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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The fire-powered business of barbecues
PHUKET: In Thailand you’re never far from a barbecue. A massive chunk of the ever-present street food is based on grilling different kinds of meat over an open fire. Still, Brad McElroy felt he wanted a barbecue of his own and decided to import one from his home country, the motherland of barbecue – Australia. That was 18 years ago…
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Hotels and shops plead for end to martial law
PHUKET: Hotels and shopping malls in Bangkok are pushing for the lifting of martial law before the high season arrives in the hope that tourists and business travellers will come back to the capital. Prakit Chinamourphong, an ex-president and adviser to the Thai Hotels Association, said that if the junta ended martial law, the hotel and travel business would quickly…
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Tragic end to building collapse in Pathum Thani
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Tragic end to building collapse in Pathum Thani The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A Buri Ram woman who made a desperate dash from the northeast to Pathum Thani in search of her husband – trapped in a building that collapsed late on Monday – was…
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Phuket officials reveal B20mn fund for tourist victims
PHUKET: Phuket officials today revealed that a national fund of 20 million baht to assist tourist victims of crime and natural disasters was finally available for tourists in Phuket. The news was announced today, when it was disclosed that 44-year-old Antonio Papaleo, a victim of a stabbing attack in Phuket, became the first tourist in Phuket to receive assistance from…
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Laguna Phuket to host Thailand’s first domestic MICE mart
PHUKET: Laguna Phuket will be the location of Thailand’s first Domestic MICE (meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions) Mart on August 1. The event is being organized by the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB), a public organization tasked with promoting and developing MICE businesses and events in Thailand. The campaign aims to advocate and enhance MICE industry development in Thailand…
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Opinion: Horrible history of dolphins in Thailand continues in Phuket
PHUKET: Thailand is witnessing an ever-increasing legal and illegal exploitation of local wildlife and marine life. Dolphins have been kept in captivity in Thailand since 1986. The first wild pink dolphin was caught and kept at Laem Singh in Chanthaburi by Vichai Wattanapong at a venue that later became the Oasis Sea World. But it wasn’t until recent years that…
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Dutch pot lord arrested in Pattaya
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Dutchman, Thai wife nabbed for trafficking pot The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A Dutchman and his Thai wife were arrested yesterday in Pattaya for allegedly conspiring to sell marijuana via a network in the Netherlands that reportedly earned Bt600 million to Bt800 million per year.…
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Tourists injured in Pattaya banana boat crash
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Tourists injured in Pattaya banana boat crash The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A 12-year-old girl and another Chinese tourist were sent to hospital yesterday after their banana boat crashed into a sightseeing ship off Pattaya. Two other Chinese holidaymakers riding the inflatable boat were dislodged…
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Making Phuket conservation profitable
PHUKET: Most boaters and divers are sensitive about coral reef areas and try to do the right thing. However, now, with many corporate social responsibility (CSR) projects recognizing the importance of our coral reefs worldwide, a possible alliance between conservationists and businesses in Phuket could be forming to find a profit-oriented solution to the problem of boaters anchoring in coral…
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Father offers B100,000 reward for kidnapped British girls
PHUKET: Police on Phuket continue to scour the island as the father of two young girls abducted by their mother in Pattaya last month offers a 100,000-baht reward for information leading to their safe return. Robert Day, the British father, has publicized his search for the girls on Thai TV and in newspapers throughout the nation in the hope of…
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Junta revokes passports of Charupong and Jakrapob
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Junta revokes passports of Charupong and Jakrapob The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The military junta yesterday revoked the passports of six dissidents living overseas in a move to block their capacity to travel and force them to return home. The Foreign Ministry cancelled the travel…
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Mother wanted for abducting own British-Thai children believed to be in Phuket
PHUKET: The mother wanted for abducting her two British-Thai daughters from their natural father in Pattaya is believed to be heading to Phuket. On Tuesday, Pattaya Police were issued an arrest warrant for 36-year-old Onwarat Gamlem, who is the non-custodial mother of the children. The warrant orders police officers around the country to arrest Ms Onwarat on charges of child…
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Phuket radio stations remain off-air as “collateral damage’
PHUKET: Popular English-language radio stations in Phuket remained off-air today, 27 days since the military seized power and silenced the airwaves with a ban on all private community radio broadcasts. The ban continues despite the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) announcing on Saturday that Voice TV, which is owned by fugitive former premier Thaksin Shinawatra (story here), may…
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Curfew lifted in more districts across 17 provinces
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Curfew lifted in more districts across 17 provinces The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The curfew has been lifted across certain districts in another 17 provinces, the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) announced on Tuesday night. The order applies to two districts in Songkhla…
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After being freed in Phuket, Knudsen slashes pregnant girlfriend’s throat
PHUKET: Danish national Dennis Mark Knudsen, the intended target of a street shooting in Patong last year, has been arrested in Denmark for fatally slashing his 33-year-old pregnant girlfriend’s throat with a steak knife. Knudsen had previously been in custody in Thailand and released at least three times by Thai authorities. Knudsen was arrested on Saturday after police were alerted…
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Curfew lifted on Phi Phi, Krabi and Phang Nga
PHUKET: The National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) has lifted the curfew on the tourist-popular Phi Phi Island and the rest of Krabi in its latest step to assist Thailand’s tourism industry. The NCPO issued the order yesterday, which also repealed the curfew in Phang Nga as well as in Cha-am district of Phetchaburi province and Hua Hin district…
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Krabi, Phang Nga next on list for curfew repeal
PHUKET: The Ministry of Tourism and Sports is planning to ask for the curfew to be lifted in Phuket’s neighboring provinces of Krabi and Phang Nga to ease public concerns and help tourism operators recover. Permanent Secretary for Tourism and Sports Suwat Sitthilor is planning to ask the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) to remove the curfew in…
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Air bookings to Thailand plunge after coup, data shows
PHUKET: Airline bookings to Thailand have collapsed, a travel association said on Sunday, after the military took over the government on May 22, hitting the tourism sector that accounts for 10 per cent of the economy. The coup followed months of protests that weakened the government of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, forced ministries to close for weeks on end, hurt…
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Lack of political violence gets Phuket an essential curfew pass
PHUKET: Phuket’s lack of history for political violence and the province’s heavy reliance on the tourism industry were cited as the key reasons for the island’s special treatment in the lifting of the curfew. “It’s great that the curfew was lifted in Phuket. There is no history of political violence here. Additionally, 70 per cent of the province’s revenue is…
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Breaking News: Curfew lifted in Phuket
PHUKET: The National Council for Peace and Order today lifted the curfew in Pattaya, Samui and Phuket. The news is heralded as bringing much welcome relief to tourism businesses and nightlife venue operators in the three popular tourist destinations. Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut paid a visit to Phuket’s premier party town last night to personally receive a formal request from…
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Army considers lifting curfew in Phuket
PHUKET: The military is considering lifting the curfew in Phuket and other tourist destinations such as and Pattaya, provided there are no signs of unrest in those areas. The consideration follows National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) chief Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha being informed of how the nationwide curfew was badly hurting tourism-dependent businesses, NCPO deputy spokesman Col Nattawat Chancharoen…
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Thailand Tourism President calls for curfew to be lifted in Phuket
PHUKET: The president of the Tourism Council of Thailand (TCT), Piyaman Tejapaibul, has petitioned the ruling junta to lift the nightly curfew in Phuket and other tourist hotspots throughout the country. Ms Piyaman told the Phuket Gazette today that she filed her request with the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) at a meeting yesterday. “I asked for General…
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Thailand News: PDRC heads to bridge; Can’t choose PM, says senior judge; Pattaya to extend beach
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community PDRC shuts Lumpini rally site, heads for final battle The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: The People’s Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) will today end its rally at Lumpini Park and move all rally sites to Makkhawan Rangsan Bridge. PDRC secretary general Suthep Thaugsuban last night made…
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Ukraine consul frets over tourist safety in Phuket
PHUKET: Ukrainian Honorary Consul to Thailand Alexander Zub yesterday formally expressed his concern about the increasing number of road accidents in Phuket, and to discuss the safety of Ukrainian tourists who visit the island. “Ukrainian tourists in Phuket tend to rent motorbikes or cars rather than opting [sic] for public transport, which could increase the risk of them being involved…
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Chinese vote Phuket favorite destination for students
PHUKET: Phuket has been voted the favorite destination for Chinese students. The accolade was one of six awards won by Phuket at the annual ceremony held by China’s largest Online Travel Agent (OTA), Ctrip.com, and one of nine awards won by Thai destinations in total. The “Ctrip Best Tourist Destination of the Year 2013 Awards Ceremony” was held in Shanghai…
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Local sailors head to the Top of the Gulf Regatta
Leading Phuket yachtsmen Scott Duncanson and Alfie Rowson are travelling to Pattaya this week to compete in the 2014 running of the prestigious Coronation Cup. The royally affiliated regatta is held annually at Ocean Marina, Jomtien, in celebration of His Majesty the King’s accession to the throne. Now in its 19th year, the event is unique in that competitors race…
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Shady Business: Phuket beaches kept out of the sun
Special Report Just over a generation ago, there were few chairs or umbrellas on the sands of Phuket. Now, they cover up to 80 per cent of many popular beaches. Last June, the Senate Standing Committee on Tourism said their excessive numbers have a negative impact on tourists’ experiences. What’s happening, and who’s in charge? The Phuket Gazette’s Irfarn Jamdukor…
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Speed, seats and safety targeted in Songkran bus blitz
PHUKET: Extra buses, drug and alcohol tests for drivers and GPS to monitor speeds have been ordered to ensure that holiday travelers make it home safely for the Songkran holidays. Ten extra buses were on standby at Phuket’s Bus Terminal 2 yesterday to cope with the 50 per cent increase in travelers as officials rolled out new disciplinary regulations for…
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Phuket Business: Phuket’s plans to trap MICE travellers
PHUKET: A recent conference organized by the American Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM) examined the role of Meeting, Incentives, Conferences and Events (MICE) travellers in Phuket’s diversifying tourism industry. The event, which was co-hosted by AMCHAM, the British Chamber of Commerce Thailand (BCCT) and the Australian-Thai Chamber of Commerce (AustCham), featured three experts on Thailand’s rapidly growing MICE tourism industry. The…
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Special Report: Phuket’s stolen passports shine light on illegal migrant corridor to Europe
Special Report Passports stolen in Phuket that were used to board ill-fated Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 have placed Phuket in the center of an international maelstrom. Thousands of passports are reported lost or stolen in Thailand each year, and the region is gaining a reputation as a gateway for international asylum seekers to reach Europe. The Phuket Gazette’s Saran Mitrarat…
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