Eastern Thailand News
Eastern Thailand news, Pattaya news, Isaan news, Rayong updates, and Chonburi developments—stay informed on local events, business, tourism, and culture, including attractions like the Sanctuary of Truth and Koh Samet. Get the latest from The Thaiger, your trusted Eastern Thailand news source.
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Police hunt Myanmar gang after 600,000 baht cable heist in Chon Buri
Four Myanmar nationals have been arrested after a gang of more than 10 people allegedly tied up and assaulted a security guard before stealing electrical cables worth about 600,000 baht from a construction site in Chon Buri. The robbery happened between 1.23am and 2.20am on June 4 in Ban Bueng district. Police said the group arrived in two pickup trucks…
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Millions of pink sea cucumbers blanket Rayong beach
Millions of pink sea cucumbers washed ashore at Suan Son Beach in Rayong yesterday, June 6, after strong waves and storm conditions, turning several hundred metres of shoreline reddish pink. Tourists reported the unusual sight at around 10am, prompting officials from the Marine and Coastal Resources Office 1 and Rayong marine resources officials to inspect the beach. The animals covered…
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Koh Samet attempted rape and murder suspect faces three charges
Police have filed three charges against the suspect in the Koh Samet attempted rape and murder case, as Rayong officials move to tighten security and restore tourist confidence. Rayong Governor Traiphop Wongtrairat led a press conference today, June 5, to provide additional details regarding the case and to announce new security measures. He was joined by Rayong Provincial Administrative Organisation…
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Koh Samet tightens security after attempted rape case
Koh Samet tourism operators are moving to tighten security across the island after a man broke into a hotel room and allegedly attempted to rape and murder a female tourist during a group holiday in Rayong on May 30. Sarinthip Thapmongkhonsap, president of the Rayong Tourism Industry Council, said yesterday, June 3, that operators and relevant agencies worked closely with…
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Koh Samet hotel condemned after alleged attempted rape, murder of guest
A Thai woman criticised a hotel on Koh Samet in Rayong province over inadequate security measures after her friend allegedly survived attempted rape and attempted murder during a stay on the island. The woman and her husband shared details of the incident on Facebook yesterday, June 2, issuing a warning to travellers about their experience at a hotel near Ao Chor.…
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Chinese loan shark gang found hiding in Chon Buri estates
A Chinese loan shark gang wanted in China was arrested in Bang Lamung, Chon Buri, yesterday, May 30, after Thai police and immigration officers found four Chinese nationals hiding in luxury housing estates. The four suspects were identified as 34 year old Zhang Chuay, 36 year old Ko, a 34 year old Chinese woman, and 34 year old Yang. They…
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Foreign man killed by train in Chon Buri after standing on track
An unidentified foreign man was killed after being struck by a special express passenger train on the Bangkok-Chuk Samet route in Nong Pla Lai, Bang Lamung, Chon Buri, at 5pm yesterday, May 30. Police, investigation officers, and Sawang Boriboon Pattaya rescue workers were called to the railway line after a report that a train had hit a person. The Bangkok-Chuk…
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Man stabs two store workers, tells police he wanted to die
A Thai man stabbed convenience store employees in Prachin Buri province yesterday, May 28, leaving one woman in a coma. The suspect later told police he wanted to be killed during his arrest. Officers from Prachantakam Police Station were called to a convenience store in Pho Ngam subdistrict at about 3am after reports of a violent attack involving two female…
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Koh Larn diving trip safety questioned after tourists left in storm
A tourist has urged marine tour operators in Pattaya to improve safety measures after claiming passengers on a group diving trip near Koh Larn, Chon Buri, on May 4 were left without enough staff support as strong waves and a storm approached. The incident was shared online through a TikTok video by a tourist who had joined a group diving…
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Two Chinese suspects detained in Chon Buri ‘zombie’ drug lab raid
Police raided a luxury pool villa in Chon Buri today, May 19, after finding it had been turned into a makeshift drug lab with machines and other items linked to chemicals used in ketamine-laced e-cigarettes, locally known as Pod K. Chon Buri Governor Naris Niramaivong and Pol. Maj. Gen. Phongphan Wongmanithet, commander of Chon Buri Provincial Police, led officials with…
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Chinese, Pakistani nationals found packed in Sa Kaeo pickup
Sixteen Chinese and Pakistani nationals were arrested in Sa Kaeo today, May 19, after they were allegedly smuggled across the border from Poipet, Cambodia, and found packed inside a pickup truck with a Thai driver. Military officers, district officials, and village security volunteers launched the operation after residents reported a suspicious vehicle circling in Non Mak Mun subdistrict, Khok Sung…
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Chinese gamblers injured leaping from window in Pattaya poker den raid
Police and district officials raided a poker den in Pattaya late last night, May 13, arresting 16 Chinese gamblers and seizing about 100,000 baht (around US$3,090) in cash, along with other gambling equipment. The raid took place at 11.46pm at a luxury house in Nong Prue subdistrict, Bang Lamung district. The operation was led by Chon Buri Immigration Police, Nong…
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Thai driver, Chinese nationals caught in Sa Kaeo after 70km chase
A suspected smuggling operation was exposed in Sa Kaeo yesterday, May 6, after police arrested a Thai pickup driver following a 70-kilometre chase through Prachin Buri, Chachoengsao and Sa Kaeo, with six Chinese nationals found inside the vehicle. The pursuit began after highway police received a tip-off that Chinese nationals were being transported from the Sa Kaeo border to Bangkok.…
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Rayong man removed from manhole after passerby hears cries for help
A manhole rescue took place yesterday, May 2, after a 20 year old man was found trapped for more than seven hours in a drainage system near a fair in Pluak Daeng district, Rayong province. Officers from Pluak Daeng Police Station and rescuers from the Pluak Daeng Foundation arrived at a manhole near the fair entrance following a report from…
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Icelandic man found dead under tree on Koh Larn
An Icelandic man was found dead near Nual Beach on Koh Larn, Chon Buri, yesterday, May 2, with police treating the case as a suspected suicide pending further examination. Pattaya police were alerted at about 10am after a foreign man was found dead hanging under a tree in a vacant plot near the beach. Forensic police, investigators, a doctor, and…
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Cambodia scam crackdown sends 635 Thais back home
Cambodia released 635 Thai nationals back to Thailand through the Ban Khlong Luek border checkpoint in Aranyaprathet district, Sa Kaeo, on April 30 after they were detained in a crackdown on online scam networks. The first group of 350 people crossed at about 4.50pm. The remaining 285 followed at about 6.20pm, completing the handover agreed by Thai and Cambodian officials. Thai…
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Chinese man found dead in Jomtien condo pool
A Chinese man died earlier today, April 24, after he was found unresponsive at a luxury condominium’s swimming pool in Jomtien, Pattaya. The Sawang Boriboon Pattaya Rescue Centre received a report at 12.30am that a man had drowned at a pool inside a condominium in Nong Prue, Bang Lamung, Chon Buri. Emergency responders were dispatched to the scene. The deceased,…
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Transgender fined over topless Songkran dance in Chon Buri
Police in Sattahip fined a transgender woman yesterday, April 21, after she was filmed removing her top and then dancing topless during Songkran celebrations in Bang Saray, Chon Buri, on April 20. The incident took place during the Wan Lai festival along Bang Saray Beach Road, where festivalgoers, including women and transgender participants, were dancing to loud music. One individual,…
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Trat fisherman fined over 140,000 baht for illegal diesel
Excise officers in Trat and marine police seized 3,800 litres of illegal diesel from a fishing boat in Khlong Yai in the early hours of today, April 17, after receiving a tip-off about untaxed fuel entering Thai waters. At about 1am, officers searched the vessel at Por Kasemsiri pier in Khlong Yai district, Trat. Surachai, a 62 year old man…
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Trat officials seize five boats in Cambodia smuggling bust
Officials intercepted a smuggling operation transporting consumer goods and animal products from Thailand to Cambodia along the coastal border in Hat Lek, Trat, on April 12, seizing multiple boats and arresting six suspects. The operation was carried out by the Thai Maritime Enforcement Command Centre (Thai MECC) in Trat, working with the Royal Thai Marine Corps task force and border…
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Food rider accused of assaulting wrong man in honking dispute
A man filed a police complaint yesterday, April 9, after he was allegedly assaulted by a food delivery rider in Bang Lamung district, Chon Buri, in a dispute he said was triggered by a car horn he did not sound. Bang Lamung Police Station received the complaint from 44 year old Ekkasit, who said he had never met the rider…
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Ostrich on the loose runs along Chon Buri motorway
A five month old ostrich was seen running along traffic on a motorway from Bang Lamung district in Chon Buri towards Tapong district in Rayong yesterday, April 7, following a cement truck without appearing to slow down. Videos of the bird quickly spread on social media as people shared the footage in an effort to help return it to its…
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Trat farm worker killed by wild elephant in musth
A 63 year old Mon farm worker was trampled by a wild elephant in Trat today, April 5, after trying to chase it away. Officials said a strong musth scent was detected at the scene. The incident happened in Bo Phloi subdistrict, Bo Rai district. Rescue workers and local officials went to the scene, where the body was found in…
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Six Cambodians held in Trat crab meat smuggling case
A joint maritime operation in Trat intercepted a Cambodian boat allegedly involved in crab meat smuggling yesterday, April 2, seizing multiple crates of picked crab meat and detaining six Cambodian crew members. Reporters said the special investigation task force of the Thai Maritime Enforcement Command Centre Region 1 worked with related agencies to launch the operation in waters off Khlong…
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Italian drug user arrested on Koh Chang after argument with Thai wife
Koh Chang police arrested an Italian man for drug use today, March 27, after a caretaker at his rented house called officers to intervene in a violent argument between him and his Thai wife. Koh Chang Police Station officers were called to the couple’s home at about 9.50am and found them arguing outside the accommodation. Police identified the Italian man…
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Screams heard during hunt for woman carried uphill, no trace found
Rescue workers and police launched a search for a missing woman at Khao Song Phi Nong in Chon Buri after a resident reported seeing two men carrying an unconscious woman uphill and returning without her on March 26. The Sawang Boriboon Thammasathan Pattaya team said locals reported the incident over concerns the woman may have been harmed. Volunteers coordinated with…
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Chinese man injured after falling from pickup transporting fridge in Rayong
A Chinese man was injured after falling from the back of a pickup truck carrying a refrigerator that was reportedly travelling at high speed on a road in Rayong province. Rescuers were called to an incident at the Marp Toei–Khu River intersection on Road 3191 in Pluak Daeng district at about 5pm on Saturday, March 21. At the scene, they…
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1,000 trucks assemble in Chon Buri in fuel shortage protest
More than 1,000 trucks assembled in Chon Buri this morning, March 18, as the Land Transport Federation of Thailand pushed for government action over the ongoing fuel shortage. Its president is urging changes to fuel supply management, stating that certain energy capital groups are thriving at a time when the general public is struggling the most. At 9.20am, Land Transport…
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American found dead in Chon Buri after sending farewell clip to wife
Police in Chon Buri were called to a wooded area near Mabprachan Reservoir yesterday, March 11, after an American tourist was found dead, with officers suspecting the man took his own life amid ongoing health problems. At about 4pm, police and rescue workers went to the area below the reservoir embankment, where the man’s body was found lying against a…
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Rayong restaurant rampage over fried rice caught on CCTV
CCTV footage from a restaurant in Rayong has circulated online after it captured a customer damaging property there at 12.33am on March 9, reportedly after complaining about fried rice. The video, first shared by a Facebook user, shows a man wearing a white shirt and a black hat behaving aggressively inside the premises, including kicking a table, smashing glasses and…
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