearthed yesterday morning following a short investigation where greed brought the plot unstuck for the killers. After a few hours of interrogation three men admitted to collusion in the plot to…
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A backpack full of meth pills headed for Chiang Mai
A Chiang Mai man has been arrested las night after allegedly trying to smuggle 100,000 methamphetamine pills into the city from the Myanmar border, 100 kilometres away. Police at a checkpoint in Mae Ai district had signalled for a motorcyclist to stop but he sped off. With officers in pursuit, he lost control of his motorbike and came to grief…
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Police find bodies of Briton, Thai wife buried behind their house in Phrae
The bodies of a Briton and his Thai wife were found buried over 2 metres deep in the garden of their property in Phrae Muang district today after they went missing on September 19. The Nation is reporting that the bodies of 64 year old Alan Scott Hogg and 61 year old Nott Sudaen were found buried beside a creek on…
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Three men have confessed, one remains on the run – murder of Phrae married couple
Three men have confessed to the murder of a missing couple – a British expat and his Thai wife – in Phrae. Police say the three men were hired by the woman older brother to kill the married couple. Police made the arrests in Wang Chin district late yesterday. They say they eventually had the confessions after hours of ‘intense’…
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Bodies of missing British man and Thai wife found buried in garden in Phrae
The bodies of a missing British man (earlier reported as Australian) and his Thai wife have been found buried in the garden of their home in Phrae, northern Thailand. 64 year old Alan Hogg from Scotland, and his Thai wife, 61 year old Nott Suddaen, were reported missing from their home in the Phrae province last Thursday. A weekend report…
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Ambulance slams into tree in Lampang killing three
An ambulance returning to Phayao, after delivering a patient to Phitsanulok, has hit a tree in Lampang this morning, killing two nurses and the driver. Police say the accident happened at 7am on the Ngao-Phayao road in Ban Huay Oon village of Lampang’s Ngao district. The two nurses were identified as 42 year old Angsumalin Rakchat and 21 year old…
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Thailand’s air quality measurement standards raise concerns
by Chularat Saengpassa From next month, the Pollution Control Department (PCD) will set PM2.5 particles as an indicator of Thailand’s air quality, but the move does not ease the concerns of people in the know. “I must tell you that the PCD intend to use the ‘24-hour mean’ as the indicator and that may be misleading,” said Tara Buakamsri, the…
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Making your point, head first into a fish spa
Sometimes you have to go the extra distance to prove your point. Like putting your head in a fish spa. Sanook reports that a Thai owner of hundreds of fish spas around the country has made hi point about an Australian woman and the foreign media for discrediting his business. The actions of Chaiyaporn Lojaya follow the Australian’s claim in…
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Storms and strong winds hit Chiang Mai
A major road in Chiang Mai province has been blocked by fallen trees and power poles following strong winds and heavy rains today. Trees and power poles on the Chiang Mai-Fang road in Mae Taeng district were brought down at about 10am, officials said. Phairin Limcharoen, chief of the province’s Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Office, coordinated with the Provincial Electricity…
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Tourists caught up in Chiang Mai karaoke bar overcharge ‘scam’
PHOTO: Daily News A Chinese tourist and three friends lodged an official complaint with the Chiang Mai police about the operators of a karaoke bar who allegedly overcharged them. They say they were ‘shocked’ after being presented with a bill for 14,000 baht. The incident on Monday night resulted in the men seeking police assistance after being handed the bill.…
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Green light for new Chiang Mai light rail project
The Thai cabinet has given the green light for the new light rail transit system in Chiang Mai.The new service will traverse above and below ground over a route of around 35 kilometres. The announcement was made on September 11 by the Thai government spokesman, Maj Gen Sansern Kaewkamnerd that the cabinet has approved the light rail transit system in…
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Chiang Mai bids for listing as a World Heritage Site
PHOTOS: Photo courtesy of the Chiang Mai World Heritage Project Chiang Mai may soon be Thailand’s sixth World Heritage Site. Thailand’s current five world heritage sites include the Ban Chiang Archaeological Site in Udon Thani; the Dong Phayayen-Khao Yai Forest Complex; the Historic City of Ayutthaya; the Historic Town of Sukhothai and Associated Historic Towns; and the Thungyai-Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife…
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Bangkok’s MRT given the green light to run Phuket and Chiang Mai light rails
Bangkok’s subway operator. the MRTA (Mass Rapid Transit Authority) has been given the green light to invest in the proposed Phuket/Phang Nga and Chiang Mai light rail services. The MRT is also going to run the service when the services are eventually constructed. The cabinet has approved some of the basic details of the project that will give the MRTA…
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Restaurant harassed by men claiming to be military officers
PHOTO: Chiang Mai City Life A Chiang Mai restaurant has filed a complaint after claims they were harassed by men who said they were military officers. A report was made to the Chiang Mai Internal Security Operations Command. They sent 20 officers to investigate Huen Huay Keaw Restaurant on September 4 after the restaurant complained about ‘official misconduct by military…
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Despite the heavy rain and floods in some regions, rainfall is up to 50% less than usual
For the man sound of body and serene of mind there is no such thing as bad weather; every day has its beauty, and storms which whip the blood do but make it pulse more vigorously. – George Gissing Tell that to the people of northern Thailand who have had rain pummeling localised areas for two months and now being warned…
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Chinese setting up shop in Chiang Mai
by Jintana Panyaarvudh The charm and beauty of Chiang Mai, the capital of northern Thailand, has made the province not only a must-see destination but also a golden nest for foreign investors – especially Chinese seeking business opportunities. Take Chinese entrepreneurs like Cherry and Zong Dan, for example. Having fallen for Chiang Mai’s charms, they opted to start their first…
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Dead Australian found in a Chiang Mai condo
PHOTO: Komchadluek The body of a 45 year old Australian has been found at a condo in Chiang Mai. Police and rescue workers were called to the One Plus condo located near the town centre after a maid reported a foul smell coming from the man’s room. The maid alerted the building’s manager who gained access to the room to discover…
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The world’s first mahout training school opens in Chiang Mai
The school bell rings and it’s off to learn how to manage and care for elephants in the world’s first mahout training school launched in Chiang Mai province. Maetang Elephant Camp has joined forces with Chiang Mai Rajabhat University to launch the unique school which is expected to open its gates for student admissions next year, said the camp owner…
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VietJet upgrades to larger planes for Chiang Mai sectors
Vietjet, the Vietnamese-owned budget carrier, says it will add its newest Airbus A321 aircraft on some flights to Chiang Mai. Vietjet is the first airline to assign the 230-seat aircraft to a domestic route in Thailand replacing the smaller 180-seat A320 on two flights daily to Chiang Mai during the morning and evening peak traffic hours. By mid-September, up to…
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Land expropriation for new Chiang Mai airport expected to start next month
PHOTO: chiangmaicitylife.com Chiang Mai’s second airport is progressing with the expropriation of private land set to start in September. Chiang Mai City Life reports that, following the Airports of Thailand approval of new airport projects in Chiang Mai and Phuket with the budget of 125 billion baht, the board will be proceeding on the expropriation of private land. Story about…
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