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 Bangtao, Phuket: The neighbourhood expats and investors are eyeing in 2025
Bangtao didn't become Phuket’s most talked-about neighbourhood overnight. For a long time, it was a quiet place on the island’s west coast where locals walked their dogs at sunrise and tourists flocked to sunbathe along its eight-kilometre stretch of beach....
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Police: No foul play in Vorayuth witness’s death
Police today ruled out the possibility of murder in the death of a key witness in Red Bull drinks heir Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya’s hit-and-run case. The regional police commander in Chiang Mai, where the witness died in a motorcycle incident last month, said new autopsy results found no trace of any suspicious substance apart from alcohol in Jaruchart Mardthong’s body.…
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DSI says enough evidence, testimony to pursue case of vanished Karen activist “Billy”
Thailand’s Department of Special Investigation has announced it will challenge prosecutors’ decision to drop charges against 4 men allegedly involved in the presumed murder of a Karen land rights activist. Department director Korawat Panprapakorn said there is sufficient evidence and eyewitness testimony to press murder charges against the 4, including the former chief of Kaeng Krachan National Park, for the…
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Korat man terrifies locals with “musical instrument”
Residents of Isaan’s Nakhon Ratchasima province were terrified when a man, dressed in a civil servant’s uniform, pulled out what looked like a heavy rifle to threaten someone who had jumped the queue at a local mechanic’s shop yesterday. Shop staff said the man argued with the person who had cut the queue for 10 minutes before heading to his…
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Korat mother found with throat cut
A mother in the lower northeastern Nakhon Ratchasima province was found dead at her home with her throat slit today, in what police believe is a murder stemming from an extramarital romantic affair. 29 year old Nattarika Shibahara lived with her 6 year old daughter, who was at school when the crime happened. Her Singaporean husband was also away. A…
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Abbot arrested and defrocked after taking “up-skirt” videos of teenage girl
The abbot of a temple in northeastern Thailand has been arrested and defrocked after being accused of taking “up-skirt” videos of a teenage girl. The incident is understood to have taken place while the 16 year old girl was visiting the temple on a merit-making trip with her family. The abbot has been named as 48 year old Thanachai Srisuriyawong…
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Anti-government protests spread to Buri Ram
A group of youths and students calling themselves “Buri Ram Youths for Liberation” staged a rally at a public park in the central city district of that lower northeastern province yesterday. At the rally, which began at about 5pm at the Rom Buri public park, demonstrators called for the dissolution of Parliament, an end to government intimidation of the people…
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Drug suspect shot dead after slashing officers in Nong Khai
An alleged drug dealer was killed and 2 police officers wounded in a police raid in Isaan’s Nong Khai province yesterday afternoon. Nong Khai police say 3 of their officers were engaged in the shooting incident with the suspect, 25 year old Parinya Yeunnan, in Meechai subdistrict. According to a police spokesman: “Officials tracked down the suspect, a Nong Khai…
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Armed teens terrorise Buri Ram village
Video emerged yesterday of a gang of youths, dressed in school uniforms, marauding through Khok Mai district in Isaan’s Buri Ram province on motorbikes and firing guns. Initial investigation revealed that the gun-happy gang had done this before, riding into Laluad village and attacking residents by throwing objects at them and firing into in the sky. Officers retrieved footage from…
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Police seize property valued at 200 million baht from suspected hill tribe drug gang – VIDEO
Anti-narcotics police in 4 provinces seized property valued at around 200 million baht from a suspected drug trafficking gang… mostly northern hill tribe people, in coordinated raids yesterday. 30 targets in Bangkok and Hua Hin, as well as in northern and southern provinces, were raided by armed officers. 24 houses, 5 shophouses, 12 land title deeds, 22 cars and 27…
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7 Nakhon Panom officers transferred after cell death
7 police officers in the upper northeastern province of Nakhon Panom have been “transferred to inactive duty” while an investigation takes place into the death of a man in their custody. The commander of Nakhon Phanom provincial police said yesterday that he’s ordered a probe into the case and moved the officers involved to prevent anyone tampering with the evidence.…
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Monk attacked by a swarm of hornets in northern Thailand
A monk at a temple in the northern province of Lampang, south of Chiang Mai, has been attacked by a swarm of hornets, resulting in him being stung at least 30 times on his face, lips and body. Thai Residents reports that the attack took place at night as the monk was feeding the temple dogs. Rescue workers were dispatched…
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Farmlands flooded in Nong Bua Lam Phu Province as heavy rain persists
Flooding has inundated over 1,000 rai of farmland and the main highway in Nong Bua Lam Phu province, between Khon Kaen and the Laos border in north east Thailand. Heavy rains since last Thursday have congregated in the area with more rain over the weekend making things worse. Highway 210, running from Udon Thani to Loei province, has been completely…
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Korat driver injured after smashing into Buddhist shrine
A driver in the northeastern Nakhon Ratchasima province, aka Korat, sustained sustained serious injuries after his pickup truck slammed into a Buddhist shrine. Police were notified of the accident in the Klui sub-district. Police and emergency responders rushed to the scene to find a pickup truck crashed into a concrete religious pillar shrine in the middle of a roundabout. The…
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Swiss clothing firm denies layoffs
Contradicting earlier reports, Triumph International (Thailand) has denied any link with a garment company that laid off 800 employees on Friday. A statement from the Swiss Triumph Holding AG on yesterday said the company sold its production facilities in Thailand to Body Fashion (Thailand) 4 years ago. Accoding to the company’s head of corporate communications: “In fact, Triumph has handed…
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Wanted drug dealer killed in Korat shootout
Police in in the northeastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima, aka. Korat, say the drug dealer who shot and seriously injured an undercover officer and fled, was killed in a shootout in Khong district yesterday. On Wednesday, 38 year old Phadungsil Lohakart allegedly shot officer Song Tuaykrathok, who was posing as a buyer of crystal methamphetamine, after realising it was a…
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220 kilograms of marijuana seized, 2 arrested in Nakhon Phanom
Authorities in the upper northeastern Nakhon Panom province arrested 2 men last night on charges of smuggling 220 kilograms of marijuana. They reportedly told police they they did it because they needed money after the Covid-19 outbreak left them unemployed. The arrests came after authorities got a tip that a drug gang planned to smuggle marijuana from Laos into Nakhon…
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Khon Kaen police raid drug warehouse
A drug warehouse has been raided in the northeastern province of Khon Kaen. The warehouse is in Khon Kaen City’s main business district, and several types of drugs, which police valued at tens of millions of baht, were seized. The provincial governor, police chief and other authorities reported the arrest of 35 year old “Jetsadaporn” and 34 year old “Jurairat”, …
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Thai Vietjet passengers treated to surprise “concert in the sky”
Thai Vietjet Air today launched its maiden flight VZ210, from Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport to the northeastern province of Khon Kaen. To celebrate the inauguration, the airline delivered a surprise “concert in the sky” with famous Thai singer Ying Lee, featuring a full team of dancers and cabin crew, along with souvenirs for all passengers. The carrier will operate 2…
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Drug dealer shoots policeman, escapes in Korat
Police are hunting for a drug dealer who shot an undercover agent yesterday and fled after realising he was caught in a sting operation in Khong district of the lower northeastern Nakhon Ratchasima province, aka Korat. The officer was seriously wounded and rushed to hospital. 38 year old Phadungsil Lohakart allegedly shot the agent, who was posing as a buyer…
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Elderly British man killed, monk injured, in Isaan collision
A 70 year old British expat has died, and a monk has been seriously injured, after the motorbike and sidecar they were travelling on was hit from behind by a pick-up truck. The collision happened in the north-eastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima, and is the second such accident over the weekend. A report in The Chiang Rai Times says the…
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US donates thousands of masks for Thai hill tribes
Despite Thailand going over 2 months without a locally transmitted case of Covid-19, the US embassy has sent thousands of face masks to Chiang Rai province. A representative of the US embassy delivered the masks, valued at around 458,000 baht, to authorities in Chiang Rai this week. Regional US honorary consul general Sean O’Neil says the USA wants to help…
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Nakhon Panom man shot dead after wounding policeman
A man who went berserk yesterday in the northeastern Nakhon Panom province, bordering Laos, was shot dead by a policeman who tried to calm him down but was attacked and seriously hurt. The man was said to be high on drugs. Police say the incident occurred at about 1pm in front of a house in tambon Ban Kho. Witnesses told…
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Heavy rains predicted for East, South and Central Thailand
Isolated heavy rain is forecast for the East, the Central region and the South. People in the areas are advised to beware of severe conditions. Thailand’s Meteorological Department predicts that the southwest monsoon over the Andaman Sea and Thailand is weak, while the easterly wind moves to cover the East, the Central, the South and the Gulf. From Monday to…
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DNA excludes Thais from 2007 murder of Japanese tourist
Advanced DNA testing has shed new light on the unsolved murder of a female Japanese tourist 13 years ago, suggesting a link to a male of East Asian heritage. Sanook reported on the latest developments in the cold case of Tomoko Kawashita who was found murdered in the Sukhothai Historical Park in 2007. Kawashita’s body was found near the ruins…
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Demonstrators turn Isaan protests into celebrations – VIDEO
Students held protests yesterday on campuses across Isaan, Thailand’s northeastern region, demanding that the government dissolve parliament, rewrite the constitution to be more democratic, and stop official and unofficial harassment and prosecution of its opponents. The demands echoed their Bangkok counterparts in last Saturday’s massive demonstration, demanding accountability and the end of military involvement in politics. Thousands of student protesters…
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University students defy ban, hold protest
With anti-government demonstrations flaring up around the country, a bid by the dean of the Mahasarakham University to prevent one there failed yesterday as students defied his ban and went ahead with their protest. University campuses are exempt from the Emergency Decree’s ban on gatherings, and the university initially said only that any rallies held on campus grounds must abide…
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Hospital steps up security after gang fights
Following incidents at 2 hospitals in greater Bangkok, in which 3 staff were injured, prompting a female doctor to resign, Udon Thani Hospital has set up a new security system to prevent damage from brawls between the northeastern province’s rival gangs. The hospital’s director says tight security is necessary, citing 4 patients recently brought in with severe injuries from a…
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Isaan students say they’ll defy protest ban
Students at Isaan’s Mahasarakham University say they’re going ahead with a planned anti-government rally despite a ban from the institution. Organisers of the protest made the announcement earlier today. The university initially said yesterday that any rallies held on campus grounds must abide by the laws and refrain from anti-monarchy rhetoric. The university later revised its policy and banned all…
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Khon Kaen Benz driver under fire after road rage video goes viral
The driver of a Mercedes-Benz in Isaan’s Khon Kaen province is the target of massive online criticism after a video showing him punching an elderly motorist went viral. 69 year old Montri Sakhun of Samrong village, in the northeastern province’s Nong Song Hong district, says the incident happened Thursday after he drove his pickup truck to a local shop to…
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Khon Kaen police deny charges pressed against hospitalised activist
The chief of police in Khon Kaen province is denying any charges have been laid against an activist sent to a psychiatric hospital there in connection with a possible lèse-majesté crime earlier this month. Prachatai’s website reports that 47 year old activist Tiwagorn Withiton, who posted pictures of himself wearing a T-shirt with a message relating to the monarchy, is…
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