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 Why retirees in Thailand are choosing long-term health insurance over quick fixes
Retirees in Thailand are increasingly seeing the importance of health insurance in protecting their well-being during retirement. With insurance requirements for retirement visas and rising healthcare costs, many are moving away from short-term plans and choosing long-term coverage. Long-term health...
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Druggie arrested after inviting netizens to take crystal meth
A man off his head on crystal meth was arrested six hours after he posted a video of himself using the crazy drug, also known as Yaba, on social media and invited others to try it. The confused druggie said he wanted to promote crystal meth on social media just once in his life even if it is illegal to…
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Officials expand northeast Thailand’s Naga tourism with new travel route
Officials are expanding northeast Thailand’s Naga tourism with an exciting new travel route. The route stops at places in the region where people can worship the mythical serpent. The route is organised by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT)’s Udon Thani office. Tourists on the route visit places of worship in the Udon Thani, Nong Khai, and Bueng Kan provinces.…
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Bus crash: 1 dead, 46 women injured in Phetchabun tour bus flip
A shocking highway crash in Phetchabun province saw a tour bus flip leaving 46 passengers injured and the driver dead. The crash occurred in the Nam Nao district of the northern province on Sunday at about 3.30pm. Police are still investigating what caused the crash. The double-decker bus was travelling on Highway 12 when the crash occurred. It was a…
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District in northeast Thailand organising two-month long “Christmas Festival”
Do you ever wish Christmas lasted longer? Well, your wish might come true if you visit one district in northeast Thailand. Phu Ruea district in Loei province will soon hold the “Christmas Festival” at the Phu Ruea Christmas Courtyard, at the entrance to the Phu Ruea National Park. The festival will be held from November 25 until January 31. The opening…
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Crane driver electrocuted in freak N Thailand accident
A crane driver was electrocuted and two others injured when hoist lines from the truck crane’s boom touched a live electricity transmission wire at the roadside in Nong Bua Rawe district, Chaiyaphum province, northeastern Thailand. The tragedy happened at 3pm yesterday on the Nong Bua Rawe – Phakdi Chumphol Road in tambon Nong Bua Rawe. The driver was electrocuted when…
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Man attacks and allegedly raped his estranged wife while she slept
A man who attacked and allegedly raped his estranged wife while she slept handed himself in to police. The man’s separated wife lies in a coma in a hospital as a result of the vicious assault. The man, Surasak (surname reserved), reported his abusive action to the police yesterday. The 40 year old confessed to police that he strangled his…
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Thai cuckold left penniless after wife runs off with lover and 6 million baht lottery prize
A Thai cuckold has been left penniless after his wife ran off with her lover and his 6 million baht lottery winnings and there is nothing he can do about getting his money back. Manit (surname reserved), a resident of the Isaan province of Roi Et, scooped the 6 million baht lottery winning first prize on November 1. The 49…
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Lush lotus flowers in Northern Thai province draw tourists
Lush pink lotus flowers in one northern Thai province are drawing tourists to the area. Bueng Boraphet, a lake and swamp in Nakhon Sawan province, currently has lotuses covering an area of over 100 rai. A staffer at the Bueng Boraphet Wildlife Sanctuary Office said the lotuses have been blooming since early this month. The staffer said the lotuses are…
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High hotel occupancy in northern Thai province as golden flowers bloom
There’s been a high hotel occupancy in Thailand’s northern province of Mae Hong Son now that its signature golden flowers are in bloom. The provincial tourism office chief said that hotels and resorts are reporting up to 75% occupancy. This, he said, is a much higher occupancy rate than the rates seen during other times of the year. Tourists are…
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101 Isaan locals suffer hearing loss fever after eating raw pork
The Department of Disease Control warned people to avoid eating raw pork meat after 101 locals in the Isaan provinces got infected with streptococcus suis, known among Thai people as hearing loss fever. The Deputy Director of the 9th Disease Control Office, Benjamas Aunarat, revealed streptococcus suis infection has risen this year in the northeastern or Isaan provinces of Thailand.…
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Pickup driver faces 100,000 baht fine for angering elephant
An impatient pickup driver faces a fine of up to 100,000 baht after annoying a wild elephant while driving in the Khao Yai National Park in the northeastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima or Korat. Last Friday, November 5, the Facebook page and YouTube channel, “Wild Animals at Khao Yai (สัตว์ป่าเขาใหญ่)” posted a video of a pickup car provoking a wild…
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Body of Thai woman from Korea stampede returned to family
After the tragic stampede at a Halloween event in Seoul, Korea, the body of the Thai woman who died in the crush has been returned to her family in Thailand. Natthicha Makaew was a teacher who had been studying the Korean language before she was crushed in the Halloween stampede in Itaewon. The 27 year old studied to be certified…
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Monk on the run – Police seek abbot over sex offences, theft
Police are hunting the deputy abbot of a temple on the Lao border in connection with alleged sexual assaults on teenage novices and the disappearance of more than 1 million baht (US$26,000) from the temple’s bank account. Pol Maj Gen Piyapan Pattarapongsin, commander of Nan provincial police, said an arrest warrant for Thanet Thanamangkhalo had been issued involving charges of…
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Thai province to welcome scenic golden flowers
Thailand officially entered its winter season on Saturday, and one northern province expects to be covered in scenic golden flowers soon. The “Mexican sunflowers” in Mae Hong Son province’s Khun Yuam district have been known to create stunning scenic views. The golden flowers, known in Thai as Dok Bua Tong, are believed to have been brought to Thailand by Christian…
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Hornbills fly again over Lampang Chae Son
Absent from Thailand’s northern forests for more than 20 years, a pair of great hornbills have been released into Lampang Chae, Son National Park. The release was described by the Zoological Park Organisation (ZPO) director Attaporn Srihayrun as only the first batch of birds that the organisation plans to return to the wild. The ZPO first bred great hornbills in…
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Mother seeks help after 14 year old daughter turns to prostitution
A Thai mother turned to the Social Development and Human Security Ministry (M-Society) and police for help after learning that her 14-year-old half-Thai, half-British daughter turned to prostitution. The 50 year old Naruemon (surname reserved) informed the Department of Special Investigation that her daughter, Nadia (alias) ran away from home in the Isaan province of Udon Thani on October 10.…
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A naked burglar robs 8 houses & tries to rape a young girl
A naked burglar is on the run after he was spotted on CCTV cameras robbing eight houses and allegedly trying to rape a 12 year old girl in the Isaan province of Sisaket. Aek Danairit, the owner of a house in the Baan Na Nuan community in the Huay Thap Than district of Sisaket, reported to the police that a…
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Pit bulls released from cages kill owner’s father
A man died after being attacked by one of the seven pit bulls that were kept in the family home. The incident took place over the weekend in the northeastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima. Rescue units raced to his house after receiving a call, but it was too late to save him. The 67 year old man was found laying…
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Tono raises 40 million baht in charity swim across Mekong
How much money would it take for you to swim across the Mekong? For actor-singer superstar Pakin “Tono” Kumwilaisak it was 40 million baht – the amount he raised for a charity swim yesterday. The generous celebrity took to the waters in Nakhon Phanom to swim across the mighty Mekong and land in Laos after a journey of over 1…
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Grand scam – Beware of fake banknotes circulating in Udon Thani
Police are warning the public against counterfeit 1,000-baht banknotes that have been found circulating in the sweaty expat paradise of Udon Thani province. Police spokesman Pol Maj Gen Archayon Kraithong said there had been several reports of counterfeit bills in the province. Two cases were posted to social media, the first involving a barbecue restaurant and another at a grocery…
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Prayut sets “drug free” goal for Thai province where massacre happened
Thailand’s PM Prayut Chan-o-cha yesterday set a goal for the northeastern Nong Bua Lamphu province, where the horrific October 6 massacre happened, to become “drug free” within 30 days. A government spokesperson told the Associated Press that Prayut had ordered relevant agencies to implement measures related to drug abuse and trading. Agencies have been instructed to monitor several areas of…
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Infamous Tham Luang caves reopened after monsoon season
Tham Luang caves, where 12 boys and their football coach were dramatically rescued in 2018, reopened to the public today. The site had been closed since July 1 to weather the monsoon season. In late June 2018, a young football team exploring the caves became trapped when heavy storms brought flash floods that filled the cave with water. The caves…
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Storm Sonca to hit today, if not already here
The Meteorological Department (TMD) issued a warning to people in the northeast, east and central regions of the country to brace themselves for heavy rain as Tropical Storm Sonca hits Thailand today. The storm will bring heavy rain and strong winds to several provinces in the Northeast including Khon Kaen, Maha Sarakham, and Ubon Ratchathani. The weather guys also warned…
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Drug dealer killed in shootout after high-speed chase
A shootout between Royal Thai Police, army troops, and drug dealers led to one death, an arrest, and 4 million methamphetamine pills seized in a breath-taking, high-speed chase in Chiang Rai last night. Pha Muang Task Force narcotics suppression police and soldiers, tried to pull over a pickup truck with fake Chiang Rai licence plates at a road checkpoint at…
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Missing boat racers found dead in northeast Thailand
UPDATE The three boat racers who went missing in northeast Thailand after their boat capsized on Sunday have been found dead. Two bodies were found at the foot of the Tum Lam Chi bridge in Maha Sarakham’s main city district. They were about 4 kilometres away from where the boat crashed into a pillar of the bridge. A fisherman found…
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Non profit donates cremation ceremony uniforms to child massacre victims
A non-profit organization is donating dream job uniforms to the children who lost their lives last Thursday as a result of the daycare centre massacre in Nong Bua Lamphu province. The gunman, Panya Kamrab, a 34-year-old former policeman, killed 37 people including his wife and son before turning a gun on himself. Those who survived the killing spree are in…
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3 boat racers missing in NE Thailand after boat capsizes
Three boat racers went missing in Thailand’s northeast province of Maha Sarakham on Sunday. The In-Plaeng boat capsized when it hit a pillar of the Tha Tum Lam Chi bridge, just after it had passed the finish line. There were 40 people on the boat altogether. Another boat came to help, but three oarsmen were missing from the boat that…
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5 survivors of northeast Thailand massacre on road to recovery
Five survivors of the horrific daycare centre massacre in northeast Thailand last week are on the road to recovery. These include three children and two adults. Four of the survivors are in intensive care units at Nong Bua Lam Phu Hospital, while one is at Udon Thani Hospital. One boy, Kanpong Suana, or Nong Kan, is moving after he underwent…
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British man & wife gives 50,000 baht to massacre victims
A philanthropic British man and his Thai wife donated 50,000 baht to support the victims of the daycare centre massacre in the northeastern province of Nong Bua Lamphu. Joseph Nice, his Thai wife Nipaporn, and two year old child visited the help centre in the Na Klang district of Nong Bua Lamphu province yesterday to make their contribution. Nipaporn told the…
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Man shot dead near airport in northeast Thailand
A man was shot dead yesterday near an airport in northeast Thailand. The man, 40 year old Phanom Thipratanamongkol, had worked as a mobile phone businessman. He was shot on the road leading to the entrance of Khon Kaen Airport. Police found Phanom with a gold chain in one hand, and a pendant in the other. He had two bullets…
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