We wish to inform you that for the time being news updates will be much less frequent than over the last 9+ years that we’ve been running Pattaya-Funtown.com and supplying you with almost daily news. The reason is regrettable yet simple – your webmaster has currently less time on his hands and simply has to set priorities.
Tourist Visa Holders Without 20k Baht in Cash May Be Refused Entry
According to a number of reports that have surfaced on social media recently, tourist visa holders may now be required to show at least 20,000 Baht in cash to immigration officials at the border when entering Thailand. This is apparently to kind of prove that you can financially support your stay in the kingdom.
While this obviously sounds somewhat antiquated in the agre of credit cards and online banking there is a more unsettling catch in it: If you don’t carry enough cash on you may be thoroughly questioned and/or entry may be denied – ironically despite the fact that there’s a freshly issued tourist visa sticker in your passport.
Increased scrutiny is obviously being placed on tourist visa holders under 50 that immigration may suspect of working illegally in Thailand and with “too many” visa stickers in their passport.
While some may argue that a “genuine tourist” should easily be able to produce such an amount (otherwise how would he or she be able to cover their holiday expenses in Thailand?) it’s obviously also an unwelcome sign that the ongoing clampdown on tourist visa holders has recently only been intensifying.
Korean Plunges To His Death From 37th Floor in North Pattaya
A 40-year-old South Korean national apparently plunged to his death by accident from his 37th-floor room at a condominium on Wongamat Beach in North Pattaya at around 3 a.m. early Wednesday morning.
It appears that the victim had been drunk at the time of his death and that suicide or murder can be ruled out.
New Crackdown on Bars & GoGo Clubs in Pattaya
Authorities in Pattaya last week launched a new crackdown on the resort city’s vibrant nightlife scene. For the time being it appears that the opening of new GoGo bars has been temporarily prohibited. Likewise, a new 3 a.m. curfew is in place for bars and entertainment venues on Walking Street, while venues on Soi 6… Continue Reading
Two “Unprovoked” Attacks on Foreign Tourists in Pattaya
As local media have reported, an Australian and an Indian tourist along with his Thai “girlfriend” were assaulted in two seemingly unprovoked attacks in two separate incidents in Pattaya in the early hours of Monday. In the first incident, a 64-year-old Australian man who had been drinking in a bar on Pattaya Beach Road and… Continue Reading
Chinese Tour Bus Plunges Into Pattaya Bay Following Brake Failure
A tour bus taking 34 Chinese tourists to a seafood dinner in Naklua plunged into Pattaya bay at around 10 p.m. on Tuesday evening after the brakes had allegedly failed. No injuries were reported but several of the tourists fainted and were left in a state of shock. Continue Reading
Foreign Tourists May Soon Need Travel Insurance to Enter Thailand
Foreign tourists wishing to visit Thailand may soon be required to purchase compulsory travel insurance prior to their arrival in the kingdom. Under a proposal put forward by the Tourism and Sports Ministry, even automatic insurance vending machines may be installed at international airports and border checkpoints throughout Thailand so that tourists who travel without… Continue Reading
Naked British Ladyboy Lover Falls From Balcony on Soi Buakhao
A naked British tourist who had spent the night with a ladyboy was severely injured Saturday morning after falling from the balcony of his rented room at the Hideaway Guesthouse just off Soi Buakhao. The unidentified man in his 40s was found lying naked in the street at around 5 a.m. He had suffered serious… Continue Reading
Chinese National Arrested for Raping, Blackmailing Compatriot
A 26-year-old Chinese national has been arrested in Pattaya on Tuesday for allegedly raping and blackmailing a Chinese businesswoman with a clip he had taken of the crime. The unnamed victim, also 26 years old, accuses the suspect not only of having sexual intercourse with her against her will but repeatedly blackmailing her with the video… Continue Reading
Russian Expat Couple Resist Arrest at Pattaya Alcohol Checkpoint
The ever increasing number of alcohol checkpoints not just around Pattaya is surely a pain in the rear for those who remember the “good old days” where you could virtually get thrashed to the point of not being able to walk straight any longer but still drive your motorbike or car around Pattaya without any… Continue Reading
Unidentified Foreigner Jumps to Death From Jomtien Beach Condo
An unidentified foreigner jumped to his death early Saturday night from the Rimhat Condo a.k.a. Jomtien Beach Condominium. The elderly man who appears not to have been living at the condominium is estimated to be around 65-70 years old and did not carry a passport or any other form of identification. According to one unconfirmed… Continue Reading
Baht Bus Driver Caught Ripping Off Group of Chinese Tourists
As little as it’s breaking news that some seemingly traditional massage parlours provide outright sexual services in Pattaya it’s an equally well-known fact – yet hardly makes any headlines – that Baht bus drivers around Funtown have a tendency to rip their foreign customers off. Now a group of eight Chinese tourists who had chartered… Continue Reading
