Pattaya News

Pattaya news, politics, business, tourism, and nightlife—stay updated with breaking stories, events, and expat updates from Thailand’s coastal entertainment hub. Get the latest from The Thaiger, your trusted Pattaya news source.

  • Pattaya bar owner arrested on human trafficking and prostitution charges | Thaiger

    Pattaya bar owner arrested on human trafficking and prostitution charges

    ORIGINAL PHOTO: INN News A bar owner in Pattaya has been arrested on Saturday whilst on the run from police trying to arrest her over a string of human-trafficking and prostitution charges. The Anti-Human Trafficking Division eventually arrested the 31 year old Pattaya bar owner, also known as ‘Sudarat’, ‘Om Leelabut’, and ‘Nanthachai’. Sudarat had an arrest warrant out in…

  • Swedish man and Thai wife robbed in broad daylight riding motorcycle in Pattaya | Thaiger

    Swedish man and Thai wife robbed in broad daylight riding motorcycle in Pattaya

    PHOTOS: Stefan and Tippawan report the robbery to Pattaya police – 77kaoded.com A Swedish man and Thai partner were robbed whilst riding their motorbike in broad daylight in Pattaya. 52 year old Stefan Hujanen from Sweden and his 32 year old wife Tippawan were riding a motorcycle between North Pattaya and Pratumnak Hill last Saturday around 11am. Outside the Muang Pattaya Hospital…

  • South Korean fugitive arrested in Chon Buri, and two other immigration cases | Thaiger

    South Korean fugitive arrested in Chon Buri, and two other immigration cases

    by Jessada Chantharak A 29 year old South Korean man, wanted for alleged involvement in an online gambling operation in his home country, has been arrested in Chon Buri. Police allege he had been “laying low” in Thailand for two years. The man was wanted under a Seoul Central District Court arrest warrant issued on May 2, 2017, and by…

  • US vlogger cops a ‘vlogging’ from disgruntled Pattaya locals | Thaiger

    US vlogger cops a ‘vlogging’ from disgruntled Pattaya locals

    SCREENSHOT: “Chuck Wow” in full narrative, just before being attacked A North American amateur ‘vlogger’ filming in Walking Street, Pattaya, has ended up annoying the locals and being attacked with his camera rolling. The video begins with “Chuck Wow” commenting on the body size of a prostitute standing outside a 7-Eleven in a stream-of-thought narration. “That girl is all kinds of…

  • Canadian nuisance arrested in Pattaya for harassing people with his jet ski | Thaiger

    Canadian nuisance arrested in Pattaya for harassing people with his jet ski

    PHOTOS: Sanook.com Police were first notified about a foreign man “harassing” boats in off the Pattaya coast driving a Jet Ski. According to reports from some of the people affected, the man was cutting off other boats causing “dangerous risk” and he was also climbing into random tourist boats in the area. The man then drove his jet ski into…

  • Red flags up at Bali Hai – weather warnings for Pattaya area | Thaiger

    Red flags up at Bali Hai – weather warnings for Pattaya area

    PHOTO: The red flag warnings at Bali Hai pier are more precautionary than reflecting the weather situation – The Pattaya News Red flags went up at the Bali Hai Pier yesterday warn tour boats about the Thai Meteorological Department’s weather warnings in regard to tropical storm Wipha, currently sitting over northern Vietnam. Tropical Storm Wipha, which formed in the South…

  • Indian man frisked in Soi 6 by group of ladyboys | Thaiger

    Indian man frisked in Soi 6 by group of ladyboys

    PHOTO: Facebook/Pattaya News Updates An Indian businessman has fallen victim to a gang of ladyboys in Soi 6 early this morning (Thursday), losing his 55,000 baht gold necklace in the process. 37 year old Aman Preet Bagga told police he was out with friends strolling down Soi 6 past the bars when his group was assaulted by a three ladyboys…

  • Pattaya tourists take a quick swim, return to find their belongings gone | Thaiger

    Pattaya tourists take a quick swim, return to find their belongings gone

    Am Iranian man and his Russian wife were tourists in Pattaya doing all the usual things when they had a sudden urge to go for a swim. They were swimming at Dongtan Beach, Jomtien. They left all their belongings on the beach – phones, cash, hotel keys – but when they returned everything was gone. The Pattaya Police were notified…

  • Pattaya police caught extorting son of senior Issan policeman | Thaiger

    Pattaya police caught extorting son of senior Issan policeman

    PHOTO: Daily News Four Pattaya police have been caught out trying to extort payment from a person in an e-cigarette sting. But the person they were trying to get payment from was the son of a deputy police commander in Isaan, in Thailand’s north east. 24 year old Phanuwat Suban Na Ayuthaya reported the alleged extortion to Pattaya police yesterday. He…

  • Thai visitors leaking to Vietnam – a personal view | Thaiger

    Thai visitors leaking to Vietnam – a personal view

    by Guest Writer (who asked to be anonymous) In response to an article ‘Pattaya tourist slump – visitors leaking to Vietnam‘, a responder on The Thaiger Facebook page has provided a balanced response we thought we would share with you. Is nostalgia making us think that Pattaya and Thailand were really that great in the past or are the golden…

  • Pattaya officials tell Bali Hai Pier vans, taxis and baht bus drivers to clean up their act | Thaiger

    Pattaya officials tell Bali Hai Pier vans, taxis and baht bus drivers to clean up their act

    PHOTO: Pattaya Mail Pattaya officials have now banned passenger vans from parking at Bali Hai Pier and discussing the situation with baht bus operators. Ronakit Ekasingh, Pattaya’s deputy mayor held a meeting on Monday about the traffic problems and chaos that was overwhelming the busy tourist pier. In a story earlier this week public-transport operators were caught fighting over customers.…

  • Ready, set, Dragonboats are GO! World Champs come to Pattaya in August | Thaiger

    Ready, set, Dragonboats are GO! World Champs come to Pattaya in August

    The 14th World Dragon Boat Racing Championships are being held in August at the Map Prachan Reservoir in Banglamung, in Chon Buri. The event is being held at the Royal Navy Rowing Training Centre in Pattaya, from August 20-25. It is the first time that Thailand will be hosting the sport’s biggest event. This year the event draws more than…

  • Thai Government to focus on EEC projects to propel economy | Thaiger

    Thai Government to focus on EEC projects to propel economy

    PM Prayut Chan-o-cha will unveil his new government’s policy statement in Parliament when it sits formally on Thursday. Leaks to the media indicate his 12 ‘urgent’ and 12 ‘long-term’ policies will help Thailand step up to “developed-nation status” with many of the policies focussing on the Eastern Economic Corridor project. Among the urgent policies, the sixth calls for a “future-proof”…

  • Pattaya tourist slump – visitors leaking to Vietnam | Thaiger

    Pattaya tourist slump – visitors leaking to Vietnam

    The new Minister of tourism and sports says tourism in Thailand is up nearly 1% (0.89% to be precise) in June year compared to last year. But as ministers bicker over the numbers – up or down – other business leaders says that tourism on the ground in Pattaya is much worse than the figures suggest. According to ThaiVisa, the “outlook…

  • Dongtan Beach speed bumps deter after hours racing in Jomtien | Thaiger

    Dongtan Beach speed bumps deter after hours racing in Jomtien

    Jomtien Beach now has new speed bumps and lines painted on the roads to help deter motorbikes and cars speeding down the road along the beach late at night. The local Pattaya council has now installed speed bumps in Dongtan Beach in Jomtien to discouraging the speeding. While vehicles are currently prohibited from 10am – 5pm daily, cars and motorbikes have…

  • Repair budget for decaying bridge on Koh Larn postponed to next year | Thaiger

    Repair budget for decaying bridge on Koh Larn postponed to next year

    Plans to fix up the Koh Larn Tien Beach bridge have been put back to next year. In recent months news stories have reported that the bridge is in urgent need of repair. Locals are claiming the structure is “close to collapse”. The bridge and walkway link Tawaen Beach and Tonglang Beach. Pattaya’s Deputy Mayor says that a 4.5 million…

  • Bangkok drug gang nabbed for selling Pattaya tourists illicit drugs | Thaiger

    Bangkok drug gang nabbed for selling Pattaya tourists illicit drugs

    PHOTO: 77kaoded Three men have been arrested in Pattaya and 833 grams of crystal methamphetamine (ice) and 6,700 methamphetamine pills seized. Police also seized a car and two motorcycles. Three Thai men – 23, 29 and 35 year old – were arrested and charged with possession of Category One drugs with intent to sell. Daily News reports that the three man gang was…

  • Van, baht bus and taxi drivers fight for passengers at Pattaya pier | Thaiger

    Van, baht bus and taxi drivers fight for passengers at Pattaya pier

    PHOTO & VIDEO: Ruk Siam News Pattaya taxi, van and baht bus drivers, authorised and unauthorised, are fighting over tourists at the Bali Hai pier. Ruk Siam News says that efforts by the Pattaya City Council to sort out the issue at the south Pattaya port have been ineffectual and that there are often more drivers than passengers vying for…

  • Thai man electrocuted whilst laying on his bed in Pattaya | Thaiger

    Thai man electrocuted whilst laying on his bed in Pattaya

    PHOTO: Thai Rath A man has died in Nong Prue, the suburbs behind Pattaya city, as a result of being electrocuted whilst his phone was charging next to his bed. Relatives believe the incident happened early sometime on Sunday. Police were called to an address in Soi 15, Thing Klom – Tan Man, Nong Prue on Sunday evening. 21 year old…

  • Document agent nabbed in Pattaya for helping foreigners get driving licences | Thaiger

    Document agent nabbed in Pattaya for helping foreigners get driving licences

    PHOTO: Naew Na A Thai female has been arrested for helping foreigners obtain Thai driving licences illegally and register their vehicles with fake stamps and documentation. Naew Na report that 44 year old Wikanda “Vicki” Munghangern was arrested in a sting outside her office which is, conveniently, located near the Bang Lamung Department of Land Transport. Polcie allege the woman…

  • American and Thai wife arrested for selling ‘ice’ in Bang Lamung, Pattaya | Thaiger

    American and Thai wife arrested for selling ‘ice’ in Bang Lamung, Pattaya

    An American and his Thai wife have been arrested in Pattaya for possessing nearly a kilogram of crystal methamphetamine, plus a hand gun along with ammunition. The arrest follows a longer investigation as police became aware of the couple’s activities. Police have confirmed that the man is an American citizen. 39 year old Bart Helmus and 30 year old Sirinapha Wisetrit…

  • Amari Pattaya has a dramatic makeover | Thaiger

    Amari Pattaya has a dramatic makeover

    “Dramatic changes have taken place to the entire property, which has transformed the legendary hotel into a new paradise along the northern end of Pattaya Bay.” Today’s Amari Hotel in Pattaya has its roots back in the early 1070s when it was constructed as the Orchid Lodge. But now there’s been a major make-over under the Amari brand. Amari Pattaya’s…

  • European and Chinese tourists avoiding Pattaya, Indians on the rise | Thaiger

    European and Chinese tourists avoiding Pattaya, Indians on the rise

    The strong baht is being accused as a major deterrent for Euro-tourists to Pattaya. “Over the past few months, European travellers have hardly come to Pattaya at all because of the baht’s appreciation,” said Damrongkiat Phinitkarn, secretary of the Entertainment & Tourism Association of Pattaya City. He told the Bangkok Post that tourists are opting to go to other countries…

  • Russian woman arrested for allegedly using Thai nominee in business | Thaiger

    Russian woman arrested for allegedly using Thai nominee in business

    PHOTO: Bangkokbiznews A Russian businesswoman has been arrested for using a Thai nominee company to run a real estate firm in Pattaya. Immigration police arrested the woman who they claim had been in hiding for three years since a warrant was issued back in 2016. The acting commissioner of Pattaya Immigration reported that Natalia Nikiforova was arrested in Chon Buri’s Bang Lamung…

  • Pattaya – 30% down this year, European tourist drop-off | Thaiger

    Pattaya – 30% down this year, European tourist drop-off

    PHOTO: afarangabroad.com The strength of the baht, rising tourist locations elsewhere around the region, fickle tourists has seen a demographic shift in Pattaya’s tourists and what they are doing during their visits. A leading tourism official has now confirmed what many Pattaya expats and locals have been saying for the past year… “The days of Europeans visiting Pattaya in large…

  • Old pub goes up in smoke this morning in Pattaya | Thaiger

    Old pub goes up in smoke this morning in Pattaya

    PHOTOS: 77jowo.com The blaze that surprised everyone in Pattaya this morning has been brought under control and the scene identified. Plumes of dark grey smoke were billowing near a building this morning. The fire started at a site storing construction materials and quickly spread to an abandoned bar next door, called Sor Por Chor in the past. The property was…

  • Pattaya police purge on motorbike rental shops and renters | Thaiger

    Pattaya police purge on motorbike rental shops and renters

    PHOTOS: Facebook/Sophon Cable Pattaya Police are cracking down on tourists renting motorbikes in the coastal tourist city as well as the shops renting out the bikes. The current purge is in response to recent problems of marauding tourist bike groups making a nuisance of themselves in the seaside tourist city. Sophon Cable reports that rental shops are now attracting attention…

  • Thai lady fusses over scratch on car while Frenchman lies injured on the road | Thaiger

    Thai lady fusses over scratch on car while Frenchman lies injured on the road

    PHOTO: Raksiamnews Pattaya’s Sawang Boriboon rescue foundation rushed to a housing development to find a French pensioner laying in a pool of blood with head and facial injuries. At the scene they also found the man’s motorbike and a Thai woman fretting over her new Toyota Camry that was scratched on the rear panels. 67 year old Jean Paul 67 was…

  • New Pattaya police chief ‘reads the riot act’ to pubs and nightclubs | Thaiger

    New Pattaya police chief ‘reads the riot act’ to pubs and nightclubs

    PHOTOS: 77Kaoded The new Pattaya police chief is laying down the law for pubs and nightclubs around Pattaya about rules and regulations. A meeting over the weekend heard that customers under 20 were not permitted, customers must not bring drugs or weapons into the venues and that closing hours must be strictly adhered to. 100 local staff, owners and managers…

  • Nigerian and Thai wife arrested in Chon Buri over $50,000 romance scam | Thaiger

    Nigerian and Thai wife arrested in Chon Buri over $50,000 romance scam

    PHOTO: Naewna Nong Prue police say they’ve arrested a Nigerian man and his Thai wife over their alleged collusion in an online romance scam. Police claim 40 year old Uchenna Joseph Amujiogu and 36 year old Wassana Kanchiak scammed a Thai woman out of 2 million baht. The woman contacted police in June after she realised she had been a victim…