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 How to reduce out-of-pocket medical expenses in Thailand?
Managing medical expenses in Thailand is important as healthcare costs continue to rise. The country’s healthcare system includes both public and private options, but even with the Universal Coverage Scheme (UCS) for citizens, many still face high out-of-pocket medical expenses....
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Chiang Mai hotel has big plans for Loy Kratong
137 Pillars House in Chiang Mai has made elaborate arrangements for next month’s Loy Krathong festival, better known as Yi Peng in the North. The full moon on November 11 will see celebrants floating lotus-shaped krathong with flowers, candles and incense on rivers and canals to pay respect to the water spirits and carry away the sadness and setbacks of…
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Ubon Ratchathani collision kills seven, seriously injures four
An accident between a mini-bus and a six-wheel truck has left seven dead and seriously injured four others. Thai PBS World reports that the collision happened in Ubon Ratchathani, northeast Thailand, yesterday morning. Witnesses say the mini-van was travelling at high speed when the driver lost control, crossing into the path of oncoming traffic and colliding head-on with the truck.…
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Police foil attempt to smuggle one million yaba pills from north to south of Thailand
Thai Residents reports that acting on intelligence reports, Border Patrol Police (BPP) in Chiang Mai have busted a drug smuggling operation that was attempting to transport a million yaba pills from the north of the country to the south. The operation began on October 22, with the gang planning to transport the pills from Chiang Dao district through the forest…
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Hotel guest in Chiang Mai runs up bill of nearly 50,000 baht before fleeing
A man who claims to be a doctor stayed in a Chiang Mai hotel for 21 nights, running up a bill of nearly 50,000 baht, before instructing the hotel to invoice the Ministry for the Interior and then fleeing the premises. Employees of the hotel say they didn’t expect the man to abscond as he has stayed there on three…
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Italian man shot and killed by girlfriend’s ex
A 58 year old Italian man has been shot and killed while riding a motorcycle in Khon Kaen, northeastern Thailand. A Thai man has since been arrested for the shooting. Police reported that 45 year old Suchin Oomket was arrested for allegedly murdering Mario Ferrri on Sunday evening. He allegedly the man on suspicions the victim was having an affair…
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Italian busted in Australia smuggling heroin
An 49-year-old Italian has been charged with drug smuggling after arriving at Perth Airport from Chiang Mai. He allegedly had about 300 grams of heroin, worth about 135,000 Australian dollars, hidden inside his body. After trace technology during a baggage examination showed positive for narcotics, Australian Border Force officers referred him to the Australian Federal Police for an internal exam.…
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Earthquake could hit Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai
A magnitude 4.1 tremor shook seven districts of Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai on Friday night, prompting the Department of Mineral Resources to warn that the two northern provinces could face a magnitude 5 earthquake within ten years. The prediction is based on analysis of movements in the Mae Tha fault lines, including the 5.1 ML quake in December 2006,…
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Another illegal concrete structure has to be removed from Thai national park
PHOTO: ชมรมstrong-จิตพอเพียงต้านทุจริต จังหวัดนครศรีธรรมราช A website run by anti-corruption activists has posted a picture of a concrete platform built into a Nakhon Si Thammarat waterfall by food vendors, accusing authorities of failing in their duty to prevent such encroachment. This is the second pouring of concrete encroaching into the creek pointed out by police for immediate removal over the past week.…
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Jump in national park visitor numbers as ‘winter’ arrives in northern Thailand
As northern Thailand moves into the ‘cold season’ (well, cold for Thailand) and temperatures drop, national park officials are reporting an increase in visitor numbers. Whilst the temperature is cooling down on the local northern mountain tops, the ground level temperatures are still around 30 (forecast below). But later in December the temperatures sometime reach as low as zero for places…
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Earthquake rattles north-east Thailand
A 3.9 magnitude earthquake has shaken Loei province in north-east Thailand, near the Laos border, although there are no reports of any damage. But residents were certainly talking about it yesterday as it shook the region. The quake was felt at around 12.30pm yesterday, in the main business district of Loei and several of the surrounding sub-districts near the border.…
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Bodies of 8 dead elephants risk contaminating reservoir in Thai national park
PHOTO: Thai PBS Officials are concerned that the bodies of eight elephants who died after plunging down a waterfall in Khao Yai national park, central Thailand, now risk contaminating the park’s water flowing into a nearby reservoir. Thai PBS World reports that officials at the Khun Dan Prakan Chon reservoir plan to take a boat upstream to Khlong Ton Sai…
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Over 100 million baht worth of assets seized from Thai drug dealers
The homes of three alleged drug traffickers have been raided in a joint operation between Thai police and the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Thai Residents reports that two of the alleged drug traffickers are women and the raids took place in Samut Prakan, Nonthaburi and Sukothai provinces. It’s understood that more than 100 million baht worth of assets has been…
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Less monitoring, more enforcement – Prawit warns northern officials
PHOTO: The Thaiger Thai Deputy PM Prawit Wongsuwan and Natural Resources and Environment Minister Varawut Silpa-archa were in Chiang Mai yesterday to give provincial governors and state agency officials a ‘heads up’ in preparation for another looming season of forest fires and haze. The North suffers perennial choking smog from approximately February to April, and Prawit passed on a message…
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World Ganja Festival comes to NE Thailand early 2020
Following the liberalising of cannabis laws, related to medical use of the drug, marijuana is now being seen as a potential cash crop which which could benefit Thailand’s economy. The Association of Researchers of Thailand is now joining members of the public and the private sector to organise the World Ganja Festival 2020. The event will be held in Mukdahan,…
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Volunteer engineers to carry out Ubon Ratchathani assessments following flooding
A team of volunteer engineers from The Engineering Institute of Thailand (EIT) are in Ubon Ratchathani to carry out building assessments following the record flooding that devastated the region. The Nation reports that the engineers will examine buildings damaged by the flood waters and provide residents with advice so that they can try to rebuild their lives. Thanet Weerasiri, Chairman…
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Mother of boy killed in Thailand’s war on drugs petitions Supreme Court to investigate acquittal of police officers
PHOTO: Freestocks.org/Unsplash The mother of 17 year old Kittisap Thitboonkrong, who died during the war on drugs introduced 14 years ago by then PM Thaksin Shinawatra, is asking the Supreme Court to investigate how 6 police officers charged with his murder came to be acquitted last year. In July 2004, Mr Kittisap was in police custody as a suspect in…
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Nakhon Nayok nuclear reactor project is opposed by locals
“The residents say that there is a suspicion that the project might not be transparent and the previous two hearings did not involve all stakeholders.” PHOTO: Thai PBS World Residents in Nakhon Nayok province, inner north-east Thailand, are camping in front of the Thailand Nuclear Technology Institute in Ongkharak district. They are opposing the institute’s plan to construct a 20…
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That’s eight titles for Marc Marquez following Thai Moto Grand Prix
“My target was to try to find the best way to win the race.” Marquez is an eight-time world champion after winning the 2019 MotoGP title in yesterday’s Thai Grand Prix. Marc Marquez of Spain has surpassed arch-rival Fabio Quartaroro of France in the final lap to win the Thailand Grand Prix claiming his eighth MotoGP World title in Buri…
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Thai couple divorce after 8 months because he’s not really a millionaire
PHOTO: Kapook A woman has divorced her husband after 8 months of marriage after she discovered he’d lied about being a multi-millionaire. Incredibly, this was the only reason she’d married him in the first place. She has now ended up 5.7 million baht in debt, having had to pay for the lavish wedding herself. Thai Residents reports that the groom…
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King cobra pops up at Korat night market
PHOTO: www.herpingthailand.com Villagers in Isaan, north-east Thailand, got a bit of a surprise when a king cobra, measuring 4½ metres in length and weighing 6 kilos, turned up at a market in Korat. Seeing the snake glide into the market area, residents contacted the local rescue team, who managed to successfully catch the intruder, who was curled up under one of…
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Many parts of Ubon Ratchathani remain under water
PHOTO: AFP Local officials say seven districts in Ubon Ratchathani, north-east Thailand, are still flooded, including the districts of Muang, Warin Chamrap and Sawang Weerawong, where the situation is described as serious. Satellite images show that around 140,000 rai of land along the Moon and Chi rivers is still flooded. The flooding, a culmination of storm Podul and tropical depression…
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Thai actor to end flood relief fundraising campaign
PHOTO: Bangkok Post Bin Bunluerit, the Thai actor who set up a fundraising campaign in the aftermath of floods that devastated parts of north-east Thailand, is calling time on his campaign. The well-intentioned operation has been dogged by allegations of misappropriation of funds, with local officials accused of charging a “paperwork fee” before distributing donations to flood victims. Bin has…
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MP for Pheu Thai convicted of murder and sentenced to death
PHOTO: Pheu Thai MP for Khon Kaen, Nawat Tohcharoensuk, sentenced to death today The Khon Kaen provincial court has convicted a Pheu Thai MP for Khon Kaen, Nawat Tohcharoensuk, of masterminding the murder of a local official and sentenced him to death today. Six years ago, Suchart Khotethum, an assistant chief of the Khon Kaen provincial administrative organisation, was killed…
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Thai actor condemns abuse of donations as “deplorable”
PHOTO: Chiang Rai Times Bin Bunluerit, the Thai actor and volunteer rescue worker who raised funds for Ubon Ratchathani’s flood victims has condemned the community leaders guilty of abusing the relief system he put in place. His statement comes amid complaints on social media that some of those administering the funds are taking a percentage, before passing the money on…
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Thai PM leads TV charity campaign for flood victims
PHOTO: Yodsapon Kerdviboon/Isaanrecord.com After coming in for quite a lot of flak for what many called a slow response to flooding that has crippled the North and North-East, the government is launching a televised charity campaign to ask for donations to help relief efforts. The PM himself will step in to receive donations on behalf of flood victims, with the…
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Thai PM insists government flood victims aren’t being ignored
PHOTO: A dog tries to keep dry on a flooded street in Thailand’s northeastern province of Ubon Ratchathani – Krit Phromsakla Na Sakolnakorn – AFP Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha says he attaches great importance to relief operations designed to alleviate the suffering of flood victims and the government has procedures to compensate them. A government spokeswoman Naruemol Pinyosinwat was taken aback…
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Ubon Ratchathani flooding worst in 17 years
PHOTO: The Pattaya News Flooding in Ubon Ratchathani, north-east Thailand, has been declared the worst in 17 years, with water levels in the Moon river beating the previous record set in 2002, and an additional 60 water pumps now installed. Thai PBS World reports that widespread flooding has seriously affected many areas, with communities in low-lying areas cut off and…
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Thai woman arrested after 13 year old Burmese girl forced into prostitution
by Tossapol Boonpat Police have arrested a local Mae Hong Son woman for allegedly procuring a 13 year old girl as a prostitute for sex with a string of local men. Mae Hong Son is west of Chiang Mai in northern Thailand, on the Myanmar border. Mae Hong Son police say the woman, whose name had not been names at this…
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Outrage on social media over child sitting on roof of moving car in northern Thailand
PHOTO: Sanook Photos of a young child sitting on the roof of a moving car have caused outrage on social media. The pictures, posted on Facebook yesterday, show the child in school uniform, sitting on the roof of a car as it travels along a main road in Lamphun province, northern Thailand. Debate rages over the images, with many pointing…
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Thai police officer arrested with nearly 200,000 meth pills in his luggage
PHOTO: Thai PBS World A serving policeman has been arrested by police in Chiang Rai province after 198,000 methamphetamine pills were found in his luggage on a Bangkok-bound bus. Mae Sai district policemen at a checkpoint in Tambon Pong-Ngam, stopped a Nakhonchai Tour bus bound for Bangkok from Mae Sai, for a routine check. The officers found a locked suitcase on…
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