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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Thailand is a popular destination for expats due to its affordable lifestyle and excellent healthcare system. However, settling in a new country often brings health concerns. To ensure you’re covered for the most common medical needs, understanding what expat health...
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Unusual banana tree phenomenon sparks lottery frenzy in Thai village
A banana tree‘s unusual sprouting of a bud through its trunk has sparked a local phenomenon in the Mae Sai community, Phayao province, as villagers believe it to be a sign of good fortune. Today, residents flocked to Samrit Sameuchue’s house to pay respects and seek their lucky numbers from the banana tree. The 51 year old man has seen…
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Charitable gesture: KFC chicken no-show turns sour, but Thai students cluck their way to happiness
A charitable gesture that went awry ended on a happy note for students at a school in Nan Province, Thailand. An anonymous benefactor had promised to donate educational resources and treat the students to fried chicken. However, the person didn’t show up, leaving the children and their teachers waiting in vain, a situation that quickly went viral online. The students…
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Pot predicament: Thai mum blames foreign neighbours’ toke trouble for son’s illness
A Thai woman took to social media to demand responsibility from her foreign neighbours after their personal cannabis use allegedly caused her son’s illness. The woman, Arpapan Jaiman, posted on Facebook on November 2 that a foreigner had just rented a room within her condominium in the northern province of Chaing Mai. Arpapan accused the foreigner and his friends of smoking cannabis…
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Uthai Thani: Monk driving Mazda causes fatal accident, one dead, four injured
A fatal accident occurred yesterday in Lan Sak, Uthai Thani, when a monk driving a Mazda pickup truck lost control of his vehicle, killing one woman and injuring four others. The accident occurred on the Lan Sak-Thap Than Road, Moo 1, Pradu Yuen Subdistrict, Lan Sak District, Uthai Thani, less than 500 metres from the Pa Ka intersection, near the…
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Own goal: Chiang Mai authorities tackle covert football betting operation
A covert football betting operation was raided in Chiang Mai, with police seizing betting slips, cash, and computers. The operation was discovered in a nondescript terraced building near Tonpao Plaza, Tonpao subdistrict, San Kamphaeng district. One suspect was apprehended, who had a previous criminal record for the same offence. The raid on the illegal operation was led by the special…
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National artist Chalermchai Kositpipat retires to enjoy motorcycle travels
Chalermchai Kositpipat, a national artist and creator of Wat Rong Khun, announced his retirement, adding he will spend his remaining days enjoying life on his motorcycle. Born on February 15, 1955, in Rong Khun, Chiang Rai, Chalermchai is best known for his Thai mural paintings in Wat Phuttha Prateep in London, England, and his art at Wat Rong Khun. Chalermchai…
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Vanishing act: Thai man’s disappearance sparks monk’s mystical ceremony
A 49 year old Thai man mysteriously vanished from his home in the early hours of October 26 leading to a monk’s mystical ceremony to find him. Residents from Mo 9, Nern Phayom, Thung Pho, Nong Chang, Uthai Thani, and neighbouring villages were joined by over 30 officials in a desperate search that lasted four days. Their journey led them…
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Artistic intrigue: Thai national artist’s chilly encounter with graffiti mysteries
A compelling story about Chalermchai Kositpipat, a Thai national artist, has been shared on the Facebook page Little Mouse on the Cold Mountain Peak. The narrative unfolds in the chilly Chiang Rai province, near Wat Rong Khun, where an anonymous group painted graffiti on a wall. One night, a group covertly began to create street art on a wall opposite…
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Flare for trouble: Thai teen’s homemade firework mishap douses floating lantern festival
An incident at a floating lantern festival in Khelang Nakorn led to a young man severely injuring his hand with a homemade firework. The unfortunate event unfolded yesterday evening around 8pm. Emergency services from Amarin responded swiftly to calls for assistance from the festival, held at the Wang River Sports Field in the Fon Village, Chom Phu, Lampang. The injured…
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Deputy Interior Minister’s whirlwind day: Prayers, fire, and fashion in Bangkok
Deputy Interior Minister Chada Thaiseth started his day with religious activities, then assisted in a fire incident during the day, and ended it at a fashion show in Bangkok, showcasing his versatile persona. The deputy interior minister revealed the incident of rescuing an elderly woman from a burning building in Uthai Thani yesterday. While attending a merit-making event yesterday, he…
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Suicide of Wild Boar footballer sparks nationwide query into mental health support
The tragic suicide of Dom, a member of the “Wild Boar” football team, has left many with questions. As per a report by the BBC, Dom, full name Duangpetch Promthep, was one of the 13 individuals from the football team who were trapped in the Tham Luang cave and died eight months after his rescue. The cause of his death…
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Karen tribe woman gives birth at Tak province border patrol checkpoint
A pregnant woman from the Karen tribe gave birth at a border patrol checkpoint in Tak province, as she was unable to reach a hospital in time due to the remote location of her home. The birth, which took place today, at 7am, was overseen by a team of rangers from the 35th Border Patrol unit and health officers from the…
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Udon Thani: Man in suspicion of girlfriend’s death attempts suicide
A tragic end to a love triangle involving two women and a man unfolded in a Udon Thani city residence yesterday. Two individuals were found in a state of distress, one deceased, another barely alive. The incident was reported around 7.30am today, prompting immediate investigative measures from the local police and medical personnel. The incident transpired in a two-storey dwelling,…
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Social media personality arrested for defrauding women of 10 million baht
High-profile social media personality Krittidet Pongprapas has been arrested on multiple charges, including fraud and computer-related offences. The 27 year old had built an impressive online profile by posing with luxury cars and showcasing ostentatious spending habits, which he used to lure at least 30 women into fraudulent relationships, causing an estimated financial loss of 10 million baht. The arrest…
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Myanmar teenage YouTuber arrested for making explosives
A teenager’s dream of becoming a YouTuber was dashed when police arrested him for attempting to cause mayhem during the end of Buddhist Lent. Mantsak Kaew-on, officer in charge at Mae Sot Police Station in Tak province, today, October 28, dispatched a team of ten officers led by Kritsakon Pho Phong to patrol the Sri Thai road near the Thai-Myanmar…
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Lightning strike tragedy: Thai father killed in bed as family watches in horror in northern Thailand
A family of four experienced a tragedy when a lightning strike hit their home in Wang Chao, Tak province yesterday. The 47 year old father, Jitpol, was struck by lightning while in bed, a fatal strike witnessed by his wife and two daughters. The family’s home, a wooden structure with a zinc roof, was inspected after the unfortunate lightning strike…
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Foot-and-mouth disease probable cause for Phayao buffalo deaths
A number of buffaloes have been found dead under mysterious circumstances in the Phayao province, in northern Thailand. The livestock department of Phayao province suspected the cause to be foot-and-mouth disease and has expedited investigations to affirm the cause of death. The incident occurred in village number 10 of Champa Wai sub-district, Mueang district, Phayao province, where the local livestock department…
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Unusual golden crab discovery stirs lottery luck hopes in Phayao province
Residents in Phayao province were “claw-struck” when they stumbled upon a rare golden yellow crab. The locals are “pinching” the hope that this quirky catch might be their lucky charm in the upcoming lottery draw. Authorities from Phu Sang National Park have playfully dubbed the crustacean “Cliff Crab” and are delving into whether it falls under the category of protected…
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Chiang Mai property stirs online debate, selling dream or reality for 80,000 baht?
A plot of land, measuring just one square wah (equivalent to 4 square metres) and priced at 80,000 baht, has caused a stir on social media. The land, located in a village in Chiang Mai, comes complete with a groundwater system, a water tank, and a steel cage. The online Chiang Mai property post advertising the sale also included a…
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Elderly man accused of child sex abuse commits suicide in northern Thailand
A 72 year old man accused of child sex abuse committed suicide, escaping the legal consequences of his actions. The mother of the 11 year old girl victim revealed that she too had been molested by the same man when she was a child. The child sex abuse incident came to light when an 11 year old girl sent a…
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Debt debacle: Thai man attacked, forced to settle loan shark score for ex-employee (video)
A Thai man sought justice for himself after he was attacked and forced to pay an 8,000 baht debt to the loan sharks on behalf of his former employee. A video of the victim, 50 year old Kan, subjected to a brutal assault by a group of 20 loan sharks was shared on Thai social media. The video shows a…
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Chiang Mai abbot accused of physically and sexually abusing novices
Police rescued three Lao novices from a temple in Mae Rim district, northern Chiang Mai province after the abbot was accused of physically and sexually abusing them. Sex toys, G-strings and beer were found in the abbot’s accommodation. A 20 year old Lao man, Tawanchai, sought help from officers at Mae Rim Police Station after his 12 year old brother,…
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Sticky rice bonanza: Thai community in Nakhon Phanom cashes in on Khao Mao harvest
The annual rice harvest has proven to be a golden opportunity for the Thai community in Nakhon Phanom in northeastern Thailand. This is especially true for a group of people who are making a substantial income by producing and selling traditional sticky rice known as Khao Mao. This business generates several million baht every year. One such group is led…
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Elderly woman in Buriram lives alone without basic amenities for 30 years
An 84 year old woman has been living alone for over 30 years without any basic facilities such as electricity and water in her Buriram home. This distressing scenario unfolded in the Buriram province where the woman lives in a dilapidated house. She is unable to walk and relies on the kindness of her neighbours and leftover food from a…
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Marshland hideout proves futile for Thai drug smuggler apprehended in northern Thailand
Phichit Police, apprehended a 25 year old drug smuggler after he was found hiding in a marshland, having fled from authorities in northern Thailand. The drug smuggler, Natthanon, was discovered in a shivering state due to being submerged in marsh water for two days, enduring rain and cold without food. The arrest followed a significant drug seizure on October 4,…
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Elephant’s final stampede: Fearless handler’s mysterious forest demise in Buriram
A 61 year old volunteer elephant handler, known for his fearlessness around elephants, mysteriously vanished and was later discovered dead after being trampled by a wild elephant in the heart of a forest in Buriram Province. The grim discovery was made today by Chakkraphan Sukterm, Deputy Inspector (Investigator) of Non Din Daeng Police Station. The deceased, named Thuep (surname withheld),…
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Norwegian man murders his Thai boyfriend in Chiang Mai
Police arrested a Norwegian man on Tuesday for the alleged murder of his Thai boyfriend at their home in the northern province of Chiang Mai. A resident of Wang Singha Kham village in Pa Dad district of Chaing Mai province reported the death of a 39 year old Thai man named Charit to Mueang Chiang Mai Police Station on the…
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Eighth day of search for missing mushroom picker in Khao Kho forest as new clues emerge
A desperate search for a 61 year old mushroom picker lost in the Khao Kho Forest in northern Thailand has entered its eighth day, with over 100 people, including residents and officials from various departments, joining the hunt. Tragically, the man, known locally as Khamphan Sisonkarn or Lod, disappeared on September 27 while foraging in the community forest of Jawa…
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Monk’s mysterious death unveils temple ‘whodunit’ in central Thailand
The mysterious death of a 57 year old monk in a temple in Ang Thong province sparked a police investigation. The body was found in a monk’s hut, lying on the floor surrounded by a foul smell, with blood and yellow liquid on the ground. A lottery ticket for the October 1 draw was discovered in the hut, which drew…
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Mun River’s flood tide brings venomous twist to northern Thailand
The continuous rise of the Mun River has resulted in severe flooding, submerging nine districts in Ubon Ratchathani, northern Thailand. Inhabitants scramble to evacuate while also dealing with venomous animals, including snakes and scorpions, that have been displaced by the floodwaters. Agricultural damage is extensive, with an estimated 46,000 acres of farmland affected. The flooding has also impacted tens of…
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