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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  • Khon Kaen pleads for more blood donations as demand surpasses supply

    Khon Kaen pleads for more blood donations as demand surpasses supply

    Khon Kaen, a northeastern Thai province, is in desperate need of blood donations as demand for blood transfusions is surpassing the blood supply, says the Thai Red Cross Society. The TRCS requested more blood donations at the society’s 6th regional national blood service that spans Kohn Kaen, Udon Thani, Nong Khai, Nong Bua Lamphu, Bung Kan, Sakhon Nakhon, Loei, Kalasin,…

  • Thitisan Utthanaphon denies all accusations against him

    Thitisan Utthanaphon denies all accusations against him

    Thitisan Utthanaphon is denying all accusations against him concerning his role in the alleged torture/murder of a drug suspect in police custody in northern Thailand’s Nakhon Sawan’s main city police station, according to his lawyer. Thitisan’s lawyer, Chokechai Angkaew, says Thitisan denied the accusations while he was being questioned. Chokechai adds that Thitisan, aka. “Jo Ferrari” has vowed to fight…

  • Packages of methamphetamine pills found floating in Chiang Rai rivers

    Packages of methamphetamine pills found floating in Chiang Rai rivers

    Packages containing around 1.2 million methamphetamine pills were found floating in rivers in the northern province Chiang Rai. Apparently, the packages had been floating in the Mae Lao and Ing rivers for three days. Villagers reported the packages of drugs to police. Narcotics suppression officers searched the area and found a total of 1,268,000 methamphetamine pills. Officers suspect traffickers floated the…

  • 470 kilograms of marijuana seized in Isaan; reportedly smuggled from Laos

    470 kilograms of marijuana seized in Isaan; reportedly smuggled from Laos

    Police in the Isaan province Nakhon Phanom seized 470 kilograms of compressed marijuana valued at around 10 million baht and arrested a 26 year old man on drug charges. Officers in the province’s Sri Songkhram district stopped a Mitsubishi Pajero which was travelling from Ban Phaeng, a district along the Mekong River bordering Laos. Police searched the vehicle and found…

  • Police bust gang that allegedly transported migrant workers

    Police bust gang that allegedly transported migrant workers

    A gang that allegedly took Laotian migrant workers from Bangkok to the northeast of Thailand has been busted. The Chief of Immigration, Sompong “Big Oud” Chingduang told the media about the bust involving a gang is reportedly called “Jay Wan”. Multiple sources had reported the group’s alleged illicit behaviour. According to Thai media, the group had the workers book their…

  • 7 arrest warrants approved for police suspects in Nakhon Sawan torture killing case

    7 arrest warrants approved for police suspects in Nakhon Sawan torture killing case

      A Thai court has approved 7 arrest warrants for police officers in Nakhon Sawan, the northern Thai province. The 7 officers are suspects in the alleged torture and subsequent killing of a suspect. A shocking video allegedly showed the police covering the suspect’s head with a plastic bag until he suffocated to death. The 7 police suspects are: Thitisan…

  • PM orders investigation into alleged police killing of man in custody

    PM orders investigation into alleged police killing of man in custody

    The PM has ordered an investigation into the alleged killing of a man while in police custody in the northern province of Nakhon Sawan. A leaked video of the alleged incident has gone viral, prompting outrage around the country. According to a Bangkok Post report, police arrested a man and woman accused of drug offences and, while questioning the pair,…

  • Police investigate claims that officer accidentally killed a man in extortion attempt

    Police investigate claims that officer accidentally killed a man in extortion attempt

    The Royal Thai Police are looking into a report that claims a police officer from the northern Thai province Nakhon Sawan accidentally killed a suspect while the officer was attempting to extort the suspect for 2 million baht. The investigation came about after celebrity lawyer Decha Kittiwittayanan publicised the claim on Facebook. Decha’s post stated the case starts with the…

  • Father and daughter drown in Mekong River in Nakhon Phanom, police suspect murder-suicide

    Father and daughter drown in Mekong River in Nakhon Phanom, police suspect murder-suicide

    A father and his 7 year old daughter jumped into the Mekong River and drowned yesterday afternoon. The incident happened in the northeastern Thai province of Nakhon Phanom. The working theory is that it was a murder-suicide, says Thai media. Jamras Srihata, from the Muang Police, says the incident happened around 6:30 pm yesterday in front of the governor’s riverside…

  • Village under Covid-19 lockdown after old woman lies

    Village under Covid-19 lockdown after old woman lies

    The dishonesty of an old woman led to an entire village in Buriram being sealed off on lockdown due to a Covid-19 outbreak she created. The woman lied about her visiting daughter and son-in-law to avoid the 14-day quarantine set in place to allow enough time to avoid a Covid-19 outbreak. The 75 year old woman lives in the village…

  • Undercover police allegedly bust into wrong house in Nakhon Ratchasima

    Undercover police allegedly bust into wrong house in Nakhon Ratchasima

    Undercover police from the Northern Thai province of Nakhon Ratchasima accidentally searched the wrong house, much to the surprise of the homeowner, reports Thai media. The mistake was posted on Facebook. The clip, which has not been made readily available, allegedly shows 4 police officers barging into a villager’s house. In the video, 4 police officers say they have a…

  • Police arrest woman jobless from Covid-19 for burglary

    Police arrest woman jobless from Covid-19 for burglary

    Police apprehended a woman in Nakhon Phanom who confessed to breaking into 8 homes in the area after the Covid-19 pandemic left her unemployed and broke. The 26 year old woman from Sri Songkhram district was caught with nearly 100 things she had stolen from the houses in the Muang municipal area where she lived in a rental house. Residents…

  • Man shot and killed at Isaan rice field

    Man shot and killed at Isaan rice field

    A man was shot and killed at a rice field in the Isaan province Maha Sarakham. Yesterday, a villager walking in the rice field found the man’s body and she called the police. Reports say the man was shot five times. One wound was in the neck, one in the back and three shots in the torso. Officers identified the…

  • 560 kilograms of cannabis packaged for delivery seized by officers in Northeast

    560 kilograms of cannabis packaged for delivery seized by officers in Northeast

    Officers in the Mekong Riverine Unit seized 560 kilograms of dried cannabis and arrested four people in the Isaan province Nakhon Phanom, bordering Laos. Some of the marijuana had been packaged and was ready to be sent out by a delivery service while other 404 kilograms of marijuana was found along the Mekong riverbank. A team from the unit searched…

  • PCD says don’t throw away used masks in water bottles after infections linked to bottles

    PCD says don’t throw away used masks in water bottles after infections linked to bottles

    Don’t discard your used face masks in water bottles is the advice the Pollution Control Department wants the public to heed after 20 people tested positive for Covid in Nakhon Ratchasima/Kora, a northeastern Thai province. The department says the infections stem from virus ridden water bottles. Atthapol Charoenchansa, the PCD director general, says a plethora of face masks have been…

  • Couple “drops off” Covid infected 80 year old father at Korat temple, drive off

    Couple “drops off” Covid infected 80 year old father at Korat temple, drive off

    A husband and wife dropped off an 80 year old man they referred to as father, at a temple in Nakhon Ratchasima/Korat in northeastern Thailand. After they dropped off their patriarch with nothing but a cloth bag, they drove off. The man was later found to have Covid. One Facebook user who claims to be a medical worker at the…

  • Covid train cancelled, SRT cites lack of passengers

    Covid train cancelled, SRT cites lack of passengers

    A “special” Covid train that was bound for northeastern Thailand from Bangkok, today, has been cancelled. The State Railway of Thailand says there weren’t enough passengers. Previously, the government had told the SRT to provide a train with 14 carriages to transport Covid patients from Bangkok back to their home provinces for Covid treatment. The Covid train was supposed to leave…

  • Phetchabun chicken processing plant sees over 3,000 infections

    Phetchabun chicken processing plant sees over 3,000 infections

    In the northern Thai province Phetchabun, Covid testing at a chicken processing plant continues as positive test results keep coming in. Yesterday, it was reported that 3,117 people have already tested positive. The plant is owned by Golden Line Business Co, a subsidiary of Saha Farms Group. By 8 pm yesterday, 6,587 out of the factory’s 7,200 workers had been…

  • Nakhon Sawan farmers make large profits growing fingerroot as Covid cure

    Nakhon Sawan farmers make large profits growing fingerroot as Covid cure

    While the science may be on the fence, herbal extracts are still growing in popularity as a Covid treatment. krachai khao, AKA fingerroot is providing generous returns for growers in Nakhon Sawan, a northern Thai province. Sales are also booming for the extract of the green chiretta plant AKA fah talai jone, which is used in “traditional” medicine and is…

  • Tak landslides blocks highway 105, army helps clear

    Tak landslides blocks highway 105, army helps clear

    Highway 105 in Northern Thailand’s Tak province was blocked by trees/landslides between the Mae Ramat and Tha Song Yang district due to result of heavy rains last night. The highway had to be closed at approximately the 81 kilometre marker in the Tha Song Yang district, also between Ban Samae and Mae Tuen. Tha Song Yang and Mae Ramat chiefs…

  • 4 inmates escape prison, 1 caught 3 at large

    4 inmates escape prison, 1 caught 3 at large

    4 inmates escaped from a prison in northern Thailand’s Phetchabun Province early this morning. So far, 1 inmate has been caught, but 3 more inmates are still enjoying their freedom. The prison break was first reported around 3 am, says local police. Police and prison officials immediately set out to reincarcerate the escaped inmates. Local police stations were also notified…

  • Nakhon Ratchasima Police arrest 2 suspects in Facebook/Line scam

    Nakhon Ratchasima Police arrest 2 suspects in Facebook/Line scam

    Today, police from northeastern Thailands’ Nakhon Ratchasima province arrested 2 suspects for being part of an alleged Facebook hacking gang. The announcement comes from a press conference the police held. The gang reportedly duped Korat girls into transferring money to them by posing as the girls’ relatives. The case starts back in March when Chalermluck Phuwasawat, the victim of the…

  • Tour van drivers suffer from lack of passengers, Covid restrictions

    Tour van drivers suffer from lack of passengers, Covid restrictions

    Tour van drivers are currently suffering under the weight of vehicle payments against the lightness of tourists to drive around. In northeastern Thailand’s Nakhon Ratchasima, 41 year old tour van driver Punnawit Jaenlue, says he used to do 20 trips a month, raking in about 50,000 baht. However, due to Covid restriction pertaining to interprovincial travel, he says making even…

  • 3 found dead in Nakhon Ratchasima mushroom nursery

    3 found dead in Nakhon Ratchasima mushroom nursery

    Today, 3 people have been found dead in a mushroom nursery in Nakhon Ratchasima, a northeastern Thai province. Police suspect their cause of death was probably due to inhaling carbon dioxide. The Khon Buri police chief, Prasit Premkamol, says the bodies of 27 year old Nathapol Akkhisamrong, 49 year old Boonlua Channok and his wife, 48 year old Saipin Akkhisamrong,…

  • Khon Kaen schools closed until July 16 as Covid continues to spread

    Khon Kaen schools closed until July 16 as Covid continues to spread

    Khon Kaen, a northeastern province and part of the Isan region, is closing its schools closed until July 16 as Covid continues to spread throughout the province and nearby areas. Further, students that attend boarding schools have been closed off and parents are not allowed to visit until July 16. In the Khon Kaen province, there have been 667 reported…

  • 2 illegal Chinese immigrants in Tak arrested eluding quarantine

    2 illegal Chinese immigrants in Tak arrested eluding quarantine

    In the northwestern province of Tak, where Covid-19 cases are surging, 2 illegal Chinese immigrants who snuck out of quarantine were arrested in Mae Sot Town today. The pair were found wandering in town and taken into custody by army members of the 4th Infantry Regiment. In Tambon Mae Ku, the two migrant workers, Zhang Yong Lyu and Liu Wei,…

  • Rush to build extra field hospitals in Tak as over 600 new infections reported

    Rush to build extra field hospitals in Tak as over 600 new infections reported

    A cluster of over 600 Covid-19 infections has officials in the northern province of Tak rushing to build 4 new field hospitals as the existing 2 are now full. The Bangkok Post reports that the infections were detected at a clothing factory in Mae Sot district. Local health officials carried out mass testing of 1,000 workers, with 606 of them…

  • Police catch son suspected of committing patricide

    Police catch son suspected of committing patricide

    A manhunt has concluded in northeastern Thailand for a man who is suspected of killing his 72 year old father, reportedly over welfare money. The victim’s body was discovered buried behind his home in Buri Ram, yesterday. Nearby villagers had become concerned after they hadn’t seen Pae Chaleepham in a couple of days. Their concern increased when they saw blood…

  • Chiang Rai police looking for robbers who grabbed gold valued over 3 million baht | VIDEO

    Chiang Rai police looking for robbers who grabbed gold valued over 3 million baht | VIDEO

    Police in the northern Thai province of Chiang Rai are searching for 2 suspects who allegedly robbed gold chains valued over 3 million baht from a gold shop. The suspects reportedly fled the scene on a motorbike. The robbery happened yesterday afternoon. Around 2:30, the robbers fired multiple shots from a handgun to intimidate the Yaowarat Sinthawee gold shop staff.…

  • 15 year old stabbed at private school

    15 year old stabbed at private school

    Earlier this week, a mother posted on Facebook to detail her story about her grade 9, 15 year old getting stabbed in school. The stabbing happened at a private school in the northern Phitsanulok Province. The student had been stabbed by a classmate and was subsequently rushed to the hospital. Thai media had contacted 35 year old Orasa Singhavee to…