Pattaya News
Welcome to The Thaiger’s Pattaya news page, your one-stop destination for the latest happenings in Thailand’s coastal town, AKA Sin City of the East! Our dedicated team delivers up-to-the-minute news, in-depth analysis, and exclusive stories from Pattaya, covering everything from local politics and business to entertainment and lifestyle. Stay informed about the city’s thriving tourism industry, expat community, and vibrant nightlife, as well as updates on events, attractions, and transportation.
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Sponsored A healthy tomorrow starts today: Celebrate the great American Smokeout day
The Great American Smokeout, held this year on November 17, is a nationwide event that encourages smokers to take their first steps towards a smoke-free life. If you’re an expat in Thailand, this day could be a timely reminder to...
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VIDEO: robber snatches 1 million baht worth of jewellery from Pattaya gold shop
There’s been another gold shop robbery in Thailand, this time in Pattaya. On Wednesday, the robber threatened staff at the Aurora Gold Shop in Tesco Lotus in South Pattaya at gunpoint. The robber reportedly first gave the staff a piece of paper detailing his demands. The staff were hesitant, so the robber then walked behind the counter himself, and took…
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Angry Pattaya teens allegedly assault Walking Street nightclub guards
There’s been another report of late-night violence on Pattaya’s iconic Walking Street. Around 30 angry Pattaya teens allegedly assaulted the guards of one nightclub on the street. The youths reportedly attacked the Jannaat club guards for not allowing them to enter the club at 4am on Tuesday, well past the legal closing time of 2am. After being denied entry to…
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Luxury casino in Pattaya raided before grand opening
Police raided an under-construction building in Pattaya after being tipped off it is to become a luxury casino. The Deputy Commissioner of the Royal Thai Police, Surachate “Big Joke” Hakparn, ordered police officers to raid the gambling house at the Chalerm Phra Kiat 6 on the Pattaya Sai Sam Road in the Bang Lamung district of Pattaya. Police met a…
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1 thousand people celebrate start of Buddhist festival at Pattaya temple
About 1,000 people celebrated the start of a Buddhist festival at a temple in Pattaya on Sunday. The Nong Or Temple had a kick-off event for the Thod Kathin Festival with about 1,000 people in attendance. Photos show a happy crowd of attendees smiling and clapping, as well as attendees presenting offerings to a monk. The Thod Kathin Festival begins…
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Pattaya NGO to hold fundraiser for abused and trafficked women
An NGO in Pattaya is holding a fundraising event for abused and trafficked women this Friday, November 11. The event, titled “Fashion Rocks, will be hosted by the Rotary Club of Pattaya International at the Pattaya Hilton Hotel. The event’s Facebook page says it starts at 5pm. The fashion show aims to raise funds for children, young women, girls, and…
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German man in Pattaya freaks out as officers move in to arrest him for overstaying
A German couple in Pattaya was arrested yesterday for overstaying their visa. Arresting officers at the scene discovered that the man wasn’t going to go without a fight. Officers from Bang Lamung Police Station were answering a routine nuisance neighbour call at Soi Panya Nimit in Nongprue, but when they arrived on the scene they discovered the couple had overstayed their…
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Pattaya Police taking safety precautions for Loy Krathong festival
Pattaya Police are taking safety precautions for the Loy Krathong festivals coming up tonight. Police held a meeting yesterday about safety measures. The safety measures include: banning all sky lanterns, fireworks, alcohol, and smoking (including cannabis), and ensuring nightlife and entertainment venues close at their legal times between midnight and 2am depending on what zone the venue falls into. Checkpoints…
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Egyptian men who allegedly stole mobile phones from Pattaya guest house arrested
UPDATE Three men who allegedly worked together to steal two mobile phones from a Pattaya guest house have been arrested. CCTV footage showed the second and third suspects walking down Pattaya Second Road the night before. The first and second suspects were also seen heading down Pattaya Second Road to Pattaya Central Road after they left the guest house. The…
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Middle Eastern tourists steal phones from Pattaya hotel
Pattaya Police are on the lookout for two Middle Eastern men who robbed two mobile phones yesterday from a hotel at Soi Pattaya Sai Song. A 43 year old member of the hotel staff, Siriwan Saeng-Arun, told police that the two Middle Eastern tourists requested to see a room before booking on Saturday, November 5. Siriwan showed the alleged tourists a…
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Rescuers save 2 year old boy with head stuck in gate
Every parent’s worst nightmare came true on Thursday for a Chinese mother. Her two year old son sustained serious injuries in a freak accident that saw his head get stuck in an automatic gate mechanism. The terrifying incident occurred in the Sri Racha district of Chon Buri on Thursday, and luckily police were on the scene to jump in and…
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Police bust 2 drug parties, arrest 43 teenagers
Move over adults, it’s time for the kids to join in. After a series of high-profile raids on entertainment venues around Thailand, in part as a crackdown on drugs after the meth ties to the daycare centre killer, police busted two parties full of mostly teenagers in Chon Buri this week. Police officials announced that in the early hours of…
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U-Tapao Airport expansion plan approved by Cabinet
For tourists to Pattaya, travel may be getting a lot easier. The Cabinet has approved a plan for a massive expansion of U-Tapao Airport, the hub in Rayong province nearest to the popular tourist town. The project would grow the airport’s capability for commercial flights to land. It would expand by building a new runway and adding facilities to accommodate…
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VIDEO: Korean tourist in Pattaya says transgender person pickpocketed him
Even though Pattaya’s thieves have largely targeted Indian tourists this year, it appears that when picking targets, people of all nationalities are fair game. A Korean tourist in Pattaya told police that a transgender person pickpocketed him on a beach on Wednesday night. The tourist, 43 year old Sanghyeon Lee, said he was walking on Pattaya Beach with friends when…
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Prisoner fakes his own death to escape cell in Pattaya, Thailand
An alleged thief faked his death yesterday in an attempt to escape his cell in Pattaya, Chon Buri province, eastern Thailand. However, the “dead” prisoner shot up like a bolt when suspecting rescue workers placed ammonia under his nose. Yesterday, officers from Pattaya City Police Station arrested and detained 53 year old Sayan [surname withheld] under suspicion of stealing 50,000…
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Aussie surf star dies in Pattaya motorcycle crash
A well-known Australian surfboard designer has died after crashing his motorcycle in Chon Buri. Kym Thompson smashed into an electricity pole while avoiding a truck turning at a junction on November 1. CCTV shows how Thompson was flung from his bike and skidded along the road. Rescuers said the entrepreneur died at the scene having broken his neck, arms and…
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Vandalised tourist service centre gets makeover in Pattaya
An abandoned vandalised tourist service centre in Pattaya has been cleaned up after several crimes in the area. Pattaya Police, along with City Councilman Nikom Sangkaew, worked together to change the light bulbs and clean up the police box opposite the Royal Garden Plaza on Beach Road. The box has barely offered any services since 2019. Photos by Pattaya Mail…
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Famous Pattaya chef serves food to disadvantaged children
A famous Pattaya chef has taken some time out to help those less fortunate than others. Last week at the Father Ray Children’s Village, chef Harlan Goldstein served gourmet hamburgers and cake to 118 children and 32 staff members. Goldstein also handed the children free T-shirts with his name on them. The Father Ray Children’s Village is a home for…
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VIDEO: Pit bull attacks in Pattaya
CCTV footage captured the moment a man’s pet pit bull launched and bit a woman inside a condo building in Pattaya, Chon Buri province, eastern Thailand on Saturday. The pit bull and its owner were about to take the lift when the dog, seemingly out of nowhere, launched at a woman walking past and bit her thigh, causing her an…
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Chinese man in Pattaya has finger cut off, allegedly by gang who held him captive
Pattaya Police say that a Chinese man had his finger cut off by a ransom gang who held him captive. The man, 41 year old Ren Haibo, suddenly disappeared at midnight on October 30, according to his Thai girlfriend, 20 year old Alisara Supasiribundit. Alisara said that Ren and his car were both gone. She said Ren’s brother contacted her the…
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Largest Indian restaurant in Southeast Asia opens in Pattaya
The largest Indian restaurant in Southeast Asia has opened in Pattaya. The restaurant, named “MumbaiSe,” is located at the Stardice Pub on the Pattaya-Naklua road. The restaurant held its opening ceremony on Saturday night, with many Pattaya officials attending, including Mayor Poramese Ngampiches. The founders are two Indian businessmen who have invested 25 million baht in the restaurant. The restaurant will…
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Stealing from the Red Cross – How low can Thailand’s corrupt officials go?
Two local administration officials in Chon Buri’s Sattahip district were arrested on Friday accused of taking bribes. Barely a day, or perhaps even an hour, goes by in Thailand at this time without accusations of corruption and bribe taking against the police or government officials. In this case, the two Sattahip officials demanded that a guesthouse operator make a fake…
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Coral reefs off Chon Buri found diseased
There’s been some unfortunate news for all the ocean lovers out there. Coral reefs off Chon Buri’s Sattahip district and the Samae San island have this month been found to have yellow-band disease. The disease attacks and kills colonies of coral, according to the director-general of the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources. Yellow-band disease occurs when coral gets stressed…
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Mountain B nightclub tragedy claims 26th life nearly 3 months after fire
The Mountain B nightclub tragedy claimed a 26th victim this morning almost three months after the fire in Sattahip district, Chon Buri province, eastern Thailand, on August 5. A 26 year old submarine operator for the Royal Thai Navy (RTN) died at 2am after fighting for his life in hospital for 83 days. Thirteen people lost their lives on the…
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Young Chon Buri man loses leg in car crash
A young Chon Buri man tragically lost one of his legs in a car crash on Tuesday night. The man, 24 year old Atthaphon Simsuwan, reportedly crashed his motorbike into a pickup truck. Rescuers arrived on the scene in Bang Lamung district to find Atthaphon in terrible pain. They rushed the Chon Buri man to a nearby hospital. Meanwhile, the pickup…
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Ugandan prostitute snatches hundreds of thousands of baht from British tourist in Pattaya
A Ugandan prostitute allegedly snatched a British tourist’s safe with hundreds of thousands of baht in it in Pattaya. Even though the incident happened on October 2, it was reported on Saturday that police still hadn’t caught the suspect. The victim, 57 year old Steven Paul, took a streetwalker he met on Walking Street back to his guesthouse on Soi…
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Drunk Chonburi FC goalie kills 1 and injures 1 in car crash
A goalkeeper for Chonburi FC crashed his car early this morning while driving under the influence of alcohol, killing a woman and seriously injuring a man, in the province’s Mueang district, in eastern Thailand. At 4.30am, officers from Mueang Chon Buri police station received a report that a car crashed into pedestrians on a bridge on Liap Cha Thahle Road…
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Pattaya clubs and police deny allegations of bribes
Netizens believe a photo circulating on social media, showing a list of names and numbers, reveals the names and numbers of police officers involved in soliciting bribes from local businesses. The officers and business owners allegedly named deny any wrongdoing. In the fallout of the Club One Pattaya drug raid, both Pattaya Police and venue owners are denying claims of…
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Manhole cover in Pattaya explodes, smashes into bus
Authorities are investigating the cause behind a freak accident in Pattaya that shot a manhole cover into the air and damaged a bus. The exploding manhole cover was captured on film yesterday as it popped several metres in the air and crashed down on a local baht bus. The driver of the bus was understandably shaken up by the incident…
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Kind Thai woman takes in homeless ladyboy who robs all her stuff
A kind-hearted woman from Chon Buri province, eastern Thailand, took in a homeless ladyboy who had nowhere else to go. After two weeks, the ladyboy left in the middle of the night stealing a car, a motorbike, a TV, an iPhone, gold, and even an electric fan. The victim, 27 year old Nawarat, posted on Facebook offering a big cash…
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Pattaya pool villa suspect’s girlfriend claims boyfriend just came to look around
UPDATE The girlfriend of one of the five Pattaya pool villa suspects claims her boyfriend was just there to look around. The unnamed girlfriend told Pattaya Police that her boyfriend “Rang,” was not involved in the shooting or assault, but was only there to look around because he was a friend of the suspects. Rang’s girlfriend claimed that Rang had…
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