Phayao

  • Thailand News

    Unusual banana tree phenomenon sparks lottery frenzy in Thai village

    A banana tree‘s unusual sprouting of a bud through its trunk has sparked a local phenomenon in the Mae Sai community, Phayao province, as villagers believe it to be a sign of good fortune. Today, residents flocked to Samrit Sameuchue’s house to pay respects and seek their lucky numbers from the banana tree. The 51 year old man has seen…

  • Thailand News

    Flash flood destroys bridge in Phayao, disrupting districts and leaving locals missing

    Last night’s severe rainfall in Phayao province resulted in a flash flood that destroyed a bridge, disrupting connectivity between the districts of Chiang Muan and Dok Khamtai. The incident, which occurred in the early hours of the morning, swept away two vehicles and left several individuals missing. Authorities are currently mobilising efforts to locate the missing persons from the Nong…

  • Thailand News

    Frisky fruits found in Thai village: Locals amused by nature’s naughty creations

    A 70 year old local from Thung Kachai, Kuea Wiang, Dok Khamtai, Phayao, Thailand, discovered two uncommon fruits, one from a local jackfruit tree and the other from a lime tree, bearing an uncanny resemblance to a penis and a vagina. The jackfruit, although small and brown, similar to a duck’s egg, had an odd protrusion in its centre, bearing…

  • Thailand News

    Undercover scandal: Child prostitution and curfew violations uncovered in northern province

    The Department of Provincial Administration last night uncovered underage drinking, curfew violations and child prostitution at two entertainment venues in the northern province of Phayao. As a consequence of this discovery, five officers from Meuang Phayao Police Station have been transferred. Acting on a tip-off from the anti-trafficking Immanuel Foundation, authorities from the Department of Provincial Administration, Phayao Provincial Office…

  • Thailand News

    Rain reigns: Homes flooded in surprise deluge in Phayao, northeast Thailand

    A torrential rain shower caused mayhem as it dampened the spirits of over 100 households in Phayao province in northeast Thailand. Locals hastily scurried to relocate their possessions to more sheltered spots. The relentless rain, which persisted both day and night, resulted in a cascade of water from the woods, spilling into the Mae Tam River. The resulting flood inundated…

  • Thailand News

    Phayao civil servant denies drink-driving after flipping government vehicle, ready for investigation

    A female civil servant shared a story about the Phayao accident that involved her flipping a government vehicle. She insists she was not under the influence of alcohol at the time. She explained the events of the day and stated her readiness to cooperate with any investigation. The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DPM) has sent a letter to…

  • Northern Thailand News

    Phayao government official under investigation for accident involving state vehicle

    The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) ordered an investigation into a government official in Phayao province. The woman in question was caught using a state vehicle for personal use. The government official may have escaped with the abuse of state property for personal use, except that, while driving the car, she crashed the vehicle. The incident happened today…

  • Northern Thailand News

    Thai welder’s good fortune presage triggers trend of attracting harmless bees

    In an intriguing incident in Phayao province, a welder managed to attract a swarm of bees without being stung. It is a folk belief that such an event can presage fortune and good luck for the individual involved. The incident sparked a trend among locals, eager to tempt their fate, as they marvel at these harmless bee swarms. The welder…

  • Thailand News

    Fatal crash in Phayao linked to driver falling asleep at the wheel

    A 23 year old Thai man killed himself today after he drove his car into a residential fence in Mae Ka, Phayao province. Police believe he fell asleep at the wheel. Chitsanupong (surname withheld) had just dropped off a friend at a petrol station before heading home when he likely fell asleep leading to the deadly incident. Police announced they…

  • Crime News

    Phayao province police bust: Pillow reveals 316 methamphetamine tablets

    Police in Phayao Province yesterday conducted a raid on a residential property leading to the arrest of two suspected drug users. Officers discovered five methamphetamine tablets on the premises and later found 311 more meth tablets concealed within a pillow. Investigative officers from Phayao Province Police Station detained Thawat, a 25 year old man, and Kalayanee, a 29 year old…

  • Crime News

    Lamphun FC President arrested over alleged gambling, money laundering links

    Lamphun Warriors Football Club president has been apprehended in connection to a major gambling and money laundering network. The suspect, known as Boss Tal, was captured in Phayao province by authorities. Pol. Lt. Gen. Roy Inkapiroj, Deputy Police Chief and Director of the Center for Combating Cybercrime (PCT), yesterday announced the arrest of Phongsiri (Boss Tal). The suspect was charged…

  • Thailand News

    Plant of prosperity: Wealthy Wilson draws crowds in northern Thailand, leafing people in awe

    Residents in Phayao, northern Thailand, flocked to witness a bizarre plant known as the “Wealthy Wilson” believed to bring luck and fortune to whoever owns it. The plant’s leaves have taken on an unusual shape, resembling the mythical creature called the Naga. This extraordinary sight has led to a surge of believers seeking lottery numbers from this mystical tree The Wealthy…

  • Thailand News

    Green pit viper’s visit to Thai home sparks lottery frenzy

    A woman was startled by an unexpected, metre-long green pit viper crawling around her window at her home in Phayao province, sparking a social media frenzy where many believe the snake may have brought good luck. The resident, Kannanat Prompao, shared a video clip on her Facebook account of the snake approaching her window, with a caption stating, “It just…

  • Northern Thailand News

    School defends haircuts policy after social media uproar in Thailand (video)

    A Thai school has explained a controversial video showing teachers giving male students haircuts during a boy scout uniform inspection. The school in the northern Phayao province detailed the measures taken and defended the hair-cutting policy following fierce online criticism. The video clip from a school in Phayao stirred up controversy on social media as it portrayed teachers cutting male…

  • Thailand News

    Residents in northern Thailand cash in on rare mushrooms as monsoon season begins

    Residents in Phayao province in northern Thailand are reaping the benefits of collecting wild mushrooms known as Hed Torb or Hed Por at the start of the rainy season, after prices rose to 830 baht (US$24) per kilogram. Today, residents and villagers from the Thung Nong and Chiang Muan areas travelled to several forests in the area to take advantage…

  • Thailand News

    Six-legged golden frog brings good fortune in northern Thailand

    A six-legged golden frog hopped into a northern Thai man’s life in Phayao province just over a year ago and has brought him good fortune ever since, he told the media today. The special frog jumped into 50 year old Somboon Tuakrua’s house in the Mueang district around a year ago. Somboon said the amphibian was calm and docile, so…

  • Crime News

    Corpse with phone charger tied around neck dumped in pond in northern Thailand

    A murder investigation has been launched in Phayao province, northern Thailand after a woman’s corpse was found floating face down in a pond yesterday. Police suspect she was strangled to death with a phone charger, which was tied around her throat. Her right ankle was tied up with rope. Officers from Muang Phayao Police Station were called to Village 13…

  • Thailand Weather Updates

    Storms in Northern Phayao province create a snowlike sight

    “When it snows in Thailand” sounds like an alternative version of “when pigs fly”, a snappy way to say that something will never happen. But, photos in the Phu Kamyao district in the Phayao province in Northern Thailand show a thin layer of snow-like ice on the roads after heavy storms. The province sits on the Laos border and includes…

  • Crime News

    Man arrested after allegedly raping young girl 18 years ago

    A fugitive for 18 years, police just caught up with a man accused of raping a young student 18 years ago. The 42 year old man was arrested in Bangkok after evading police for nearly 2 decades since 2003 when it is alleged that he raped a young girl in Phayao in the north of Thailand. The crime suppression division…

  • Northern Thailand News

    Meteor causes explosion, green glow above Northern Thailand

    It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s a…. bolide?! Last night in Nothern Thailand, sounds like an explosion were heard while many witnessed a mysterious greenish turquoise glow in the skies above. Scientists suspect it may have been a bright type of meteor called a bolide. The National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand explained that the sights and sounds many…

  • Covid-19 News

    Health officials say hundreds came into contact with Covid-19 infected women

    Health officials are trying to track down hundreds of people who may have come in contact with any of the 10 Thai women who tested positive for Covid-19 after returning to Thailand from Myanmar’s border town Tachileik. The women evaded the mandatory 14 day quarantine for returnees and media reports claim they “sneaked” back in the country. More than 600…

  • Thailand Weather Updates

    North cleans up after wet weekend

    5 provinces in Thailand’s North – Chiang Mai, Phayao, Lampang, Nan and Phrae – all suffered serious flooding on Saturday, causing damage in 15 districts, 189 villages and more than 1,400 households. Nan province suffered the most, with 960 households in 6 subdistricts damaged and 1 person dead. Officials in Chiang Mai warned visitors and residents to stay away from…

  • Crime News

    Village headman fires 8 bullets into an officer at a check point in northern Thailand

    A ‘Phu Yai Barn’ or village headman in Phayao province, just south of Chiang Rai, got into a row with other local officials last night, allegedly ending in a shootout, seriously injuring a local official at a checkpoint. Last night at 8pm local police were informed of the shooting incident at Ban Na Nun Community Checkpoint Village No 2. They…

  • Politics News

    Coalition considers demoting clumsy deputy agriculture minister, Thammanat Prompow

    Key members of Palang Pracharath are now discussing the future of deputy agriculture minister Thammanat Prompow’s as ‘fixer’ or coordinator of the coalition’s minor parties. The coalition’s smaller parties, some of them just single MPs, are in uproar following the controversial minister’s “monkey keeper” weekend remarks, potentially causing new rifts in the shaky coalition government. At the weekend the minister…

  • Politics News

    Australian newspaper reports on Thai minister’s criminal drug past

    The Deputy Agriculture Minister Thammanat Prompow has had his accounts about his role in a 3.2 kilogram heroin-smuggling ring challenged by an Australian newspaper. The events back in 1993 landed Thammanat in a Sydney jail for four years. Thammanat Prompow is the Palang Pracharath MP for Phayao province in Thialand’s north. The article by the respected Sydney Morning Herald, “From…

  • Crime News

    Convicted US pedophile caught teaching children at his home in northern Thailand

    Immigration police have nabbed a convicted American pedophile in Phayao in the north of Thailand. 66 year old “Mr Eric” had a language school set up at his own home in the main city district of Phayao and was allegedly teaching children English without a work permit. The man’s full name was not provided in the Siam Rath story. Siam Rath…

  • Thailand News

    Child porn and fraud arrests among festive season stings

    by Suriya Patathayo “Eight suspects arrested over child pornography charges.” As the annual ‘silly season’ rolls out, immigration police chief Pol Maj-General Surachate Hakpal in Bangkok wanted to make sure we hadn’t forgotten him. In a media scrum yesterday he reported four recent arrests – “Net Idol” fraud suspects, the arrest of an alleged con artist using the lure of…

  • Chiang Mai News

    Ambulance slams into tree in Lampang killing three

    An ambulance returning to Phayao, after delivering a patient to Phitsanulok, has hit a tree in Lampang this morning, killing two nurses and the driver. Police say the accident happened at 7am on the Ngao-Phayao road in Ban Huay Oon village of Lampang’s Ngao district. The two nurses were identified as 42 year old Angsumalin Rakchat and 21 year old…

  • Northern Thailand News

    Police in Phayao chase an ambulance loaded with illicit drugs

    A dramatic chase in Phayao’s Dok Khamtai district last night (Sunday) has resulted in police seizing half a million methamphetamine pills, a large amount of crystal methamphetamine and ketamine… from an ambulance. The twist is that the ambulance was being used by the drug-trafficking gang as a cover-up for their operation. The Nation reports that Phayao police were alerted at…