Report Pattaya’s Safety Facelift Meets Skepticism from Long-term Expats

[snoop1130]

Photo courtesy of Phuket.Net

 

Despite City Hall's ambitious campaign to "reinvent safety one step at a time," long-standing foreign residents in Pattaya accuse the initiative of being superficial. The local government's efforts—boasting new CCTV installations, enhanced tourist police presence, and refreshed road markings—are perceived by expats as merely glossing over deeply ingrained issues.

 

Criticism is abundant. One expat sarcastically highlighted the incongruity between safety claims and reality, jesting about the introduction of casinos with, "The genie is out of the bottle now and casinos are probably not going to help." This sentiment underscores widespread dissatisfaction with tactics viewed as cosmetic rather than transformative.

 

The city's infrastructure is a frequent target. Many expats highlight dangerous pathways and open drains as everyday hazards. “Reinventing safety one step at a time’? One wrong step and you’re down a bloody hole,” quipped one expat, poking fun at the campaign’s slogan amidst ongoing pedestrian dangers.

 

Even with City Hall's assertions of progress—citing increased policing and improvements in transport—expats remain sceptical. Traffic infrastructure is criticized, with pedestrian crossings and traffic lights described as ineffective. Meanwhile, common scams, such as those involving jet skis or pickpockets, continue unabated, much like the persistent one-way street woes causing confusion.

 

The city's persistent troubles with drugs, aggression, and scams continue to tarnish Pattaya's image among both residents and tourists. "Much has changed — and not for the better," a long-term resident lamented, pointing to the unyielding cycle of intimidation and deceit that many feel remains unaddressed.

 

Practical necessities also appear ignored. Calls for a public bus service connecting to U-Tapao airport highlight gaps in essential transportation services. Moreover, real estate scams loom large, with reports of foreigners being duped out of deposits or trapped in dubious rental agreements.

 

Such prevalent issues are fuelling dissatisfaction, prompting some long-term expats to reconsider their stay in Pattaya. Observations of this exodus are common on social media, with disenchanted residents opting for locales such as Malaysia, Vietnam, or the Philippines. “We long-term farangs are all leaving,” a common refrain suggests that without genuine improvements, Pattaya risks losing its expatriate community.

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from The Thaiger 2025-05-30

 

 

[mikebell]

Once High season is over, long-term expats are the life blood of Pattaya (Thailand?).  Better treatment by Immigration and police would help sustain them.  Tourism in Vietnam is on the increase whilst Thailand introduces TDAC and cuts visa times. 

KISS = Keep It Simple, Stupid.

[Tarteso]

20 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

One wrong step and you’re down a bloody hole,” quipped one expat, poking fun at the campaign’s slogan amidst ongoing pedestrian dangers.

😂😂😂😂

[Tim62]

20 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Photo courtesy of Phuket.Net

 

Despite City Hall's ambitious campaign to "reinvent safety one step at a time," long-standing foreign residents in Pattaya accuse the initiative of being superficial. The local government's efforts—boasting new CCTV installations, enhanced tourist police presence, and refreshed road markings—are perceived by expats as merely glossing over deeply ingrained issues.

 

Criticism is abundant. One expat sarcastically highlighted the incongruity between safety claims and reality, jesting about the introduction of casinos with, "The genie is out of the bottle now and casinos are probably not going to help." This sentiment underscores widespread dissatisfaction with tactics viewed as cosmetic rather than transformative.

 

The city's infrastructure is a frequent target. Many expats highlight dangerous pathways and open drains as everyday hazards. “Reinventing safety one step at a time’? One wrong step and you’re down a bloody hole,” quipped one expat, poking fun at the campaign’s slogan amidst ongoing pedestrian dangers.

 

Even with City Hall's assertions of progress—citing increased policing and improvements in transport—expats remain sceptical. Traffic infrastructure is criticized, with pedestrian crossings and traffic lights described as ineffective. Meanwhile, common scams, such as those involving jet skis or pickpockets, continue unabated, much like the persistent one-way street woes causing confusion.

 

The city's persistent troubles with drugs, aggression, and scams continue to tarnish Pattaya's image among both residents and tourists. "Much has changed — and not for the better," a long-term resident lamented, pointing to the unyielding cycle of intimidation and deceit that many feel remains unaddressed.

 

Practical necessities also appear ignored. Calls for a public bus service connecting to U-Tapao airport highlight gaps in essential transportation services. Moreover, real estate scams loom large, with reports of foreigners being duped out of deposits or trapped in dubious rental agreements.

 

Such prevalent issues are fuelling dissatisfaction, prompting some long-term expats to reconsider their stay in Pattaya. Observations of this exodus are common on social media, with disenchanted residents opting for locales such as Malaysia, Vietnam, or the Philippines. “We long-term farangs are all leaving,” a common refrain suggests that without genuine improvements, Pattaya risks losing its expatriate community.

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from The Thaiger 2025-05-30

 

 

Everyone wants first world infrastructure but also want 3 world prices, you can't have both. 

[hotchilli]

20 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Despite City Hall's ambitious campaign to "reinvent safety one step at a time," long-standing foreign residents in Pattaya accuse the initiative of being superficial. The local government's efforts—boasting new CCTV installations, enhanced tourist police presence, and refreshed road markings—are perceived by expats as merely glossing over deeply ingrained issues.

It's called PR spin, trying to paper over the cracks and woo tourists who seem to be getting tired of Thailand and trying out other Asian destinations.

[wensiensheng]

20 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Photo courtesy of Phuket.Net

 

Despite City Hall's ambitious campaign to "reinvent safety one step at a time," long-standing foreign residents in Pattaya accuse the initiative of being superficial. The local government's efforts—boasting new CCTV installations, enhanced tourist police presence, and refreshed road markings—are perceived by expats as merely glossing over deeply ingrained issues.

 

Criticism is abundant. One expat sarcastically highlighted the incongruity between safety claims and reality, jesting about the introduction of casinos with, "The genie is out of the bottle now and casinos are probably not going to help." This sentiment underscores widespread dissatisfaction with tactics viewed as cosmetic rather than transformative.

 

The city's infrastructure is a frequent target. Many expats highlight dangerous pathways and open drains as everyday hazards. “Reinventing safety one step at a time’? One wrong step and you’re down a bloody hole,” quipped one expat, poking fun at the campaign’s slogan amidst ongoing pedestrian dangers.

 

Even with City Hall's assertions of progress—citing increased policing and improvements in transport—expats remain sceptical. Traffic infrastructure is criticized, with pedestrian crossings and traffic lights described as ineffective. Meanwhile, common scams, such as those involving jet skis or pickpockets, continue unabated, much like the persistent one-way street woes causing confusion.

 

The city's persistent troubles with drugs, aggression, and scams continue to tarnish Pattaya's image among both residents and tourists. "Much has changed — and not for the better," a long-term resident lamented, pointing to the unyielding cycle of intimidation and deceit that many feel remains unaddressed.

 

Practical necessities also appear ignored. Calls for a public bus service connecting to U-Tapao airport highlight gaps in essential transportation services. Moreover, real estate scams loom large, with reports of foreigners being duped out of deposits or trapped in dubious rental agreements.

 

Such prevalent issues are fuelling dissatisfaction, prompting some long-term expats to reconsider their stay in Pattaya. Observations of this exodus are common on social media, with disenchanted residents opting for locales such as Malaysia, Vietnam, or the Philippines. “We long-term farangs are all leaving,” a common refrain suggests that without genuine improvements, Pattaya risks losing its expatriate community.

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from The Thaiger 2025-05-30

 

 

 

5 hours ago, mikebell said:

Once High season is over, long-term expats are the life blood of Pattaya (Thailand?).  Better treatment by Immigration and police would help sustain them.  Tourism in Vietnam is on the increase whilst Thailand introduces TDAC and cuts visa times. 

KISS = Keep It Simple, Stupid.

TDAC is a non issue. It’s a simple process used by many countries. There are far more important issues than this non issue

[topt]

20 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

long-standing foreign residents in Pattaya accuse the initiative of being superficial. T

So not much has changed then.......

20 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Meanwhile, common scams, such as those involving jet skis or pickpockets, continue unabated,

Pickpocketing is hardly a scam - it's theft but again nothing new. Haven't read a decent jet ski "ïncident" for a while.......

 

20 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

"Much has changed — and not for the better," a long-term resident lamented, pointing to the unyielding cycle of intimidation and deceit that many feel remains unaddressed.

What is this "unyielding cycle of intimidation" all about - anybody guess?

[Captor]

   M

[kuzmabruk]

I think Central Festival is very safe.  Terminal 21 too.   The rest of Pattaya is a toilet.  I brought my father to visit me in 2005 and we went to walking street and he said “this is an open sewer, your stepmom and I will return to Bangkok tonight and go to Singapore rather than visit with you and your brother in this cesspool”.  Dirty, unsafe nothing good you can say other than - the girls are so much younger and better than back home in Vancouver. 

[Reddavy]

1 hour ago, Tim62 said:

Everyone wants first world infrastructure but also want 3 world prices, you can't have both. 

It’s been a very long time since Pattaya/Thailand had 3 world prices. Still cheap in some places where tourists don’t go i’ll give you that but in tourist areas a long time ago. 

[Magictoad]

Pickpocketing is virtually non existent in Pattaya.  It's simply not needed because there's so many things to do, buy, rent, see; in other words: to spend your money on. Pickpocket are not really needed here.  If they are they soon get bashed up by an angry mob of moto sai boys or Ladyboys. 

[VBF]

13 minutes ago, Reddavy said:

It’s been a very long time since Pattaya/Thailand had 3 world prices. Still cheap in some places where tourists don’t go i’ll give you that but in tourist areas a long time ago. 

As the article refers to long-term expats, who presumably know where the places offering VFM are, that's really not an issue for this particular thread. Even I, as a regular visitor can avoid the extreme rip-off places fairly easily.

[Reddavy]

1 minute ago, VBF said:

As the article refers to long-term expats, who presumably know where the places offering VFM are, that's really not an issue for this particular thread. Even I, as a regular visitor can avoid the extreme rip-off places fairly easily.

Read again dummy. As an expat i know where the cheap places are but in general there are no 3 world prices anymore. 

[VBF]

16 minutes ago, Reddavy said:

Read again dummy. As an expat i know where the cheap places are but in general there are no 3 world prices anymore. 

I think the dummy is the thing you just spat out! Pity you didn't swallow it!

I can get a good Thai meal in Pattaya for 50 to 60 Baht -  I call that pretty damn cheap and akin to 3rd world. 

[terryofcrete]

I sometimes waste time just watching the intersection of Soi Buakhao and Diana and Lengkee for the chaos and near misses and sheer lack of safety that goes on all day. In fact crossing the Soi is dangerous in lots of places.

[Bigwave12]

8 hours ago, mikebell said:

Once High season is over, long-term expats are the life blood of Pattaya (Thailand?).  Better treatment by Immigration and police would help sustain them.  Tourism in Vietnam is on the increase whilst Thailand introduces TDAC and cuts visa times. 

KISS = Keep It Simple, Stupid.

 

8 hours ago, mikebell said:

Once High season is over, long-term expats are the life blood of Pattaya (Thailand?).  Better treatment by Immigration and police would help sustain them.  Tourism in Vietnam is on the increase whilst Thailand introduces TDAC and cuts visa times. 

KISS = Keep It Simple, Stupid.

TDAC Simple. Did it twice  — Singapore and back no issues. 

[ignore it]

On 5/30/2025 at 5:01 PM, snoop1130 said:

One wrong step and you’re down a bloody hole,

 

This piece of advice should be given to newbies and FNGs to Pattaya nightlife.

[Magictoad]

3 hours ago, kuzmabruk said:

I think Central Festival is very safe.  Terminal 21 too.   The rest of Pattaya is a toilet.  I brought my father to visit me in 2005 and we went to walking street and he said “this is an open sewer, your stepmom and I will return to Bangkok tonight and go to Singapore rather than visit with you and your brother in this cesspool”.  Dirty, unsafe nothing good you can say other than - the girls are so much younger and better than back home in Vancouver. 

2005!!!! Lol A lot has happened since then! 20 years ago. That's twenty years ago..My family were here recently, typical bourgeois,  gentile, middle class Catholic family and they love it. After one visit they have been back for three more visits and my sister who is in her 80s has been twice. There again; we avoided the sh!tholes and went to the nice places. You try that with your dad next time he visits.

[impulse]

Those expats.  It's always glass half empty with them.

 

[impulse]

3 hours ago, kuzmabruk said:

I think Central Festival is very safe.  Terminal 21 too.   The rest of Pattaya is a toilet.  I brought my father to visit me in 2005 and we went to walking street and he said “this is an open sewer, your stepmom and I will return to Bangkok tonight and go to Singapore rather than visit with you and your brother in this cesspool”.  Dirty, unsafe nothing good you can say other than - the girls are so much younger and better than back home in Vancouver. 

 

Sounds like at least one of your parents didn't like you and your brother?

 

 

[ignore it]

2 hours ago, terryofcrete said:

I sometimes waste time just watching the intersection of Soi Buakhao and Diana and Lengkee for the chaos and near misses and sheer lack of safety that goes on all day. In fact crossing the Soi is dangerous in lots of places.

I check the live feed every night just to make sure my ex is still trying to hook Johns by the Subway. 

[thailand49]

If they ever took an independent look a break from doing nothing grandstanding on issue while enriching themselves would quickly see they are dreamers.

[CHdiver]

4 hours ago, kuzmabruk said:

and he said “this is an open sewer, your stepmom and I will return to Bangkok tonight

I wonder what he would have said if you had him invited without your stepmom. 

[DarthChuckler]

I dont see it as so unsafe, more like no ling term planning.  Get a plan to build decent sidewalks, parking, traffic.   Find a way to phase out the "farang tax" and enforce traffic laws. 

[jacko45k]

21 hours ago, mikebell said:

Once High season is over, long-term expats are the life blood of Pattaya (Thailand?).  Better treatment by Immigration and police would help sustain them.  Tourism in Vietnam is on the increase whilst Thailand introduces TDAC and cuts visa times. 

KISS = Keep It Simple, Stupid.

I was thinking this as I sat in immigration only the other day (although the place has got much more efficient).... they do make it difficult, a trip to immigration for me is about 14-15 km and I don't enjoy the drive. Forcing me to do that for a trivial 90 day report and the TM 30 nonsense and palaver of the extension each year. Gets harder every time....

[mikebell]

15 hours ago, Bigwave12 said:

 

TDAC Simple. Did it twice  — Singapore and back no issues. 

Simpler - Vietnam.

[mikebell]

18 hours ago, wensiensheng said:

 

TDAC is a non issue. It’s a simple process used by many countries. There are far more important issues than this non issue

Agreed but here is a microcosm of the whole TAT Empire: my daughter/Son-i-L are snowbirds and want to fly South for the Winter.  They've chosen Vietnam - no TDAC; a much more generous tourist visa, rather than going to Immigration here to extend Thai visa & forcing me to fill in TM30s.

[Emdog]

4 hours ago, jacko45k said:

I was thinking this as I sat in immigration only the other day (although the place has got much more efficient).... they do make it difficult, a trip to immigration for me is about 14-15 km and I don't enjoy the drive. Forcing me to do that for a trivial 90 day report and the TM 30 nonsense and palaver of the extension each year. Gets harder every time....

Do it on line.... I used to go in just for rubbernecking what sort are coming here now, but the on line thing is quick and efficient. Amazing Thailand and all that

[oxo1947]

21 hours ago, topt said:

Haven't read a decent jet ski "ïncident" for a while....

 

If you haven't  heard about one for a while-----usually means the Victims have just been paying up--------

[thecyclist]

On 5/31/2025 at 2:12 PM, kuzmabruk said:

I think Central Festival is very safe.  Terminal 21 too.   The rest of Pattaya is a toilet.  I brought my father to visit me in 2005 and we went to walking street and he said “this is an open sewer, your stepmom and I will return to Bangkok tonight and go to Singapore rather than visit with you and your brother in this cesspool”.  Dirty, unsafe nothing good you can say other than - the girls are so much younger and better than back home in Vancouver. 

No young girls in Vancouver?? 

Have they all gone to the MAGA US?