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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    Why retirees in Thailand are choosing long-term health insurance over quick fixes

    Retirees in Thailand are increasingly seeing the importance of health insurance in protecting their well-being during retirement. With insurance requirements for retirement visas and rising healthcare costs, many are moving away from short-term plans and choosing long-term coverage. Long-term health...

  • Vanishing act: Thai man’s disappearance sparks monk’s mystical ceremony | Thaiger

    Vanishing act: Thai man’s disappearance sparks monk’s mystical ceremony

    A 49 year old Thai man mysteriously vanished from his home in the early hours of October 26 leading to a monk’s mystical ceremony to find him. Residents from Mo 9, Nern Phayom, Thung Pho, Nong Chang, Uthai Thani, and neighbouring villages were joined by over 30 officials in a desperate search that lasted four days. Their journey led them…

  • Artistic intrigue: Thai national artist’s chilly encounter with graffiti mysteries | Thaiger

    Artistic intrigue: Thai national artist’s chilly encounter with graffiti mysteries

    A compelling story about Chalermchai Kositpipat, a Thai national artist, has been shared on the Facebook page Little Mouse on the Cold Mountain Peak. The narrative unfolds in the chilly Chiang Rai province, near Wat Rong Khun, where an anonymous group painted graffiti on a wall. One night, a group covertly began to create street art on a wall opposite…

  • Golden opportunity gone wrong: Burmese man arrested for gold necklace heist | Thaiger

    Golden opportunity gone wrong: Burmese man arrested for gold necklace heist

    Police arrested a Burmese man for stealing a gold necklace worth 65,000 baht from a Thai woman in the northern province of Chiang Mai. The 42 year old victim, surnamed Oil, filed a complaint at Mueang Chiang Mai Police Station on October 29, saying a man snatched a gold necklace she was wearing and fled at around 4am. The theft…

  • Flare for trouble: Thai teen’s homemade firework mishap douses floating lantern festival | Thaiger

    Flare for trouble: Thai teen’s homemade firework mishap douses floating lantern festival

    An incident at a floating lantern festival in Khelang Nakorn led to a young man severely injuring his hand with a homemade firework. The unfortunate event unfolded yesterday evening around 8pm. Emergency services from Amarin responded swiftly to calls for assistance from the festival, held at the Wang River Sports Field in the Fon Village, Chom Phu, Lampang. The injured…

  • Suicide of Wild Boar footballer sparks nationwide query into mental health support | Thaiger

    Suicide of Wild Boar footballer sparks nationwide query into mental health support

    The tragic suicide of Dom, a member of the “Wild Boar” football team, has left many with questions. As per a report by the BBC, Dom, full name Duangpetch Promthep, was one of the 13 individuals from the football team who were trapped in the Tham Luang cave and died eight months after his rescue. The cause of his death…

  • Karen tribe woman gives birth at Tak province border patrol checkpoint | Thaiger

    Karen tribe woman gives birth at Tak province border patrol checkpoint

    A pregnant woman from the Karen tribe gave birth at a border patrol checkpoint in Tak province, as she was unable to reach a hospital in time due to the remote location of her home. The birth, which took place today, at 7am, was overseen by a team of rangers from the 35th Border Patrol unit and health officers from the…

  • Brewing trouble: Khon Kaen coffee shop brews up plea for sugar price control | Thaiger

    Brewing trouble: Khon Kaen coffee shop brews up plea for sugar price control

    A renowned coffee shop in Khon Kaen called on the government to regulate sugar prices. Having been in business for over two decades, the shop is now grappling with the highest sugar prices it has ever encountered. This has led to serious concerns about the survival of the establishment. Yesterday at 1pm, a reporter visited several beverage vendors in the…

  • Udon Thani: Man in suspicion of girlfriend’s death attempts suicide | Thaiger

    Udon Thani: Man in suspicion of girlfriend’s death attempts suicide

    A tragic end to a love triangle involving two women and a man unfolded in a Udon Thani city residence yesterday. Two individuals were found in a state of distress, one deceased, another barely alive. The incident was reported around 7.30am today, prompting immediate investigative measures from the local police and medical personnel. The incident transpired in a two-storey dwelling,…

  • Myanmar teenage YouTuber arrested for making explosives | Thaiger

    Myanmar teenage YouTuber arrested for making explosives

    A teenager’s dream of becoming a YouTuber was dashed when police arrested him for attempting to cause mayhem during the end of Buddhist Lent. Mantsak Kaew-on, officer in charge at Mae Sot Police Station in Tak province, today, October 28, dispatched a team of ten officers led by Kritsakon Pho Phong to patrol the Sri Thai road near the Thai-Myanmar…

  • Lightning strike tragedy: Thai father killed in bed as family watches in horror in northern Thailand | Thaiger

    Lightning strike tragedy: Thai father killed in bed as family watches in horror in northern Thailand

    A family of four experienced a tragedy when a lightning strike hit their home in Wang Chao, Tak province yesterday. The 47 year old father, Jitpol, was struck by lightning while in bed, a fatal strike witnessed by his wife and two daughters. The family’s home, a wooden structure with a zinc roof, was inspected after the unfortunate lightning strike…

  • Telephone scammer posing as police officer busted by a real cop on TikTok video | Thaiger

    Telephone scammer posing as police officer busted by a real cop on TikTok video

    A viral video posted by TikTok user @champ_z9, showing a real-life confrontation between a police officer and a telephone scammer, racked up more than 7.7 million views. The video captures an unusual event where the policeman is contacted by the scammer who pretends to be a fellow officer from Mae Charim Police Station. The video shows a young policeman engaged…

  • Foot-and-mouth disease probable cause for Phayao buffalo deaths | Thaiger

    Foot-and-mouth disease probable cause for Phayao buffalo deaths

    A number of buffaloes have been found dead under mysterious circumstances in the Phayao province, in northern Thailand. The livestock department of Phayao province suspected the cause to be foot-and-mouth disease and has expedited investigations to affirm the cause of death. The incident occurred in village number 10 of Champa Wai sub-district, Mueang district, Phayao province, where the local livestock department…

  • Chiang Mai property stirs online debate, selling dream or reality for 80,000 baht? | Thaiger

    Chiang Mai property stirs online debate, selling dream or reality for 80,000 baht?

    A plot of land, measuring just one square wah (equivalent to 4 square metres) and priced at 80,000 baht, has caused a stir on social media. The land, located in a village in Chiang Mai, comes complete with a groundwater system, a water tank, and a steel cage. The online Chiang Mai property post advertising the sale also included a…

  • Elderly man accused of child sex abuse commits suicide in northern Thailand | Thaiger

    Elderly man accused of child sex abuse commits suicide in northern Thailand

    A 72 year old man accused of child sex abuse committed suicide, escaping the legal consequences of his actions. The mother of the 11 year old girl victim revealed that she too had been molested by the same man when she was a child. The child sex abuse incident came to light when an 11 year old girl sent a…

  • Chiang Mai military seize 12.2 million meth pills | Thaiger

    Chiang Mai military seize 12.2 million meth pills

    Early this morning morning saw the seizure of over 12 million methamphetamine pills by military personnel in the Wiang Haeng district of Chiang Mai. The Pha Muang task force’s rangers of the Royal Thai Army discovered two suspicious pickup trucks parked in a garden along the Ban Mai Muang Jod road in the Piang Luang Tambon at around 5am, today,…

  • Debt debacle: Thai man attacked, forced to settle loan shark score for ex-employee (video) | Thaiger

    Debt debacle: Thai man attacked, forced to settle loan shark score for ex-employee (video)

    A Thai man sought justice for himself after he was attacked and forced to pay an 8,000 baht debt to the loan sharks on behalf of his former employee. A video of the victim, 50 year old Kan, subjected to a brutal assault by a group of 20 loan sharks was shared on Thai social media. The video shows a…

  • Sticky rice bonanza: Thai community in Nakhon Phanom cashes in on Khao Mao harvest | Thaiger

    Sticky rice bonanza: Thai community in Nakhon Phanom cashes in on Khao Mao harvest

    The annual rice harvest has proven to be a golden opportunity for the Thai community in Nakhon Phanom in northeastern Thailand. This is especially true for a group of people who are making a substantial income by producing and selling traditional sticky rice known as Khao Mao. This business generates several million baht every year. One such group is led…

  • Elderly woman in Buriram lives alone without basic amenities for 30 years | Thaiger

    Elderly woman in Buriram lives alone without basic amenities for 30 years

    An 84 year old woman has been living alone for over 30 years without any basic facilities such as electricity and water in her Buriram home. This distressing scenario unfolded in the Buriram province where the woman lives in a dilapidated house. She is unable to walk and relies on the kindness of her neighbours and leftover food from a…

  • Chanthaburi philanthropist’s Mercedes-Benz sparks lottery frenzy in Roi Et | Thaiger

    Chanthaburi philanthropist’s Mercedes-Benz sparks lottery frenzy in Roi Et

    The generosity of a wealthy philanthropist from Chanthaburi sparked a lottery frenzy in Roi Et province. The benefactor donated a red-plate Mercedes-Benz, valued at 2,540,000 baht, to a revered monk, Phra Khru Udompanyasarn of Wat Ban Nong Ruea in Roi Et. The vehicle’s registration number has now become a hot pick for lottery enthusiasts, hoping to strike it rich in…

  • Marshland hideout proves futile for Thai drug smuggler apprehended in northern Thailand | Thaiger

    Marshland hideout proves futile for Thai drug smuggler apprehended in northern Thailand

    Phichit Police, apprehended a 25 year old drug smuggler after he was found hiding in a marshland, having fled from authorities in northern Thailand. The drug smuggler, Natthanon, was discovered in a shivering state due to being submerged in marsh water for two days, enduring rain and cold without food. The arrest followed a significant drug seizure on October 4,…

  • Norwegian man murders his Thai boyfriend in Chiang Mai | Thaiger

    Norwegian man murders his Thai boyfriend in Chiang Mai

    Police arrested a Norwegian man on Tuesday for the alleged murder of his Thai boyfriend at their home in the northern province of Chiang Mai. A resident of Wang Singha Kham village in Pa Dad district of Chaing Mai province reported the death of a 39 year old Thai man named Charit to Mueang Chiang Mai Police Station on the…

  • Eighth day of search for missing mushroom picker in Khao Kho forest as new clues emerge | Thaiger

    Eighth day of search for missing mushroom picker in Khao Kho forest as new clues emerge

    A desperate search for a 61 year old mushroom picker lost in the Khao Kho Forest in northern Thailand has entered its eighth day, with over 100 people, including residents and officials from various departments, joining the hunt. Tragically, the man, known locally as Khamphan Sisonkarn or Lod, disappeared on September 27 while foraging in the community forest of Jawa…

  • Chiang Mai bridge collapses amid heavy rain, locals express relief | Thaiger

    Chiang Mai bridge collapses amid heavy rain, locals express relief

    The Wang Sa Kaeng Bridge, spanning the Ping River and connecting the Chom Thong district of Chiang Mai and Wiang Nong Long district of Lampoon, collapsed after heavy rainfall. The incident, which occurred at 5.31pm yesterday, was captured by locals, who expressed relief at the bridge’s collapse, citing its long-standing disrepair. The collapse of the Wang Sa Kaeng bridge, which…

  • Monk’s mysterious death unveils temple ‘whodunit’ in central Thailand | Thaiger

    Monk’s mysterious death unveils temple ‘whodunit’ in central Thailand

    The mysterious death of a 57 year old monk in a temple in Ang Thong province sparked a police investigation. The body was found in a monk’s hut, lying on the floor surrounded by a foul smell, with blood and yellow liquid on the ground. A lottery ticket for the October 1 draw was discovered in the hut, which drew…

  • Ele-fantastic fortune: Thai cactus with trunk-like growth attracts good luck-seeking locals | Thaiger

    Ele-fantastic fortune: Thai cactus with trunk-like growth attracts good luck-seeking locals

    Residents of Phayao province are flocking to a golden chicken ball cactus, believed to be a good luck charm due to its unusual growth resembling a baby elephant’s trunk. The cactus belongs to 46 year old Phatharaporn, who has experienced an influx of customers and a significant increase in income since the peculiar growth appeared. The golden chicken ball cactus,…

  • Tropical storm drenches northeast Thailand but pumps come to the rescue | Thaiger

    Tropical storm drenches northeast Thailand but pumps come to the rescue

    A tropical storm has swept across northeast Thailand, causing the Mun River to rise, and flooding local communities. In response, the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department hastened to set up water pumps to draw rainwater back into the river, lessening the impact of the floods. Two districts have been affected, forcing residents from 15 communities, totalling 200 households, and 684…

  • Devastating house fire wipes out life savings and home of 67 year old Akha tribe woman in northern Thailand | Thaiger

    Devastating house fire wipes out life savings and home of 67 year old Akha tribe woman in northern Thailand

    A 67 year old stateless elderly woman from the Akha tribe had her life savings and property destroyed in a devastating house fire. The incident took place at her residence numbered 185, located in the village of Pa Ka Sukjai, Mae Salong Nok Sub-district, Mae Fa Luang District, Chiang Rai Province. The fire was reportedly due to an electrical short…

  • Rain reigns in Khon Kaen: Pumps pump out the flood | Thaiger

    Rain reigns in Khon Kaen: Pumps pump out the flood

    Heavy rains in Khon Kaen triggered a swift response from emergency services, with seven water pumps set up in flood-prone areas to efficiently drain the excess water. The local authorities are confident in their ability to manage the high water volumes in Bueng Kaen Nakhon and Bueng Thung Sang. Essential manpower and equipment are on standby to aid those affected around…

  • Chiang Mai University professor survives on just 118 baht per month amidst civil servant salary debate | Thaiger

    Chiang Mai University professor survives on just 118 baht per month amidst civil servant salary debate

    A Chiang Mai University professor revealed he struggled for a year on a monthly wage of just 118 baht, a situation that led to a difficult life, reports Khaosod. He had to use an old motorcycle to commute to work, and there were times when he ran out of fuel midway. The issue of splitting civil servants’ salaries into two…

  • Rosewood racket busted: Task force and national park collaborate to thwart illegal loggers in northern Thailand | Thaiger

    Rosewood racket busted: Task force and national park collaborate to thwart illegal loggers in northern Thailand

    The Phaya Sue Task Force, in collaboration with Huai Nam Dang National Park, apprehended a network involved in the illegal logging of rosewood in the Srai Ngam forest area, Pai district, Mae Hong Son province. The operation, which resulted in the seizure of a significant amount of evidence, was conducted on September 12. Attapol Charoenchansa, who is acting on behalf…