Chiang Mai News
Chiang Mai news, politics, business, culture, and tourism—stay updated with breaking stories, local events, and expat insights from Thailand’s northern hub. Get the latest from The Thaiger, your trusted Chiang Mai news source.
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Officials search for missing toddler in Chiang Mai
The combined forces of police, border patrol police, rescue volunteers, and villagers helped search for a missing 1 year and 11 month old girl in Chiang Mai, a northern Thai province, yesterday. The girl has been missing since Sunday night. Heat-seeking drones and sniffer dogs were also used to help scour the area within a 2 to 3 kilometre radius…
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25 arrested at Chiang Mai rooftop bar
A rooftop bar in Chiang Mai, a northern Thai province, was raided yesterday and 24 customers, plus the bar owner were arrested for allegedly gathering to drink alcoholic beverages, a violation of the emergency decree. Police say the 25 suspects were seen drinking alcohol and dancing to a band that was playing at the bar. The police add the suspects…
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7 monks receive suspended jail terms, 10,000 baht fines from Chiang Mai court
7 monks and 1 friend who were found enjoying food and alcoholic drinks Sunday night, 4 of whom were abbots, have been defrocked from the monkhood, fined, and given suspended jail sentences for breaking Covid containment measures. Police, who had received complaints from residents, raided a location for monks at Wat Pansao in Chiang Mai. Bangkok Post says the monks…
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80 year old Australian man kicked to the ground in Chiang Mai road altercation
An 80 year old Australian man was assaulted after he smacked a car that almost ran him over. The driver of the car got out of his vehicle and kicked the octogenarian in the back following the older man’s car smacking. Dashcam footage captured the incident that happened in Chiang Mai, the northern Thai province which is hoping to launch…
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Charming Chiang Mai plan to reopen pushed to October or later
With Covid-19 still running rampant in Thailand, several tourist locations that were anticipating reopening in August or September are revising their plans to push back until October or later. Officials say that Chiang Mai will now delay their plans to reopen to international tourists due to Covid-19 issues. The deputy governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand announced yesterday that…
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Search party locates missing college student’s body in Chiang Mai
Northern Thailand’s Chiang Mai police have found the body of a college student who had been missing for 2 days. Rescue workers discovered the body in Doi Suthep Pui National team. Rescue workers say Nong Boss was hiking in the forest prior to going missing. Rescue workers, however, were not alone in their search efforts. More than 100 people had…
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Chiang Mai field hospital to reopen
A Chiang Mai field hospital that closed early last month is reopening today to combat the rising Covid infections. Yesterday, Chiang Mai reported 17 new infections. Local authorities will reopen the hospital, located at the international convention and exhibition centre this afternoon. Beds and other equipment were also put back. Dr Amporn Iamsri, the director of the Chiang Mai field hospital,…
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Suspect arrested in murder of noodle shop owner
A manhunt has concluded in the northern Thai province, Chiang Mai. Police were looking for a man who allegedly killed a 63 year old noodle seller. Despite being rushed to a hospital, the woman who had suffered stab wounds to her neck and back would later be pronounced dead. Police say they were called to a roadside noodle stand. Once…
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Chiang Mai applies to implement sandbox re-opening from August 1
Officials in the northern province of Chiang Mai will be watching Phuket’s July 1 re-opening carefully, as they seek to follow suit a month later. The southern island will re-open to fully vaccinated tourists from qualifying countries in just over 3 weeks’ time and Chiang Mai hopes to do the same from August 1. The sandbox program is the Thai…
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82 year old woman first person to get vaccine in Chiang Mai
An unnamed, nationality unknown, 82 year old woman has become the first person to get a Covid vaccine in Chiang Mai, a northern Thai Province. She received her inoculation of AstraZeneca this morning and did not report any adverse side effects. The woman did not reveal whether she had gotten the vaccine in hopes of winning a cow: as a…
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Chiang Mai launches website for expats to register for Covid-19 vaccination
The northern province of Chiang Mai has launched a website where foreign residents can register to be vaccinated against Covid-19. Provincial permanent secretary Kanok Sriwichainan says foreigners who have not registered through the Mor Prom app can now do so at the Kampang Wiang website. They will need to provide their passport number and vaccination will be carried out with…
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Get vaccinated, win a cow: Chiang Mai district starts vaccine incentive campaign
A district in Chiang Mai has launched a campaign to help entice residents to get vaccinated against Covid-19… a chance to win a live cow. Each week for the rest of the year, the Mae Chaem district will give away a young cow. To enter the raffle, residents have to be vaccinate against the coronavirus. Since the start of the…
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Covid-19 spreads to 12 Thailand prisons infecting 9,789 people
Over the past week, 12 prisons in Thailand have reported Covid-19 infections infecting thousands of inmates. Out of the 9,789 Covid-19 infections reported by the Department of Corrections, nearly 4,000 cases were reported at the Chiang Mai Central Prison. Outbreaks at the Bangkok Remand Prison and Central Women’s Correctional Institution were first reported last week after a pro-democracy protest leader…
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Chiang Mai hospital reports 7 new cases after patients lied about being infected
A hospital in the northern province of Chiang Mai has reported a new cluster of Covid-19 after 3 patients lied about being infected. The Central Chiang Mai Memorial Hospital has 7 new cases of the virus after the patients concealed the fact that they had Covid-19 and subsequently passed it to 7 healthcare workers, as well as putting at least…
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University student carves “112” into chest after being charged with violating lèse-majesté law
A Chiang Mai University student now has the numbers of “112” carved across his chest after using a razor blade on himself in defiance of the Section 112 of the Criminal Code, also known as the lèse-majesté law. The student took to cutting himself after arriving at the police station to face charges of violating the law. He was also…
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Murder of Thai wife may have been 2nd attempt by US man
The American man accused of the murder of his Thai wife in Chiang Mai has now confessed to the brutal crime. And it may not have been the first time he tried to kill her. The 32 year old man, who was a computer programmer in the United States, admitted that he killed his wife while she was 3-months pregnant.…
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Chiang Mai sees 2 elderly deaths from UK Covid variant including French woman
Chiang Mai province is reporting the deaths of 2 elderly women from the UK Covid-19 variant, including a French woman. The provinces death toll is now 9 according to the governor. The 81 year old French woman was suffering from high blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes. She fell down on April 22 and received treatment at a hospital. After coming…
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Chiang Mai restaurants want dine-in ban revoked as infections drop
The governor of Chiang Mai has called for the ban on dining in at restaurants to be lifted and for eateries to be allowed to serve food on-site until 9pm. Charoenrit Sa-nguansat’s request follows a drop in Covid-19 infections in the northern province. The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration has colour-coded Chiang Mai “dark red”, making it a maximum control…
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Chiang Mai on track to reopen 2 districts to foreign tourists in October
Chiang Mai is still on track to reopen to foreign tourists under the sandbox model this October. The so-called sandbox model would allow foreign tourists, who are vaccinated against Covid-19, to travel to designated areas in Thailand without undergoing quarantine. In Chiang Mai, tourists will be able to travel in the area with tour guides on designated routes. Phuket is…
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50 Buddhist nuns positive for Covid at Chiang Mai dharma practice centre
50 Buddhist nuns have tested positive for Covid-19, causing the Chiang Mai dharma practice centre, where they live, to be closed. The Chiang Mai public health office closed the centre, located in the main city district for 2 weeks from Saturday. People who took part in activities at the centre from April 7 are being asked to take a Covid…
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37 inmates at Chiang Mai prison test positive for Covid-19
At least 37 new inmates at Chiang Mai Central Prison have tested positive for Covid-19 in routine testing during the quarantine period for new inmates before they enter the general prison population. Provincial public health chief Jatchuchai Maeerat said the inmates who tested positive for the virus were sent to a field hospital at the prison in Chiang Mai’s Mae…
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Officials in Chiang Mai and Hua Hin express concern amid rapid rise in infections
Health officials in the northern province of Chiang Mai and the western province of Prachuap Khiri Khan are on high alert amid a surge in Covid-19 cases. Prachuap Khiri Khan has now reported 334 cases, with infections rising by 141 yesterday. The outbreak is primarily centred around the Hua Hin district, with provincial health official Suriya Khuharat saying most people…
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Chiang Mai: Covid-19 cancels many Songkran events
After a surge in new Covid-19 infections, Chiang Mai health officials decided to cancel Songkran celebrations and implement containment measures. As the virus spreads through Thailand, 281 new infections were just diagnosed on Sunday, reported in Monday’s daily Covid-19 statistics. These infections bring the total for the month of April to 662 people. With this outbreak spreading wider and faster…
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Tourism officials slash Songkran travel expectations by half
The TAT, ever the optimists regarding anything tourism related, even domestic tourism, predict that the Bangkok clusters that have emerged in the week before the Songkran break could reduce traffic and spending by up to half. Today the CCSA is reporting 789 new infections and one additional death. 522 were local infections, mostly walk-ins to Bangkok hospitals, 259 were discovered through…
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Chiang Mai records 6 new infections after nearly 3 months virus-free
After nearly 3 months without any Covid-19 infections, the northern province of Chiang Mai is once again having to implement measures to suppress the virus after recording 6 new cases. 4 cases were reported on Monday, 3 of which are linked to nightlife venues in Bangkok and the central province of Nonthaburi. Another 2 cases were recorded yesterday, bringing the…
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New infections in Chiang Mai linked to Bangkok nightlife cluster
3 out of 4 new Covid-19 infections reported in the northern province of Chiang Mai are in patients who frequented nightlife venues in Bangkok. The communicable disease committee has confirmed 4 new infections, while introducing restrictions to curb any further spread. According to a Nation Thailand report, the first patient visited a nightlife venue in the Ratchadaphisek area of Bangkok…
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Heavy storms to hit many parts of Thailand between today and Tuesday
The Thai Meteorological Department is warning of sudden summer storms, bringing strong gusts and possibly even hail, across many parts of the country. Yep, looks like the wet season has arrive d abut early in parts of Thailand this year. The TMD says the north-east, east, north, central, and upper south of the country will be affected from today until…
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Thailand’s 4-phase reopening, starting today
This is not an April fool’s joke. Thailand has set a tentative 4-phase plan starting April 1 for reopening the borders, lifting restrictions, and relaxing quarantine periods, allowing international travel to recommence in a safe manner. As always, this a currently a PLAN and has not been confirmed by the Thai government at this stage. The planned rollout has a…
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Professor blasts university officials for removal of “trash” art installations
An art professor at Chiang Mai University has slammed university executives for the removal of student art they say they thought was, “trash”. Video of the professor’s rant went viral on social media, after university officials began to remove some pieces from a student art installation. The removal of the pieces, which seemed to depict the aftermath of political protests,…
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Chiang Mai hotels slash prices amid ongoing slump in tourism
Hotels in the northern province of Chiang Mai have been forced to cut their rates by up to 90%, in a desperate bid to attract more domestic tourists. According to a Bangkok Post report, La-Iad Bungsrithong, from the northern chapter of the Thai Hotels Association, says with tourists mainly favouring the southern beach destinations this month, hotel operators in the…
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