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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Sponsored 5 ways retirees in Thailand lose money (and how to stop it)
Retiring in Thailand can be affordable and enjoyable, but many retirees lose money due to common mistakes. High living costs, scams, and unexpected expenses can quickly drain savings. There are five ways that retirees in Thailand can lose money and...
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Police chase, arrest two women with 300 kilograms of compressed marijuana
Authorities in the northeastern Nong Khai province arrested two women yesterday and seized 300 kilograms of compressed marijuana. The two were captured after trying to run a police checkpoint. Police told reporters the arrests came after a tip-off that marijuana would be smuggled from neighbouring Bung Kan province, once a part of Nong Khai. It was to be transported to…
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3 arrested for selling fake gold in Khon Kaen
Three men are now in police custody in the north-eastern province of Khon Kaen for selling fake gold to gold shops. 42 year old Suparb from Udon Thani province, 41 year old Pakorn from Bangkok and 30 year old Thanakorn from Surin Province were arrested after police received complaints of fake gold chains being sold to several shops in the…
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5 drown after passenger boat sinks in Uttradit’s Sirikit reservoir – UPDATE
(UPDATE: 7:07am, the Thai-language daily Khao Sod now reports the number of drowned at 5) One passenger has drowned and four others remain missing (presumed drowned) after their boat struck a submerged tree stump and capsized on Sirikit Dam in the northern province of Uttradit, near the border of Laos. Rescue workers recovered five passengers and the boat’s skipper from…
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1 person dead, 4 remain missing after boat capsize on reservoir near Laos border
One person has drowned whilst four others remain missing, presumed dead, after their boat struck an obstacle, probably a tree stump, that was submerged under the surface. The boat capsized on Sirikit Reservoir in Thailand’s northern province of Uttradit, near the Laos border. Rescue workers have been able to retrieve five other passengers and the boat’s captain from the reservoir,…
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Tour bus crash in northern Thailand injures 8
Eight people are injured, one seriously, after a tour bus crashed in northern Thailand’s northern Nan Province yesterday morning. The bus skidded into a mountain slope at a curve in the main city district. Thai media report that the bus was found lying on its side when police and rescue workers arrived at the scene. The 32 year old driver, Yutthapong…
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6 million baht lottery winner goes on drug-fuelled rampage, tries to burn down house
A man who won a six million baht lottery prize in June is now in police custody in Sisaket, northeastern Thailand. His mother reported to police that “he’s become a berserk drug addict”. Police told Thai media that 56 year old Kom Poka called police to arrest her 32 year old son Chainarong in Sisaket after he went on a…
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Thai PM says he wants to prevent political protests, from either side
In a move that is sure to be seen as a bid to stifle opposition gatherings, protests and debate, the Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha is voicing concern that opposition-organised political rallies, as well as those of his supporters. will “lead to fresh conflicts”. The PM told reporters yesterday that “…he has instructed security authorities to find ways to prevent such activities in…
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Buri Ram gold and jewellery thief arrested whilst trying to flee the province
A man was arrested in his car yesterday in the northeastern province of Buri Ram after allegedly stealing gold valued around two million baht from a shop at a local department store over two weeks ago, on the night of December 28. 22 year old Prawit Chaikheenee was arrested whilst sitting in his on the Buri Ram-Nang Rong Road while…
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Mother and daughter busted for selling meth pills in Thailand’s north east
A mother and daughter are currently in custody after their arrest for selling ‘yaba’, or methamphetamine pills in Kalasin, north east Thailand. The 54 year old woman, named only as Sang, and her 25 year old daughter Tarnthip, were arrested at their home in the northeastern city of Kalasin with 13 yaba pills and the 280 baht cash used in…
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“Run Against Dictatorship” events blocked in two Thai provinces
This Sunday’s planned “Run Against Dictatorship” anti-government protest event in Bangkok has spawned copycat campaigns across Thailand, which have now been prohibited in at least two provinces. Organisers of the Bangkok event have tried to clarify that they are not involved with the planning for any runs planned elsewhere in the country. The campaign’s Thai name, “Wing Lai Lung” (วิ่งไล่ลุง) literally…
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Record numbers flock to Khon Kaen flower festival
PHOTOS: 77kaoded.com A record high of over 300,000 visitors flocked to the annual flower festival in the north eastern province of Khon Kaen this year, averaging around 30,000 a day. The “Amazing International Flower Festival 2019” was held at Bueng Thung Sang Health Garden, from December 17 to January 3. Although the festival officially ended on Friday, the city will keep…
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New road projects around Thailand in 2020
PHOTO: Nation Thailand The Thai Department of Highways plans to spend 124 billion baht during the next 12 months with five of the projects already budgeted and ready for the tender process. Contracts are expected to be signed in May for those projects. There will be a 16 kilometre eastern bypass around Nong Khai, just south of Vientiane and the…
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Freak hailstorm causes blackouts, damages homes in Chiang Rai
PHOTOS: Thai PBS World Heavy rains and hail have damaged homes and caused widespread blackouts in the northern province of Chiang Rai. Strong winds knocked down trees in several districts, blocking traffic. Officials say the sudden storm, which struck Mae Sai, Chiang Saen and Mae Chan districts, lasted about 30 minutes and damaged several houses. They say the relief operation was hindered…
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2 million baht of gold stolen in Buri Ram, police suspect inside job
A thief has made off with 2 million baht in gold necklaces, rings and bracelets from a gold shop at a Buri Ram department store. Police examined CCTV footage showing a man wearing a cap entering the shop in the early morning on Saturday before ransacking several areas. Officers took fingerprints at various locations including the gold shop. Thai media report…
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Another hero dies as a result of Tham Luang cave rescue
PHOTO: Thai PBS World A second rescuer, who was part of the enormous international rescue effort to save the lives of 13 young men trapped in Tham Luang cave in June last year, has died. The Royal Thai Navy made the announcement yesterday. The Bangkok Post reports that Petty Officer First Class Beirut Pakbara has succumbed to a rare blood…
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Two drug smugglers killed by soldiers in Chiang Rai, drugs seized
Two drug runners have been shot and killed by soldiers in the Mae Sai district of Chiang Rai. They were shipping 600 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine (ice) which was seized in the operation. The men were killed during a gunfight between a group of drug runners and border police after the Pha The Muang military task force detected 15-20 men…
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Burmese migrants are chasing months of back-pay from Chiang Rai plantation
FILE PHOTO 45 legally registered Burmese migrant workers in Chiang Rai are seeking assistance from the local labour office to conduct an inquiry into unpaid salaries over a couple of months, some up to six months. The workers have been engaged at a banana plantation in the Phaya Mengrai district. The workers rallied at the provincial offices on Monday, some claiming they…
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Worst drought in 40 years means tough times for Thais
The lowest rainfall ever recorded in Thailand was in 1979. Now, Thailand’s Meteorological Department is forecasting an even worse drought and dry season saying it will last until May 2020. Forty-three provinces in the north, northeast, and central regions will be the most affected. Some are already in the grip of critical water shortages with farmers being asked to swap their…
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Workers at Buriram dog shelter complain of being forced to stay in cages
PHOTO: sanook.com Fifteen workers from an animal shelter in Buriram, north-east Thailand, have filed a police report claiming their employer verbally abuses them and forces them to spend time in dog cages. Thai Residents reports that the shelter employees have also posted on social media, accusing the French man who runs the shelter, named only as ‘Miguel’, of making them…
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4 dead, 47 injured in Loei bus crash
PHOTOS: มะเขือขื่นข่าวเชียงคาน Just two days after 14 Singaporean tourists were injured in a tour van crash, 4 people have been killed and at least 47 people injured, some seriously, after a tour bus from Buriram lost control last night. “Brake failure” has been given as the reason for the crash. The bus, which was carrying mainly elderly Buriram residents, ended…
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15 year old Buriram girl forced to sell drugs for her boyfriend
PHOTOS: Sanook.com Police in Buriram north east Thailand, have rescued a 15 year old girl and arrested her 33 year old boyfriend after he threatened her with a gun to deliver drugs for his gang. The girl, known only as “Aum,” called her father, who told police his daughter was being kept locked in a rented room in Nang Rong…
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Fugitive ‘serial killer’ Somkid arrested on Bangkok-bound train
Police have arrested the convicted killer Somkid Poompuang, who has been nick-named in Thai media as “Jack the Ripper” and “Kid the Ripper” this morning. He was on the run since a murder in Khon Kaen last Sunday. 55 year old Somkid was on a train at a railway station in the Pak Chong district of Nakhon Ratchasima province in north…
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Police in Khon Kaen hunt Thai “Jack the Ripper”
PHOTOS: Chiang Rai Times Police and Crime Suppression Division officers have launched a manhunt for a convicted serial killer accused of murdering a woman in Khon Kaen on Sunday, just 7 months after his release from prison. The man, 55 year old Somkid Pumpuang, is the prime suspect in the murder of 51 year old Rassami Mulichan at her house last…
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Thai Immigration Chief softens stance on tourist and expat visas
#shutdoorafterhorsehasbolted The head of Thai Immigration has told his department not to be too strict on tourists and scare them away from returning to Thailand. According to PattayaOne, the Chief has asked for his staff to “show some humanity”. Lt-Gen Sompong – also known as Big Oud, after his predecessor was nicknamed Big Joke – was doing a presentation during a…
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Stray bullet hits minivan, kills female passenger
PHOTO: sanook.com A 27 year old woman has died after a stray bullet hit the minivan in which she was travelling and penetrated the right-hand side of her body. The incident appears to be an accident. Thai Residents reports that the shooting took place around 1.30am yesterday morning. It’s understood the woman was travelling from Buriram in Thailand’s north east, to Bangkok…
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British diver’s lawyer claims jury blundered in Elon Musk defamation trial
PHOTO: Getty Images “That is a serious problem. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a bullying billionaire or a penniless troll, that behaviour is destructive.” – Vernon Unsworth’s lawyer, Mark Stephens Elon Musk could face a retrial in his defamation case after a lawyer for the British cave diver Vernon Unsworth, based in Chiang Rai, claimed the jury blundered. The Tesla founder…
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Tesla’s Elon Musk wins defamation trial over ‘pedo guy’ tweet
PHOTO: Christian Monterrosa/EPA “My client went toe to toe with a billionaire bully.” Tesla’s mercurial Elon Musk has emerged victorious after a defamation trial as a federal court jury swiftly rejected the US$190 million claim brought against him by a British cave explorer, Vernon Unsworth, who Musk branded a “pedo guy” on Twitter. The incident happened during the attempts to…
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Kind-hearted coffin seller turns a blind eye to repeated theft
PHOTO: MCOT “A coffin maker, who supplies Jamnong, says the store is left open at night, often with no staff in attendance.” The kind-hearted owner of a coffin shop in Buriram, north-east Thailand, has admitted he regularly has to deal with coffins being stolen from his premises, but can’t bring himself to file police reports against the perpetrators, as he…
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Couple realise they’d won the lottery when driving back to hometown in the north-east
PHOTO: Sanook A husband and wife were driving back to Yasothon Province in the north-east from Bangkok when they checked Sunday’s draw of the twice-monthly Thai Government lottery. They’d won the first prize! 6 million baht. The couple work as vendors at the Sampeng Market in ChinaTown, Bangkok. The winning numbers were 453522. 23 years old Methinee and her 34…
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Government donates tents to Korat traders in wake of devastating market fire
PHOTO: Prasit Tangprasert Following a fire on Sunday night that ripped through the Mae Kim Heng market in Nakorn Ratchasima (Korat), north-eastern Thailand, the provincial government has provided tents for over 100 affected vendors. The Nation reports that the blaze started in a flower shop near the front of the market, where a large volume of foam blocks, used in floral…
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