Isaan
- World News
Airlines launching direct flights from Phuket to northeast Thailand, and Singapore
Slowly, gradually, but palpably, airlines are starting to increase their frequency and routes again. Not Air is launching direct flights to Phuket from Northeastern Thailand (and visa versa), and Air Asia is adding flight from Phuket to Singapore, starting next Tuesday. Yesterday morning, a Nok Air flight landed in Phuket, marking the new plan for one direct flight per week…
- Northern Thailand News
Songkran, and traffic, are in the air as Bangkok dwellers head ‘upcountry’
The spirit of Songkran is in Thailand’s air, as is heavy traffic, as Bangkok residents make road trips ‘upcountry’ to the Northeastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima and beyond. Motorway 6, or M6, in Pak Chong district, is not yet open to public travel. It will be open to drivers for two periods: April 11 to 14, and after Songkran from…
- Thailand News
Police arrest Thai OnlyFans star making ฿100K per month
Police arrested a trans woman known as ‘Dreamy Dao’ for producing and disseminating pornographic content in the northeastern province of Khon Kaen on Tuesday. Dreamy Dao was making 100,000 baht every month by posting explicit content on the OnlyFans website. Khon Kaen police raided 20 year old Dreamy Dao’s room to find a large number of pornographic videos and 17…
- Thailand News
Thailand cold spell kills 200 chickens in Chaiyaphum
A poultry farm in the northeastern province of Chaiyaphum reported that over 200 chickens died after the temperature dropped to 17 degrees Celsius earlier this week. The Department of Livestock Development reported that sudden changes in weather patterns are affecting the animal husbandry sector in Thailand. Chickens can tolerate cold temperatures below freezing, but sudden changes in temperature can affect…
- Thailand News
Dog poisonings on the rise in Thailand, how to adopt them
A woman in the northeastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima claims she has evidence that seven of her beloved dogs have been poisoned to death. She thinks she knows who the culprit is and has filed a complaint at the local police station in the hope they will be prosecuted. Dog poisoning is sadly a regular occurrence all over Thailand, with…
- Thailand News
Dengue fever outbreak in Thailand’s Isaan region
Four provinces in northeast Thailand have seen an outbreak in cases of dengue fever since January. So far, a total of 1,199 cases of the mosquito-borne illness have been recorded in Nakhon Ratchasima, Chaiyaphum, Buriram and Surin. The most commonly affected age group are 10 to 14 year old children. Symptoms of dengue include high fever, headache, vomiting, muscle and…
- Crime News
Man centre of unsolved “Nong Chompoo” murder case gets jail over protected wood
The man who has been in the centre of the highly-publicised death of his 3 year old niece known as “Nong Chompoo” sentenced to a year in jail… but not for charges related to the unsolved murder case. He was convicted of possessing protected wood and was sentenced to four months in jail, which has been suspended for a year.…
- Thailand News
Murder investigation launched, 2 arrested after dog carries human skull out of forest
Two suspects in a murder investigation have been arrested after a dog found the remains of a police officer’s missing brother in a forest in Thailand’s Isaan region. Officers are still searching for four other suspects. A farmer taking his cows out to feed near an abandoned shoe factory spotted a dog carrying a human skull out of a eucalyptus forest…
- Thailand News
70 year old grandma in Isaan Thailand arrested for growing one cannabis plant
A 70 year old woman from Khon Kaen in northeast Thailand spent Saturday night in a jail cell after she and her relative were arrested for growing one cannabis plant each. After 24 hours without freedom, they were granted bail of 10,000 baht each. The grandma told police she boils the leaves to make medicine to treat her illnesses. However,…
- Crime News
Thai police charge 32 university students for involvement in fatal hazing incident
A total of 32 university students in Thailand’s Isaan region are facing criminal charges for a brutal initiation where a first-year student died after being beaten. Of those students, seven of them have reportedly confessed to using excessive violence against the student and are facing charges of colluding in physical assault causing death and assault. First-year students at the Rajamangala…
- Thailand News
Ranger wanted for murder found dead in Thailand forest after week-long search
After a week-long search involving around 100 officers, the body of a forest ranger wanted for murder was found hanging from a tree in Buriram. The senior ranger was wanted for firing shots at his ex-wife’s home, killing the woman’s 20 year old son. 45 year old Phitphirun Phiraphop was a senior forest protection ranger at Dong Yai Wildlife Sanctuary.…
- Thailand News
Isaan tradition of scattering ashes banned at local river after 7 villages complain of debris
The tradition of scattering a loved one’s ashes into a river in the Isaan province has been banned in a popular area for the ritual after locals reported that a service was arranging boat trips for families to dump not only the cremated remains into the river, but also ritual items and personal possessions of the deceased. Sometimes even mattresses…
- Thailand News
Spicy som tam vendor in Thailand brings in 10,000 baht a day after posing in lingerie
It’s all about the som tam. One spicy som tam vendor in Buriram is bringing in 10,000 per day in sales… but how? Her unique marketing campaign. She posts photos of herself wearing a bikini top and lingerie while making the spicy papaya salad and posing by her shop. Her sign for her shop is even a cartoon of a curvy…
- Thailand News
Famous Thailand monk caught drink driving, carrying methamphetamine
A famous Thailand monk, known for his predictions and visions, was reportedly caught drink driving with methamphetamine pills hidden inside his robes after a 20-kilometre police chase yesterday in eastern province Mukdahan, which borders Laos. Police followed a pickup truck after it ran a red light in Mukdahan city. Turns out a famous monk was behind the wheel. Officers chased…
- Thailand News
21 million baht lawsuit filed against resort after man trampled to death by elephant
Almost a year has passed since an elephant trampled a man to death at a hotel resort in the Isaan province Nakhon Ratchasima. Today, a lawyer, authorised by the man’s wife, has filed a lawsuit amounting to 21 million baht in damages against the resort. 53 year old Raja Thiraphitthayatrakul was trampled to death by an elephant which came loose…
- Northern Thailand News
Roles reversed as Thai bride pays 12.8 million baht dowry
A Thai bride presented a dowry worth a staggering 12.8 million baht to her groom at Khon Kaen Convention Centre on Sunday. Instead of paying a dowry himself, 33 year old groom Micky received 2 million in cash, 500,000 baht’s worth of jewellery, a 5 rai land title deed valued at over 500,000 baht, a 7 million baht house, and…
- Northern Thailand News
‘Furry Green’ snake discovered in Northeast Thailand
One thing we don’t usually need in Thailand is a fur coat. Unless you’re a snake. A local of Sakhon Nakhon province in Northeast Thailand has discovered a rare species of snake just near his home last month… a snake with green fur. Lots of green fur! The local man, Tu, is now awaiting for authorities to identify the strange…
- Crime News
Man claiming to be Tokay gecko catcher allegedly kills 2 pet dogs, steals valuable rosewood house pillars
A thief who claimed to be a Tokay gecko catcher poisoned two pet dogs and stole two house pillars made from valuable rosewood in the early hours of yesterday morning in the Isaan province Surin. 42 year old Saman Sooklom, who rents a house in Surin, woke up yesterday to find that his two pet dogs were dead and the…
- Thailand News
Four fingernails from body of revered monk stolen, one has been returned
Four fingernails from the body of the revered monk Luang Phor Hong were stolen, and so far one fingernail has been returned. The corpse of the Isaan monk, who died at age 97 back in 2014, is kept in a glass coffin which is opened only once a year for an annual robe-changing ceremony at Wat Phetchaburi temple in Surin,…
- Northern Thailand News
Khon Kaen still enforcing unpopular alcohol ban at least 2 more weeks
Khon Kaen’s governor announced yesterday that the province will continue its highly strict, unpopular ban of alcohol from all restaurants for at least two more weeks. After two weeks, the ban will be reevaluated. Even though Thailand has allowed bars to reopen as temporary restaurants, Khon Kaen enforces stricter laws, and doesn’t even allow restaurants to serve alcohol. Alcohol can…
- Northern Thailand News
Army general and two others swindled over 43 million baht in fraud case
An army general and two other people were charged yesterday with colluding to defraud others. The three swindled over 43 million baht from two companies between December 2017 and August 2018. They offered the companies services that didn’t exist. One of these fake projects involved telling a firm they could land it a state contract by installing LED lights in…
- Northern Thailand News
Rock formation in Mekong said to be where Buddha met Naga serpents
Now that the water level in the Mekong has dropped to just one metre deep, a rock formation can now be seen above water, and locals believe the rock has Buddha’s footprints. A Thai legend says Naga serpents invited Buddha to preach in their underwater palaces. The serpents then asked Buddha to leave his footprints at the mouth of the…
- Northern Thailand News
Northeastern cave forced to close for a week after tourists test positive
Nakee Cave in Nakhon Phanom, a Northeastern province, will be closed until Thursday now that seven people who visited tested positive for Covid-19. This included tourists, and tour guides. Authorities might make exceptions for tourists who already booked air tickets, or have arrived at the site, who can try to get permission from authorities to enter. Authorities will then look…
- Northern Thailand News
Police in Northeast find almost 2 million meth pills after car flees checkpoint
Police in Khon Kaen, a Northeastern province in Thailand, found almost 2 million meth pills in a car that drove away from them right before they began to search it at a checkpoint. The police eventually caught up with the driver when he jumped out of the minivan and ran into a sugarcane plantation (these drug couriers ALWAYS run off…
- Northern Thailand News
Kids aged 3-5 in one Northeastern school get exam points deducted if they cry
Kids aged three to five years old taking an entrance exam to one preschool in Maha Sarakham, a Northeastern province, get three points deducted from the exam if they cry during it. The school’s director told Thai PBS the policy was created to make sure the exam was fair because when some children cried, it distracted other children. The director…
- Northern Thailand News
Rock in Naga Cave looks like mythical snake, drives up tourism in Bueng Kan
A giant rock in Naga Cave, located in the Bueng Kan province of Northeastern Thailand, has bumps that look like snake scales. The rock is said to look like Naga, a mythical serpent that Northeastern Thais believe brings rain to their crops. The rock is now drawing tourism to Bueng Kan, and 20 hotels in the Bueng Khong Long district…
- Northern Thailand News
Soldiers in Chiang Mai seize drugs after gunfire exchange, suspects still at large
Three armed men in Chiang Mai near the Myanmar border opened fire on Thai soldiers on Wednesday night. The soldiers shot back, and after five minutes of shooting between the two sides, the gunmen ran into the jungle. The soldiers then searched the area and found 200,000 methamphetamine pills and 750 grams of heroin. The methamphetamine pills were wrapped in…
- Northern Thailand News
Rangers find man’s body in Nakhon Ratchasima national park
Yesterday, park rangers found a man dead in Thap Lan National Park in Nakhon Ratchasima in Northeast Thailand, known as the Isaan. The ranger team was on patrol when they stopped to rest at a waterhole. They then found the man lying on the ground, looking as though he was sleeping. The team called the national park chief, who reported…
- Crime News
Northeast border patrol seizes 10 million baht worth of cannabis
A navy patrol seized 448 kilograms of cannabis in Nakhon Phanom yesterday, said a Mekong Riverine Unit commander. The commander, Sombat Juthanom, said the drugs were worth roughly 10 million baht. Since the beginning of the year, authorities have seized roughly 10 tonnes of marijuana in Thailand’s Northeast region. In addition, the commander reported being concerned about methamphetamine and heroin…
- Thailand Travel
2022 Calendar Watch: Ring in the summer rains with a blast at this year’s Rocket Festival
If you’re craving a pyrotechnic spectacle to fill the gap between Chinese New Year and the Fourth of July, then head northeast to Isaan in mid-May for “Boon Bang Fai” — the annual Rocket Festival. Here you’ll watch teams of tipsy farmers guzzle bottles of local brew and rice wine as they climb rickety bamboo scaffolding with large projectiles slung…
