Northern Thailand News
Northern Thailand news, Chiang Mai news, business, tourism, and culture—stay updated with breaking stories, local events, and travel insights from Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Pai, and beyond. Get the latest from The Thaiger, your trusted Northern Thailand news source.
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Google Maps location leads police to online gambling network suspect
Police in Chiang Rai arrested a 30 year old Thai man on Sunday, November 24, after tracing a suspicious Google Maps pin labelled “the office of the leading gambling website in Thailand.” Officers from the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau conducted a thorough investigation into an online gambling network known as gsa9game, which reportedly had more than 20,000 members. Most users…
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SRT seeks to revoke 83 land deeds in Buriram court case
A high-stakes legal battle has begun in Buriram, northeast Thailand, as the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) seeks to reclaim over 700 rai of land allegedly covered by overlapping private title deeds. At 9am yesterday, November 24, Pattarapong Suphakorn, known locally as Lawyer Aun Buriram, appeared with local representatives at the Buriram Provincial Court to support the SRT legal team…
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Bedridden Thai woman revives and knocks on coffin during funeral
A 65 year old bedridden woman in Phitsanulok was found alive shortly before her funeral after showing signs of movement inside her coffin. Doctors later confirmed that her condition was due to low blood sugar. Chontirot Sakulku, presumed dead, had moved and knocked on her coffin shortly before her funeral began yesterday, November 23. Her family opened the coffin to…
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Libyan woman in Chiang Rai arrested for visa overstay and disturbance report
A Libyan woman was arrested for overstaying her visa after repeatedly causing a disturbance to her neighbours at a dormitory in Chiang Rai province. Officers from Tourist Police Division 2 detained the woman on Friday, November 21, for overstaying her visa by 897 days, or more than two and a half years. She was arrested at a dormitory in Rob…
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Lampang man filmed abusing dog with compressed air denies wrongdoing
A Thai man, caught on a viral video abusing a dog by inserting compressed air through its mouth or anus, defended himself, claiming he was merely drying its fur and that the footage is from several years ago. The video, shared on Facebook, sparked widespread criticism and calls for harsher legal punishment for animal abusers. The man in the footage…
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Ex-con shot with crossbow in Northeast Thailand phone row
A former inmate was seriously injured in northeast Thailand after being shot with a crossbow during a drunken row over a borrowed phone request. Police in Buriram province are investigating an altercation that left a man with a fishing arrow lodged in his neck after he allegedly tried to attack a high-school student who refused to lend him her phone.…
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Thai loan shark surrenders after detaining debtor’s mother and baby
A Thai loan shark has surrendered to police after allegedly locking an elderly woman and her six month old grandson inside their home in Nan province over a missed loan repayment. The incident occurred on November 12 in the Mueang Jang subdistrict of Phu Phiang district. The woman contacted Phu Phiang Police Station after she and the baby were locked…
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Revered foreign monk hospitalised after fall in Udon Thani temple
A respected foreign monk was hospitalised after suffering a fall at his temple, prompting surgery and a request for followers to delay visits while he recovers. The incident occurred in the early hours of Sunday, November 16, when the elderly monk reportedly slipped and fell inside his kuti (monk’s hut) at Wat Kaset Silakhun, also known as Wat Pa Ban…
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Police find lion-dancing kids sleeping in Udon Thani temple
Three young boys were found sleeping at a temple in Udon Thani province, Northeast Thailand, after leaving home to practise lion dancing, prompting police to urge better child supervision. Yesterday, November 13, a temple officer at Wat Photiwararam alerted the police after discovering the children, aged 10 to 12, sleeping in the crematorium area. Police Lieutenant Pongpol Phiwphong from Udon…
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Footballers arrested in Northeast Thailand for online lottery scam
Four amateur footballers were arrested in Maha Sarakham province, Northeast Thailand, for running an illegal online lottery operation, following a police raid on their rented house. The Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB), under the direction of Police Lieutenant General Surapol Prembut, carried out a raid on a rented house in Tha Khon Yang subdistrict, Kantharawichai district, yesterday, November 13. The…
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Northern Thailand Naga sighting sparks lottery frenzy
A strange Naga-shaped growth spotted on a sacred Bodhi tree in northern Thailand has drawn crowds of locals seeking luck ahead of the upcoming lottery draw. An unusual object resembling the head of a Naga has appeared on the trunk of an ancient Bodhi tree at Sri Khom Kham Temple in Phayao province, drawing curious crowds and believers hopeful for…
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Chiang Rai’s White Temple to double tourist fee in 2026
Wat Rong Khun in Chiang Rai will double its entry fee for foreign tourists to support maintenance and upgrades at the popular temple attraction. Starting January 1, 2026, Wat Rong Khun, also known as the White Temple, will increase its entry fee for foreign tourists from 100 baht to 200 baht. The new ticket price includes access to the popular…
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School bus overturns in northern Thailand, students injured
A double-decker bus carrying students on a school trip in northern Thailand overturned on a highway, injuring several and prompting a police investigation. The bus, carrying dozens of secondary school students from Uttaradit, flipped onto its side on the Phitsanulok–Nakhon Sawan Road around 10am yesterday, November 7. The crash occurred in Banphot Phisai district, Phitsanulok province, and left multiple students…
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Trans trio glams up with lipstick for mercy after meth raid in Isaan
Three transgender women apprehended for drugs in Northeast Thailand asked to put on lipstick before arrest, hoping a touch of glam might win police sympathy. The flamboyant request came after a sting operation led to the arrest of five suspects today, November 7, including an alleged drug dealer and a group of methamphetamine users, in the Ban Noi Tai community,…
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Boy, 5, electrocuted on school swing in Northeast Thailand
A five year old boy in Northeast Thailand died after being electrocuted while playing on a school swing, prompting questions over campus safety. The incident occurred on Tuesday, November 4, at a school in Non Suwan district, Buriram province, while the child was playing in the school’s outdoor playground during school hours. Relatives have identified the victim as Atsawin, a…
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Thai cop charged after hit-and-run with teacher in Udon Thani
A police officer in Udon Thani, northeastern Thailand, faces charges after allegedly sideswiping a teacher’s car and fleeing the scene, prompting a chase and investigation. The drama unfolded yesterday, November 4, when kindergarten teacher Prapaporn, nicknamed Joom, was driving her white Honda City in Nong Han district. At a local intersection, her vehicle was reportedly struck by a pickup truck. Instead…
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Maha Sarakham gran hits 12 million baht lottery jackpot
A grandmother from Maha Sarakham, northeast Thailand, won 12 million baht after matching two first-prize lottery tickets, sparking celebration among her delighted family. The lucky winner, from Borabue district in Maha Sarakham province, hit the jackpot on November 1 after matching two first prize tickets in the latest government lottery draw. The winning number was 345898, netting her 6 million…
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Tak teacher caught stealing groceries and posing cooking photos online
Police arrested a male teacher in the northern province of Tak for stealing food ingredients from a local grocery shop and then boasting about his cooking skills on social media. The owner of the grocery store filed a complaint with the Tha Song Yang Police Station on October 25 after discovering several items missing from his store in Mae Tan…
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Ancient cart in Surin draws crowds chasing lucky numbers
Hopes were high and incense thick in the air as villagers in northeastern Thailand gathered around a 100-year-old wooden cart they believe holds the key to lottery riches. Just before the government lottery draw today, November 1, locals in Ban Thap Dat, Sangkha district, flocked to the Somdej Thuat To Phrom Rangsi Buddha Dharma Garden to perform a traditional ritual,…
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Phayao temple sparks lotto frenzy after 7 jackpot wins
Locals and tourists in a northern Thai province flocked to a revered temple after reports emerged that multiple lottery winners had prayed there for luck. Today, October 30, crowds packed Wat Pa Phutthachinwongsaram in Phu Kam Yao district, Phayao province, after locals claimed to have struck the first-prize lottery jackpot seven times following visits to a revered temple statue. Now,…
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Four dead, including 3 year old, after car crashes into canal in Phayao
A tragic Phayao accident claimed the lives of four family members, including a 3 year old child, after their car plunged into a canal. The incident took place yesterday, on October 25 at 6.57pm. Police are investigating the cause of this unfortunate event. The accident was reported to the Dok Kham Tai Police Station by the emergency room of Dok…
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Chinese man with 2,000 ATM cards arrested in Chiang Rai scam
Police in Chiang Rai arrested a Chinese national found with thousands of ATM cards and cash during a patrol, uncovering a suspected transnational scam ring. The arrest was announced by Police Major General Manop Senakul, Commander of Chiang Rai Provincial Police, during a press conference yesterday, October 24. The 35 year old Chinese suspect, originally from Hubei province, was caught…
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Lampang teen found dead near socket in suspected electrocution
A 14 year old boy was found dead beside an electrical socket at his home in Nikhom Phatthana, Lampang, northern Thailand, prompting an investigation into the cause of his sudden death. The incident occurred yesterday morning, October 24, when the boy’s mother tried to wake him for school. After receiving no response, she entered his room and made the heartbreaking…
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Man killed by exploding e-cigarette in shocking first for Thailand
A man in Thailand died in Northeast Thailand after his e-cigarette exploded while he was fishing, marking the country’s first confirmed fatality linked to a vape device. The 47 year old man was found lifeless near a spillway in Ban Kut Chim, Mueang district, Nong Bua Lamphu province on October 18, after going fishing. At first, police suspected foul play.…
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MV actress and friend killed in Udon Thani motorbike crash
A young music video actress and her friend were killed when their motorbike crashed into a pole in Udon Thani, leaving one man seriously injured. The fatal accident occurred at around 5.20am yesterday, October 20, in Soi Kamnan, Mueang Udon Thani district. Emergency responders from the Udon Sawang Methadharm Foundation were alerted to a motorcycle crash involving a collision with…
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Thai woman puts Huskies up for adoption over border clash fears
A tearful pet owner in Sisaket is urgently seeking a loving new home for her two Siberian Huskies as fears of renewed conflict along the Thai-Cambodian border grow. Today, October 17, a reporter visited Ban Non Sawang, a village in Kantharalak district, just 7 kilometres from the tense border zone, where 39 year old Pairin Yodkhammee made a heartbreaking decision.…
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Lottery hunters chase lucky numbers at Udon Thani Naga site
A wave of lottery hopefuls has descended on Kham Chanod Island in Udon Thani province, believed to be the mystical realm of the Naga serpent, to seek lucky numbers ahead of the upcoming draw. The island, steeped in legend and spiritual significance, has long been a hotspot for those hoping to channel supernatural luck into winning tickets. In recent days,…
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SRT sues to reclaim Khao Kradong land from political clan
Thailand’s railway authority has filed a court case to reclaim land in Buriram, alleging it was unlawfully occupied by a company and a political figure. The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) has launched legal action to reclaim two plots of land in the Khao Kradong area of Buriram, allegedly occupied unlawfully by Karuna Chidchob and Silachai Buriram Co. Ltd. The…
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Thai woman struck by lightning while hiking in Mae Hong Son
A 30 year old Thai woman sustained serious injuries after being struck by lightning while hiking on Doi Pui Luang mountain in the northern province of Mae Hong Son on Saturday, October 11. The woman, Phattharaporn, travelled from her home province of Nakhon Si Thammarat in southern Thailand to hike through a trail on Doi Pui Luang mountain, located in the…
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Vendors plead for peace as border tensions crush Surin trade (video)
A meat vendor in the northeast province of Surin has called for military help as ongoing border unrest with Cambodia causes business losses and keeps tourists and buyers away. The area, famous for its fresh and sun-dried meat market near the Hin Khon intersection along the Thai-Cambodian border, has been paralysed by tensions for more than three months. Supansa, owner…
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