Chiang Rai

  • Environment News

    Northern Thailand sees dangerous levels of pollution

    Northern Thailand is seeing dangerous levels of pollution with PM2.5 dust particle levels exceeding the safety standard. Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai are the worst as they are both seeing over 50-micron PM2.5 dust particle levels. Wiang Pang Kham, a sub-district in Chiang Rai has recorded 247 microns, signaling extremely poor air quality. The Pollution Control Department said on its…

  • World News

    Bangkok fiddles whilst Chiang Mai burns – who’s behind the annual smoke season?

    OPINION In the December 2020 outbreak of Covid in the seafood markets along the coast of Samut Sakhon Burmese migrant workers, many of them entering Thailand illegally, bore the brunt of the blame. The Thai media reported widely that it was the fault of the illegal migrants. But the source of the migrants, trafficking gangs working for larger corporations to…

  • Northern Thailand News

    Officials tracking down foreigners with fake IDs opening up illegal businesses in Chiang Rai

    Thai news site TNA is reporting that the Department of Special Investigation is investigating 255 foreigners who are allegedly in possession of fake Thai IDs in the Wiang Kaen district of Chiang Rai. The report also claims that they were operating illegal businesses. One of the suspects is Chinese but carried a Thai ID saying that he was a Thai…

  • Phuket News

    Thai Vietjet resumes Phuket-Chiang Rai flights, launches promotion on air fare

    The following is a press release from Thai Vietjet on its new promotion “Welcome Back to the Sky” and the resumption of Phuket-Chiang Rai flights. Thai Vietjet today announced the flight resumption of its domestic cross-regional service between Phuket – Chiang Rai, in response to the increasing travel demand after the government began relaxing travel measures in each province. The…

  • Covid-19 News

    Border officials on alert for Burmese coup protesters fleeing military crackdown

    Border police have increased patrols in the northern province of Chiang Rai amid concerns that Burmese protesters may try to cross into the Mae Sai district. This follows a military crackdown in the Burmese border town of Tachilek as the army tries to quell anti-coup rallies. According to a Bangkok Post report, Sompong Chingduang from Thailand’s Immigration Bureau says the…

  • Thailand News

    Tower Of Babble – Have your say on The Thaiger | VIDEO

    Tower of Babble is where we read some of your comments to The Thaiger YouTube videos. Some are insightful, some are interesting, some need to be shared! And some are just plain funny. If you leave a comment under any of our videos it may be shared on our Tower of Babble each day. Go to our YouTube channel and…

  • Thailand News

    Thailand News Today | Governor off respirator, sex-trafficking arrest, condo prices falling | January 14

    The Samut Sakhon governor is continuing to recover from a dangerous bout of Covid-19 and is expected to be taken off a ventilator today. The 58 year old was in “critical condition” after contracting the virus on December 27. His infection was reported just a week after the outbreak at one of the largest seafood markets in the coastal province…

  • Crime News

    Thai brothers charged with trafficking Thai women to Brunei for prostitution

    3 people, including 2 brothers, have been arrested on charges of sex trafficking, accused of sending women to Brunei for prostitution purposes. Brothers Somchai Sukson, 55 years of age, and 49 year old Rachen Suksorn, were detained under an arrest warrant issued by the Criminal Court, charged with a sex trafficking operation involving over 3 people. Following the arrest of…

  • Covid-19 News

    Covid outbreak spreads- 10,000 people to be tested

    Thailand has now confirmed 689 new coronavirus infections today, including 516 migrant worker cases linked to the outbreak in Samut Sakhon yesterday. In Bangkok, there are now 19 locally-infected cases being reported on top of the ones found in Samut Sakhon. There are also 41 imported cases being reported. Most of the cases reported were of Myanmar migrant workers with…

  • World News

    Netizens demand Minister of Public Health to resign after Covid surge

    Today, Thai netizens are demanding the resignation of Thailand’s Minister of Public Health after the largest daily amount of Covid infections is being reported in Samut Sakhon Province. That number of infections, reported today, is now up to 576, 516 of which includes migrant workers who have been in the news recently after several were found to have entered Thailand…

  • Thailand News

    End-of-quarantine party for 28 Thais who returned from Myanmar

    An end-of-quarantine party was held for 28 Thais who were just released from quarantine after returning to Chiang Rai from Myanmar. Not many details were reported about the event, just that it was a ceremony at a riverside resort with the provincial governor Prajon Prachsakul… Definitely a lot different than the parties just across the border in Tachileik. Many Thai…

  • World News

    Chiang Rai officials insist province is now safe to visit

    Officials in the northern province of Chiang Rai are assuring potential tourists from the rest of the Kingdom that it is safe to visit, saying the Covid-19 situation is under control. Chiang Rai hit the headlines in recent weeks, when a number of Thai nationals entered the province illegally from Myanmar. After bypassing health checks and quarantine, several subsequently tested…

  • Northern Thailand News

    Returnees from Myanmar account for 9 of 17 new Covid infections today

    Today, Thailand has reported 17 new cases of the novel coronavirus found in people entering Thailand from other countries, with 9 infected returnees coming from Myanmar through the Mae Sai district in northern Chiang Rai. All 9 were women who had worked at nightspots in Tachilek, the Burmese border town, featuring the now infamous 1G1-7 Hotel, which was the site…

  • World News

    Chiang Rai governor leads clean-up operation amid Covid fears

    Chiang Rai governor, Prajon Prachsakul, has led a clean-up operation across public areas and tourist attractions such as shopping malls, Chiang Rai Airport, Singha Park and the border checkpoint at Mae Sai. It follows the recent discovery of a number of infected Thai nationals who had illegally crossed from Myanmar, bypassing health checks and quarantine. At least 34 illegal returnees…

  • Thailand News

    Thailand News Today | BKK nurses infected, Burmese Covid strain, Boss case drama | December 10

    Welcome to Jett Gunther hosting Thailand News Today. It’s a public holiday in Thailand. Covid-19 infected nurses are staff at Bangkok’s BNH Hospital Although reports are fairly vague about the recent Covid-19 cases involving Bangkok medical workers, the BNH Hospital in Silom, Bangkok confirms that 6 of its staff members tested positive for the coronavirus. The hospital says preventative measures…

  • Tourism News

    Around 3.11 million travellers expected to spend 12.6 billion baht during long weekend

    Around 3.11 million Thai people are expected to travel during the 4-day weekend which starts tomorrow. The travellers are expected to spend 12.6 billion baht and boost the hotel occupancy rate up by 40%, according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand governor Yuthasak Supasorn. Although, less people are expected to travel to Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai, with many cancelling…

  • Covid-19 News

    46 Covid-19 cases related to Tachileik, health officials say situation is “under control”

    With a significant number of people returning to Chiang Rai from the border town Tachileik and testing positive for Covid-19, health officials say the situation is “under control” and it is safe to travel to Chiang Rai and other northern provinces. Only 2 people out of the more than 6,500 people considered to be “at risk” of infection have tested…

  • Covid-19 News

    Business owners plan to sue Covid-19 infected women who entered Thailand illegally

    Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai business owners are planning to sue the Thai women who crossed the Thai-Myanmar border illegally, evading quarantine and testing positive for Covid-19 shortly after their return. The women worked at entertainment venues in the border town Tachileik. Many confirmed that they worked at the now-infamous 1G1-7 Hotel where a resident claims the women were prostitutes…

  • Covid-19 News

    Rise of Covid-19 cases is not a “second wave,” PM says

    The rise of Covid-19 cases in Northern Thailand is not a second wave of infections, according to PM Prayut Chan-o-cha. With an outbreak in the Myanmar border town Tachileik, many Thais are crossing back to Chiang Rai, some legally and some illegally. With a number of returnees testing positive for Covid-19, Chiang Rai officials are preparing a second hospital to…

  • World News

    Passengers from Chiang Rai-Bangkok flights considered “low-risk”

    Passengers from 4 flights between Chiang Rai and Bangkok are considered at “low risk” of contracting Covid-19, according to a statement from the Public Health Ministry. However, the ministry is asking all passengers to self-monitor for the next 14 days, and report symptoms such as fever, a cough, sore throat, or a loss of taste or smell immediately. The 4…

  • Covid-19 News

    Numbers go up: 38 local Covid-19 cases now related to Myanmar border town

    So far, 38 local Covid-19 cases are related to Myanmar’s border town Tachileik. A second hospital in Chiang Rai is now prepared to treat patients for the coronavirus as 6 more returnees in quarantine tested have positive for the virus and more cases are expected. Many of the cases are linked to the now-infamous 1G1-7 Hotel in Tachileik. The venue…

  • Thailand News

    Thailand News Today | Deadly floods, Chiang Rai Covid cases, Mekong Forum | December 7

    Southern Thailand flood death toll: 24 At least 24 people have now been reported to have died due to flash floods in Southern Thailand following a week of heavy rain. 19 of the victims were in Nakhon Si Thammarat which was hit the hardest. Today, the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation reported 3 more deaths from flooding in the…

  • Covid-19 News

    20 Covid-19 cases in Chiang Rai linked to Myanmar hotel

    So far, 20 Covid-19 cases in Chiang Rai are linked to the 1G1-7 Hotel in the Myanmar border town Tachileik, according to Chiang Rai Governor Prachon Pratsakul. A Tachileik resident claims the coronavirus spread through prostitution at the establishment. Last week, 10 Thai women tested positive for Covid-19 last week after entering the Chiang Rai illegally, evading immigration screening and…

  • Northern Thailand News

    2 local cases in Bangkok contribute to Sunday total of 14 new Covid-19 cases

    2 people have been identified in Bangkok as locally infected with Covid-19. The announcement follows a week of revelations coming out of the north from the Chiang Rai border crossing into Myanmar where Thai prostitutes and workers have been crossing back into Thailand, infected, without going through any quarantine procedures. Thailand recorded 14 new cases of the coronavirus today, including…

  • World News

    Chiang Mai man tests positive for Covid-19 after illegal crossing from Myanmar

    A 32 year old Chiang Mai man who was employed at the now notorious 1G1-7 Hotel in Myanmar has tested positive for Covid-19 after sneaking across the border into Thailand. The man worked as a DJ at the hotel and entertainment complex in Tachileik until he returned to the Kingdom via an illegal crossing at the Chiang Rai border on…

  • World News

    Covid-infected Thai returnees: Myanmar hotel in the spotlight

    With the news that at least 10 Covid-infected Thai women working in Myanmar bypassed health checks and quarantine on their return to the Kingdom, all eyes have turned to their place of work. Interest in the 1G1-7 Hotel has grown as a result of a resident in the border town of Tachileik claiming it is used as a centre for…

  • Thailand News

    Thailand News Today | Burmese border #&#!!!, Charges for Penguin, 9 dead in floods | Dec 4

    Thailand News Today, coming to you from the relatively dry Phuket, compared to the horrible flooding in parts of southern Thailand. 5 shot and in critical condition after gang clash in Phitsanulok 5 people have been shot and critically wounded in what police believe to be a turf war between 2 rival gangs in Phitsanulok, Central Thailand. Police say gang…

  • Covid-19 News

    More local Covid-19 cases linked to women who worked in Myanmar border town

    Health officials report 3 more Covid-19 cases linked to the 10 Thai women who tested positive after working in Myanmar’s border town Tachileik. The women allegedly crossed the border illegally, evading immigration screening and the mandatory 14 day quarantine. Some travelled using public transportation to Chiang Mai, Bangkok, Phichit and Ratchaburi. A 51 year old businesswoman from Sing Buri tested positive…

  • Covid-19 News

    Chiang Rai man tests positive for Covid-19 after contact with infected returnees

    A 28 year old Chiang Rai man tested positive for Covid-19 yesterday. Health officials believe the man contracted the virus from one of the 10 infected Thai women who recently returned from Myanmar’s border town Tachileik, evading the mandatory 14 day quarantine. So far, at least 699 people came in contact with the women after they returned, according to permanent…

  • Thailand News

    Thailand News Today | Thai Airways corruption, Southern floods, Border Covid outbreak | Dec 3

    Thursday’s edition of Thailand News Today, including the latest in the local cases popping up in Northern Thailand. Thailand’s most watched English language news. 20 more people suspected of being involved in corruption at Thai Airways 20 people are now under suspicion of corruption and mismanagement within Thai Airways as accountants unravel the massive losses for the airline, spanning a…

  • Covid-19 News

    Health officials say hundreds came into contact with Covid-19 infected women

    Health officials are trying to track down hundreds of people who may have come in contact with any of the 10 Thai women who tested positive for Covid-19 after returning to Thailand from Myanmar’s border town Tachileik. The women evaded the mandatory 14 day quarantine for returnees and media reports claim they “sneaked” back in the country. More than 600…

  • Economy News

    Economists say new local Covid-19 cases could slow tourism recovery

    Some are concerned about a potential second coronavirus outbreak after 10 Thai women tested positive for Covid-19 after returning from Myanmar’s Tachileik district. Some travelled to Bangkok and Chiang Mai after returning. A second wave of infections will stall the recovery of domestic tourism and Thailand’s overall economy that has been battered by the pandemic, according to the National Economic…

  • Thailand News

    Thailand News Today | No ‘tourism’ until Q2, Tiger smuggling, Win drivers jailed | Dec 1

    Thailand will remain closed to general tourism until at least the 2nd quarter of 2021 Kiss any resemblance of general tourism to Thailand goodbye, at least until march next year, at the earliest. That’s the outlook for Thailand’s beleaguered tourism industry from the usually optimistic Minster for Sports and Tourism. So, apart from the STV and the modified 60 day…

  • Covid-19 News

    Fourth local Covid-19 case reported in Chiang Rai, Thai returnee evaded quarantine

    A fourth local Covid-19 case was reported in Chiang Rai today. The patient is a 25 year old Thai woman who recently returned to Thailand from Myanmar by using an unofficial land crossing to avoid quarantine. The woman travelled to Myanmar’s Tachileik district earlier this month to work at a hotel, she told officials. 3 other infected Thai women also…

  • Covid-19 News

    No lockdown in Chiang Mai after local Covid-19 case

    There will be no lockdown in Chiang Mai after the recent Covid-19 case where a woman tested positive at a local hospital after returning from Myanmar. Director general of the Public Health Ministry’s Department of Disease Control, Opas Karnkawinpong, says the locals in Chiang Mai are taking health precautions and he doubts the case will cause an outbreak. “Widespread Covid-19…

  • World News

    Phuket officials concerned about virus risk from undocumented migrant workers

    The discovery that 3 Thai nationals infected with Covid-19 returned from Myanmar and bypassed health checks and quarantine, has officials in Phuket on high alert. Over the weekend, it was discovered that a 29 year old Thai woman had illegally crossed from Myanmar and subsequently tested positive for Covid-19 after admitting herself to a Chiang Mai hospital. 2 other women…

  • Thailand News

    Thailand News Today | Digital Travel Pass, Chiang Mai outbreak, Alcohol ban | November 30

    Monday’s edition of Thailand News Today. An international Digital Travel Pass could be the magic bullet to restart global tourism A new international Travel Pass, a sort of digital health certificate, may be the way forward for countries to re-open their borders and international airlines to get their planes back into the air. The International Air Transport Association says the…