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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Sponsored 5 ways retirees in Thailand lose money (and how to stop it)
Retiring in Thailand can be affordable and enjoyable, but many retirees lose money due to common mistakes. High living costs, scams, and unexpected expenses can quickly drain savings. There are five ways that retirees in Thailand can lose money and...
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Rangers find man’s body in Nakhon Ratchasima national park
Yesterday, park rangers found a man dead in Thap Lan National Park in Nakhon Ratchasima in Northeast Thailand, known as the Isaan. The ranger team was on patrol when they stopped to rest at a waterhole. They then found the man lying on the ground, looking as though he was sleeping. The team called the national park chief, who reported…
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Local farmers accused of setting 100 elephant traps near sanctuary
Officials from the Phu Luang Wildlife Sanctuary in Loei province filed a complaint with police about neighbouring villagers, accusing them of setting more than 100 elephant traps. The neighbours were alleged to have set the traps to protect their farms from elephants eating their crops. The sanctuary officials brought several of the elephant traps with them to the police as…
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Truck with 20 tonnes of smuggled pork caught at Laos border
With pork prices skyrocketing and shortages looming, people are turning to chicken until it began being affected too, then crocodile meat, while many merchants call for an increase in the importation of pork products, and accusations fly of companies hoarding frozen pork. Now, instead of the more common busts of trucks full of meth pills or marijuana, police at the…
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Youtube star discovers new species of tarantula in Thailand
Wildlife Youtuber JoCho Sippawat made a wild discovery when, on one of his many outdoor expeditions in Thailand, he stumbled upon a tarantula species not previously known to humanity. The species, which scientists have officially named “Taksinus Bambus,” lives only in hollowed bamboo stems. JoCho discovered the species in a forest of Mae Tho, Mueang Tak district, Tak province, where…
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19 year old arrested for allegedly smuggling 2 million methamphetamine pills
A 19 year old was arrested for alleged smuggling of more than 2 million methamphetamine pills to northeast Thailand’s Nong Khai province from the Mekong River on Saturday night. The suspect is identified as Phayu Phikhawong and was recruited for 300,000 baht to deliver 2,164,000 methamphetamine pills, known as “ya ba” meaning “crazy drug,” from Phon Phisai district in Nong…
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Bus driver who fled 2007 accident with multiple deaths finally arrested
A tour bus driver who fled a horrific accident in Nakhon Ratchasima that left multiple injuries and fatalities and that he was deemed at fault for in 2007 has finally been caught and arrested. The now 52 year old man was arrested in Bangkok for the crime of negligent driving that led to the accident on the Friendship Highway 15…
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Khao Yai hotel threatening 3 million baht lawsuit for bad review named
More details have emerged as the hotel in Khao Yai in Nakhon Ratchasima has held tight in their vow to sue a woman who left a slightly negative review for 3 million baht. The names of the resort and the woman involved were made more public as a lawyer representing the woman gave details about the incident. Sittra Biebangkerd said…
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Khao Yai hotel threatens 3 million baht lawsuit over negative review
It wouldn’t be the first time, but a Thai hotel is threatening to sue a customer over a negative review they left after their stay. The hotel, located in the northeastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima around the popular tourist destination of Khao Yai National Park, is threatening a 3 million baht lawsuit over a review where the past guest rated…
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Officials blame Kalasin bar for Omicron spread, poor disease prevention measures
The Department of Disease Control says the Kalasin couple who inadvertently sparked a cluster of Omicron infections visited 3 restaurant/bars unaware they were infected. Of those, “Bar K” has come in for some harsh criticism from DDC boss, Dr Opas Karnkawinpong. The Bangkok Post reports that the cluster has now spread to 248 patients across 12 provinces in the north…
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64 Omicron infections in Kalasin yesterday, rapid spread predicted
A doctor at Siriraj Hospital believes half of all new Covid-19 infections in January could be the Omicron variant. In Kalasin province, 64 new Omicron infections were found on Christmas Day as a pub and restaurant has seen the rapid spread of the new strain of the virus. A married couple visited on December 12, unaware that they had the…
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First Test & Go land entry will remain closed due to Omicron
Just a few days after confirming plans to open the land border between Thailand and Laos in Nong Khai tomorrow, the reopening was tabled indefinitely for fears of the highly transmissible Omicron variant. The cheerily-named Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge that links the 2 countries will remain closed for the time being to prevent the spread of Covid-19, having been planned as…
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Provincial governor confirms 2 cases of Omicron variant in Khon Kaen
The north-eastern province of Khon Kaen has reported its first 2 cases of the Omicron Covid-19 variant. According to a Thai PBS World report, governor Somsak Jungtrakul confirmed the infections in a press statement yesterday. The governor has urged residents not to panic over the development, assuring them that strict disease control measures were in place. Addressing a media conference,…
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Nong Khai land border opening to Test & Go scheme December 24
While Thailand has flung open the doors on its airports to international travellers since November 1, land border checkpoints are not nearly as widely open. Now, authorities prepare security for a popular border between Thailand and Laos at Nong Khai in time for the Christmas and New Year’s holidays. Starting December 24, the Nong Khai border checkpoint will be opened…
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Security forces sent to Burmese refugee camp in Tak following riot
A riot broke out at a camp for Burmese refugees Tuesday night and security reinforcements were sent to Mae La refugee camp in Tambon Mae La, where officials have yet to get access to roughly 40,000 Myanmar nationals, to avert another possible furore. Rangers, border patrol officers, local officials, and territorial defence volunteers are stationed at the camp where refugees…
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Man arrested for allegedly stealing 50,000 baht in railway property
A 51 year old man in northern Thailand’s Phrae province was arrested on Tuesday for allegedly stealing rail track screws and plates valued at around 50,000 baht. The man was detained by the Railway Police Division in Den Chai district and was charged with theft of official property. Railway authorities had been curious if someone was constantly stealing the screws…
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Methamphetamine, cannabis seized near Mekong River
Narcotics rangers seized smuggling convey of 104,000 methamphetamine tablets and 50 kilograms of what the Bangkok Post says was “premium-grade” dried cannabis (street name “brick weed”) from Laos across the Mekong River into Thailand’s Ban Phaeng area in Nakhon Phanom last Saturday night. The Ranger Company 2108 patrolling squads were on duty when the drugs were seized on Highway 212…
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200 funeral attendees quarantined after deceased diagnosed with Covid-19
Attendees to a large funeral in Phetchabun province have now been isolated after it was discovered that the person who died was infected with Covid-19. The funeral took place in the Nong Phai district of the northern province and was attended by over 200 people who then had to be quarantined. The Nong Phai District Hospital said that they were…
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Truck driver killed during traffic accident in Nakhon Ratchasima
Police are investigating the fatal car crash where the driver of an e-taen farm truck was killed, injuring two other individuals in Chok Chai district in Nakhon Ratchasima province yesterday. A horrible accident was caught on black box footage of a passing-by vehicle, which later circulated on Facebook. According to the police investigator Pol Lt Col Ruam Kleepklangdon, the incident happened…
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Weeklong wandering tiger returned safely to wildlife sanctuary
The hunt for a tiger that wandered from his wildlife sanctuary in Uthai Thani is finally over. After a week of meandering the surrounding areas – and attracting public attention on news and social media sites – Vichit the tiger has been located and has returned safely to its natural habitat in Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary. Vichit is wearing…
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Police deny detaining or threatening woman who told PM to “retire quickly”
Police in the north-eastern province have denied an allegation that they detained a woman who told the Thai PM to, “retire quickly”. Following the incident, which occurred in the Udon Thani district of Ban Dung while the PM was visiting the forest temple of Wat Kham Cha Not, reports emerged that the woman had been taken to a police station…
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Tiger in Kamphaeng Phet on the loose for a fifth day
Of all the lost things someone could possibly be searching for, a tiger may be amongst the most unnerving. But today officials report that the search for Vichit, a 4 year old Bengal tiger continues for the fifth day. The cat wandered out of its habitat in the Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary five days ago. The chief of the…
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Alcohol restrictions ease in some Nakhon Ratchasima districts, tourism scheme launches
Seven districts in the Isaan province Nakhon Ratchasima will be easing alcohol restrictions as a pilot tourism scheme launches. Restaurants that pass SHA stands will be allowed to serve alcoholic drinks until 10pm. Pubs, clubs, karaoke, entertainment venues, and massage parlors remain closed. According to the deputy governor Chusak Chunkoh, seven districts in Nakhon Ratchasima province, formerly knowns as Korat,…
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Police capture man suspected of Khon Kaen gold store robbery
A suspect has been arrested in the case of an armed gold store robbery in Khon Kaen with CCTV footage that had gone viral. The robbery took place on Saturday evening, and the police announced a suspect taken into custody earlier today. The robbery of the gold store on the second floor of the Central Plaza Department Store in Khon…
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Six alleged drug traffickers killed in gunfight with Chiang Rai police
Six suspected drug traffickers shot and killed in a clash with army border patrol officers in Chiang Rai’s Mae Fa Luang district. Officers say the alleged smugglers were “fully armed” and were carrying more than 1.8 million methamphetamine pills. At around 4am yesterday, officers monitoring the border crossing by Myanmar’s Tachileik encountered 10 to 15 men. According to the deputy…
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Schools closed in north-east as shared transport blamed for Covid-19 outbreak
A Covid-19 outbreak has closed 2 schools in the north-eastern province of Ubon Ratchathani, with students and teachers quarantined. According to a Thai PBS World report, provincial health officials are blaming shared school vans for the spread of the virus. 24 students have tested positive and 295 other students and their teachers have been quarantined for observation. It’s understood a…
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Alleged Constitutional Court website hacker tracked down
A 33 year old man in Ubon Ratchathani was arrested today by the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau for allegedly hacking the Constitutional Court website on Wednesday. The man was arrested at his home in Warin Chamrab district of the Northeastern province after an investigation by the CCIB. The CCIB started an investigation immediately after the hack was reported by the…
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Van full of marijuana leads police on chase in Nakhon Phanom
Police in tambon Tha Uthen in the northeastern province of Nakhon Phanom signalled a van to pull over at a checkpoint at Ban Na Nua village after noticing it had Bangkok licence plates and wanting to search it. But officers were surprised when the van instead sped away, as they quickly raced after the car in hot pursuit. After a…
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National park visits rising as tourists brave the cold weather
As Thailand reopens and tourism, both international and domestic, begins to grow, many tourists are turning away from chasing warm sunny beaches. An influx of tourists has been seen heading to some of Thailand’s chilliest national park destinations and attractions. In the northern province of Loei, the Phu Ruea National Park viewpoint, renowned for its beautiful sunrises, has seen many…
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UPDATED: 40 Covid-19 infections prompt closure of Mukdahan school
UPDATE: After earlier reports of an outbreak of 40 Covid-19 infections at Khamsoipitthayasan School in Mukdahan, the Communicable Disease Committee in the province quarantined and tested all 1,202 students and 72 staff and teachers. They took RT-PCR tests at 7 am and all 1,274 tests came back negative, with no confirmed Covid-19 infections. The whole school had been quarantined at Wat Phu…
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Disgraced cop Thitisan and 6 other officers charged in death-in-custody case
Disgraced police chief Thitisan Utthanaphon and 6 other officers have been charged in an investigation into the death of a man in custody. The victim, 24 year old Chiraphong Thanapat, died while under interrogation at a police station in the northern province of Nakhon Sawan in August. Video footage that showed Thitisan placing several plastic bags over the drug suspect’s…
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