Chiang Mai News

Stay up-to-date with the latest news from the charming and historic city of Chiang Mai with The Thaiger. Our team of seasoned journalists brings you breaking news, in-depth analysis, and exclusive stories from this fascinating city, covering a diverse range of topics, including local politics, business, culture, and tourism. Keep yourself informed about the city’s rich history, vibrant arts scene, and thriving expat community, as well as updates on events, attractions, and transportation.

The Thaiger is your essential resource for staying connected with Chiang Mai’s captivating blend of tradition and modernity. To remain in the loop with the city’s most trusted news source, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on social media.

  • Sponsored

    5 best restaurants in Sukhumvit with English menu on GrabFood: Tried and tested

    So you’re in Sukhumvit, Bangkok, you want to explore its vibrant food scene and order delivery, but you’re feeling lost in translation? We understand. As an expat living in Thailand, figuring out how to order food delivery can be a...

  • Chiang Mai tourism slowdown takes a toll on local businesses

    Chiang Mai’s tourism industry has drastically slowed down from the lack of travel due to the affects of the Covid-19 pandemic – the lockdowns and the travel restrictions. Tourists “vanished” during the April lockdown, according to president of the Tourism Association of Chiang Mai, Anantorn Hochindarat. Now, as the chilly, cool season approaches, when the northern province is the most popular…

  • Chiang Mai woman arrested for allegedly hiring hitman to kill her ex-husband

    A 63 year old Chiang Mai woman has been arrested for allegedly hiring a hitman to kill her ex-husband because she wanted his life insurance payout. Bualoi Tala is also being investigated for her alleged involvement in other possible murders after a number of people died after being poisoned and Bualoi received payouts from their life insurance policies. Police say…

  • Chiang Mai’s economic losses to reach 100 billion baht due to Covid-19 pandemic

    Chiang Mai’s economic losses are estimated to reach 100 billion baht after Covid-19 ravaged the city’s tourism industry. The Bangkok Post reports that Varodom Pitakanonda, the president of The Chiang Mai Chamber of Commerce, says the city’s revenue from tourists “contracted severely this year due to the coronavirus”. “Now, we are pinning our hopes on government stimulus packages to salvage…

  • Chiang Mai police investigate elderly American’s death from apparent 7th storey fall

    Police are investigating the death of an 85 year old American man who appeared to have fallen out a window of his 7th floor condominium. Officers say they do not suspect foul play and there are no signs of struggle. The man’s wife speculates that her husband may have fainted while cleaning the glass. Jerry Harris Bunker has lived in…

  • Chiang Mai sets rules for this year’s Yi Peng Lantern Festival

    Sky lanterns released during Chiang Mai’s Yi Peng Lantern Festival will be banned for certain hours during the holiday from October 31 to November 1, which also coincides with Loy Krathong. The lanterns will only be allowed to be released at certain times to prevent potential damage caused by the lanterns, according to deputy governor Rathapol Naradisorn. Lanterns are allowed…

  • Disqualified MP candidate found not guilty of election fraud, wants 70 million baht in damages

    After the Supreme Court found a Chiang Mai MP candidate not guilty of election fraud, Surapol Kiatchaiyakorn of the Pheu Thai Party is now asking the Election Commission to pay him 70 million baht in damages for disqualifying him after he won an election. He is also asking for the commission to give him back his MP status. He got…

  • Russian man allegedly stabs Chiang Mai park officer, tries to break into tourist bungalow

    A Russian man has been arrested after he allegedly tried to break into tourist bungalows and stealing property at a Chiang Mai national park and stabbed a park officer with a pair of scissors. The incident follows months of complaints from Thai tourists at the national park reporting missing property. Thai media reports the 32 year old Russian man as…

  • Thai Chamber of Commerce urges visa amnesty to be extended after today’s deadline

    The Thai Chamber of Commerce is urging the government to extend the visa amnesty for the country’s 400,000 tourists after today’s deadline but has so far been turned down. The move comes as such provinces like Chiang Mai’s immigration office sends messages giving tourists until Monday to sort out their visas (which is under the law as Saturday, the final…

  • Phuket, Chiang Mai, Chachoengsao join UNESCO’s learning cities

    3 cities in Thailand recently joined UNESCO’s membership of so called “learning cities” which are said to promote “lifelong learning” and sustainable development. Chachoengsao, Chiang Mai and Phuket joined the UNESCO’s Global Network of Learning Cities. Altogether, 55 cities from 27 countries, adding up to 230 cities in 64 countries around the world, according to UNESCO. “These cities are outstanding examples…

  • Loan sharks allegedly threatened 8 year old boy

    Police are trying to track down 2 men who allegedly trespassed inside someone’s home in Chiang Mai and threatened an 8 year old boy, claiming his mother owes them money. The boy was home alone when the alleged loan sharks parked their black truck and entered the house looking for the mother. When they saw she wasn’t home, they allegedly…

  • Chiang Mai official accuses YouTuber and ‘life coach’ of fraudulent fundraising

    An official in the northern province of Chiang Mai is accusing prominent Thai life-coach Sean Buranahirun of fraudulent fundraising and misleading the public. Bunyarith Nipvanich, assistant chief of the Mae Rim district, has filed a police report, accusing Sean of not distributing funds he raised in March to help officials fight forest fires in the renowned Doi Suthep area. Sean…

  • Toilet and bathroom destroyed as septic tank explodes – 1 person injured

    A Lampang loo has exploded, blowing out the bathroom door and a hole in the roof. One female family member was injured in the explosion. The Sawang Nakorn Lampang Thammasathan volunteer rescuers arrived at the commercial premises in downtown Lampang on Sunday. The downstairs area was rented by a company selling cleaning equipment. Lampang is just south of Chiang Mai. The…

  • North cleans up after wet weekend

    5 provinces in Thailand’s North – Chiang Mai, Phayao, Lampang, Nan and Phrae – all suffered serious flooding on Saturday, causing damage in 15 districts, 189 villages and more than 1,400 households. Nan province suffered the most, with 960 households in 6 subdistricts damaged and 1 person dead. Officials in Chiang Mai warned visitors and residents to stay away from…

  • Woman’s body pulled from Mae Ping River in Chiang Mai

    Police and rescue staff in Chiang Mai have retrieved the body of a woman from the Mae Ping River near Nawarat Bridge. The woman, aged estimated to be 40-45 years old, was wearing a white T-shirt, a pair of shorts and white socks. Forensic staff estimate she had been dead for at least 2 days before the body was discovered.…

  • Thai cooking blogger in hot water after burying a chicken alive to force-feed it coconut milk

    YouTuber Sahawat Chopchingchai, aka Momm Tanaddak, is being investigated by Watchdog Thailand after posting a ‘recipe’ where he tortured a chicken by burying it alive for 2 weeks and force-feeding the poor bird, before killing it and eating it. Momm Tanaddak claims he didn’t actually torture the chicken but merely “simulated” a traditional technique in a rural Chiang Mai province.…

  • Air Asia and VietJet add some extra domestic routes

    Whilst much of the world waits to get back into Thailand, the local airlines are starting to flex their domestic muscles and add new routes. Thai AirAsia is launching 2 new routes from Chiang Mai, starting yesterday, offering a one-way fare for as low as 790 baht on flights to Hua Hin, and Udon Thani in the northeast. The cheapie…

  • Human trafficking and drugs suspects nabbed using airport biometrics

    2 suspects have recently been arrested using the biometric security system recently installed in international airports across Thailand. In the first case, a suspected human trafficker was apprehended after returning to Thailand during the Covid-19 crisis. Immigration officers received information from Chiang Mai police about a person travelling into Thailand from Japan. On July 14, a Thai citizen returned to…

  • Cabinet approves 435 million baht to control hungry elephants, monkeys

    The Covid-19 crisis hasn’t just affected humans and businesses; it’s had a profound impact on Thailand’s wildlife- much of which was dependent on tourism for survival. As a result, the Cabinet on Tuesday approved a budget of 435.3 million baht to reduce the impacts of wildlife on people. The budget was requested by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.…

  • Chiang Mai protesters perform in pouring rain

    by guest writer Will Langston Pro-democracy activism continues its public display in Chiang Mai City. For the third time in a week, activists and protestors gathered under outside old walls of the city to demonstrate. The name of the performance yesterday was entitled “EAT (I’M) ARE”. The title is wordplay based on the famous steak eatery in Thailand called ‘EAT…

  • Second autopsy requested in Red Bull witness’s death

    Police in Chiang Mai have asked the family of a key defence witness in the ongoing case of Vorayuth Yoovidhya, heir to the Red Bull drinks empire, to delay the cremation of his body. 40 year old Jaruchart Martthong was killed in a motorbike accident on Thursday involving another driver. Chiang Mai police say CCTV footage shows that Jaruchart tried…

  • Key witness in the Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya case dies in motorbike incident

    One of the key witnesses of the 2012 hit and run incident, involving Red Bull heir Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya, died this morning as a result of a motorbike incident in Chiang Mai. He was one of two main witnesses identified by police in the case. The incident happened this morning just after 2am in the main city area of Chiang…

  • Student flash mob in Chiang Mai as anti-government protests keep popping up

    By Will Langston For the second time in less than a week, activists took over Chiang Mai’s famous landmark Tha Pae Gate last night around 5pm. Their message was clear in banners and in slogans showed by the group: Freedom. Police watched closely as hundreds of people gathered, dressed in cosplay attire, wearing masks and holding signs expressing their individual…

  • Chiang Mai performance artists demonstrate for free speech

    PHOTOS by Will Langston With anti-government protests dotting the nation for over a week, performance artists in Chiang Mai took to the streets yesterday evening with a different type of demonstration – in favour of free speech. As the sun began setting, artists at each corner and junction of the old city’s moat could be found waiting to perform. At…

  • Tourism council urges Chiang Mai hotels to open up to meet domestic tourism demand

    The chair of Chiang Mai’s branch of the Tourism Council of Thailand says the city’s hotels and tour agencies are showing little interest in reopening, despite the province expecting a surge in domestic tourism as a result of the government’s stimulus offering. Nation Thailand reports that tourism chief Punlop Sae-Jew says many properties continue to keep their doors shut as…

  • Chiang Mai eatery fined for alcohol promotion

    A Chiang Mai restaurant is warning other eateries to be very careful about promoting alcohol after being raided and fined. Police went to Ai ToMoE restaurant in Chiang Mai after a tip that it was promoting beer in its 499 baht buffet menu, according to the restaurant’s Facebook post yesterday. Offices arrested the chef, named “Boy”, and fined him 50,000…

  • 50 dogs rescued from alleged Chiang Mai puppy farm

    A raid on an alleged puppy farm owned by an American man in Chiang Mai has resulted in the rescue of some 50 Thai Ridgeback dogs. Non-profit organisation Watchdog Thailand says most of the dogs were found in terrible condition and many more had died from illness and starvation. The owner claimed the dogs were kept as pets and he…

  • Thailand growing more expensive for expats

    According to Employment Conditions Abroad, Bangkok and Chiang Mai are among the 30 most expensive cities for expats in Asia. The capital of Turkmenistan might not spring to mind when with considering the priciest cities, but according to ECA International it ranks first on both the global and Asian tables, a 5 point rise up the rankings due to an…

  • Chiang Mai International Airport sees more traffic

    Northern Thailand’s gateway airport is recovering some of its flight and passenger traffic. With the easing of travel restrictions enforced to fight the spread of Covid-19, the director of Chiang Mai’s international airport says traffic is picking up, and more flights and passengers are expected this month. On average, the airport received 40 flights and about 4,000-5,000 passengers per day…

  • Dozens arrested in money laundering and drugs case

    61 people have been arrested in one of Thailand’s biggest money laundering cases of the year, said to be worth more than 10 billion baht. The suspects are believed to be part of a drug syndicate and money laundering network, allegedly run by a 45 year old Chinese man identified as “Chien Ma,” who was caught earlier in Bangkok. Provincial…

  • Baby elephants abused to “break” them for tourism- VIDEO

    The plight of Thailand’s many elephants has made plenty of headlines since the beginning of the Covid-19 outbreak in January, especially in the North, where the many elephant camps and “sanctuaries” were the a major draw for tourist revenue until the Emergency Decree and travel ban forced many to close. To avoid starvation, thousands made the long journey back to…