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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    Weekend road trip routes across Thailand [2025]

    Weekend road trips in Thailand are a great way to enjoy beautiful scenery, local culture, and quick getaways without much travel time. From winding mountain routes in the north to coastal drives in the south, every journey brings new sights...

  • Four teenagers arrested for attacking police | Thaiger

    Four teenagers arrested for attacking police

    4 teenagers were arrested and charged on Sunday with attacking 2 policemen in front of a nightclub in the north-east province of Nakhon Phanom, near the banks of the Mekong River. Sanook reports that the incident occurred happened around midnight on July 28 after an argument broke out between the teenagers and police. After the argument started to get physical,…

  • “No water crisis in the Chao Phraya basin” – Irrigation Department | Thaiger

    “No water crisis in the Chao Phraya basin” – Irrigation Department

    PHOTO: Bhumibol Dam in Tak when full, now holding only 4% of capacity The Royal Irrigation Department is assuring farmers and residents in the central and north-east that there is no risk of Thailand of severe water shortages. This is despite little rain in some areas during the annual wet season and the low levels of the Chao Phraya River…

  • More rain on the way for the north and north-east | Thaiger

    More rain on the way for the north and north-east

    The Thai Meteorological Department has issued a weather warning that on July 29 and 30 a monsoonal trough will lie across Myanmar, Laos and upper Vietnam, while the moderate southwest monsoon prevails over the Andaman Sea, Thailand and the Gulf. In other words, more rain on the way. They forecast that this will lead to more rain in the North and…

  • Resort used by Palang Pracharat over weekend may be on encroached land | Thaiger

    Resort used by Palang Pracharat over weekend may be on encroached land

    PHOTO: 88 Garmonte Resort, Nakhon Ratchasima – Foursquare Thailand’s Department of National Park, Wildlife and Plant Conservation is mulling the demolition of a venue where Palang Pracharat held a seminar at the weekend. The party has come under fire from opposition MPs about using the forest resort which has allegedly encroached on forest land. Located in Wang Nam Khieo district in…

  • Fake goods valued at 11 million baht go up in smoke in Chiang Rai | Thaiger

    Fake goods valued at 11 million baht go up in smoke in Chiang Rai

    Chiang Rai Province’s Customs Department in Mae Sai has incinerated illegal and fake items valued at over 11 million baht. The illegal items are goods that “do not follow the customs law of Thailand”, aka. fakes and brand copies. Most of the items were seized from the Thai-Burmese Border Gate in Mae Sai. The illegal goods were gathered and burned at…

  • North-central Thailand’s Yom River in Phichit runs low | Thaiger

    North-central Thailand’s Yom River in Phichit runs low

    Stories keep emerging about river systems, the lifeblood of agriculture in northern and north-eastern Thailand, drying out or dropping dramatically in level. A section of the Yom River that runs through the Sam Ngam in district in Pichit, north-central Thailand, has almost run dry following months without rain. The river was already reported as unseasonally low during April this year.…

  • “Worst drought in living memory”, Thai farmers in the north | Thaiger

    “Worst drought in living memory”, Thai farmers in the north

    Parts of Thailand are facing their worst drought in 50 years. Farmers in some parts of the north and north east say that the situation is the “worst in living memory”, as reported in Sanook. Meanwhile, The Meteorological Department says Thailand will experience the worst drought in at least a decade, with average precipitation across large regions of the country falling…

  • Wild animals and wild flowers – tulip season at the Khon Kaen Zoo | Thaiger

    Wild animals and wild flowers – tulip season at the Khon Kaen Zoo

    PHOTO: Khon Kaen Zoo Blooming fields of colourful Siam tulips are now competing fort attention with white lions, tigers, orangutan, camels, white rhinoceros and exotic animals at the Khon Kaen Zoo. Th zoo, in Khao Suan Kwang district, has a new seasonal attraction to its collection of wild animals. The combination of wildlife and wild flowers makes for an unbeatable…

  • ‘Irishman’ nabbed after 11 year overstay in north-east Thailand | Thaiger

    ‘Irishman’ nabbed after 11 year overstay in north-east Thailand

    PHOTO: Naew Na Nakhon Ratchasima Immigration, along with local tourist police, have arrested an Irishman,Samuel Caleb Birch, who has been on an overstay of 4,192 days. That’s nearly 11 years and six months! According to Naew Na, the man was arrested at a restaurant in Soi Moo Ban Yamo 5, Ban Mai, Nakhon Ratchasima, north-east Thailand. According to his visa, he arrived…

  • An 80 million year old carnivorous dinosaur from Thailand identified | Thaiger

    An 80 million year old carnivorous dinosaur from Thailand identified

    PHOTO: Thai PBS A Thai PhD student, studying overseas, has identified some bones of a dinosaur wandering around the mountains of Khon Kaen 80 million years ago. Fossilised bones, unearthed on a mountain in Khon Kaen nearly 30 years ago, have been identified as belonging to a previously unknown carnivorous dinosaur. Thai PBS says the the bones were unearthed on…

  • Return to Tham Luang Cave – a personal perspective | Thaiger

    Return to Tham Luang Cave – a personal perspective

    by guest writer Mikko Paasi Now that is has been a year since the successful rescue of the Thai football team and their coach from the Tham Luang cave, I think it would be appropriate to share some footage from inside the cave to show how it looks like after the operation and without the muddy water. As we know, the…

  • Thailand’s Dengue Fever infections highest in five years | Thaiger

    Thailand’s Dengue Fever infections highest in five years

    The Thai Bureau of Epidemiology, at the Department of Disease Control, reports that there have been 44,671 cases of dengue fever reported in the country, the highest number in five years, indicating that there have been 67.62 dengue patients in every 100,000 of the Thai population, which is 1.6 times higher than last year. The numbers take into account 2019 up…

  • 19 million baht put aside to rehabilitate controversial Doi Suthep land in Chiang Mai | Thaiger

    19 million baht put aside to rehabilitate controversial Doi Suthep land in Chiang Mai

    The Thai Judiciary Office says they will allocate 19 million baht for the rehabilitation of land at the foot of Chiang Mai’s Doi Suthep – recently the subject of controversy and protests from local activists and environmentalists. The plot was initially set aside, then developed as a site for court officials’ residences, but Chiang Mai locals said the development was…

  • ‘Mun’ makes landfall as heavy rains head towards Thailand’s northern provinces | Thaiger

    ‘Mun’ makes landfall as heavy rains head towards Thailand’s northern provinces

    The Meteorological Department is warning residents in Thaialnd’s north and north east to brace for heavy for heavy rains influenced by tropical storm ‘Mun’ that made landfall in Vietnam this morning, heading west. In a special warning issued at 5am this morning (Thursday), the department says the storm was over the Gulf of Tonkin at 4am and heading for upper…

  • Khon Kaen school evacuated over fears building ‘near collapse’ | Thaiger

    Khon Kaen school evacuated over fears building ‘near collapse’

    More than 100 teachers and students have been evacuated from a Khon Kaen school in the north-east. The evacuation was sparked by fears the 40 year old building may collapse. The Ban Lao Nadi School in Khon Kaen’s Muang district was evacuated this morning along with school furniture and teaching materials. Khon Kaen Primary Educational Service Area Office 1 deputy…

  • Sacked female ex-employee arrested over 7-Eleven heist in Nakhon Ratchasima | Thaiger

    Sacked female ex-employee arrested over 7-Eleven heist in Nakhon Ratchasima

    Police have arrested a former female 7-Eleven shop staff member in Nakhon Ratchasima for an alleged robbery that netted 2.3 million baht in cash. Read the original story HERE. Police arrested 25 year old Rojana Chongklang at her house yesterday, about 36 hours after the robbery. She used to work at a 7-Eleven store in the Ban Pho community but was…

  • Thai and royal flags ‘disrespected’ in Pai, northern Thailand | Thaiger

    Thai and royal flags ‘disrespected’ in Pai, northern Thailand

    PHOTO: Khaosod English “It was farangs.” Locals in Pai, northern Thailand, are reacting angrily to tourists who damaged a royal insignia flag and Thai national flag. The two flags were found crumpled on the shores of the Pai River. Locals say the tourists had walked along a nearby street, stolen the flagpoles and flags, and marched around the town in…

  • Nakhon Ratchasima 7-Eleven store robbed of 2 million baht | Thaiger

    Nakhon Ratchasima 7-Eleven store robbed of 2 million baht

    FILE PHOTO A man has robbed a 7-Eleven convenience store in Nakhon Ratchasima this morning, making off with 2 million baht in cash. At this stage police suspect the robbery was an inside job. The entire robbery took only two minutes. The Jor Hor police station was alerted at 2.28am that the 7-Eleven store in the Ban Pho community had been…

  • Loei teacher accused of sexually assaulting male students | Thaiger

    Loei teacher accused of sexually assaulting male students

    A male teacher in the Loei province, near the Laos border, has been accused of sexually harassing teenagers at the Loeipittayakom School, one of the best-known educational institutions in the northeastern province. The teacher, named by the parents but whose identity has been withheld at this stage, has not yet directly responded to the allegations, but locals allege he has…

  • Wayward rocket lands in passenger seat of pick-up in Roi-et during annual rocket festival | Thaiger

    Wayward rocket lands in passenger seat of pick-up in Roi-et during annual rocket festival

    A local north-east rocket festival entry has made an unexpected landing, into trees hanging over a road, then dropping straight into the passenger seat of a passing pick-up. The rocket, part of the annual Bun Bang Fai rocket festival in Suwannaphum district of Roi-Et, was a wayward entry that ended up in a tree after being launched. Over the two…

  • 75 tonnes of marijuana and Kratom destroyed in Nakhon Phanom | Thaiger

    75 tonnes of marijuana and Kratom destroyed in Nakhon Phanom

    8.4 tonnes of marijuana and 67.3 tonnes of kratom leaves have been destroyed by Nakhon Phanom provincial administration officials in a ceremony to mark the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking. The ceremony was held in an open field in front of the Muang district office. As part of the ceremony, officials also launched local campaigns against drug abuse.…

  • Seven injured in Khon Kaen minivan and trailer crashed | Thaiger

    Seven injured in Khon Kaen minivan and trailer crashed

    PHOTOS: Chumphae Rescue Seven passengers have been rescued after a minivan collided with a trailer in Khon Kaen, northeast of Thailand. Chumphae rescue workers were notified of the incident on Maliwan Road in Chumphae, Khon Kaen yesterday. They arrived to find the minivan slammed into the rear end of the trailer truck. The minivan’s left hand side was crushed up to…

  • Four arrested as police intercept 572 kilograms of marijuana heading south | Thaiger

    Four arrested as police intercept 572 kilograms of marijuana heading south

    Four suspects have been arrested after police intercepted an attempt to smuggle 572 kilograms of marijuana from Mukdahan to Songkhla. The deputy Phatthalung police chief says that two suspects were arrested in Phatthalung in a pick-up truck carrying the drugs, along with a couple who were arrested in a car that was driving ahead to advise of any checkpoints ahead.…

  • Thai Air Asia pulling the plug on its Chiang Rai-Singapore service? | Thaiger

    Thai Air Asia pulling the plug on its Chiang Rai-Singapore service?

    from ttrweekly.com The Thai AirAsia’s direct flight between Chiang Rai and Singapore is unlikely to survive. That’s the outlook of travel website ttrweekly.com Launched early 2019 with little fanfare, the new international route was one of four direct services that use Chiang Rai as a hub. The others were direct flights to Kuala Lumpur, Macau and Phuket. So what’s gone…

  • Thousands throng to Chiang Rai to remember the 1st anniversary of Tham Luang saga | Thaiger

    Thousands throng to Chiang Rai to remember the 1st anniversary of Tham Luang saga

    PHOTO: Thai PBS Thousands of locals plus tourists, along with some of the key players in the search and rescue of 13 Mu Pa (Wild Boar) footballers trapped in the flooded Tham Luang cave in Chiang Rai’s Mae Sai district, celebrated the first anniversary of the day the team stumbled into the Tham Luang caves setting off the epic drama…

  • Miracle at Tham Luang – The Thailand cave drama unfolds, a year on | Thaiger

    Miracle at Tham Luang – The Thailand cave drama unfolds, a year on

    On June 23, a year ago, only a few northern Thai locals and serious cave enthusiasts knew much about the Tham Luang Caves in Mae Sai district, about an hour’s drive from Chiang Rai. But on that sunny afternoon, following their regular football practice, a group of 12 players and their coach, decided to have a quick excursion to the…

  • 26 year old Thai gored to death by wild elephants in Buri Ram | Thaiger

    26 year old Thai gored to death by wild elephants in Buri Ram

    FILE PHOTO: Expert Vagabond A Buri Ram man has been gored to death by a wild elephant in his tapioca plantation. The incident happened late yesterday (Wednesday). His wife told police she “played dead” to escape harm from the marauding elephants. None Din Daeng police were informed that 26 year old Surasak Phijaranakhonburi had been fatally gored on his left side…

  • Syrian nabbed in north eastern Thailand on four year overstay | Thaiger

    Syrian nabbed in north eastern Thailand on four year overstay

    PHOTO: NawawNa.com A Syrian national has told immigration officials that arrested him in Mukdahan that he didn’t know how to get an extension to his visa. 45 year old Ghassan Bajbouj was arrested after he presented his passport to Pol Capt Wilailuk Thawacharee at the Friendship Bridge 2 checkpoint in Bang Sai Yai in the north eastern Thai city. His…

  • Bus conductor fired, company fined for molesting ladyboy passenger | Thaiger

    Bus conductor fired, company fined for molesting ladyboy passenger

    An inter-provincial Thai bus conductor has been fired and the bus company fined 5,000 baht after he allegedly molested a transgender passenger on-board. The bus was travelling to Nong Bua Lamphu, near Udon Thani, north-east Thailand, from Bangkok. The bus company, which Land Transport officials have declined to name, was fined 5,000 baht by his office for providing substandard bus…

  • ‘Magic cards’ contain dangerous radioactive materials | Thaiger

    ‘Magic cards’ contain dangerous radioactive materials

    The Thai Office of Atoms for Peace is warning of excessively high levels of radiation from the so-called “energy cards” or ‘magic cards’ that distributors claim can cure illnesses and help relieve aches and pains. The Office of Atoms for Peace of Thailand in Chatuchak district, Bangkok, Thailand, was established in 1961 as the Office of Atomic Energy for Peace.…