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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Thai police bust suspects over Ponzi scheme of over 1 billion baht
Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB) Pol. Col. Krisana Pattanacharoen reported a group of suspects involved in a Ponzi scheme was busted by Thai police. He added that over 1,000 individuals had invested more than 1 billion baht in the scheme. The CCIB arrested seven people and seized several assets from two companies that allegedly operated a Ponzi scheme luring people…
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Gold mine reopens in northern Thailand to the dismay of residents
A gold mine has reopened in northern Thailand shocking locals who say the mine had poisoned their livestock, produce, and themselves. According to the Straits Times, the Chatree complex in Pichit province was closed more than six years ago due to health and environmental concerns. Now, despite legal disputes and protests by villagers, the controversial gold mine is back in…
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Angry Thai man stabs wife to death after dispute over saving water
An angry Thai husband stabbed his wife to death at their home in the northern province of Mae Hong Sorn. The man was reportedly angry after the woman advised him to conserve the water for the upcoming dry season. Police officers and locals are now on the hunt for the murderer who fled into the forest after the incident. Officers…
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Bear intrudes village in northeast Thailand
A sun bear wandered out of the forest and into a village in Chaiyaphum province in northeast Thailand yesterday. It took rescue workers five hours to trap the wild animal. Atnoonm, residents of Ban Huai Ruam village in Moo 2, Wang Thong subdistrict, Phakdi Chumphon district reported that a sun bear (“bear-dog” in Thai language) had strayed out of the…
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Bones found behind man’s house who committed suicide suspected to belong to missing wife
Police believe that bones and “human-like body parts” discovered behind a man’s house yesterday who committed suicide in Nakhon Ratchasima province in northeast Thailand could belong to his wife who has been missing for over one week. The missing woman’s parents believe their daughter was murdered by her husband before he hanged himself. At midday on March 13, 30 year old…
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TURN IT DOWN! Bees attack temple over loud music
Most people get annoyed when their neighbours blast loud music but have you ever become so angry that you wanted to stab them with your butt? No? Then you mustn’t be a bee! A swarm of bees did just that at a temple in the Nakhon Ratchasima province. A temple in Phimai District was holding an ordination ceremony on Friday…
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Buffalo gores 4 siblings in northeast Thailand
A buffalo went on a rampage and gored four siblings today in Uthai Thani province in northeast Thailand. Three are seriously injured and one sustained a minor injury. At 10am, officers from Thap Than Police Station were called by residents of Ban Nong Ya Sai village who said a buffalo (kwai) had “gone crazy” and gored four people. Villagers told…
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Why thousands of Thais are flocking to a Morlam singer’s shrine 30 years after her death
Yesterday, more than 2,000 people gathered at the shrine of famous Morlam singer Honey Sri-isan in Kalasin province, northeast Thailand, for a lottery number selection event hosted by a 16 year old singer who is believed by fans to carry the reborn spirit of Honey Sri-Isan, who died in a car accident in 1992. Newcomer to the Morlam scene, 16…
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Thai man accuses wife of hiding 12 million baht lottery prize
A Thai man sought help from a well-known lawyer to file a lawsuit against his wife after he accused her of hiding a 12 million baht lottery prize from him. The woman insists she broke up with her husband several years before she scooped the windfall and remarried. He claims he had no idea about the breakup. The 47 year…
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Loei festival next week features international masks
The northeastern province of Loei is set to host an international mask festival from March 17 to 19. The festival will showcase the cultural attractions of the province that borders Laos. Organisers hope to show visitors the charming atmosphere and vibrant colours of Loei at the three-day event. Naga courtyard will host the opening ceremony on March 17 at 6pm.…
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Thailand’s air pollution leads to 200,000 hospital admissions in past week
Thailand’s current air pollution levels have led to 200,000 hospital admissions over the past week. As heavy find dust blankets the north, northeast and greater Bangkok, the Health Ministry says dust levels are at an unsafe level. The Ministry says those who were admitted to the hospital are suffering from pollution-related respiratory problems. Since the start of 2023, more than…
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Thai plus-size pageant ladies have eating contest with an elephant
A group of Thai plus-size beauty pageant contestants partook in an eating contest with an elephant yesterday in the northeast Nakhon Ratchasima province. The Miss Jumbo Queen beauty pageant is not just about celebrating plus-size beauty, it also aims to boost Nakhon Ratchasima’s tourism and help society. The contestants are taking part in several charitable causes, one of which is…
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Thai police find large lot of drugs in Chiang Rai, Lampang provinces
Thai police have reportedly found a large lot of drugs in the northern provinces of Chiang Rai and Lampang. The police say they confiscated nine million methamphetamine tablets, 20 kilogrammes of ketamine, and 297 kilogrammes of crystal methamphetamine (Ice) in three separate seizures. The first seizure saw police finding 12 plastic boxes with two million methamphetamine pills, 297 kilogrammes of…
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Irate Thai man who set his own car on fire has absolutely no regrets
An irate Thai man who set his car on fire in the northeast Udon Thani province has absolutely no regrets. The man, 58 year old Panya, set fire to his sedan on Sunday after continuing to experience problems with the car’s electrical system and trouble getting the car to start. The issues really ground Panya’s gears. When he wanted to…
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High-ranking Thai police officer dies in paramotor accident
A high-ranking Thai police officer died in a paramotor accident near the Ubol Ratana Dam in Khon Kaen province in northeast Thailand on Sunday. At 4pm, staff at Ubol Ratana Hospital were informed that someone was seriously injured after a paramotor crash near a famous restaurant in Ban Non Sawan village in the Kluan Ubol Rat subdistrict. Pol. Col. Nattadej…
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47 macaques found in Isaan crammed in plastic cages for Chinese medicine
Thai police have rescued 47 macaques that were being smuggled out of the country for probable use in traditional Chinese medicine. The macaques were found crammed into plastic cages on the back of a pickup truck in Isaan, suffering from overcrowding and neglect. The disturbing scene was uncovered by the Natural Resources and Environmental Crime Suppression Division and national park…
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SRT unveils progress on Den Chai-Chiang Rai Tunnel excavation
The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) public relations chief yesterday revealed excavations on the Den Chia-Chiang Rai tunnel is underway. Ekkarat Sriarayanpong announced that work has begun on the 6.2-kilometre tunnel which will connect Den Chai in Phrae with Chiang Rai’s Chiang Khong district. The five-year project, situated on the banks of the Mekong River, is an ambitious plan that…
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Thief steals Thai singer’s license plate to nick diesel in NE Thailand
A Thai singer took to social media to appeal to fans to help find a number plate stolen from his car after an inventive thief used it to steal diesel from a petrol station in northeast Thailand. Buriram Police are on the lookout for the light-fingered tealeaf who stole the license plate and attached it to his vehicle before travelling…
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Hit-and-run crash kills Move Forward candidate in northern Thailand
A hit-and-run crash killed a Move Forward candidate in northern Thailand, who was expected to seek a constituency seat in Phrae province. The prospective candidate, Tiranon ‘Lawyer Ken’ Wiantham, was hit by a speeding truck in the province after campaigning on Sunday, February 26, according to witnesses. He died from his injuries yesterday morning. Tiranon was a volunteer lawyer known…
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Ex-boyfriend shoots teacher 3 times at kindergarten in Nong Bua Lamphu, Thailand
An ex-boyfriend shot his ex-girlfriend, a kindergarten teacher, three times in northeast Thailand’s Nong Bua Lamphu province yesterday. The man shot the teacher, Wanpen, twice in the chest and once in her stomach, at the kindergarten where she taught. One witness, a contractor renovating the school, said he heard gunshots and found Wanpen lying near the front door of the…
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Man robbed at gunpoint by prostitute’s husband in Isaan
A man highlighted the dangers of booking a prostitute after he was robbed at gunpoint by the sex worker’s husband in the Isaan province of Khon Kaen. The criminal couple was arrested on Monday, which also led to the arrest of ten other prostitutes, but because the victim did not file a complaint with the police the couple got off…
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Thai man prints banner thanking court for imprisoning his sons for 33 years
An attempted murder survivor from Udon Thani in northeast Thailand had a huge banner printed thanking Udon Thani Court for imprisoning his two sons for 33 years. His sons tried to kill him over a land dispute, the court ruled. The banner reads… “Thank you to Nong Han Police and prosecutors at Udon Thani Court for sentencing my ungrateful sons…
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New meth pills under 10 baht each flooding market
If you’ve been thinking of dabbling in meth but found the pills cost-prohibitive, drug cartels are here to help. They’ve been flooding the Northeast of Thailand with cheap methamphetamine pills, costing under 10 baht each, causing concern among authorities. How do manufacturers manage to keep the cost of pills so low? The answer is insecticide. Drug makers use insecticide as…
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Udon Thani thief with a heart of gold, and head of lead
What happened to an Udon Thani thief last week could so easily happen to any of us. You are strolling down the street – or cycling – and something in a shop window catches your eye, shiny and glittery. You pause to admire some random treasure beyond the glass and you think: “That’s beautiful. I’d love to own that.” But…
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Elderly couple attacked by over 10,000 wild bees in northern Thailand
An elderly couple in the northern province of Tak suffered a terrifying attack by a swarm of over ten thousand wild bees. The couple, both around 70 years old, was sitting in front of their house near the Ping River in the Baan Tak district when the bees descended upon them without warning. The couple endured multiple stings all over…
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Forest encroachment at Thap Lan puts tigers at risk
Forest encroachment at Thap Lan National Park in Prachin Buri – the heartland of Thailand’s tiger population – has become so severe that Natural Resources and Environment Minister Varawut Silpa-archa is considering the possibility of new borders being drawn up. Varawut said… “I’m confident the government won’t be disadvantaged by using forest borderlines to solve this problem inside the park.…
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Tubing in northern Thailand bustling with foreign tourists
A Thai TikToker recently shared a video of foreign tourists enjoying a tubing adventure along the Pai River in Mae Hong Son, a northern province of Thailand. Thai netizens were overwhelmed by the video, saying it was a sign the kingdom is well on the way to economic recovery and tourism is booming once more. @roritarkratair posted the video yesterday…
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Rare trees bloom with beautiful flowers on Thai-Lao border
Rare trees are blooming with beautiful flowers at a national park on northern Thailand’s border with Laos. The Doi Phukha National Park in Nan province is currently a sight to behold as the rare Chompoo Phu Kha trees have burst into bloom. The trees display white-pink flowers that grow in long bunches once a year from the end of February…
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Thunderstorms in north Thailand, floods in Bangkok
The Thai Meteorological Department has issued a weather warning for thunderstorms in north Thailand until Friday. The met office expects temperatures to fall by up to 3 degrees Celsius and has cautioned residents to beware of big trees and unsafe advertising hoardings. The department advised farmers to prepare for crop damage. Meanwhile, the weather in Bangkok turned from swelteringly suffocating…
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Ignorant foreigner stops traffic to take pictures of a 10-wheel truck
An ignorant foreigner was caught on a TikTok video parking his pickup in the middle of the road just so he could take pictures of a full-decorated Thai 10-wheel truck on a road in the Isaan province of Sakhon Nakhon. The 10-wheel truck driver recorded a video of the foreigner, totally oblivious to his surroundings on a busy road, and…
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