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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Finnish man accused by neighbours of insulting Thai people
A Thai woman in the Isaan province of Chaiyaphum claims that her Finnish husband was attacked by more than 10 neighbours on April 14. The neighbours admitted to attacking the foreign man but insisted that they did so because he insulted them and the Thai people first. A 40 year old Thai woman named Aoy took to social media to…
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Thai man dies in paramotor accident on the Mekong River in Isaan
A 39 year old Thai man died in a paramotor accident on the Mekong River in the Isaan province of Bueng Kan yesterday. The cause of the accident is under investigation. The deceased was identified as Watcharapong Khanteetao. He was a member of a paramotor club in the northeastern provinces. The accident occurred after Watcharapong flew the paramotor over the…
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Doi Pui mountain’s TV Tower in Chiang Rai rescued from forest fires
The Channel 9 TV transmitter tower atop Doi Pui mountain in Thailand’s northern province of Chiang Rai had a close shave with destruction as forest fires inched dangerously close last night. Thanks to the relentless efforts of the firefighting volunteers who rushed to save the day! A motley crew of officials from Mae Puem National Park and local volunteers joined…
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Mad Buddhist monks brawl at funeral in northeast Thailand
Tensions were high at a funeral in Surin province in northeast Thailand on Friday when a brawl broke out between two saffron-robed Buddhist monks, allegedly over a plastic chair. Yesterday, the acting abbot of Wat Pho Sri Sawang Arom, Phra Toi Kan, told reporters what happened at the temple on Friday. In Thailand, Buddhist funeral rites include a distinctive ritual…
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Air pollution increases in upper northeastern regions of Thailand
According to the Pollution Control Department, 23 locations, primarily in the northern region of Thailand, have been found to contain high levels of particulate matter 2.5 micrometres or smaller in diameter (PM2.5). The most severe levels were identified in Chiang Mai. These concentrations are considered detrimental to human health. As of 11am yesterday, PM2.5 dust levels in the north ranged…
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Reunited mother and daughter share tears of joy after 32 years apart in northeast Thailand (video)
Tears of joy flowed when a mother and daughter in northeastern Thailand reunited after 32 years thanks to the power of social media. The heart-rendering story was reported from Ban Si Liam, Khao Khok sub-district, Prakhon Chai district, Buriram province, only three days ago, on April 11. Emotions were high and tears flowed as the mother and daughter hugged each other…
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Scaly thief steals 100 chickens and ducks from farm in northeast Thailand
A four-metre-long python was caught red-handed stealing poultry from a farm in Udon Thani province in northeast Thailand yesterday. The fat snake devoured nearly 100 chickens and ducks in total, causing significant damage to the farmer. The farmer, 58 year old Chaiwichit Sarito, was dumbstruck when chickens and ducks kept going missing from his farm day in and day out.…
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Cops bust 6 overstayers in northeast Thailand ahead of Songkran
Cops busted six overstayers in northeast Thailand’s Buriram province ahead of the Songkran festival. A crackdown by Immigration Police in Buriram led to the detention of six foreigners for overstaying their visas. The operation took place from March 27 to April 10 and was aimed at preventing and suppressing crime during the Songkran Festival, according to Naewna. Pol. Maj. Gen.…
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Mother and 8 year old son murdered in northern Thailand
Police have launched a murder investigation after the bodies of a woman and her eight year old son – from Myanmar – were discovered yesterday in a rented room in Lamphun province in northern Thailand. At 7.15pm, officers from Mueang Lamphun Police Station were called to a rented room in Ban Hua Fai in Nong Chang Kwan subdistrict after locals…
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6 elderly Thais killed in collision with soldier’s pickup truck filled with illegal cigarettes
Six elderly Thais were killed in a collision with a soldier’s pickup truck in Buriram province, northeast Thailand, this morning. The soldier – the only person to survive the crash – was carrying 257 sleeves of illegal cigarettes which he attempted to hide in the woods nearby. Six elderly Thais dressed in traditional outfits were on their way to set…
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Gang attacks Swedish tourist for defending waitress in Chiang Mai, Thailand
A Swedish tourist was brutally attacked by a gang of young men after he tried to stop them from assaulting a waitress at a karaoke bar in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand, on Friday. The gang also stole the victim’s gold necklace before throwing him into a canal. Yesterday, police arrested three men of Tai Yai ethnicity (an ethnic group from Shan state…
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Hitchhiker’s gratitude turns into car theft for kindhearted siblings in Udon Thani
Two kindhearted siblings who gave a lift to a hitchhiker yesterday in the Isaan province of Udon Thani saw their trust backfire when he stole their car. The victim, a 29 year old woman named Khanittha, reported the incident at Mueang Udon Thani Police Station after her black Honda BR-V SUS was stolen by the unnamed hitchhiker. Khanittha explained that…
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Thai monk does goal celebration after escaping military conscription (video)
A Buddhist monk ran around the room like a celebrating footballer upon drawing a black card at a military conscription draftee selection event in Nakhon Ratchasima in northeast Thailand on Sunday, meaning that he won’t be required to serve in the military. Cheers erupted from the crowd when a black card was drawn for 24 year old Phra Phuwanai Gayputsa…
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Thai man fatally electrocuted trying to steal electrical cable in Khon Kaen
The dead body of a Thai man was found wedged in a small crevice beneath a commercial building on Lang Mueang Road in the Isaan province of Khon Kaen on Monday. According to reports, the man was attempting to steal the electrical cable and was fatally electrocuted during the act. Residents living near a commercial building notified Mueang Khon Kaen…
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Forest fire kills another firefighting volunteer in northern Thailand
A firefighting volunteer was tragically caught in the flames while extinguishing a forest fire in Nan province in northern Thailand yesterday, where a thick layer of smog continues to blanket the region. The body of 62 year old Sriwan Mirayot was found in the forests surrounding Doi Sa-ngud mountain in the Bor Suak subdistrict in Mueang Nan district. His fellow…
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Drug addict’s gruesome murder shocks Udon Thani community
A drug addict brutally murdered his female neighbour yesterday, leaving her lifeless body in the bathroom in the Isaan province of Udon Thani. The killer injured himself in the process of the murder and later died in hospital. The victim, Thaniya Rattanatiyakun, was found with a knife wound to her head and two missing fingers. The murderer, Prawut Chantasut, was a…
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Mystery surrounds death of man with stab wounds found at community college
Phitsanulok Provincial Police are investigating the mysterious death of a man found dead with stab wounds at a community college this morning. The unidentified man with long hair, a tattoo, and two stab wounds was discovered dead at approximately 8.30am today at a well-known college located in the Mueang district. According to Pol. Capt. Chayanan Chaikawin, deputy investigation chief at…
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Chiang Mai ranks as most polluted city in the world for 9 days running
Northern Thailand continues to battle a thick layer of smog with Chiang Mai being ranked as the world’s most polluted city by PM2.5 rating for nine days in a row, according to the IQAir website, reports ThaiRath. The highest air quality index (AQI) value was found at the Health Hospital in Ban Khai Hospital in Mae Na Wang subdistrict, Mae…
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Raging wildfire engulfs mountains in northeast Thailand
A wildfire that started on Khao Chaplu mountain in Nakhon Nayok province in northeast Thailand on Tuesday has spread to engulf 700 rai of land on several mountains in Khao Laem, Khao Kaew and Khao Tabak. Strong winds blew the flames to the peak of Khao Laem mountain yesterday, which looks like an erupting volcano in photos taken from behind…
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3 killed, 13 injured after cement truck crashes into ceremony procession
A cement truck driver fled the scene after crashing his vehicle into an ordination ceremony procession on a road in the Chuen Chom district of Maha Sarakham province in Isaan. Three people died and 13 were injured in the accident. The incident happened yesterday at 2.30pm on Chiang Yuen-Kam Yai Road, also known as Rural Road No. 2268, in the…
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Thai police bust suspects over Ponzi scheme of over 1 billion baht
Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB) Pol. Col. Krisana Pattanacharoen reported a group of suspects involved in a Ponzi scheme was busted by Thai police. He added that over 1,000 individuals had invested more than 1 billion baht in the scheme. The CCIB arrested seven people and seized several assets from two companies that allegedly operated a Ponzi scheme luring people…
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Gold mine reopens in northern Thailand to the dismay of residents
A gold mine has reopened in northern Thailand shocking locals who say the mine had poisoned their livestock, produce, and themselves. According to the Straits Times, the Chatree complex in Pichit province was closed more than six years ago due to health and environmental concerns. Now, despite legal disputes and protests by villagers, the controversial gold mine is back in…
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Angry Thai man stabs wife to death after dispute over saving water
An angry Thai husband stabbed his wife to death at their home in the northern province of Mae Hong Sorn. The man was reportedly angry after the woman advised him to conserve the water for the upcoming dry season. Police officers and locals are now on the hunt for the murderer who fled into the forest after the incident. Officers…
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Bear intrudes village in northeast Thailand
A sun bear wandered out of the forest and into a village in Chaiyaphum province in northeast Thailand yesterday. It took rescue workers five hours to trap the wild animal. Atnoonm, residents of Ban Huai Ruam village in Moo 2, Wang Thong subdistrict, Phakdi Chumphon district reported that a sun bear (“bear-dog” in Thai language) had strayed out of the…
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Bones found behind man’s house who committed suicide suspected to belong to missing wife
Police believe that bones and “human-like body parts” discovered behind a man’s house yesterday who committed suicide in Nakhon Ratchasima province in northeast Thailand could belong to his wife who has been missing for over one week. The missing woman’s parents believe their daughter was murdered by her husband before he hanged himself. At midday on March 13, 30 year old…
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TURN IT DOWN! Bees attack temple over loud music
Most people get annoyed when their neighbours blast loud music but have you ever become so angry that you wanted to stab them with your butt? No? Then you mustn’t be a bee! A swarm of bees did just that at a temple in the Nakhon Ratchasima province. A temple in Phimai District was holding an ordination ceremony on Friday…
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Buffalo gores 4 siblings in northeast Thailand
A buffalo went on a rampage and gored four siblings today in Uthai Thani province in northeast Thailand. Three are seriously injured and one sustained a minor injury. At 10am, officers from Thap Than Police Station were called by residents of Ban Nong Ya Sai village who said a buffalo (kwai) had “gone crazy” and gored four people. Villagers told…
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Why thousands of Thais are flocking to a Morlam singer’s shrine 30 years after her death
Yesterday, more than 2,000 people gathered at the shrine of famous Morlam singer Honey Sri-isan in Kalasin province, northeast Thailand, for a lottery number selection event hosted by a 16 year old singer who is believed by fans to carry the reborn spirit of Honey Sri-Isan, who died in a car accident in 1992. Newcomer to the Morlam scene, 16…
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Thai man accuses wife of hiding 12 million baht lottery prize
A Thai man sought help from a well-known lawyer to file a lawsuit against his wife after he accused her of hiding a 12 million baht lottery prize from him. The woman insists she broke up with her husband several years before she scooped the windfall and remarried. He claims he had no idea about the breakup. The 47 year…
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Loei festival next week features international masks
The northeastern province of Loei is set to host an international mask festival from March 17 to 19. The festival will showcase the cultural attractions of the province that borders Laos. Organisers hope to show visitors the charming atmosphere and vibrant colours of Loei at the three-day event. Naga courtyard will host the opening ceremony on March 17 at 6pm.…
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