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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  • Updates for food and beverage venues in Pattaya

    (“Food and beverage venues” is a euphemism for ‘bars-pretending-to-be-restaurants’) Pattaya businesses are being thrown another curved ball with the Chon Buri governor releasing new orders last night to clarify, and in some cases increase, restrictions and conditions for food and beverage venues. The updated guidelines relate specifically to bars that are trying to re-open under a loophole that lets them…

  • Pattaya hotel raided for gambling, 42 people arrested

    A Pattaya hotel room was raided by police and 42 people now face charges for gambling, which is illegal in Thailand. Officers also seized tables, cards, and gambling chips with a total market value of roughly 500 million baht (the US$15 million). Firearms were seized from the dealers. Acting on a court warrant, police raided the Le Vernissage Hotel, a…

  • Pattaya tourist leaders call for local Sandbox as hotel bookings drop

    “The permit to arrive in Thailand is the least of the problems for many potential international tourists as airlines around the world have been cancelling services.” Whilst the southern island of Phuket appears to be a winner in the government’s recent, and selective, alterations to its Thailand Pass options, Thailand’s other main tourist hot spot outside Bangkok, Pattaya, has again…

  • Covid-19 warning issued for Camel Toe Restaurant in Pattaya

    The Chon Buri Public Health Office issued a Covid-19 alert for a popular Nong Prue restaurant where patrons may have been exposed to infection. The notice last night instructed anyone who had been to the Camel Toe Restaurant in Soi Krom Tee Din – or anyone who had come in close contact with a patron of the restaurant – take…

  • Crab and ice shops in Si Racha warned of Covid-19 outbreak

    A new warning went out for a potential Covid-19 outbreak stemming from some ice and crab shops in Si Racha district of Chon Buri. The Chon Buri Public Health Office issued the notice yesterday urging anyone who was a patron or visited 3 crab shops and an ice shop to come forward for mandatory Covid-19 testing. The announcement said that…

  • Immune to penalty, police raid Sky Mountain restaurant a 6th time

    They say no good deed goes unpunished, but in the case of Sky Mountain Restaurant in Pattaya, no unpunished deed goes unrepeated. The restaurant has been raided by police a sixth time for acting as a bar and nightclub and illegally selling alcohol in violation of Covid-19 restrictions, though it has not seen any penalty yet and continues to operate…

  • Man arrested in Chon Buri for allegedly attempting to mail drugs to South Korea

    A Thai man was arrested in Chon Buri for allegedly attempting to send methamphetamine and other illicit drugs to South Korea. Officers say they received a tip through the 1386 hotline that the suspect was smuggling drugs out of Thailand by hiding them in snack packages. The Office of the Narcotics Control Board says each package is included with 870…

  • Pattaya restaurant raided a fifth time for Covid-19 violations

    Seemingly unfazed by an apparent complete lack of any punishment the first 4 times, a Pattaya restaurant has been raided a fifth time for violating Covid-19 restrictions. The restaurant, Sky Mountain, has been busted 4 times previously for operating as a bar, selling alcohol and opening without proper permitting, but has faced little repercussions for their disregard for the regulations…

  • Man arrested in Chon Buri for allegedly killing a pregnant elephant

    Police arrested a man who allegedly shot and killed a 25 year old pregnant elephant in Chon Buri. The man reportedly claimed that the elephant came to eat bananas on his land and he shot her because she was about to chase him. The police have filed two charges against the suspect for possessing a firearm and killing a protected…

  • Pattaya restaurant busted operating after curfew as a nightclub

    In a familiar scene lately as Thailand toes the line between Covid-19 safety and restarting the tourism economy by relaxing alcohol bans in select areas around the country, a restaurant essentially operating as a bar on South Pattaya Road was shut down last night for violating the Chon Buri Communicable Disease Control order. Dripoly restaurant in Pattaya was raided just…

  • 40 year old arrested for sexually harassing 12 year old girl

    In Bang Lamung, a 40 year old man identified as Mr Fai was arrested, accused of sexually harassing a 12 year old girl after breaking into her house. The Nong Prue Police received notice of the break-in that took place on Wednesday in the Pong sub-district. The father of the 12 year old girl called the police after catching the…

  • “Thailand Tourism with SHA” festival set for December 17 to 19

    “Thailand Tourism with SHA” – the blandly titled event the Tourism Authority of Thailand and Pattaya City created jointly – is set to run on Pattaya Beach from December 17 to 19. The event is scheduled to include dozens of vendors and attractions in hopes of encouraging tourists to visit Pattaya, a quest that will likely be aided by the…

  • Tourists stranded an island off the coast of Sattahip rescued by Royal Thai Navy

    Six Belgian tourists stranded on an island off the coast of Chon Buri’s Sattahip district were rescued by the Royal Thai Navy on yesterday. According to the navy officials, the tourists took three small boats into the sea on Sunday and got themselves into trouble when one of the boats had a mechanical failure, and a water leak to another boat.…

  • 4 Bang Saen restaurants busted selling alcohol outside Chon Buri Blue Zone

    Though Chon Buri has allowed alcohol in restaurants as part of the tourist Blue Zone, only specific areas received the exemption to Thailand’s alcohol ban. Over the weekend, 4 restaurant managers outside of the approved Blue Zone areas, mostly in the popular alternate tourist area Bang Saen, were arrested for selling alcohol against Covid-19 restrictions. The busts took place on…

  • Chon Buri and Pattaya bar scene get good news, but at what cost?

    The reality is that many ‘bars’ will rush to achieve certification as an SHA+ approved ‘restaurant’. The signwriters in Pattaya will be busy making new ‘restaurant’ signs as hundreds of bars vie to open up, serving food, so they can serve alcohol and get their businesses going again. It’s all smoke and mirrors but an advancement for the seaside party…

  • Alcohol sales and consumption allowed in Chon Buri again

    After what seems like an eternity of fighting, protesting, and petitioning, the party is back in Pattaya! Sort of. Last night, the Public Relations Facebook page of the Chon Buri Governor posted the order easing restrictions on alcohol sales and consumption in the Chon Buri Blue Zone. The Blue Zone includes Pattaya and Bang Lamung, as well as Koh Larn,…

  • Police arrest man for allegedly attacking and robbing a Russian woman in Pattaya

    A 42 year old man was arrested today for allegedly beating and robbing a Russian tourist in Pattaya six months ago, Khaosod English reports. The 56 year old woman was taking photos in South Pattaya when the man allegedly attacked her, stealing her phone and US$2,000 in cash. The victim’s face was left with bruises from the assault. The man,…

  • Si Racha sushi restaurant patrons warned to test for Covid-19

    Following in a string of Covid-19 outbreak warnings, the Chon Buri Public Health Office released a new bulletin for anyone who visited sushi stalls in a Si Racha market where Covid-19 infections were identified. Unlike other warnings over the past several weeks that gave one- to two-week date ranges for exposure, this alert is very time and location-specific. Health officials…

  • Thailand’s nightlife venues and bars told to keep closed until January 16

    Thailand’s nightlife cat and mouse game between authorities and desperate bar and nightlife businesses will continue until the middle of January 2022. Following deliberations from the CCSA yesterday, entertainment venues will have to keep their doors closed until at least January 16. To put an exclamation mark after the latest announcement, the Thai government has also extended the emergency decree…

  • Pattaya mayor expresses frustration over no entertainment venues

    In Pattaya, the fight goes on to allow alcohol in restaurants and to reopen entertainment venues, at least in time for New Year’s festivities. After petitions and protests from various sectors, business groups, and tourism associations, Pattaya City Mayor Sonthaya Khunploem is again calling for nightlife businesses to be allowed to reopen in the city famous, or perhaps infamous, for…

  • Pattaya Fireworks Festival starts tomorrow under strict Covid-19 prevention measures

    Looking for a weekend trip to escape from the bustling city of Bangkok? The Pattaya International Fireworks Festival 2021 is set to run from tomorrow until Saturday from 4pm to midnight at Pattaya Central Beach. Mayor Sonthaya Khunplome says those entering the main event area close to the stage will need to show proof that they have received two doses…

  • Chon Buri issues Covid-19 warning for Ban Bueng restaurant

    The Chon Buri Public Health Office has released another warning against a possible Covid-19 cluster outbreak, this time for a restaurant in Ban Bueng district. The restaurant, Non Hua Kun Jae, located in Klong Giw, was named as having a positive Covid-19 infection identified in someone who had attended the restaurant. The provincial public health officials warned that anyone who…

  • McDonald’s Covid-19 alert: Pattaya area residents cautioned

    Following a similar announcement a few days, the Chon Buri Public Health Office issued a new warning today for anyone who attended an area McDonald’s to get tested for Covid-19. The statement released today advised anyone who had eaten at or been inside the Pattaya area McDonald’s located at Mini Siam Pattaya should use an antigen test kit to check…

  • Truck veers off road and smashes through Chon Buri grocery store

    A local grocer met with a rude awakening as he slept in a bedroom in the back of his grocery store in Chon Buri. At 2 am, the owner of a grocery store in Bor Thong was woken by a pickup truck smashing through the front of his shop, nearly into his bedroom behind the store. Bor Thong Police responded…

  • Pattaya tourism quiet until entry and booze rules are eased

    According to the acting president of the Chon Buri Tourism Council, Pattaya is still quiet, and 95% of tourists there are Thai since the reopening to international tourists on November 1. Of the 200 to 300 people per day who do come, the majority are not tourists but businesspeople and expats. And many of the tourists who do come end…

  • Officials call for Pattaya restaurant patrons to get Covid-19 tested

    A new warning calls on anyone who attended a Pattaya restaurant to get tested for Covid-19 after an outbreak was identified. The bulletin was released yesterday by the Chon Buri Public Health Office urging anyone who has been in or eaten food from Puyai Note Wild Food Restaurant to use an antigen test kit. The restaurant, located on Sukhumvit-Pattaya 54…

  • Pattaya sees big tourism growth, but mostly domestic

    Pattaya has been frustrated for being passed over for an exemption from the national alcohol ban that other tourist areas like Phuket have received as a tourism “Blue Zone”, but nevertheless, one of Thailand’s most popular resort cities is seeing tourism slowly emerge from its Covid-19 pandemic induced slumber. With a menu of events through the end of the year,…

  • Pattaya restaurant busted serving alcohol for the fourth time

    Fourth time’s the charm? After 3 previous raids with apparently little effect, the Pattaya Police have once again raided a restaurant near Bali Hai for breaking Covid-19 restrictions, selling alcohol and shisha. The raid took place last night and police found about 100 people at the restaurant that were not wearing masks, socially distancing, or taking any Covid-19 safety precautions.…

  • Woman’s climb to friend’s apartment ends in third floor fall

    A Laotian woman in Chon Buri was hospitalised with 2 broken arms after attempting to climb across a balcony from her third-story apartment to her friend’s room next door and falling. The 43 year old woman plummeted from the third story, but her fall was broken by an awning on the first floor. The incident took place in an apartment…

  • 50 year old man arrested accused of sexual abuse of 9 year old girl

    Accused of sexually abusing a 9 year old girl, police in Bang Lamung arrested a 50 year old man working at a wood factory. The Huayyai Police responded to a complaint in the Pattaya area from a man and his 9 year old niece alleging the sexual abuse on Tuesday. The man reported to police that, in speaking with the…