Chiang Rai

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

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

    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 NewsNo lockdown in Chiang Mai after local Covid-19 case

    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 NewsPhuket officials concerned about virus risk from undocumented migrant workers

    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…

  • Crime News12 people arrested for allegedly illegally crossing Thai-Myanmar border

    12 people arrested for allegedly illegally crossing Thai-Myanmar border

    12 Thais were arrested by Chaing Rai Immigration Police for allegedly illegally crossing the Myanmar border back into Thailand. The arrests follow a small coronavirus outbreak in Northern Thailand while Myanmar reports hundreds of new Covid-19 cases each day. Over the weekend, a 29 year old Thai woman tested positive for Covid-19 in Chiang Mai after visiting the hospital with…

  • World News2 more cases identified in the northern Thailand Covid-19 mini outbreak

    2 more cases identified in the northern Thailand Covid-19 mini outbreak

    2 more people have been confirmed as infected with Covid-19 in the current mini-outbreak in Northern Thailand. In this case both women had crossed the Thai/Myanmar border and worked at the same bar in Myanmar as the original patient, feared to be a potential super-spreader. The 29 year old is now being treated at a hospital in Chiang Mai. Chiang…

  • Northern Thailand NewsRon Howard to direct cave rescue feature film ‘Thirteen Lives’ in Australia

    Ron Howard to direct cave rescue feature film ‘Thirteen Lives’ in Australia

    The Australian Government is putting up A$13 million to Imagine Entertainment and film giant MGM to shoot a live-action feature film called Thirteen Lives, based on the Chiang Rai Tham Luang cave rescue story. The film will be shot in Queensland, Australia in the hinterland areas behind the Gold Coast. The film will be directed by Ron Howard (A Beautiful Mind,…

  • Crime NewsMonk arrested for alleged involvement in large methamphetamine delivery

    Monk arrested for alleged involvement in large methamphetamine delivery

    Police arrested a monk on drug charges and seized 4.8 million methamphetamine pills from a resort in the Central Thailand province Chai Nat. The man, a senior monk from Chiang Rai, was allegedly hired to help deliver large qualities methamphetamine 3 times and paid 300,000 baht per delivery. The monk allegedly told police that he needed the money to enroll…

  • Thailand NewsIt’s beetle fighting season in Northern Thailand

    It’s beetle fighting season in Northern Thailand

    It’s fight season … for Rhinoceros Beetles. The bugs battle on a wooden stage. Their horns lock as they push against each other until one backs down. People watch and place bets. Some wagers are as high as 100,000 baht. From the start of wet season until winter, locals in northern provinces Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai and Lampang gather for…

  • Northern Thailand NewsThe Isan Project honours a hero of Tham Luang cave rescue

    The Isan Project honours a hero of Tham Luang cave rescue

    The Isan Project has collaborated with the TAT on new marketing campaign featuring music commemorating the Tham Luang cave rescue. The story of how 13 young men, members of the Mu Pa (Wild Boar) football team, were saved in the caves of Chiang Rai continues to ignites interest in the miraculous internationally-followed rescue in July 2018 from the flooded Tham…

  • Crime NewsMore arrests made in major online gambling operation bust

    More arrests made in major online gambling operation bust

    Police arrested an alleged online gambling operator and 3 others allegedly involved in running 9 illegal gambling websites that brought in millions of baht. The recent arrest follows a bust earlier this month where police arrested 25 Thai nationals in Chiang Rai and Nonthaburi, a suburb just north of Bangkok, who were allegedly involved in running illegal websites. An arrest…

  • Tourism NewsHealth officials considering more relaxed quarantine for short-term visitors

    Health officials considering more relaxed quarantine for short-term visitors

    The director-general of the Health Service Support Department says Thai officials are discussing a “more flexible form of quarantine” that would allow short-term tourists the freedom to travel within designated zones in provinces that are ready to re-open. Thares Krassanairawiwong says the tourists would be permitted to travel on specially designated routes, aka. “green lanes”, during their 14 day quarantine,…

  • World NewsTrucks lining up at border checkpoint after Myanmar imposes cross-border quota

    Trucks lining up at border checkpoint after Myanmar imposes cross-border quota

    Over 600 trucks are stranded at the border between Thailand and Myanmar after the latter country imposed a Covid-19 cross-border quota-allowing only 6 trucks per day to cross from each side. The trucks are carrying goods across the Mae Sai border checkpoint in Chiang Rai to be delivered to the town of Tachileik in the neighbouring country. The tight restrictions…

  • South Thailand News2 Koh Tao divers awarded for their involvement in the 2018 cave rescue

    2 Koh Tao divers awarded for their involvement in the 2018 cave rescue

    2 foreign diving instructors in Koh Tao were honored for their role in rescuing the 13 young men from the flooded Tham Luang cave in Chiang Rai back in 2018. More than 100 foreigners involved in the rescue have been granted the Most Admirable Order of Direkgunabhorn, an award granted by the Thai Monarch. A ceremony in Surat Thani was…

  • Northern Thailand NewsImmigration announce the arrest of 18 Chinese illegal migrants in Chiang Rai

    Immigration announce the arrest of 18 Chinese illegal migrants in Chiang Rai

    Immigration officers yesterday announced the arrest of 18 undocumented Chinese immigrants Chiang Rai on August 2, who reportedly attempted to cross the Mekong River from Laos to enter the kingdom illegally. A team of investigating officers from the Chiang Saen Immigration Checkpoint was patrolled the Mekong River area after receiving a tip that a group of unlawful migrants would be…

  • Crime News6 nabbed in Northern drug bust

    6 nabbed in Northern drug bust

    Authorities in northern Thailand have have arrested 6 members of a drug network with monthly sales of around 40 million baht, and seized property worth 5.7 million baht. The chief of Provincial Police Region 1 told reporters the 6 worked for the drug network operated by Boonmee “Jae” Phromma, who was caught last year. 4 of the 6 were women,…

  • World NewsChiang Rai couple arrested for smuggling more than a tonne of crystal meth

    Chiang Rai couple arrested for smuggling more than a tonne of crystal meth

    Chiang Rai police have arrested 2 more people for arranging and overseeing the smuggling of more than a tonne of crystal methamphetamine, or “ice” to southern Thailand. The 48 year old man and his 31 year old wife were nabbed at their home yesterday in the province’s Mae Chan district, within 15 kilometres of the Burmese border. They’re charged with…

  • Northern Thailand NewsChiang Mai-Chiang Rai highway closed by flooding again – VIDEO

    Chiang Mai-Chiang Rai highway closed by flooding again – VIDEO

    There seems no end in sight for the construction of the Chiang Mai-Chiang Rai highway as yet another night of severe rains caused massive flooding in the Doi Saket district. The bypass and the road were underwater, creating a traffic pandemonium. The police came to the scene and began suggesting alternative routes. As the waters subsided the road was opened again,…

  • Northern Thailand NewsTeacher sends questionnaire to students asking for their phone passwords and social media accounts

    Teacher sends questionnaire to students asking for their phone passwords and social media accounts

    …and the school has since been forced to apologise. A teacher in Chiang Rai asked students to hand over passwords to their social media accounts and phones. But many have criticised the teacher saying it overstepped privacy boundaries. The school has since apologised and imposed stricter rules. The teacher gave students a questionnaire, asking them to fill out information about…

  • Northern Thailand News14 million methamphetamine pills seized in massive Chiang Rai drug haul

    14 million methamphetamine pills seized in massive Chiang Rai drug haul

    Police in Chiang Mai have arrested 2 men and a woman in the province’s Fang district when they found 14 million methamphetamine pills, aka. “yaba”, in one of their 2 vehicles. Officers got a tip on Friday that drugs would be smuggled into the district and set up road checkpoints, according to the deputy national police spokesman. At around 12:30am,…

  • Northern Thailand NewsAccomplice in Chiang Rai robbery found hanging in Phayao forest

    Accomplice in Chiang Rai robbery found hanging in Phayao forest

    The alleged motorcycle driver in a recent Chiang Rai robbery has been found hanging in a forest in the upper northern Phayao province, in an apparent suicide. Two men pulled off the daring daytime robbery of more than a million baht in Chiang Saen district last Monday. Both men were then tracked down by police. The first suspect, identified only…

  • Northern Thailand NewsOne of the robbers in Chiang Rai arrested – VIDEO

    One of the robbers in Chiang Rai arrested – VIDEO

    UPDATE: Police have arrested a suspect from Monday’s robbery that took place in Chiang Saen district in Chiang Rai, when a pair of robbers stole 1.05 million baht outside a Krungthai Bank. 2 men on a motorbike managed to escape and a manhunt was ordered. Read more HERE. When officials arrived at the crime scene they found 46 year old…

  • Northern Thailand NewsRobbers stole 1.05 million baht in cash from a Chiang Rai bank

    Robbers stole 1.05 million baht in cash from a Chiang Rai bank

    Today at 10am Police in Chiang Saen district Chiang Rai (which borders Myanmar and Laos on the so-called Golden Triangle), were notified that a pair of robbers had stolen 1.05 million baht from the local Krungthai Bank. Police authorities are currently chasing down the 2 suspects who pulled off the daring daylight robbery on the bank. Both suspects were dressed in…

  • Covid-19 NewsBan on international travel into Thailand extended until June 30

    Ban on international travel into Thailand extended until June 30

    The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand has today announced an extension of their current ban on international travel another month, until at least the end of June, 2020. The current ban on scheduled international flights was extended last month to cover May, up to May 31. But now the CAAT have announced the extension for at least another month. There…

  • Northern Thailand NewsFormer employee of Thai Embassy in Singapore arrested for forging visa documents

    Former employee of Thai Embassy in Singapore arrested for forging visa documents

    Police in Chiang Rai have arrested a Singaporean national accused of forging visa documents. 26 year old David Han, a former employee at the Thai Embassy in Singapore, was arrested by Immigration Police at a hotel in Chiang Rai in possession of counterfeit documents required for visa extension. The Chiang Rai Times reports that Han told police he still worked…

  • Northern Thailand News1 million methamphetamine pills seized in Chiang Rai

    1 million methamphetamine pills seized in Chiang Rai

    Last night at around 8.30 pm Police officers from the Narcotics Suppression Division 3, under the supervision of Police General Watcharathip Mongkol, arrested 27 year old Atthachai Sai Kaew. The location of the arrest was at Rob Wiang Sub-district, Chiang Rai Province. Reports reveal that Atthachai was smuggling about 1,000,000 methamphetamine pills (yaba). During the arrest, officials found that Atthachai…

  • Northern Thailand News300,000 methamphetamine pills found in Chiang Rai after smugglers flee

    300,000 methamphetamine pills found in Chiang Rai after smugglers flee

    Around 5.30pm yesterday, 31 troops under the direction of Police Colonel Ratana Phatthanasophon, Division 31, were investigating the smuggling of drugs through the Thai-Myanmar border into Mae Fah Luang District, Chiang Rai Province. 5-6 people were reported walking around the area where the authorities were undergoing routine patrols in the surrounding area. Officials asked the “suspicious men” to stop. But…

  • Northern Thailand NewsChiang Rai puts strict conditions on people entering the province

    Chiang Rai puts strict conditions on people entering the province

    As of yesterday, the Governor of Chiang Rai Prajon Pratyakul issued an order that ‘everyone entering Chiang Rai province will have to wear a face mask and undergo screening at checkpoints’. “This order will apply to all visitors whether, on foot, private vehicles or public transport, those who cannot provide evidence of being a local resident or having a workplace…

  • Northern Thailand NewsNorthern Thailand’s air pollution reaches hazardous levels

    Northern Thailand’s air pollution reaches hazardous levels

    Air quality in the north of Thailand is actually ‘hazardous’ today, as bushfires in Chiang Mai’s Doi Suthep-Pui National Park have caused air quality to become nearly 20 times higher than Thailand’s already lax “safe” limit of ’50’. PM2.5, (dust particulate matter with diameter of 2.5 microns or lower), rose to 925 micrograms per cubic metre in some locations yesterday.…

  • Thailand Weather UpdatesHot with showers in the North, cloudy in the South

    Hot with showers in the North, cloudy in the South

    Thailand’s Meteorological Department said today is a “hot to a very hot day for the North and the Northeast” as a thermal low covers upper Thailand. A combination of southerly and southeasterly winds prevails over the Northeast, the East, the Central and the lower North regions. Thundershowers with gusty winds are forecast in some areas of the upper country (hey,…