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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Tesla’s Elon Musk wins defamation trial over ‘pedo guy’ tweet
PHOTO: Christian Monterrosa/EPA “My client went toe to toe with a billionaire bully.” Tesla’s mercurial Elon Musk has emerged victorious after a defamation trial as a federal court jury swiftly rejected the US$190 million claim brought against him by a British cave explorer, Vernon Unsworth, who Musk branded a “pedo guy” on Twitter. The incident happened during the attempts to…
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Kind-hearted coffin seller turns a blind eye to repeated theft
PHOTO: MCOT “A coffin maker, who supplies Jamnong, says the store is left open at night, often with no staff in attendance.” The kind-hearted owner of a coffin shop in Buriram, north-east Thailand, has admitted he regularly has to deal with coffins being stolen from his premises, but can’t bring himself to file police reports against the perpetrators, as he…
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Jealous boyfriend arrested over triple murder in Chiang Rai – VIDEO
SCREENSHOT: YouTube Chiang Rai police have arrested a man for the murder of his girlfriend and her parents, all found shot dead. 27 year old Nawaratorn “Nuan” Kunasangkam is currently in custody over the murders. The victims were Udom Kimsi, his wife Nutcha Kimsi, and their 26 year old daughter Saowarot Kimsi, all from Chiang Rai. Their bodies were found by…
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Couple realise they’d won the lottery when driving back to hometown in the north-east
PHOTO: Sanook A husband and wife were driving back to Yasothon Province in the north-east from Bangkok when they checked Sunday’s draw of the twice-monthly Thai Government lottery. They’d won the first prize! 6 million baht. The couple work as vendors at the Sampeng Market in ChinaTown, Bangkok. The winning numbers were 453522. 23 years old Methinee and her 34…
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“The first quarter of 2020 looks terrible” – tourism in northern Thailand.
“Bookings in the north are down and the outlook for… the first quarter of 2020 looks terrible.” The head of the Northern Hoteliers’ Association based in Chiang Mai is painting a grim picture about the immediate future for tourism in northern Thailand. She was bemoaning that bookings in the north are down and the outlook for the end of this…
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Tourists head to the spectacular Red Lotus Lake in Udon Thani
PHOTO: The Nation Local and foreign tourists are flocking to the Nong Han Lake, aka Red Lotus Lake, in Udon Thani to catch the spectacular display of natural bright pink lotuses blossoming. The phenomenon occurs each year during December and January. The lake, located in Kumphawapee district, Udon Thani, is famous for its annual natural carpets of water lilies floating…
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Former Chiang Rai Governor says “The Cave” wrong in some places
Chiang Rai’s former governor Narongsak Osottanakorn, says he’s disappointed in Tom Waller’s movie “The Cave”. He said the film does not depict all the details of the real-life drama and is “wrong in some places”. Narongsak went to a special premiere of Tom Waller’s movie “The Cave”, along with members of the team involved in the rescue, on Monday night. The…
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Driver busted with 3 million methamphetamine pills from Chiang Rai
SCREENCAPTURE: YouTube Police in Northern Thailand have arrested a lorry driver for trafficking almost 3 million methamphetamine pills from Chiang Rai province, destined for Bangkok. Police told the media they arrested the man after a tip at a checkpoint in Lampang province. The driver was identified as 25 year old Poramet Ruaysoongnern from Nakhon Ratchasima in north-eastern Thailand. Police said, after…
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British man found dead in Thailand’s north east
Authorities have reported the death of 33 year old British national, Timothy Hoffman, who was found dead in a bathroom at a house the northeastern province of Ubon Ratchathani on Saturday night. Police and a doctor from a local clinic were called to the man’s home shortly after midnight. They found Hoffman face down in the bathroom, wearing a short-sleeved…
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‘The Cave’ – covers a lot of ground but misses some key details
The Thaiger went to the first session of Tom Waller’s ‘The Cave’ and loved it. It’s frenetic, it’s very busy and it covers a lot of territory regarding the scope of the saga. But it also lacks focus, a lot of the actors play themselves with varying success and, well, we already know the (mostly) happy ending. But the overall experience…
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Fossils of new dinosaur species discovered in Isaan
The fossils of a new species of dinosaur, named the Siam Raptor Suwati, have been discovered in Nakhon Ratchasima province (commonly known as Korat) in north-east Thailand. The discovery has been confirmed by the Director-General of the Mineral Resource Department, Sommai Techawan, and former Deputy PM Suwat Liptapanlop (after whom the dinosaur has been named). Thai Residents reports that the…
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500 year old temple shaken in Nan earthquake this morning
PHOTO: Tourwatthai.com The Nan province, in far north Thailand, on the Laos border, was the epicentre for an earthquake measuring 6.1 magnitude on the Richter scale. The tremor shook the province, and other parts of Thailand, at 6.50am, local time today. The US Geological Survey report that the quake struck 10 kilometres below the surface about 92 kilometres northeast of the…
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Meth kingpin busted in Kanchanburi
A 29 year old man has been charged with running a drug trafficking ring after more than 3 million methamphetamine pills were seized in Chiang Rai last month. The man, known only as “Prasarn,” was arrested at a resort in Kanchanaburi, western Thailand. Police linked him to the 3 million meth pills seized at a roadside checkpoint in Chiang Rai…
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Earthquake hits in far-north Thailand
An earthquake of 6.1 magnitude has rattled the centre and north of the country this morning. The epicentre of the tremors was around northern Nan province, on the Laos border. At this stage there has been no immediate reports of casualties or damage although The Thaiger has been contacted by numerous people this morning claiming they felt the quake. The…
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Government applies for UNESCO status for Korat Geopark
PHOTO: Satun Geopark already has a UNESCO Geopark – Greenpeace.com Government deputy spokesperson Ratchada Thanadirek says the government is seeking UNESCO status for the Korat Geopark in Nakhon Ratchasima, north-east Thailand. The move follows a recommendation from the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry. A geopark is an area with a rich geological and cultural heritage and a UNESCO Geopark is…
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13 year old Chiang Rai girl saved from forced marriage
PHOTO: Workshop in progress at the Chiang Rai-based Center for Girls – center4girls.org A non government organisation in Chiang Rai reports that it has helped a 13 year old girl escape a forced marriage to a 50 year old man. The Centre for Girls posted on their Facebook page that the organisation received a note from the girl, “Nu Na,”…
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DSI is demanding Court revoke Chaiwat’s bail
PHOTO: Khaosod English The Department of Special Investigation will ask the court to revoke bail for former national park chief Chaiwat Limlikhit-akson along with three other suspects, or set a new bail. Chaiwat, director of the Conservation Office in northeastern Ubon Ratchathani province, along with three others, has been charged with multiple counts in the disappearance and murder of Karen…
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Wife chooses winning lottery ticket, husband flees WITH the winning ticket
PHOTO: Pornthida Chamnanwet with her formal complaint about the missing winning lottery ticket, and her husband who stole it – Sutthiwit Chayutworakan A 34 year old husband has left his wife stranded at home. He disappeared with their winning lottery ticket from Saturday’s draw. The winning ticket is worth around 6 million baht. 23 year old Pornthida Chamnanwet has made a…
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Northern Thailand drops 1-3 degrees, South to see little rain for the rest of the year
PHOTO: TakeMeTour A strong high-pressure system is looming over southern China and will also affect the upper Northeast of Thailand by tonight and early tomorrow. The Thailand Meteorological Department are forecasting another rather drop of 1.3 degrees C with mornings expected to be cool and foggy in the north and north-east. The high-pressure system affect the North and the Central…
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Driver of gas tanker falls asleep, ploughs into building in Chiang Rai
A driver of a gas tanker carrying nearly 50,000 litres of fuel had a lucky escape after he managed to plough the vehicle into a three-storey building in Chiang Rai province. The story, reported by Thai news outlet 77kaoded and shared by ThaiVisa, says the man fell asleep at the wheel of the tanker before crashing into Mekong View Plaza,…
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Unconscious 4 year old rescued from locked car
Pattaya police got a report that a child was stuck in a car in front of a shopping mall. When they rushed to the scene a volunteer rescue team, they found a crowd surrounding a car, trying to wake up a sleeping four year old boy. The boy’s mother was there and was in fact the one to call for…
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Wall of graffiti art the longest landmark in northeast Thailand
More than 30 graffiti artists are being invited to celebrate the city of Nakhon Ratchasima, more commonly known as Korat. The Nation reports that the city’s Culture Office is inviting works on the theme of “Korat: the art city”. The move comes as the government named Korat, along with Krabi and Chiang Mai, as pilot cities for the arts. Korat…
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Warrants issued in “Billy” murder case
Arrest warrants have been issued for the former chief of a national park and three other officials, for the murder of Karen activist Porlajee “Billy” Rakchongcharoen. They face charges including robbery and detention. Chaiwat Limlikit-aksorn, former chief the Kaeng Krachan National Park, faces murder charges. Police are preparing for their arrest but say they would welcome their surrender. Billy was…
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Drunk man reports car stolen
A 50 year old man in the northern province of Lampang told police his car was stolen from a local petrol station. As it turned out, he was so drunk he couldn’t remember how he got to the station. He finally realized that a friend had dropped him off. The incident was shared on national television. The man called police…
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11th species of dinosaur discovered in north east Thailand
Thailand’s Mineral Resources Department says they’ve unearthed fossilised bones believed to belong to a species of mid-sized carnivorous dinosaur previously unrecorded in Thailand. Called the Vayuraptor nongbualamphuensis, it is the 11th dinosaur species to be discovered in the Phu Wat excavation pits in Phu Kao-Phupandam national park in the north-eastern province of Nong Bua Lamphu, between Khon Kaen and Udon…
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Police suspect land dispute in double murder in Chiang Rai
PHOTOS: Chiang Rai Times Chiang Rai police are investigating a husband and wife that were murdered in the province’s Chiang Saen District last Wednesday. When arriving at the property, police found the bodies of a husband and wife, both with strangulation marks on their necks. There was no sign of a struggle and nothing was stolen. Their pick-up truck and…
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Officer in krathong copyright entrapment case transferred
A police superintendent in the north east province of Nakhon Ratchasima has been transferred after a sting operation in which a 15 year old girl was arrested and fined 5,000 baht for alleged copyright infringement (the original demand by the ‘officer’ was much higher but was negotiated down). Read original story HERE. The girl was approached by a man claiming…
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Copyright police sting, arrest 15 year old girl over krathong floats
PHOTO: Prasit Tangprasert A 15 year old girl in the northeastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima was arrested and fined 5,000 baht for making krathong baskets showing copyrighted cartoon characters. The baskets were ordered by undercover copyright police in, what appears to be, an attempt to lure the girl into infringing copyright laws. The girl, identified only as “Orm”, says her…
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Top 10 rules to avoid an elephant squishing your car
PHOTO: Khaosod English After the video of a bull elephant sitting on a car whilst it was trying to drive through Khao Yai National Park in Nakhon Ratchasima went viral, officials have come up with 10 rules to follow when confronted by a wild elephant who has an unnatural attraction to your car. The 35 year old tusked elephant, Duea,…
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First chamber of Chiang Rai’s Tham Luang Cave now open to visitors
The first chamber of the cave where twelve Thai footballers and their coach became trapped for seventeen days last year, is now open to visitors in Chiang Rai. The Chiang Rai Times reports that, along with the entrance to the Tham Luang cave in Chiang Rai being open, the first chamber and the Nang Non spirit house are also accessible…
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