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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  • No sex on the beach: Cops go nuts for ‘coconut tree’ sex workers

    No sex on the beach: Cops go nuts for ‘coconut tree’ sex workers

    More than 50 alleged sex workers were rounded up along Pattaya Beach last night in a dramatic police sweep, just over a week after furious residents branded previous crackdowns a “PR stunt.” Officers stormed the beachfront at 9.06pm, yesterday, May 21, in a coordinated operation aimed at flushing out the illegal trade tarnishing the city’s tourist image. The move came…

  • High spirits: Russian tourist leaps to death fleeing ‘ghost’ in Pattaya

    High spirits: Russian tourist leaps to death fleeing ‘ghost’ in Pattaya

    A Russian tourist high on marijuana plunged to his death from a Pattaya condo after telling a security guard he was being hunted by a murderous ghost with “bulging eyes.” The 27 year old man, named only as Mikhail, had been smoking heavily when he became convinced a phantom was trying to murder him. He ran frantically around the building…

  • Thai bank workers in baht-tle: Dodgy staff ‘cashed in’ on scam

    Thai bank workers in baht-tle: Dodgy staff ‘cashed in’ on scam

    Three Thai bank workers have been cuffed after allegedly helping a Chinese-run scam gang launder a jaw-dropping 2.2 billion baht, through a web of fake accounts. The dodgy trio, who worked at a branch in Pattaya, are accused of turning a blind eye while 15 Chinese nationals, all posing as tourists, opened bank accounts and swiftly drained millions in cash…

  • Trio busted for 700k baht hotel booking fraud in Pattaya

    Trio busted for 700k baht hotel booking fraud in Pattaya

    What was meant to be a dream getaway to Pattaya turned into a financial nightmare for dozens of unsuspecting tourists after falling victim to a slick Facebook hotel booking scam, and now the suspects are behind bars. Yesterday, May 20, police arrested three suspects accused of running a fraudulent operation that used fake Facebook pages to pose as reputable hotels in…

  • Police links cases: 2 Thai teenagers sexually assaulted in Pattaya

    Police links cases: 2 Thai teenagers sexually assaulted in Pattaya

    Two Thai teenagers filed a sexual assault complaint with Mueang Pattaya Police Station at a similar time in the early hours of this morning. The perpetrator is suspected to be the same person. The first victim, 20 year old Dao, arrived at the police station with her colleague at 2.21am, today, May 21, to report the rape and theft. The…

  • Stark raving nude: Naked men run riot on Pattaya streets

    Stark raving nude: Naked men run riot on Pattaya streets

    Pattaya locals were left gobsmacked this week after not one, but two stark-naked men caused chaos on the streets, one reportedly defecating near schools, the other hurling furniture at cops in a midnight meltdown. Concerned residents in Bang Lamung district, Chon Buri, are calling for urgent action after a homeless man, believed to be around 50, was repeatedly spotted wandering…

  • Pattaya waitresses battered by foreigner in beach bar bust-up

    Pattaya waitresses battered by foreigner in beach bar bust-up

    Two Pattaya waitresses were left bloodied and bruised after a polite request to “keep it down” sparked a violent seaside scrap, with beer bottles flying and tourists looking on in horror. The two waitresses have gone public with shocking claims of a violent attack that broke out after they asked a rowdy group to lower their voices during a quiet…

  • Pattaya cracks down on cars blocking wheelchair paths

    Pattaya cracks down on cars blocking wheelchair paths

    Pattaya officials are finally parking the problem for good. In a bold crackdown that’s earning applause across the city, municipal officers and traffic police have launched a campaign to fine drivers who illegally park on wheelchair-accessible pathways. The first sweep took place on Soi Paniadchang, located behind Big C Central Pattaya, where enforcement teams issued tickets and fines to motorists blocking designated…

  • Cops bust Pattaya branch linked to Chinese scam syndicate

    Cops bust Pattaya branch linked to Chinese scam syndicate

    Pattaya locals were left stunned yesterday when more than 20 police officers—some in uniform, others in plainclothes—stormed a bank on Sukhumvit Road in a dramatic midday raid. The operation, linked to an investigation into a massive Chinese call centre scam network, sent shockwaves through the city’s financial and expat communities. The surprise raid was spearheaded by Major General Thirachai Chamnan,…

  • Transwoman nicked after Pattaya Beach brawl with Israeli tourist

    Transwoman nicked after Pattaya Beach brawl with Israeli tourist

    A Thai transwoman who fled the scene of a violent late-night brawl with an Israeli tourist has been arrested by Pattaya police. The suspect vanished shortly after chaos erupted on Pattaya Beach Road during the early hours, where at least five transgender women were caught on video attacking an Israeli tourist in a black T-shirt. The row reportedly kicked off…

  • Dead tide: Mystery man washed up on Pattaya Beach

    Dead tide: Mystery man washed up on Pattaya Beach

    A chilling mystery is unfolding in Pattaya after the body of an unidentified man was found washed up on the sand late Sunday morning, just weeks after two similar tragedies struck Phuket. The victim, believed to be aged between 30 and 40, was discovered face down on Pattaya Beach opposite Soi 13, dressed in a black T-shirt with foreign writing…

  • Rescue volunteer shocked as foreigner trashes Pattaya booth

    Rescue volunteer shocked as foreigner trashes Pattaya booth

    A shocked rescue volunteer in Pattaya is pleading for justice after a mystery foreigner allegedly smashed into his emergency booth, causing thousands of baht in damage, including wrecking a defibrillator. Thawin Siangkong, who works unpaid for the Sawang Boriboon Rescue Unit, reported the late-night break-in to Pattaya police in the early hours of today, May 20. Armed with CCTV footage…

  • 2 Israeli men and Pattaya transwomen fight over sex service deposit

    2 Israeli men and Pattaya transwomen fight over sex service deposit

    A group of Thai transwomen and two Israeli men are facing charges following a physical altercation over a deposit for a sex service at Pattaya Beach Road earlier today, May 19. The incident was caught on a viral video shared across Thai social media platforms. One of the foreign men was wearing a black T-shirt and shorts, while the other…

  • South Korean man cut on face by steel plate on Pattaya footpath

    South Korean man cut on face by steel plate on Pattaya footpath

    A South Korean man sustained a serious facial injury yesterday, May 18, in Pattaya, after he accidentally walked into a protruding piece of a galvanised steel plate on a footpath, illegally placed by a nearby construction site. Rescuers from the Sawang Borriboon Thammasathan Foundation responded to the incident on a footpath along Pattaya Sai Sam Road at around 10.30pm. The…

  • Naked Russian man escapes hospital, causes chaos in Pattaya

    Naked Russian man escapes hospital, causes chaos in Pattaya

    A naked Russian man escaped from a hospital in Pattaya and caused chaos near Naklua Market just as the clocks struck midnight yesterday, May 18. Officers from Bang Lamung Police Station were called at 12.08am to apprehend the naked man, later identified as a Russian national aged between 30 and 40. He reportedly fled from a hospital near Naklua Market…

  • Pattaya app-based taxi rider punches Indian man for groping him

    Pattaya app-based taxi rider punches Indian man for groping him

    A male app-based motorcycle taxi rider repeatedly punched an Indian man outside a hotel in Pattaya last night, May 18, allegedly after the passenger had groped him during the ride. A security guard at a hotel on Soi Thep Prasit 17, in Bang Lamung district of Pattaya, called rescuers from the Sawang Borriboon Thammasathan Foundation to assist the injured Indian man,…

  • Miracle escape: Amulet saves driver in Chon Buri SUV crash

    Miracle escape: Amulet saves driver in Chon Buri SUV crash

    In a heart-stopping moment on a shadowy Chon Buri highway, a man’s SUV flipped onto its side — but against all odds, he walked away unscathed, crediting a sacred amulet for saving his life. At 10.36pm yesterday, May 16, Police Lieutenant Colonel Prakasit Phondech of Huai Yai Police Station was alerted to an accident on Highway 36, the Chon Buri-Rayong Bypass…

  • British man knifed and dumped near courthouse in Pattaya

    British man knifed and dumped near courthouse in Pattaya

    A British man was left fighting for his life in a pool of blood outside a Pattaya courthouse after a brutal knife attack involving three foreigners, sparking a police manhunt and a flurry of questions over what led to the violent ambush. At around 5pm yesterday, May 16, Lieutenant Pakan Pobnan, Deputy Investigation Officer at Pattaya City Police Station, received a…

  • Steel carnage: Factory collapse crushes cars in Chon Buri horror

    Steel carnage: Factory collapse crushes cars in Chon Buri horror

    Panic erupted in Chon Buri today as part of a factory building came crashing down without warning, flattening vehicles and sending workers fleeing in terror. The collapse shook Amata City Industrial Estate Phase 10 in Phan Thong district, leaving behind a mangled mess of metal, dust, and debris. The incident occurred today, May 16, in the heart of one of…

  • North Pattaya bridge blaze sparks safety crackdown

    North Pattaya bridge blaze sparks safety crackdown

    Smoke, fire and a stench of burning wires sent shockwaves through a Pattaya neighbourhood this week, as a bizarre blaze under the Naklua Bridge sparked panic and shone a spotlight on an area long plagued by shady activity. Yesterday afternoon, May 15, thick clouds of smoke began pouring from beneath the bridge along Sukhumvit Road in Naklua, prompting alarmed residents…

  • Monk’s millions: Pattaya woman busted in gambling scandal

    Monk’s millions: Pattaya woman busted in gambling scandal

    A scandal mixing faith, fortune, and online gambling has rocked Thailand, as police swooped in on a Pattaya condo to arrest a young woman linked to the disgraced abbot of Rai Khing Temple. The monk is accused of blowing more than 300 million baht of temple funds on online baccarat—and now the money trail has led straight to the resort…

  • Cone, not forgotten! Pattaya clamps down on parking space hogs

    Cone, not forgotten! Pattaya clamps down on parking space hogs

    It’s the end of the road for selfish parking space hogs in Pattaya, as city officials crack down on cheeky locals and businesses reserving public roads with cones, chains and bins like it’s their private driveway. Pattaya’s war on illegal space-grabbing has kicked into high gear, with municipal officers hitting the streets to clear cones, barriers and random clutter dumped…

  • Splash and dash! Pattaya swamped as storm lashes city (video)

    Splash and dash! Pattaya swamped as storm lashes city (video)

    A torrential morning downpour left Pattaya swamped as a storm left roads underwater, traffic crawling, and snakes slithering into the chaos. The Thai Meteorological Department (TMD) revealed that there’s more to come. A heavy rainstorm hammered Bang Lamung district in Chon Buri for over an hour starting at 9.36am, yesterday, May 14, flooding large swathes of Pattaya and grinding morning…

  • Spice bar sizzler: Ex-flame blamed for fiery bust-up in Pattaya

    Spice bar sizzler: Ex-flame blamed for fiery bust-up in Pattaya

    A blazing row turned literal when a late-night fire tore through a Pattaya bar, with suspicions pointing squarely at the owner’s ex, who’d allegedly threatened to torch the place. Flames ripped through Anne’s Island Spice Bar in Soi Phratamnak 5 during the early hours of yesterday, May 14, sparking panic and a rapid emergency response. The blaze broke out around…

  • Kratom and disorderly: Pattaya bar raided over illegal jungle juice

    Kratom and disorderly: Pattaya bar raided over illegal jungle juice

    A Pattaya bar has landed in hot water after being caught red-handed selling kratom-laced cocktails and operating without a licence during a late-night sting by police and district officials. At around 9pm, yesterday, May 13, a special operations team from Pattaya City Police, alongside Bang Lamung district officers, swooped on a buzzing beer bar in Nong Prue, Chon Buri. The…

  • Pattaya tour boat boss calls tourists ‘animals’ in foul-mouthed tirade

    Pattaya tour boat boss calls tourists ‘animals’ in foul-mouthed tirade

    A Pattaya tour boat operator has been forced to issue a grovelling apology after being caught on camera swearing at a boatload of foreign tourists: calling them “animals” in a foul-mouthed rant that’s since gone viral. The shocking outburst unfolded aboard a Koh Larn Relax tour boat during a snorkelling trip to Koh Sak last Saturday afternoon, and was exposed…

  • Foreign beggar gang busted for using kids as cash bait in Pattaya

    Foreign beggar gang busted for using kids as cash bait in Pattaya

    A foreign beggar gang using children and the disabled to pull in cash from tourists has been busted in a dramatic sting operation by immigration police in Pattaya. Undercover officers, posing as holidaymakers, swooped on a group of Cambodians spotted hustling money from passersby at popular tourist spots around the city. Some of the suspects were seen carrying two or…

  • Brake point: Biker gang batters Pattaya mechanic over 100 baht

    Brake point: Biker gang batters Pattaya mechanic over 100 baht

    A Pattaya mechanic was left bloodied and bruised after a gang of angry teens stormed his workshop and beat him senseless, all over a 100-baht parking fee. The shocking attack happened yesterday, May 13, at 1pm, when police were called to a motorcycle repair shop on Soi Khao Noi, near the railway in Chon Buri province. Responding officers found 27…

  • Last orders: Drunk biker dies on booze run near Pattaya

    Last orders: Drunk biker dies on booze run near Pattaya

    A late-night booze dash ended in tragedy when a drunk biker was killed after losing control of his vehicle and slamming into a pickup truck on a deadly bend in Chon Buri near Pattaya. The 29 year old victim, a Thai construction worker, died in a horrific high-speed motorbike crash after heading out to buy more booze following a drinking…

  • Pattaya targets illegal tour guides in tourism crackdown

    Pattaya targets illegal tour guides in tourism crackdown

    Officials are cracking down on illegal tour operators and nominee-run tourism businesses in Pattaya and across the country, aiming to clean up the sector ahead of the “Amazing Thailand Grand Tourism and Sports Year 2025” campaign. Between October 2024 and March 2025, officials inspected 940 tour operators and 338 guides nationwide, uncovering widespread violations. Many operators were found working without…