Chiang mai

A popular waterfall for tourists in Chiang Mai has closed due to flooding, the National News Bureau of Thailand reported on Monday. The waterfall is located in Doi Inthanon National Park. Floodwaters have also strongly damaged several stores in the Chom Thong district , according to park officials. Locals from the nearby Khun Khun Klang village were seen moving their belongings to higher ground, fearing that the Mae Klang canal would overflow. This news comes after a national park in central Thailand was last month forced to close five of its waterfalls due to floods. Khao Yai National Park announced the closure in a Facebook post. Khao Yai’s largest waterfall, Haew Narok waterfall, will be closed until September 30. Meanwhile, four other waterfalls will be closed until further notice. These are Nang Rong Waterfall, Sarika Waterfall, Haew Su Wat Waterfall and Takhro Waterfall. Meanwhile, northeast Thailand is bracing for Typhoon Noru. The … [Read more...] about Popular Chiang Mai waterfall closed due to flooding

A 51 year old local schoolteacher in Thailand’s northeastern Surin province, near the Cambodian border, was among the owners of three karaoke bars caught selling the sexual services of underaged Thai girls this week. Nineteen women, thought to be sex workers, were taken into custody following raids on the bars. The businesses were closed and their owners face a range of  charges including human trafficking and facilitating the molestation of minors. Provincial authorities warned that government officials and employees will face harsher punishment after it emerged that one of the owners was a public school teacher. Narong Thipsiri, the Director of Law Enforcement for the Department of Provincial Administration in Surin, acknowledged that human trafficking is a serious problem in the province.  He said that as well as being a violation of Thailand’s laws, it also violates the human rights of those exploited and is highly immoral. Raids followed a tip from Chiang Mai-based NGO … [Read more...] about Surin teacher faces severe punishment for selling teen girls for sex

In a further development to a story the Thaiger reported earlier , a Thai man has been arrested for firing a gun on Friday at the Central Plaza shopping mall in Nontha Buri, just outside of Bangkok. Police responded swiftly to the shooting and no casualties were reported. “The suspect is 41 years old and he reportedly fired six shots while he was on the ground floor, which has food and clothing stalls. The mall’s security guards stopped the man and held him in custody until police from Rattanathibet Police Station arrived. There were no casualties.” Meanwhile, Central Pattana Co (CPN), operator of the mall, issued a statement saying after the suspect was arrested without incident, mall staff cleared the area and the situation returned to normal. “The incident was a fight between a married couple in the shopping mall. The suspect was the husband of a sales staffer in the mall. He reportedly fired the gun in the air to intimidate his wife. After security guards were … [Read more...] about Man arrested for gunshots at Nontha Buri mall “to intimidate his wife”

More than 4,000 people in Thailand’s northeastern province of Ubon Ratchathani have been evacuated as tropical storm Noru advances on the region. The typhoon was downgraded to a tropical storm as it hit Thailand last night. The Meteorological Department says it will gradually be downgraded to a depression and low-pressure system. But, heavy and strong winds are expected to hit all of Thailand. The northeast area of Thailand, also known as Isaan, is already prone to widespread flooding with officials stating that the tropical storm will only make matters worse. At least 12 provinces in the northern and northeast regions have already been experiencing heavy rain and flooding since last week. The Ubon Ratchathani governor noted that the Mun river, which passes through eight districts in the northeast, has been rising at a rate of 3,400 cubic metres per second. The rising river surpassed its banks, causing flooded villages and farmland in 14 districts, prompting the … [Read more...] about Over 4,000 civilians evacuated in Isaan as tropical storm Noru hits