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.

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    Is private health insurance in Thailand worth it? Real costs vs risks explained

    Thailand has a strong healthcare system with both public and private options. Public hospitals offer affordable care, but many people, including expats, choose private health insurance for faster service, modern facilities, and more treatment choices. To decide if private health...

  • Thai axe man damages car with child inside in Chon Buri road rage

    Thai axe man damages car with child inside in Chon Buri road rage

    A Thai man threatened and damaged another man’s car with an axe after a road dispute in Chon Buri. The victim condemned the suspect, saying his wife and five year old son were in the car during the violent scene. The 31 year old victim, Withit, filed a complaint with Ban Bueng Police Station after the incident, which occurred at…

  • Taiwanese man arrested after rampage with drugs and weapons in Pattaya

    Taiwanese man arrested after rampage with drugs and weapons in Pattaya

    Police today, June 23, arrested a Taiwanese man following his violent rampage at a condominium in Pattaya. Officers confiscated drugs and weapons from his room, where a Thai party entertainer was also found under the influence of drugs. Officers from the Chon Buri Provincial Immigration Bureau and Mueang Pattaya Police Station responded to an incident at a condominium in the…

  • Pattaya beach turns green: Plankton bloom causes panic

    Pattaya beach turns green: Plankton bloom causes panic

    Pattaya’s popular Wong Amat Beach recently became the centre of environmental concerns as a sudden plankton bloom turned the waters a disturbing dark green and filled the air with a sulfur-like stench. The phenomenon, which began a few days ago, not only altered the sea’s appearance but also raised serious worries among locals and tourists about its potential impact on…

  • Pattaya’s parking crackdown: No car is above the law

    Pattaya’s parking crackdown: No car is above the law

    Pattaya traffic police launched a no-nonsense crackdown on illegal parking, sending a clear message that no vehicle is above the law—whether it’s a luxury sports car or a humble taxi. The key rule is simple: vehicles must strictly adhere to the odd-even parking schedule on South Pattaya roads. Failure to comply? Prepare for a clamp. The new enforcement initiative aims…

  • Pattaya motorbike thug attacks Bolt rider in road rage meltdown

    Pattaya motorbike thug attacks Bolt rider in road rage meltdown

    An early morning altercation at a busy Pattaya intersection has ignited public outrage after a motorcycle taxi driver was caught on camera assaulting a Bolt passenger, and now police are under pressure to act. The incident took place at around 6.45am yesterday, June 19, at the intersection of Pattaya South Road and Thanon Sai Sam, near Soi Pattaya South 18…

  • Busted: Pattaya beach thief caught hiding loot in bushes

    Busted: Pattaya beach thief caught hiding loot in bushes

    A tourist beach day turned into a crime scene after a drug-addicted thief snatched valuables and bolted — but he didn’t get far. Today, June 20, Pattaya police arrested a 38 year old man who allegedly stole a haul of belongings from a tourist on the beach before fleeing the scene and hiding the goods in nearby bushes. Officers tracked…

  • Drunk Swede run over after passing out in Pattaya car park

    Drunk Swede run over after passing out in Pattaya car park

    A drunken night ended in tragedy for a Swedish tourist in Pattaya after he collapsed in a parking lot and was fatally run over by a sedan in the early hours of the morning. At 3.50am today, June 20, emergency responders from the Sawang Boriboon Thammasathan Rescue Unit received a report of a serious car accident in the parking lot…

  • Pattaya panic: Chinese tourists ditch Thailand for Japan

    Pattaya panic: Chinese tourists ditch Thailand for Japan

    Pattaya’s golden days with Chinese tourists may be fading fast, and local tourism operators are sounding the alarm. Once a firm favourite with Chinese travellers, Pattaya is now seeing a steady drop in visitors from the mainland, with Japan quickly emerging as their top choice instead. The shift is rattling Thailand’s tourism industry, where Chinese tourists have long made up…

  • Great wall of shame! Chinese tourists nabbed in Pattaya jobs

    Great wall of shame! Chinese tourists nabbed in Pattaya jobs

    Pattaya police smashed two major illegal foreign worker rackets, busting 23 Chinese posing as tourists on building sites and another 50 foreigners running a sleazy gambling and sex empire out of a swanky Pattaya block. Under orders from National Police Chief Police General Kittirat Phanphet to crack down on dodgy foreign labour, Thailand’s Tourist Police swooped on two sites yesterday, June…

  • 50 foreigners arrested at illegal entertainment complex in Pattaya

    50 foreigners arrested at illegal entertainment complex in Pattaya

    More than 50 police officers raided an illegal entertainment complex in Pattaya, arresting 50 foreigners involved in gambling, call centre scam operation, and prostitution. Officers from Chon Buri Immigration Bureau, Mueang Pattaya Police Station, and Pattaya Administrative Office gathered at 12.30am, yesterday, June 17, to raid the entertainment complex, which was operated in a luxury apartment block known as Holiday,…

  • Drugged-up Pattaya thief steals mum’s motorbike from next door

    Drugged-up Pattaya thief steals mum’s motorbike from next door

    A trusting mum was left heartbroken after her neighbour stole her beloved motorbike but police cracked the case within hours, exposing a drug-fuelled betrayal just doors away from her home. Sudaphon Sungnoen, from Phitsanulok, woke up early yesterday, June 17, ready to take her child to school, only to find her red-and-black Honda Wave missing from outside her house in…

  • Chinese gang busted in Pattaya over illegal online lending racket

    Chinese gang busted in Pattaya over illegal online lending racket

    Pattaya cops smashed an illegal online loan syndicate run by Chinese nationals, uncovering a shady operation involving 25 suspects holed up in luxury homes, one of whom had overstayed his visa for over five years. Officers led by Police Major General Thawatkiat Jindakawnnaong yesterday, June 17, stormed two upscale properties in Nong Prue, Bang Lamung, Chon Buri, executing search warrants…

  • Tragic hit-and-run kills mother in Chon Buri

    Tragic hit-and-run kills mother in Chon Buri

    A tragic hit-and-run incident occurred when a motorcycle was struck by an unidentified vehicle, leaving a 30 year old convenience store worker dead at the scene. The accident happened on the Bypass Road in front of the Phra Phrom Village in Mueang district, Chon Buri, yesterday, June 17, at 11pm. Officers from Mueang Chon Buri Police Station and rescue personnel from…

  • German drug dealer busted in Pattaya with cocaine and gun

    German drug dealer busted in Pattaya with cocaine and gun

    A major drug dealer has been arrested in Pattaya after a successful sting operation led by local police. The suspect, a 42 year old German man identified as Mike, was caught with over 427 grammes of cocaine and a .380 calibre handgun. His arrest marks the end of a significant operation targeting foreign drug dealers in the area. Police Colonel…

  • Jealous South Korean assaults Thai girlfriend with gun in Pattaya

    Jealous South Korean assaults Thai girlfriend with gun in Pattaya

    A shocking case of jealousy and violence unfolded in Pattaya when a South Korean man locked his Thai girlfriend in a room for nearly 24 hours, threatened her with a gun, and physically assaulted her after suspecting she was involved with another man. The terrifying ordeal ended when police rescued the woman, leading to a dramatic chase and arrest of…

  • 100,000 jellyfish stingers swarm Pattaya Beach in freak invasion

    100,000 jellyfish stingers swarm Pattaya Beach in freak invasion

    Holidaymakers got more than they bargained for on Pattaya Beach after a tidal wave of jellyfish, over 100,000 of them, was dumped along the sand in a slimy seaside shocker. Stunned tourists and locals yesterday, June 16, looked on as a 3-kilometre stretch of Pattaya Beach, from north to south, was smothered in jellyfish of all shapes and sizes, some…

  • Meth-ed up! Panic, pipes and punters in Pattaya drugs den bust

    Meth-ed up! Panic, pipes and punters in Pattaya drugs den bust

    A dodgy den full of drugs, a surprise visit from an eager buyer, and a stashed bag of meth dumped in a panic, Pattaya’s latest narcotics crackdown has left a trail of busted users, fleeing suspects and flustered dealers. Thai police struck hard in two separate raids this week as part of a no-nonsense campaign to clean up Pattaya’s seedy…

  • Bang out of order! Bolt bikers busted for flogging DIY firearms

    Bang out of order! Bolt bikers busted for flogging DIY firearms

    Two broke Bolt bikers swapped fares for firearms, flogging deadly DIY pistols in the heart of Pattaya to make ends meet, until a Facebook sting brought their side hustle to a screeching halt. In a dramatic late-night bust on June 15, Thai police arrested two motorcycle taxi riders in central Pattaya for producing and selling home-modified firearms, as part of…

  • Chinese scam suspect caught red-handed at ATM in Pattaya

    Chinese scam suspect caught red-handed at ATM in Pattaya

    A 29 year old Chinese man, suspected of being part of a major transnational call centre scam, was arrested outside a 7-Eleven in Pattaya yesterday, June 15, while withdrawing almost a million baht from an ATM. Officers from the Pattaya City Police Station and the Chon Buri Transnational Crime Suppression Unit apprehended the man, identified as Zhu Jiagen, while he…

  • Cyber police dismantle Pattaya gambling network with 9 million baht flow

    Cyber police dismantle Pattaya gambling network with 9 million baht flow

    Yesterday, June 14, cyber police dismantled a significant online gambling network known as FAST24H in Pattaya. The operation revealed a monthly circulation of over 9 million baht. Police Major General Trirong Phiewphan ordered the raid, which resulted in the arrest of two people. Police Major General Trirong Phiewphan, together with Police Major General Kritchat Bumrungrattanayot and other officials, led the…

  • Pattaya gold robber arrested after daring heist in Lamphun

    Pattaya gold robber arrested after daring heist in Lamphun

    A 47 year old man has been arrested in Pattaya today following a swift investigation into a daring gold robbery in Lamphun province. The heist, which saw a suspect steal two gold necklaces worth over 500,000 baht, was solved thanks to the tireless efforts of Chon Buri Provincial Police. “The suspect was tracked down to a shopping mall in Central…

  • Koh Larn registers 158 businesses in accommodation crackdown

    Koh Larn registers 158 businesses in accommodation crackdown

    To clean up Koh Larn’s rapidly expanding accommodation sector, Bang Lamung District Chief Patcharapat Srithanyanon announced the successful registration of unlicensed guesthouses and rentals on the popular tourist island. The crackdown, which aims to bring unregulated businesses into compliance, promises to improve transparency and foster sustainable development in the region. “Koh Larn has become a major destination for both Thai…

  • Pattaya to revamp entertainment zones and taxi system

    Pattaya to revamp entertainment zones and taxi system

    To modernise and better serve the ever-growing number of tourists flocking to Pattaya, Bang Lamung district has unveiled major plans to overhaul its zoning regulations for entertainment venues and completely restructure the motorbike taxi system. This ambitious initiative was announced at a meeting chaired by District Chief Patcharapat Sritanyanon at the Takian Tia Municipal Office, attended by government leaders and…

  • Pattaya launches new emergency medical training initiative

    Pattaya launches new emergency medical training initiative

    To enhance safety and attract more investment, Pattaya is rolling out a new emergency medical system project that aims to reassure both tourists and investors. Mayor Poramet Ngampichet recently welcomed Paisan Konjampa, Deputy Secretary-General of the National Institute for Emergency Medicine (NIEM), along with his team, to discuss the details of this exciting initiative. The NIEM team highlighted Pattaya’s status…

  • Police seize firearms after arrest in Chon Buri condominium

    Police seize firearms after arrest in Chon Buri condominium

    Police apprehended a 22 year old man at a condominium in Chon Buri, discovering an M16 assault rifle along with numerous other firearms and over 100 rounds of ammunition. The suspect claimed to have purchased the weapons online. Yesterday, June 11, Na Jomtien Police Station in Chon Buri received a tip-off from a concerned citizen about a suspicious man parked…

  • Pattaya couple cuffed for meth deal with toddler in tow

    Pattaya couple cuffed for meth deal with toddler in tow

    A Pattaya couple have been arrested in a major drug sting, after allegedly turning up to a meth deal with their two year old son sat on the motorbike. Pattaya police reported that 42 year old Wirot Ratloi, nicknamed “Ting,” and his 27 year old wife, Ployphan Mueangdit, known as “Pin,” were caught with over 1,000 Yaba pills, just moments after…

  • Pattaya teens get schooled as STI surge sparks sex-ed crackdown

    Pattaya teens get schooled as STI surge sparks sex-ed crackdown

    Pattaya schoolkids are being taught the hard facts about safe sex as Thailand battles a shocking surge in sexually transmitted infections (STI) among teens, with cases tripling and condom use plummeting. Mayor Poramese Ngamphichet this week launched a no-nonsense sex-ed programme at Pattaya City School 7 (Ban Nong Phang Khae), aimed at clamping down on risky behaviour among students aged…

  • Visa Las Vegas: Cops bust illegal workers in Chon Buri

    Visa Las Vegas: Cops bust illegal workers in Chon Buri

    A massive crackdown on illegal foreign workers has rocked Thailand’s party province of Chon Buri, with multiple raids, social media tip-offs, and a string of arrests hitting everything from restaurants to racy nightlife venues. A joint task force yesterday, June 11, stormed businesses in the Bang Lamung district, rounding up eight undocumented workers at a company in the Huay Yai…

  • Pattaya’s future at risk as accommodation bill divides opinion

    Pattaya’s future at risk as accommodation bill divides opinion

    Pattaya, Thailand’s notorious tourist hotspot, finds itself at the centre of a national debate as the proposed Hotel and Overnight Accommodation Act, better known as the Equal Accommodation Bill, threatens to dramatically reshape the city’s tourism landscape. While the bill aims to modernise outdated laws, critics warn it could undermine safety standards, community trust, and the sustainability of tourism in…

  • Bugged out: Heartbroken Indian sprays mozzie repellent in mouth

    Bugged out: Heartbroken Indian sprays mozzie repellent in mouth

    A heartbroken Indian man was rushed to hospital in Pattaya after he reportedly sprayed mosquito repellent into his own mouth, and went into violent shock. Rescue workers were called to a five-storey commercial block in the Nong Prue area of Bang Lamung today, June 11, after the man, identified as 33 year old Devaraj, was found foaming at the mouth…