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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Man arrested after allegedly pulling a gun on a woman at the ATM
A man was arrested after he allegedly pulled a gun on a woman at an ATM outside a Chon Buri petrol station and demanded money. Police quickly arrived to the gas station on Sukhumvit Road and arrested 36 year old Tawat Jantawon who allegedly told police he had taken a small amount of crystal methamphetamine. Police searched the man and…
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Thai protester released on bail, tells his side of the story after head-butt incident in Pattaya
A follow up to yesterday’s sad incident with a Thai protester ending up head-butting a 52 year old Russian man who was watching a small protest on the Jomtien foreshore with his 10 year old daughter and Thai wife. The incident happened on Monday evening at the Dongtan Curve. The protester, Narathiwat “Ken” Khamma, was arrested and jailed for the…
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Investors see opportunity in Pattaya hotel market
Although travel restrictions are still tight, investors see potential opportunities in Pattaya’s hotel market. Many are reimagining the 2021 market by focusing on domestic demand. Property consultancy JLL says the ongoing Eastern Economic Corridor development comes into play. U-Tapao International Airport in Rayong expanding to increase capacity by 5 million passengers and a high speed rail is in the works…
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52 year old Russian head-butted by Thai protest leader in Pattaya
A small protest gathering in Pattaya’s Jomtien Beach last night turned ugly when one of the protest leaders targeted and assaulted a 52 year old Russian expat who was watching on with his 10 year old daughter and Thai wife. The tall Thai man in the floral shirt, named as Narathiwat “Kane” Khamma, became agitated and started yelling obscenities at…
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Pattaya police stage fake brawls as part of training drill
Police and rescue workers in Pattaya have carried out a training exercise that involved simulating fake brawls in a nightclub and a hospital. Officers were taking part in a drill to prepare them for such incidents, with an increase in domestic tourists expected in the coming high season months. Pattaya has a number of large events coming up, including a…
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Norwegian expat in Pattaya arrested on child porn charges
An elderly Norwegian man has been arrested in Pattaya on charges of downloading, collecting, and possessing child pornography. The 87 year old expat was arrested yesterday in the Jomtien area, after authorities identified his computer IP address as being the source of illegal downloads of child sexual abuse material. The Pattaya News reports that members of the Institute of Forensic…
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Pattaya journalist injured as foreigner steals gun, fires at police, then kills himself
An armed man has killed himself after a stand-off with police in Pattaya that lasted several hours, during which a journalist was shot. It’s understood the man, a 25 year old American citizen, stole a Glock 9mm with 8 bullets from a shooting range, with staff trying but failing to stop him from making his getaway on a motorbike, according…
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Live grenade found in garbage pile near Chon Buri housing estate
A man found a live grenade in a garbage pile near a Chon Buri housing estate. 48 year old Sukhawut Wichada said he was looking around the area for papaya when he came across the grenade. “I was searching for papaya before I found this… I knew it was a grenade. I ran away before calling the police.” Both police…
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Elephants chase motorbike driver to Chon Buri home
Wild elephants chased a motorbike driver in Chon Buri, following him to a family’s home where he stopped and asked to hide inside. 3 elephants ran after him to the house and damaged the front of the home. Luckily, the elephants weren’t able to enter inside the home and the family, including a child and a pregnant woman, were not…
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“Pattaya Model” to focus on Special Tourist Visa visitors from China and Russia
Pattaya wants to cash in on the new Special Tourist Visa scheme and local officials plan to introduce the “Pattaya Model” to help boost the local economy after it took at beating from the lack of international tourists due to the pandemic. They’ll focus on drawing in Chinese and Russian tourists on the new long stay visa, according to Pattaya…
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Pattaya – fighting to survive its Covid crisis
Pattaya, like some of Thailand’s other former tourist hotspots, is facing some critical challenges. Hundreds of thousands of workers have left the city because there’s simply no work and up to 50% of the city’s shops are closed, some never to re-open. The Thaiger filmed most of this video on a long weekend at the end of October, the busiest…
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6 face extortion charges after allegedly posing Thai immigration police officers
Police have arrested 3 people and issued arrest warrants for 3 others on extortion charges after they allegedly posed immigration police officers in Rayong and visited business owners with migrant staff, asking them for money. Police say 6 men wearing immigration police uniforms visited business owners in Rayong on September 15. They allegedly asked for money from the businesses with…
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Pattaya springs back to life over the long weekend, more to come
Pattaya, struggling along for the past 7 months with a handful of domestic tourists and Bangkok weekenders, has had its busiest weekend for a long time, albeit a long weekend created by the public holiday in commemoration of King Chulongkorn. Much of the increased traffic were Thai faces, a big change to the city’s old demographic of international tourists and…
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Illegal gambling site taken down after raids, alleged earnings up to 10 billion baht
Billion, with a ‘B’. A group of 6 Thais have been arrested over the operation of an allegedly lucrative illegal online gambling website. The website, since closed down, was called ‘Marwin Net.com’ which was allegedly connected with previous raids in Chon Buri. Police claim that the gambling ring has generated an astonishing 10 billion baht. The online gambling ring is…
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Bangkok Airways add 3 new local routes to their schedule
Some domestic routes are being added as local routes continue to expand. This time Bangkok Airways has announced it’s resuming its Samui-Phuket, Phuket-Hat Yai and Phuket-Pattaya/Rayong (U-Tapao) flights. The first additions to the schedule will be the Phuket-Samui flights resuming this Sunday, October 25, and the Phuket-Pattaya flights start again next Tuesday, October 27. The Phuket-Samui flights will be operating…
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Pattaya residents accuse Greek expat of throwing sewage, threatening neighbours, and damaging property
Residents of a housing estate in the district of Banglamung in Pattaya, have filed a police report against an expat they accuse of threatening and damaging behaviour. According to The Pattaya News, neighbours say the Greek national has threatened them, as well as “throwing sewage” at their homes, and damaging their fences. They add that, despite filing a police report…
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Royalists gather in Chon Buri to support the Thai Monarchy amid anti-government protests
While pro-democracy protesters have been gathering nationwide over the past week, especially in their cat-and-mouse “pop up” protests around the capital, calling on an end to the military-run government and pushing the Thai PM to resign, royal supporters gathered at Chon Buri’s Banglamung District Office to show their support for Thailand and the Thai Monarchy. They say they welcome discussion…
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Pickup truck crashes into elephant as herd runs across Chon Buri road
A herd of wild elephants running across a road in Chon Buri caused a driver to crash into an elephant, damaging his Isuzu pickup truck and injuring a 20 year old passenger. 34 year old Sompong Duangknam says he was heading to the province’s Ban Ang Kraden district when a group of about 20 elephants ran out of the forest and…
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Pattaya bar ladies use YouTube to make money during pandemic – VIDEO
Can’t visit the ladies in Pattaya? Just go to YouTube and type “Pattaya bar live” in the search bar. A number of videos and live streams will come up from various bars in Pattaya. The area was hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic with a ban on international tourists, battering the local economy that heavily relied on foreign visitors. But…
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Pattaya bars making money from live streaming for customers overseas – VIDEO
Since foreign tourists can’t visit the bars in Pattaya, some of the bars are live streaming and posting videos online to allow people to chat and connect with the female bar staff, partially making up for revenue lost during the pandemic. The Pattaya News says the chats aren’t explicit, just a friendly chat between the bar staff with men who…
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Police search for suspect after man shot, critically injured near Chon Buri shipyard
Police are searching for a suspect who allegedly shot a 37 year old man near a shipyard in Chon Buri’s Banglamung district. Son Kuengsamrong was found lying on the ground with a bullet wound just below his rib cage. He was taken to the hospital and is in critical condition. A truck driver passing by yesterday afternoon noticed Son lying…
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The Pattaya to Hua Hin bridge. Government discusses 900 billion baht investment.
The government is looking into a so-called “Thai Bridge” that would connect Pattaya to Hua Hin, an estimated 900 billion baht investment. The project would be part of the Eastern Economic Corridor development plan aimed at improving the transportation and infrastructure in Thailand. The 900 billion baht investment is expected to take 10 years to financially implement, according to chairperson…
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2 year old child among 2 killed in Chon Buri collision
2 people have died and another 4 have been injured in a collision between 2 vehicles in the eastern province of Chon Buri. The Pattaya News reports that one of the dead is a 2 year old girl. The incident, between a black sedan and a white pick-up truck, occurred in the Koh Chan district, in the north east of…
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Pattaya woman accused of prostituting granddaughter to repay gambling debts
A 16 year old girl has been taken into care, amid reports her grandmother forced her to sleep with a loan shark and a friend to repay the older woman’s gambling debts. The 57 year old Pattaya woman faces charges of human trafficking and prostitution and a warrant has been issued for her arrest, as well as that of the…
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Man allegedly chained his uncle and beat him to death with a bat
A man allegedly chained his uncle to a staircase and beat him to death with a baseball bat. 27 year old Jetsada Raksutee was found at his Chon Buri house and police say he appeared to be in a catatonic state. The body of his 45 year old uncle, Sonthaya Arnpoe, was found covered in blood with his leg chained…
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Worst flood in years Chon Buri residents say, Pattaya City officials plan to build a flood barrier
Flooding from the weekend’s heavy storms damaged homes and local beaches in Pattaya and Banglamung in the Chon Buri province, with water levels on some roads 10 to 80 centimetres high. Some residents say it was the worst flood in years. Pattaya City officials are planning to build a flood barrier to prevent future flooding, according to Banglamung Sheriff Amnat…
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Pattaya to host eating contest next weekend, everyone welcome
Pattaya will host a big eating contest next weekend with everyone welcome to join in the fun. Registration is now open for 4 person teams as well as individual contestants to participate in “The War Eating Contest 2020 #1.” The event will be held at the Royal Garden Plaza shopping centre with prizes worth more than 100,000 baht. Even organisers…
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Pattaya mopping up after flooding and erosion from heavy rains
Pattaya and Banglamung have been suffering from flooding and erosion after heavy rains battered the beaches and roads earlier this morning. Water levels on some roads reportedly measured from 10 to 80 centimetres high. Huge amounts of storm water of water have been running through to Pattaya’s beach and into the ocean. Parts of the beaches, some recently reclaimed and…
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Elderly man rescued from top of high voltage power pole in Pattaya – VIDEO
A 74 year old man who climbed to the top of a high voltage power pole in Pattaya has been rescued by the local fire department. The Pattaya News reports that the unnamed man was said to be suffering from depression when he decided to climb the pole in the Nong Pru area of the city around 10.30pm last night.…
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Woman and 2 children escape unharmed after car flips over in Pattaya
A woman who lost control of her car, making the vehicle flip over, has had a lucky escape, along with her 2 young children, who were unharmed in the incident. 36 year old Suweena Rodpan says she was driving in the rain, on Pattaya’s Sukhumvit Road, when she lost control of the car due to the wet surface. She subsequently…
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