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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Pattaya prepares “hospitel” beds, reviews home isolation measures after Covid spike
With a surge of cases in Chon Buri, Pattaya officials are planning to open up more hotel isolation centres, known as hospitels, and are reviewing measures for home isolation for those who are asymptomatic or have mild symptoms to help curb the spike in cases. In Chon Buri today, health officials report nearly 800 Covid-19 cases with more than 4,000…
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Mueang Chon Buri restaurants come under strict Covid-19 control
Mueang Chon Buri district is the latest part of the province to come under the strict Covid-19 restrictions for food and beverage facilities. The order was first enacted in Pattaya, ordered by the governor of Chon Buri late at night on January 1 requiring daily Covid-19 testing of all employees and that every patron at any restaurant have a negative…
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Pattaya Mayor says there will be no lockdown despite Covid uptick in Chon Buri
Despite Chon Buri topping the chart of the highest new Covid-19 cases yesterday and an uptick of Omicron cases in the area, the Pattaya City Mayor says there will be no lockdown. Beaches will remain open, Mayor Sontaya Kunplome says, but individual businesses, not entire sectors, will be closed if they do not meet the mandatory Covid-19 measurements. The announcement came…
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Former Thai boxer stabbed to death outside Pattaya night market
A 54 year old former Thai boxer was killed and two others were injured after a fight broke out between rival groups outside Pattaya’s popular Tree Town Nightmarket on Saturday night. One of the three suspects has been arrested, but he says he wasn’t involved and attempted to break up the fight. Narawit Pongsoungnoen, known as Ae Marine who competed…
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Pattaya sets up 3 free Covid-19 testing points to access nightlife
After intensive rules requiring constant Covid-19 testing for Chon Buri restaurants and entertainment venues were announced last night, the Chon Buri Department of Public Health is now helping to ease the burden by setting up 3 free testing points in popular entertainment and nightlife areas. The Chon Buri Governor announced new rules late last night for venues that serve food…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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Business leaders urge government to include Pattaya in sandbox entry scheme
Business leaders in Pattaya have joined a chorus of tourism operators around the country who are pleading to be included in the sandbox scheme. Businesses are expressing despair and frustration since the government suspended the Test & Go entry scheme citing concerns about the Omicron Covid-19 variant. The Pattaya News reports that members of the Chamber of Commerce and Board…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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Business and government leaders meet to reopen Pattaya bars
A high-level meeting is the latest in the non-stop attempts by businesses in Pattaya to reopen bars and entertainment venues, with business leaders and government officials meeting at Pattaya City Hall yesterday to discuss the issue. The conference was run by the president of the Pattaya Business and Tourism Association, the Bang Lamung District Chief, the mayor of Pattaya, and…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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2,000 meth pills seized in alleged drug dealer arrest in Chon Buri
In the Mueang Chon Buri district of Chon Buri, police arrested a suspected drug dealer who was reportedly in possession of 2,000 meth pills. The arrest was carried out by Saen Suk Police as the 28 year old man was captured on Soi 5 of Sukhumvit Road in the Saen Suk sub-district, where police raided several restaurants selling alcohol illegally…
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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.…
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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…
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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…
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Baby elephant rescued after being shot in the shoulder while leg caught in trap
An injured baby elephant has been rescued and is receiving medical treatment in the eastern province of Chon Buri, according to a Reuters report. Fahsai, whose name means, “fair sky” is thought to be around 3 months old. She was rescued after getting her leg caught in a hunter’s trap and then being shot in the shoulder several times. The…
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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,…
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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…
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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…
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Pattaya Music Festival attendees urged to get tested for Covid after positive cases
Those who attended the Pattaya Music Festival on November 12 and 13 are urged to get tested for Covid-19 after several people who went to the festival later tested positive for the virus. While the festival ran under Covid-19 prevention measures, with the audience seated to ensure social distancing, the government spokesperson says many people outside of the event area…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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Pattaya mayor calls for more security on Bali Hai pier
After a number of incidents went viral on social media, the mayor of Pattaya ordered officials to crack down on issues at the Bali Hai pier. Crimes like price gouging and tour boats operating without licenses have been frequently reported, so as of yesterday there will be a significant increase in police and security on the pier. Bali Hai pier…
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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…
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