A Swedish tourist was found wandering the streets of Chiang Mai after reportedly losing all his money following a relationship with a Thai karaoke worker, according to local residents.
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The incident was first reported after Chiang Mai Provincial Police received complaints about a foreign tourist causing traffic disruption outside the Chiang Mai Red Cross building, behind Yupparaj Wittayalai School. Witnesses said the man was walking aimlessly in the road, in front of traffic and attempting to catch a sick pigeon, before blowing air into the bird in an apparent effort to revive it, will blocking the traffic.
Police from Mueang Chiang Mai Police Station were sent to the scene. Officers found the man holding the pigeon and persuaded him to move safely to the roadside.
Local residents told police the tourist is a Swedish man believed to be around 40 years old who has been staying at a guesthouse in central Chiang Mai for more than a month. They said he had become involved in a relationship with a woman working at a karaoke venue in the area.
According to residents, the man regularly travelled between Sweden and Chiang Mai and was always welcomed by the woman when he returned. Over time, people in the neighbourhood came to believe the pair were in a relationship.
Residents also claimed that when the tourist first arrived in Chiang Mai he appeared to be financially secure. They later learned that he had allegedly been deceived by the woman, who reportedly took a significant amount of his money before disappearing.
They said the man had been left both heartbroken and without funds, and believed this contributed to his apparent distressed mental state and aimless behaviour witnessed in the city.
Police safely removed the man from the road following the incident. Khaosod reported that further information has not yet been released regarding the tourist’s condition and if he required medical treatment, or whether authorities will investigate the allegations made by local residents, in connection with the alleged financial deception.
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14 July 2026
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