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 Long-term life in Thailand? 5 reasons private health insurance pays off in the long run
Thailand is a great place for expats and retirees, offering a warm climate, affordable living, and rich culture. However, healthcare can be tricky for foreigners since they aren’t eligible for public health coverage, and private care can be expensive. Private...
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4.6 million methamphetamine pills found on som tam vendor turned smuggler
If you like your spicy papaya salad with a little extra kick, a som tam vendor in Nakhon Phanom was arrested today with 4.6 million speed pills. The woman was apprehended when border patrol police in Tambon Saenphan searched her pickup truck and discovered 10 big fertiliser bags holding 4,622,000 speed pills. The woman told police she earned her money…
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Gold shop robbed by officer from investigating police station
A policeman’s swagger was the downfall that led to the identification and subsequent arrest of a gold jewellery shop robber today in the Pak Chong district of Nakhon Ratchasima. A man dressed in a food delivery outfit robbed a gold shop and shot the shop owner on Wednesday and was later identified as a local police officer. The robber entered…
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Police search 2 rooms Thitisan and subordinated used; unknown powder and drugs allegedly found
Police investigating the now-infamous case of the man who died in police custody in Nakhon Sawan, a northern Thai province, have searched a condominium room used by former police station chief, Thitisan Utthanaphon, and a subordinate’s apartment, today. The search was conducted by local police and investigators from the Crime Suppression Division. The investigators say they found a suspicious powdered…
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Blood donations urgently needed by Red Cross; northeast stores hit critical level
Thailand’s Red Cross Society is still in desperate need of blood donations. The society says their stores are limited to a critical level. In fact, the society was unable to supply 70% of the blood donations requested by hospitals, says chief of the Nakhon Ratchasima based 5th National Blood Centre, Sirilak Piakkhunthod, today. The problem is notably critical in the…
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Thitisan Utthanaphon denies all accusations against him
Thitisan Utthanaphon is denying all accusations against him concerning his role in the alleged torture/murder of a drug suspect in police custody in northern Thailand’s Nakhon Sawan’s main city police station, according to his lawyer. Thitisan’s lawyer, Chokechai Angkaew, says Thitisan denied the accusations while he was being questioned. Chokechai adds that Thitisan, aka. “Jo Ferrari” has vowed to fight…
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Packages of methamphetamine pills found floating in Chiang Rai rivers
Packages containing around 1.2 million methamphetamine pills were found floating in rivers in the northern province Chiang Rai. Apparently, the packages had been floating in the Mae Lao and Ing rivers for three days. Villagers reported the packages of drugs to police. Narcotics suppression officers searched the area and found a total of 1,268,000 methamphetamine pills. Officers suspect traffickers floated the…
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470 kilograms of marijuana seized in Isaan; reportedly smuggled from Laos
Police in the Isaan province Nakhon Phanom seized 470 kilograms of compressed marijuana valued at around 10 million baht and arrested a 26 year old man on drug charges. Officers in the province’s Sri Songkhram district stopped a Mitsubishi Pajero which was travelling from Ban Phaeng, a district along the Mekong River bordering Laos. Police searched the vehicle and found…
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No special protection for police that allegedly killed man in custody, says police
Police inspector general Visanu Prasartthongosoth wants outraged citizens not to worry that officers will get off with a slap on the wrist for their alleged involvement in the torture death of the man they had in custody. Visanu says no special protection for the police officers will be given. Thai media says that despite reports that say Thitisan Utthaphol has…
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7 arrest warrants approved for police suspects in Nakhon Sawan torture killing case
A Thai court has approved 7 arrest warrants for police officers in Nakhon Sawan, the northern Thai province. The 7 officers are suspects in the alleged torture and subsequent killing of a suspect. A shocking video allegedly showed the police covering the suspect’s head with a plastic bag until he suffocated to death. The 7 police suspects are: Thitisan…
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PM orders investigation into alleged police killing of man in custody
The PM has ordered an investigation into the alleged killing of a man while in police custody in the northern province of Nakhon Sawan. A leaked video of the alleged incident has gone viral, prompting outrage around the country. According to a Bangkok Post report, police arrested a man and woman accused of drug offences and, while questioning the pair,…
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Police investigate claims that officer accidentally killed a man in extortion attempt
The Royal Thai Police are looking into a report that claims a police officer from the northern Thai province Nakhon Sawan accidentally killed a suspect while the officer was attempting to extort the suspect for 2 million baht. The investigation came about after celebrity lawyer Decha Kittiwittayanan publicised the claim on Facebook. Decha’s post stated the case starts with the…
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Covid-19 violating gathering of 23 students and teachers busted
If you have been following along, mark Nakhon Ratchasima down on your “Covid-19 restriction violating party” bingo card. Last night a group of students and teachers in the Muang district of Nakhon Ratchasima were caught gathering with an abundance of alcohol and a noticeable lack of Covid-19 safety measures. The bust is one of an increasing number of illegal parties…
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Village under Covid-19 lockdown after old woman lies
The dishonesty of an old woman led to an entire village in Buriram being sealed off on lockdown due to a Covid-19 outbreak she created. The woman lied about her visiting daughter and son-in-law to avoid the 14-day quarantine set in place to allow enough time to avoid a Covid-19 outbreak. The 75 year old woman lives in the village…
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Undercover police allegedly bust into wrong house in Nakhon Ratchasima
Undercover police from the Northern Thai province of Nakhon Ratchasima accidentally searched the wrong house, much to the surprise of the homeowner, reports Thai media. The mistake was posted on Facebook. The clip, which has not been made readily available, allegedly shows 4 police officers barging into a villager’s house. In the video, 4 police officers say they have a…
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Police arrest woman jobless from Covid-19 for burglary
Police apprehended a woman in Nakhon Phanom who confessed to breaking into 8 homes in the area after the Covid-19 pandemic left her unemployed and broke. The 26 year old woman from Sri Songkhram district was caught with nearly 100 things she had stolen from the houses in the Muang municipal area where she lived in a rental house. Residents…
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Photo of 3 year old Covid patient caring for infected father in ICU goes viral
A hospital doctor has thanked social media users who prayed for a 3 year old girl and her father, both of whom were infected with Covid-19. Nation Thailand reports that Anuchit Niyompattama, a pulmonary and critical care specialist in the northeastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima, posted a moving photo of the child caring for her father. The girl had drawn…
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560 kilograms of cannabis packaged for delivery seized by officers in Northeast
Officers in the Mekong Riverine Unit seized 560 kilograms of dried cannabis and arrested four people in the Isaan province Nakhon Phanom, bordering Laos. Some of the marijuana had been packaged and was ready to be sent out by a delivery service while other 404 kilograms of marijuana was found along the Mekong riverbank. A team from the unit searched…
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PCD says don’t throw away used masks in water bottles after infections linked to bottles
Don’t discard your used face masks in water bottles is the advice the Pollution Control Department wants the public to heed after 20 people tested positive for Covid in Nakhon Ratchasima/Kora, a northeastern Thai province. The department says the infections stem from virus ridden water bottles. Atthapol Charoenchansa, the PCD director general, says a plethora of face masks have been…
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Couple “drops off” Covid infected 80 year old father at Korat temple, drive off
A husband and wife dropped off an 80 year old man they referred to as father, at a temple in Nakhon Ratchasima/Korat in northeastern Thailand. After they dropped off their patriarch with nothing but a cloth bag, they drove off. The man was later found to have Covid. One Facebook user who claims to be a medical worker at the…
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Special train takes Covid patients home to northeastern Thailand
Today, “Special” train No. 971 took 137 Covid patients to various northeastern Thai provinces. The Special train left from the Rangsit railway station. A cabinet resolution earlier in the month decreed that the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Public health were to arrange transportation to bring Covid patients back to their home provinces. Both ministries were ordered to…
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Phetchabun chicken processing plant sees over 3,000 infections
In the northern Thai province Phetchabun, Covid testing at a chicken processing plant continues as positive test results keep coming in. Yesterday, it was reported that 3,117 people have already tested positive. The plant is owned by Golden Line Business Co, a subsidiary of Saha Farms Group. By 8 pm yesterday, 6,587 out of the factory’s 7,200 workers had been…
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Nakhon Sawan farmers make large profits growing fingerroot as Covid cure
While the science may be on the fence, herbal extracts are still growing in popularity as a Covid treatment. krachai khao, AKA fingerroot is providing generous returns for growers in Nakhon Sawan, a northern Thai province. Sales are also booming for the extract of the green chiretta plant AKA fah talai jone, which is used in “traditional” medicine and is…
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Tak landslides blocks highway 105, army helps clear
Highway 105 in Northern Thailand’s Tak province was blocked by trees/landslides between the Mae Ramat and Tha Song Yang district due to result of heavy rains last night. The highway had to be closed at approximately the 81 kilometre marker in the Tha Song Yang district, also between Ban Samae and Mae Tuen. Tha Song Yang and Mae Ramat chiefs…
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Korat governor Kobchai Boon-Orana urges residents to self-quarantine
“Many people are still careless”, says Korat governor Kobchai Boon-Orana Inhabitants of the northeastern province Nakhon Ratchasima (AKA Korat) are being encouraged to self-quarantine by their governor Kobchai Boon-Orana. The measure is to keep residents safe from Covid. The advice is in keeping with the fact that vaccinated inhabitants are not close enough to the number needed to build herd…
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Nakhon Ratchasima Police arrest 2 suspects in Facebook/Line scam
Today, police from northeastern Thailands’ Nakhon Ratchasima province arrested 2 suspects for being part of an alleged Facebook hacking gang. The announcement comes from a press conference the police held. The gang reportedly duped Korat girls into transferring money to them by posing as the girls’ relatives. The case starts back in March when Chalermluck Phuwasawat, the victim of the…
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Tour van drivers suffer from lack of passengers, Covid restrictions
Tour van drivers are currently suffering under the weight of vehicle payments against the lightness of tourists to drive around. In northeastern Thailand’s Nakhon Ratchasima, 41 year old tour van driver Punnawit Jaenlue, says he used to do 20 trips a month, raking in about 50,000 baht. However, due to Covid restriction pertaining to interprovincial travel, he says making even…
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3 found dead in Nakhon Ratchasima mushroom nursery
Today, 3 people have been found dead in a mushroom nursery in Nakhon Ratchasima, a northeastern Thai province. Police suspect their cause of death was probably due to inhaling carbon dioxide. The Khon Buri police chief, Prasit Premkamol, says the bodies of 27 year old Nathapol Akkhisamrong, 49 year old Boonlua Channok and his wife, 48 year old Saipin Akkhisamrong,…
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64 year old with kidney disease dies after inoculation, daughter claims vaccination link
A 64 year man in the northeastern Thai province Udon Thani died the day after he got a dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine. The man’s daughter believes his death could be connected to the vaccine. Akkradet Thongkham reportedly died suddenly yesterday, which sent a combination of police and health officials to his house after being notified of his passing by…
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2 illegal Chinese immigrants in Tak arrested eluding quarantine
In the northwestern province of Tak, where Covid-19 cases are surging, 2 illegal Chinese immigrants who snuck out of quarantine were arrested in Mae Sot Town today. The pair were found wandering in town and taken into custody by army members of the 4th Infantry Regiment. In Tambon Mae Ku, the two migrant workers, Zhang Yong Lyu and Liu Wei,…
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Rush to build extra field hospitals in Tak as over 600 new infections reported
A cluster of over 600 Covid-19 infections has officials in the northern province of Tak rushing to build 4 new field hospitals as the existing 2 are now full. The Bangkok Post reports that the infections were detected at a clothing factory in Mae Sot district. Local health officials carried out mass testing of 1,000 workers, with 606 of them…
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