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 has a strong healthcare system with both public and private options. Public hospitals offer affordable care, but many people, including expats, choose private health insurance for faster service, modern facilities, and more treatment choices. To decide if private health...
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Tractor traction: Uthai Thani cops defend noisy farmer’s arrest
Police in Mueang Lansak district, Uthai Thani province, addressed social media criticism regarding the arrest of a man for modifying his tractor’s exhaust system, creating excessive noise. Residents lodged complaints, prompting police to issue a warning rather than make an arrest, acknowledging the challenges faced by local farmers. On March 16 at 11am, Lieutenant Naruepol Chanthates, a duty officer, alongside patrol…
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Fire at Mae Sot customs warehouse destroys over 50 vehicles
A raging fire has torn through a customs warehouse in Mae Sot, Tak province, destroying more than 50 confiscated vehicles. The fire, which broke out yesterday, March 18, around 8pm, remains uncontrollable despite the tireless efforts of local fire services. The blaze started behind the new customs checkpoint, near the second Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridge in Tha Sai Luat subdistrict, Mae…
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Bite club arrest: German man sinks teeth into chaos in Korat
The German man has been arrested after he went on a jaw-dropping rampage in Korat, biting female dentists and leaving chaos in his wake. The German, Matthias Ebner, infamous in Nakhon Ratchasima province for his savage antics, has finally been apprehended following a biting incident that left the city in uproar. Dubbed the “Dental Menace,” Ebner, married to a local…
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Mae Hong Son strengthens cross-border efforts on forest fires
Mae Hong Son province is stepping up its efforts to combat cross-border forest fires by ramping up cooperation with its neighbouring states. Deputy Governor Boonlue Thammathranurak highlighted the ongoing problem of illegal burning along the border between Mae Hong Son and countries such as Shan State, Karen State, and Kayah State. These areas have long faced the threat of uncontrolled…
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Bite club: German man sinks teeth into Korat dentist, sparks panic
A chilling wave of panic has swept through dental clinics in Korat after a German man sunk his teeth into a female dentist in a frenzied attack. The Nakhon Ratchasima Provincial Dental Association is desperately urging the police to collar this foreign menace. Dentist Wivat Chatwongwan, representing the worried local dental community, today, March 17, escorted victims to Mueang Nakhon…
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Uthai Thani locals flock to ancient tree for lottery luck
As the lottery draw approaches, residents in Uthai Thani’s Mueang district have flocked to seek lucky numbers from a century-old Takian tree. It is believed that 12 spirit guardians, known as Mae Takian, reside within the tree, offering fortune to visitors. Located in Ban Huai Rang, Village 2, Rabam subdistrict, the revered Takian tree stands by a busy road, drawing…
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Man arrested in Bangkok after alleged molestation in Phayao
A 32 year old man was apprehended by police for two alleged incidents of molestation involving young women in a single day. The incidents reportedly took place in Phayao province, with the suspect fleeing to Bangkok before being captured. The arrest took place at a hotel near Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bang Sao Thong district, Samut Prakan province, following a…
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School daze: Vaping vendetta forces Thai student relocation
A young Thai student’s schooling has taken a dramatic turn after a series of shocking assaults by a fellow teenager all because of a vaping device. Thirteen-year-old Khon Kaen student Oam has been moved to a boarding school following attacks by 16 year old Lek, sparked by a damaged vaping device. A high-stakes meeting at Watjunprasit School in Ban Phai…
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Thai man faces jail time after dropping Yaba pill in front of officials
A Thai man absent mindedly forgot that he had hidden some methamphetamine, better known in Thailand as Yaba, in his wallet and accidentally dropped six tablets in front of government officials. According to a new law, anyone found in possession of less than five Yaba tablets will be encouraged to attend rehabilitation. After rehab, suspects can waive a jail term…
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Uthai Thani housekeeper loses 12 lottery tickets, seeks public help
A housekeeper in Uthai Thani is desperately appealing for help after losing 12 lottery tickets, just a day after celebrating her birthday. What was meant to be a stroke of luck has turned into a nightmare, leaving her hoping for a miracle. Yesterday, March 11, 46 year old Vilairat Wichienrat, a resident of Khao Kwang Thong subdistrict, Nong Chang district,…
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Wake-up call: Snoozing Thai driver startled by cop’s ‘wife’ threat
A sleepy driver in Thailand got the shock of his life when police threatened him with a visit from his wife if he didn’t wake up and get a move on. A 40 year old Thai man fell asleep at the wheel, his pickup truck idling at a red light in bustling Nan City, at 12.30am today, March 12. The…
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Fiery stir-fry chaos: Cook’s dish sets floating restaurant ablaze (video)
A peaceful riverside lunch turned into chaos when a fiery wok of stir-fried morning glory set a floating restaurant’s roof ablaze, sending panicked tourists scrambling for safety. The dramatic incident unfolded at 2.10pm yesterday, March 11, at a well-known floating restaurant on the Ping River in Wiang Nong Long district, Lamphun province. Crowds of tourists had gathered to enjoy the…
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Udon Thani police recover 13 stolen motorcycles, lottery win follows
Police in Udon Thani successfully apprehended a motorcycle thief, recovering 13 stolen motorcycles. Among the owners, one woman expressed her joy by hugging her recovered vehicle, while another expressed gratitude by gifting 10,000 baht to the investigation team and winning the lottery using the vehicle’s registration number. On March 7, Police Major General Suwan Chiaonavinthawat, the Udon Thani Provincial Police…
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Buriram infant’s body found with drugs from breastfeeding mother
In Buriram’s Nang Rong district, a shocking discovery revealed a three month old infant with drugs in his system, likely due to breastfeeding from a mother using illicit substances and vaping. Police are taking urgent action to ensure the child’s safety by prohibiting the mother from breastfeeding until she ceases all drug use. Local administrative officials, police, and village leaders…
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Bus and truck collision in Ubon Ratchathani injures 11
A collision occurred yesterday, March 7, between a bus and a pickup truck on the Warin Chamrap-Det Udom road, located approximately 200 metres before Ubon Ratchathani University. The incident left 11 injured, two critically, necessitating nearly 20 emergency vehicles to transport the injured to nearby hospitals. Police Lieutenant Colonel Thanyathida Pariyotai, an investigator at Warin Chamrap Police Station in Ubon…
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Forest fire arsonist jailed and hit with 133 million baht fine
A man responsible for a devastating forest fire that destroyed over 2,166 rai (346 hectares) of protected land in Phitsanulok’s Khao Noi-Khao Pradu Wildlife Sanctuary has been sentenced to four years in prison and fined 133.23 million baht, the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) announced today. The suspect was arrested on May 6 last year after…
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Udon Thani hospital staff beaten by patient over queue number (video)
A disturbing video surfaced online this week showing a hospital worker being brutally attacked by a patient at Nam Som Hospital in Udon Thani. The shocking footage, shared by Lieutenant Colonel Dr Thanakrit Chit-arirat, Assistant Minister to the Deputy Prime Minister, has sparked outrage and calls for tougher security in hospitals. The incident occurred on Wednesday, March 5 at 8.56am,…
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Taiwanese man scammed by Thai lover flies to Thailand for justice
A Taiwanese man who thought he had found love with a Thai woman was left devastated after she scammed him out of nearly 10 million baht. Determined to seek justice, he flew to Thailand to file a complaint against her, only to discover she had vanished. Chia Wei Te from Kaohsiung, Taiwan, accompanied by an interpreter and his lawyer, Thiraphong…
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Thai lottery seller’s ‘magic’ massage leaves elderly woman with broken leg
Police arrested a Thai lottery vendor in the northern province of Chiang Rai for providing a magic massage to an 70 year old client, which resulted in a broken leg. The 70 year old Thai woman, Kham, filed a complaint with officers at Phrayamengrai Police Station after spending 20 days in hospital. She reported that the lottery vendor, later identified…
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Old wall collapses, kills grandmother and grandson in Isaan
A tragic incident occurred in the Mueang district of Nong Bua Lam Phu province, where a concrete wall from a 30 year old house collapsed, resulting in the deaths of 63 year old Duangjai Sriphalan and her 6 year old grandson. The accident happened in the laundry area of their single-storey home. Prasert Sriphalan recounted returning from errands at approximately…
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Parcel farce: Thai woman’s bomb scare turns out to be ex-plosive gift
A Thai woman called officers from the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) unit to investigate a suspicious parcel at her home in the northern province of Nan, only to discover that the item inside was not a bomb but a gift from an ex-boyfriend. The woman contacted EOD officials at her home in the Du Tai sub-district of Nan after finding…
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Missing student found dead in Nan River after 4-day search
The search for a missing fourth-year university student came to a grim end after his body was discovered floating in the Nan River in northern Thailand, four days after he vanished. At 8am, today, March 4, police and rescue teams were alerted to a body found face down near a houseboat in Mueang Phitsanulok district, close to Wat Sawang Arom. The…
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Chinese man arrested at Thailand-Cambodia border with fake passport
Immigration Bureau officers today arrested a Chinese man at a border checkpoint in the Isaan province of Sa Kaeo for entering the country with a fake passport. As part of measures to tackle call centre scam operations, Thai officials implemented stricter inspections at border checkpoints nationwide. Officers at the Ban Khlong Luek Border Checkpoint followed these directives and managed to…
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Boy injured by fishing spear gun on way to school
An 11 year old student encountered a serious accident on his way to school. While cycling, he found a fishing spear gun and accidentally discharged it, causing a dart to embed in his neck. The injured boy managed to return home for help. Patsakon Changthongmadan Kong shared the incident on Facebook, urging parents to keep dangerous items away from children.…
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Rabies outbreak declared in Maha Sarakham’s Wapi Pathum
The district of Wapi Pathum in Maha Sarakham province has been declared a temporary rabies outbreak zone following the death of a cow due to rabies. Livestock officials are actively vaccinating dogs and cats in the area as residents abstain from consuming beef. The Mahasarakham Provincial Livestock Office yesterday, March 3, reported that a cow in Ban Lomkhom, Na Kha…
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Thai photocopy shop owner denies attempted rape accusation
The owner of a photocopy shop in the Isaan province of Udon Thani denied an attempted rape accusation by a Thai teacher and offered 20,000 baht in compensation to the alleged victim to settle the matter legally. The Thai teacher, Nachanok Intasang, accused the shop owner of attempting to rape her on Saturday, March 1. She visited the shop to…
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Chiang Rai police arrest 9 in crypto scam targeting US, Canada
Police in Chiang Rai have arrested nine Chinese nationals involved in a significant hybrid scam operation, impersonating individuals with appealing profiles to target victims in the United States and Canada, persuading them to invest in cryptocurrency. The operation was carried out yesterday, February 28, with oversight from Police Lieutenant General Kritthaphon Yeesakorn and several other senior officers from region 5…
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Police seize 2.3 million meth pills on Mittraphap Road
Police in Region 3 seized 2.3 million methamphetamine tablets (meth pills) on Mittraphap Road, intended for distribution to a central investor group. The suspects confessed to being paid between 30,000 and 50,000 baht per vehicle. The operation was conducted yesterday, February 28 at the Region 3 Investigation Bureau. Police Major General Rutthaphon Naowarat, Deputy Commander of Region 3, Pol. Maj.…
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Phrae businessman found dead after going missing overnight
A 57 year old businessman was found dead beside a rural road in Mueang district, Phrae province, after mysteriously disappearing overnight. The shocking discovery sent shockwaves through the local community, but his family has ruled out foul play, citing natural causes. The deceased, identified as Dao Lucksaratanchok, was the owner of a water business and a well-known figure in his…
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Thai woman accuses police of false arrest, assault, and attempted theft
A Thai woman accused police officers in the northern province of Chiang Rai of fabricating a drink driving charge against her, a physically assault, and an attempt to steal her gold bracelet on January 22. The 29 year old woman, Chonthicha, visited the Chiang Rai Provincial Police Office yesterday, February 27, to seek justice. Her lawyer accompanied her to the…
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