An 18-year-old ladyboy has surrendered to police after allegedly assaulting a Japanese tourist and stealing cash from a hotel room in Pattaya, returning 9,000 baht to investigators. The incident occurred on 13 March 2026 at a hotel in Pattaya, Chonburi and sparked public discussion about tourist safety in the area. Police confirmed the suspect now faces a criminal charge of theft at night. Get today's headlines by email The victim, Mr Ichiki Yuta, 33, a Japanese tourist, previously complained to the media after being assaulted inside his hotel room. According to the report, a ladyboy attacked him and fled with 9,000 baht in cash. The victim sustained injuries and some property inside the room was damaged. At 13.00 on 14 March 2026, the suspect, identified as Sutee Thongdee, 18, went to Pattaya City Police Station to surrender. The suspect brought the 9,000 baht taken from the room and handed it to investigators. Police Lieutenant Thanthorn Katanyu, a deputy inspector (investigation), received the money to return it to the victim. Sutee decided to surrender after seeing images widely circulated in media reports. The suspect said the conflict began after the Japanese tourist discovered they were a ladyboy and reacted with shock. According to their statement, the tourist then refused to pay an agreed 1,000-baht “compensation” fee. Picture courtesy of พัทยา จุดเกิดเหตุ The disagreement escalated into a heated argument inside the room. Sutee admitted throwing a drinking glass and a hairdryer into the toilet out of anger, causing damage to property and leading to a physical altercation. The suspect denied taking the additional 2,000 baht the victim earlier reported missing. However, Sutee admitted kicking open the room’s glass door after the tourist refused to let them back inside to retrieve their belongings. The suspect said they then took 9,000 baht in cash in anger before leaving the hotel. After learning that the suspect had surrendered, the victim travelled to Pattaya City Police Station to follow up on the case. He confirmed that he intends to pursue legal action to the fullest extent of the law. Police Lieutenant Thanthorn Katanyu said that even though the money had been returned, the victim had already filed a complaint. The behaviour meets the legal definition of “theft at night”, a criminal offence that cannot be settled privately between the parties. Police have formally charged the suspect and taken them into custody for further legal proceedings. Officers are preparing to transfer the case to court for a detention hearing. Investigators also warned the suspect about their conduct and said such incidents can harm Pattaya’s tourism image. Police advised that anyone interacting with tourists should disclose accurate information from the beginning to avoid disputes that could escalate into violence in the future. AQN5IIBguEG0UIjEKcQ5oosOAVrU41XmNm3_Hgatz48NVM-5pD7rtnodT9TKyrJHbKZL4ThUPD8eMtt9OGSfjVTIeJWpJKeqpKKrrq-y8w.mp4 Original story Japanese-tourist-reports-Pattaya-hotel-ladyboy-assault-theft Join the discussion? Already a member? Adapted by ASEAN Now พัทยา จุดเกิดเหตุ 15 Mar 2026
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