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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  • Cops bust Pattaya branch linked to Chinese scam syndicate | Thaiger

    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 | Thaiger

    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 | Thaiger

    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 | Thaiger

    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 | Thaiger

    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 | Thaiger

    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 | Thaiger

    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 | Thaiger

    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 | Thaiger

    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 | Thaiger

    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 | Thaiger

    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 | Thaiger

    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 | Thaiger

    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 | Thaiger

    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) | Thaiger

    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 | Thaiger

    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 | Thaiger

    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 | Thaiger

    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 | Thaiger

    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 | Thaiger

    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 | Thaiger

    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 | Thaiger

    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…

  • Thai cops buy bus ticket for broke Pattaya man | Thaiger

    Thai cops buy bus ticket for broke Pattaya man

    In an unexpected display of empathy, Pattaya’s municipal officers have drawn both praise and scepticism after assisting a man who caused a scene at a convenience store—by buying him a bus ticket home with their own cash. The incident unfolded earlier this week when the unidentified man became visibly distressed and agitated inside a convenience store. Onlookers called the police,…

  • Pattaya zoo rolls out ice treats to beat the heat | Thaiger

    Pattaya zoo rolls out ice treats to beat the heat

    With Thailand baking in brutal summer heat, Khao Kheow Open Zoo has found a deliciously clever way to keep its furry and feathered residents chill — frozen treats, bamboo bowls, and a whole lot of enrichment. The zoo, located in Chon Buri, has launched a refreshing initiative as part of its Animal Enrichment programme, serving up icy snacks to beat…

  • Storms loom, but Pattaya still packs out for long weekend | Thaiger

    Storms loom, but Pattaya still packs out for long weekend

    Storm clouds may be looming over Thailand this weekend, but that’s not stopping waves of tourists from descending on Pattaya’s beaches. Despite unstable weather conditions forecast across large swathes of the country, the seaside city is bracing for a surge in holidaymakers from May 9 to 12, as the Royal Ploughing Ceremony and the Visakha Bucha Day substitution create a…

  • 13 foreign sex workers arrested in undercover operation in Pattaya | Thaiger

    13 foreign sex workers arrested in undercover operation in Pattaya

    Police officers yesterday, May 8, arrested 13 foreign sex workers who were illegally offering services to tourists along Pattaya Beach. Some were also found to overstay their visas. More than 50 officers from Mueang Pattaya Police Station, the Tourist Police, and the Immigration Bureau conducted a crackdown operation at around 7pm on Pattaya Beach, targeting illegal sex workers. The operation…

  • Mum and son fling onto road after Pattaya motorbike crash | Thaiger

    Mum and son fling onto road after Pattaya motorbike crash

    A late-night ride turned into a nightmare after a mother and her young son were violently hurled from their motorbike during a high-speed crash in Pattaya. The terrifying accident occurred just after midnight yesterday, May 8, in Soi Boon Kanjanaram 8. Emergency responders from the Sawang Boriboon Thammasathan Rescue Centre rushed to the scene after reports that a motorbike had…

  • Nowhere to hide: ‘Digital Crime Clock’ targets Pattaya’s criminals | Thaiger

    Nowhere to hide: ‘Digital Crime Clock’ targets Pattaya’s criminals

    In a high-tech twist straight out of a crime thriller, Pattaya police have rolled out a mobile crime-tracking system that could change the game for criminals lurking in the shadows. Dubbed the “Digital Crime Clock,” this innovative platform is the first of its kind in Thailand’s Provincial Police Region 2 and offers real-time crime data at officers’ fingertips. The system…

  • Robot smashes hole in Pattaya car park wall | Thaiger

    Robot smashes hole in Pattaya car park wall

    Tourists and locals were left stunned after a large hole mysteriously appeared in the side of Pattaya City’s automated parking garage near Bali Hai Pier, triggering concerns over the safety of the city’s high-tech car park. The incident unfolded at around 12.30pm yesterday, May 7, when a mechanical lift arm inside the facility smashed through a wall during what should…

  • Pattaya air con blaze sparks high-rise chaos | Thaiger

    Pattaya air con blaze sparks high-rise chaos

    Panic swept through a Pattaya high-rise last night as a fire erupted on the 19th floor, forcing a frantic evacuation of terrified residents and tourists. The blaze broke out just after 8pm yesterday, May 7, at a 29-storey condominium located in Soi Chaiyapruek 3. According to the Pattaya City Disaster Relief Centre, flames were first spotted in Room 1911, with…