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 Digital nomading in Chiang Mai? What US$1,000 a month really gets you
Chiang Mai has become a popular destination for digital nomads due to its low living costs, rich culture, and active remote work community. The city offers affordable housing, tasty food, reliable internet, and many co-working spaces, making it a great...
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“The Rescue” – What really happened inside Tham Luang caves?
We all followed the events of the cave rescue. We think we know what happened. But we don’t. “The Rescue”, by directors Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin, has peered behind the heroic narrative that was cultivated at the time of the Chiang Rai Tham Luang cave rescue in July 2018. 13 young men – 12 teenagers and their 24…
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Police volunteer arrested for assault, abduction of estranged wife
Last night police in Muang district of Buri Ram arrested a police volunteer accused of assault and abduction of his estranged wife after threatening her, handcuffing her and dragging her away from her relatives. While the woman was later set free, she suffered serious bruising on her body. The police volunteer is nicknamed Elephant and police picked him up at…
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Police raid Korat restaurant after curfew with live music, booze
In the northern province of Nakhon Ratchasima, 39 people were arrested as police raided a restaurant breaking several Covid-19 rules and restrictions. The raid took place last night in Muang district at around 10:30 pm. Health and administrative officials accompanied the police to the Lamer Restaurant & Karaoke on Sirinakhon Road where they found 28 customers inside and 11 staff…
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Family of Thai murder victim alleges affair with Swiss man’s wife
The family of the Thai man who was beaten to death in Udon Thani, allegedly by a Swiss man, has spoken up, saying they believe the killing was over a romantic affair. In previous reports, the Swiss national allegedly told police that he acted in self-defence after the Thai man had entered his home wielding a gun and demanded money. …
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Son of rape victim rebukes police for cancelling American suspect’s crime reenactment
Following the cancellation of the traditional re-enactment of his crimes, the son of the Thai masseuse who was raped in Khon Kaen, allegedly by 37 year old American Robert Gordon victim criticised the double standard of how police treated Gordon as a foreigner. The son and other relatives of the 45 year old masseuse that Gordon allegedly brutally beat and…
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Police say American man confesses to rape and assaults, blames drug use
The 37 year old American man now identified by police as Robert Andrew Gordon has allegedly confessed to police to committing rape and sexual assault. Police say Gordon told officers that his use of the illegal drug speed was the cause of his behaviour. According to the Deputy Commander of the Royal Thai Police, the man said he took the…
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American man arrested over alleged rape of massuese, attack of young girl
A 37 year old man was taken into custody, accused of brutally beating and raping a masseuse as well as assaulting and attempting to rape a 12 year old girl in an attack shortly after. The man, who was originally suspected to be Australian, has now been identified only as an American named ‘Robert’. He was arrested today on Soi…
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Police search for foreigner for rape of Khon Kaen masseuse
A manhunt is on for a foreigner accused of the assault and rape of a masseuse in a massage parlour in the Muang District of Khon Kaen. The man was described as wearing trousers and a pink T-shirt and driving a red motocross bike without license plates. He is suspected to be the same person who was aggressive and profane…
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Pickup truck falls 6 stories from 8th floor parking garage
In a bizarre accident in Nakhon Ratchasima that amazingly resulted in only 2 injuries and no deaths, a pickup truck smashed through a wall and plummeted 6 floors. The truck crash took place last night in Muang district on the 8th floor of a hospital parking building. The crash took place at about 7 o’clock in the evening at the…
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More than 3,000 houses affected by severe flooding in Chaiyaphum
Over 3,000 houses across 23 villages in the northeastern Thai province of Chaiyaphum have been affected by what is considered the most severe flooding in a century. Kittipong Thamsoparat, the Tambon Ban Phet Municipality mayor, says a massive volume of water has surged into the Bamnet Narong district by way of the nearby Thep Sathit district in Chaiyaphum, as well…
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Flooded hospital in Chaiyaphum had to evacuates 40 patients
Around Thailand, heavy rains and flooding have ravaged the country. Earlier this morning, 40 patients were emergency evacuated from Bamnet Narong Hospital in Chaiyaphum by rescue workers as the facility flooded. The hospital suffered severe damage as floodwaters caused the urgent evacuation as one of the buildings on the hospital campus was flooded up to 80 centimetres. An X-ray room…
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Extremely rare earthstar mushrooms found in Phetchabun
In Phetchabun, a local villager was clearing a forest area when he discovered what is believed to be earthstar mushrooms, one of the rarest species of fungi in the world. The extremely scarce mushroom is rumoured to cause a sensation of intoxication similar to being drunk if someone were to consume it despite technically being classified as inedible. The mushrooms,…
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Facebook page that claims to sell dog meat met with scorn on social media
A business claiming to sell dog meat on Facebook was met with disapproval on social media this week. Dog lovers, in particular, were not keen on the idea. The Facebook page “Nuea Ma Tae Sakon Nakhon by Wittaya”, or: The real dog meats of Sakon Nakhon by Wittaya was created this week. The page says they have an expansive menu…
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Government believes more suspects involved in theft from budget meant for the disabled
An investigation into the embezzlement of 13 million baht allocated for the disabled is looking to uncover just how many officials were involved in the graft. The Social Development and Human Security Ministry plans to investigate the matter further and Permanent secretary Patcharee Arayakul says the investigation is already in motion. The investigation comes on the heels of a C-6…
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Korat Police allegedly use police van for trip to beach
Police in the northeastern Thai province of Nakhon Ratchasima are investigating the matter of a police van being allegedly used to take a group of police officers to the beach in Phetchaburi, a central Thai province. Footage of the officers getting out of the van and enjoying a meal on the beach circulated on the internet on Friday Panurat Lakboon,…
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Kalasin man allegedly robs convenience store and then a gold shop the next day before being arrested
A man in the northeastern Thai province of Kalasin allegedly went on a short-lived crime spree over the weekend. On Friday, the man allegedly robbed a convenience store and got 30,000 baht for his troubles. Then, on Saturday, the man allegedly robbed a gold shop. Police arrested the man yesterday as he exited the gold shop, but they found only…
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Woman dresses as astronaut to show moon-like road condition
A Khon Kaen woman found a creative way to get the necessary attention from government officials to finally repair the terrible potholes on her road. Anyone who has driven around Thailand enough has encountered a road so rough and full of potholes that it resembles the surface of the moon. And if anyone wants to fake another moon landing, Khon…
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Korat closes noodle shop and a Tesco following Covid outbreak
The northeastern Thai province Nakhon Ratchasima, also known by its shorter form, Korat, continues to see Covid issues. The province has announced that it has 2 new Covid clusters located in the Bua Yai district. One of the outbreaks is at a noodle shop and the other is at a Tesco Lotus. 14 people have tested positive for Covid. The…
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Market closes for 4 days in Nakhon Ratchasima following discovery of Covid cluster
Talad Suranaree, a market that specialises in agricultural fare in the northeastern Thai province of Nakhon Ratchasima, is closed from today until next Wednesday after nearly 80 traders tested positive for Covid. The provincial communicable disease committee announced the closure, today. 1,444 traders from the market were tested on Friday and the results came out yesterday, which showed 79 people…
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Kitchen in Phitsanulok home plunges into river trapping homeowner
An elderly man and his kitchen tumbled into a river this morning when a riverbank the house was built over collapsed. Rescue workers rushed to the Ban Wang Ped village in northern Thailand’s Phitsanulok province to help rescue the man who was struggling to stay above water. The wreckage of the kitchen made it difficult for the man to extract…
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3 northeastern dams set to reach full capacity by November
3 major dams in the northeastern Thai province Nakhon Ratchasima will likely be completely full by November, as heavy rain is forecasted from late this month into October, says National Water Resources secretary general Somkiat Prajamwong, today. Somkiat adds that NWR is closely monitoring the situation. Today, the Lam Takong Dam holds 214 million cubic metres of water or about…
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British man Barry found 3 days after getting lost in forest
Barry Weller enjoys nature and taking his motorbike to cruise through the local scenery in Khon Kaen. He would regularly go out for afternoon rides to explore the rice paddies and forest in the area, but would always return before dark. But on Tuesday afternoon the British man told his Thai wife that he was off for a ride through…
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4.6 million methamphetamine pills found on som tam vendor turned smuggler
If you like your spicy papaya salad with a little extra kick, a som tam vendor in Nakhon Phanom was arrested today with 4.6 million speed pills. The woman was apprehended when border patrol police in Tambon Saenphan searched her pickup truck and discovered 10 big fertiliser bags holding 4,622,000 speed pills. The woman told police she earned her money…
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Gold shop robbed by officer from investigating police station
A policeman’s swagger was the downfall that led to the identification and subsequent arrest of a gold jewellery shop robber today in the Pak Chong district of Nakhon Ratchasima. A man dressed in a food delivery outfit robbed a gold shop and shot the shop owner on Wednesday and was later identified as a local police officer. The robber entered…
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Blood donations urgently needed by Red Cross; northeast stores hit critical level
Thailand’s Red Cross Society is still in desperate need of blood donations. The society says their stores are limited to a critical level. In fact, the society was unable to supply 70% of the blood donations requested by hospitals, says chief of the Nakhon Ratchasima based 5th National Blood Centre, Sirilak Piakkhunthod, today. The problem is notably critical in the…
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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,…
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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…
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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…
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No special protection for police that allegedly killed man in custody, says police
Police inspector general Visanu Prasartthongosoth wants outraged citizens not to worry that officers will get off with a slap on the wrist for their alleged involvement in the torture death of the man they had in custody. Visanu says no special protection for the police officers will be given. Thai media says that despite reports that say Thitisan Utthaphol has…
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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…
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