Pattaya has gone down the toilet and Jomtien is following, not the laid back place it used to be 15 or so years ago, now drugs, punch ups, tattoos and boy racers on motorbikes, more like Southend on a bank holiday years ago.

Vietnam Cambodia a lot safer and enjoyable.

A lot of young Brits arrive and for their holiday they are holiday millionaires as so much here is cheap compared to the UK

So they think they are something special- when clearly they are not- and act as we all see them acting so often after a few beers/spliffs/pills/lines etc

They are a total embarrassment and really need to be banned from returning after they have spent a few days in the Bangkok Hilton

21 hours ago, Scouse123 said:

I have no doubt when ASEAN Now is published on Monday, there will be yet another story involving British tourists behaving badly.

As a Brit who has lived in Thailand for many years, I have to say it’s becoming a bit embarrassing how often our nationality crops up in these stories. It seems to be happening more and more lately, and I suspect it reflects the type of tourists Thailand is attracting these days.

Two recent incidents in Pattaya are a good example.

The first involved a violent attack in a beer bar in Soi 13, where an older British bar manager was slashed in the face by a younger British man, leaving him with a serious wound that reportedly required around 30 stitches. People nearby managed to restrain one of the suspects until police arrived, although another reportedly fled the scene and was being sought by police. The victim was taken to the hospital for treatment.

Then there was another case where a British tourist decided it was a good idea to physically confront a Thai policeman inside a 7-Eleven minimart. Anyone who has lived here for a while knows that is never going to end well.

It’s the sort of behaviour that gives the rest of us a bad name. Most long-term expats respect the country and keep themselves out of trouble, but it only takes a few drunken idiots to make headlines and reinforce the stereotype.

I’m just grateful I’m no longer living in Pattaya. I remember the place well from the 90s and early 2000s, and incidents like this were relatively rare back then. These days it feels like stories like this are appearing almost daily.

Not a good look for us, unfortunately.

Not so sure it was really that much better back in 90s.Pattaya has probably 20 times as many tourists now. So the "per capita" figures could be similar.

Plus, with the ubiquitous smartphones, recordings, and postings on social media these incidents become much more "visible".

6 hours ago, FolkGuitar said:

motorcycle taxi drivers ganging up on some poor foreigner

Not so poor, I think. Some ask for it by starting the fight.

9 hours ago, Woke to Sounds said:

The legalisation of pot and 60 day no questions asked visas were definitely turning points in the sophistication of tourist type.

You mix that with steroid chavs plus alcohol and other drugs and it's a recipe for antisocial behaviour.

Also, people's brains went soupish after the Convid psyops & arm spears.

Bingo - there we have it...

19 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

And where are the visa experts? the ones who'll state that Thailand allowing 60 days instead of 30 is clearly the root cause of civilisation collapsing, because it “attracts the bad tourists”.

Also strangely absent - the anti-marijuana crusaders, who will passionately inform us that cannabis is attracting the wrong element… and in a fascinating twist of logic, apparently don’t get stoned and relax, but instead get drunk and start fights.

8 hours ago, FolkGuitar said:

Every day we read about fights occurring in Pattaya. Either Ladyboys attacking someone, or motorcycle taxi drivers ganging up on some poor foreigner.
Every day. It's not a weekly happening, it's every day!
And yet, people still want to live in Pattaya? And then complain about it as if they had no idea it was so bad?

Makes no sense to me. You can get laid in Chiang Mai, Nan, Hua Hin, Kanchanaburi, or Bangkok just as easily. No need to put up with Fight-Central.

The vast majority of Expats in Pattaya don't live in or frequent these places (look at how many of these incidents are in East Pattaya, Pratumnak or Wongamat) & some/most of us only venture into town to do shopping or to catch one of the many Beach festivals, we certainly don't hang around Walking Street/Beach Road at 5am.

People who think this happens all over Pattaya likely think that Pattaya consists of Walking Street, Soi 6, LK Metro & are probably the same people who think that Bangkok consists of Nana, Cowboy, Patpong or the whole of the Philippines is the same as Angeles City.

Quite sad really, but hey ho, their loss if they'd rather live in Chiang Mai I'm not going to complain about that.

17 hours ago, thecyclist said:

Not so sure it was really that much better back in 90s.Pattaya has probably 20 times as many tourists now. So the "per capita" figures could be similar.

Plus, with the ubiquitous smartphones, recordings, and postings on social media these incidents become much more "visible".

I am sure, actually, as I was in Pattaya during the mid-nineties all the way up to 2008.

I agree with you; Pattaya is an unrecognizable behemoth now.

No, there was no social media as there is now, but we had plenty of hard-print regular newspapers that didn't miss much, plus the mobile news channels.

Pattaya was much smaller then and easier to move around—the good old days, for lack of a better word.

As previously stated, people dressed better in the evenings and went out for dinner; they had plenty of money to spend and were an older crowd. Shorts and singlets were for the beach, not walking around the town.

I miss those days, but I am glad I was a part of them. They are well and truly gone now.

I've joined the ranks of holidaying in Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, etc. I don't think it's as much an age thing as the fact that Pattaya no longer has that laid-back, friendly town feel to it.

8 minutes ago, Scouse123 said:

I am sure, actually, as I was in Pattaya during the mid-nineties all the way up to 2008.

I agree with you; Pattaya is an unrecognizable behemoth now.

No, there was no social media as there is now, but we had plenty of hard-print regular newspapers that didn't miss much, plus the mobile news channels.

Pattaya was much smaller then and easier to move around—the good old days, for lack of a better word.

As previously stated, people dressed better in the evenings and went out for dinner; they had plenty of money to spend and were an older crowd. Shorts and singlets were for the beach, not walking around the town.

I miss those days, but I am glad I was a part of them. They are well and truly gone now.

I've joined the ranks of holidaying in Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, etc. I don't think it's as much an age thing as the fact that Pattaya no longer has that laid-back, friendly town feel to it.

It's unfortunate as people age they become psychology bitter

"Oh if we could have the old times back " they shout and wimper , if only we could rewind the times they shout living in the past

Hate to see , but grandpa times are moving on

3 minutes ago, georgegeorgia said:

It's unfortunate as people age they become psychology bitter

Oh, is that why we have so many grumpy guys here.

10 minutes ago, georgegeorgia said:

It's unfortunate as people age they become psychology bitter

"Oh if we could have the old times back " they shout and wimper , if only we could rewind the times they shout living in the past

Hate to see , but grandpa times are moving on

The usual nonsense we’ve come to expect from you.

Have you considered a refresher course in English?

I am 63, physically strong and healthy, active, and train regularly. I doubt you are the same.

The biggest exercise you seem to do is baiting posts. Do your fingers hurt?

14 minutes ago, georgegeorgia said:

It's unfortunate as people age they become psychology bitter

"Oh if we could have the old times back " they shout and wimper , if only we could rewind the times they shout living in the past

Hate to see , but grandpa times are moving on

The more posts that I read coming from you, the more it shows you have nothing better to do than write baiting posts because it's cheaper for you than stepping out of the door.

1 minute ago, Scouse123 said:

The usual nonsense we’ve come to expect from you.

Have you considered a refresher course in English?

Oh please Grandpa ,get with the times and stop living in the past

"Oh it was better 50 years ago " ,all pointless rubbish

13 minutes ago, SAFETY FIRST said:

Oh, is that why we have so many grumpy guys here.

Yes many not only live in the past but WANT to be old , they pretend to walk with walking sticks to get sympathy

I saw a guy my age last night , walking slow going up that escalator to the Pattaya Hilton .

I actually ran up the steps ,but I stopped near him and said ,"mate time for you to hit the treadmill !!!

Then I continued running up the escalator

Many of these old folks want to be old and live on the past when it was much worse

I remember going to the 1978 New Years eve concert in Sydney Australia to watch the Angels sing and drunken bogans were throwing empty cans of beer at them and that was 1978

2 minutes ago, georgegeorgia said:

Oh please Grandpa ,get with the times and stop living in the past

"Oh it was better 50 years ago " ,all pointless rubbish

You are a silly man who is probably the only one who thinks he's funny.

Now where is that ignore button?

1 minute ago, georgegeorgia said:

Yes many not only live in the past but WANT to be old , they pretend to walk with walking sticks to get sympathy

I saw a guy my age last night , walking slow going up that escalator to the Pattaya Hilton .

I actually ran up the steps ,but I stopped near him and said ,"mate time for you to hit the treadmill !!!

Then I continued running up the escalator

Many of these old folks want to be old and live on the past when it was much worse

I really going to the 1978 new years eve concert in Sydney Australia to watch the Angels sing and drunken bogans were throwing empty vans of beer at them and that was 1978

Empty vans?

You must have strong bogans in Aussie-land.

On 3/8/2026 at 8:00 PM, Purdey said:

Young people think they are immortal and will never grow old.

On 3/8/2026 at 8:00 PM, Purdey said:

Young people think they are immortal and will never grow old.

I blame the legalisation of shops selling pot on every street corner selling it dirt cheap . It was not necessaryily the drug itself it was the fact that blokes who delved in it now and then back home in UK or wherever were attracted to Thailand for the above mentioned reason.So they get it so cheap and readily that they go over the top and end up in a stupified state and in more trouble than Ned Kelly. Luckily the Government has tightened up on these shops and maybe these problems will be alleviated.

Generalizations are generalizations because they are generally true. The types of Brits that this country attracts are generally uneducated blue collar types who are not well adjusted enough for international travel and can't process alcohol in a civilized manner. I worked in Dubai for years and most of my good friends were Brits and they were fine people, just of a different class.

Not saying that most blue collar types from every country are retards of course (take the Japanese for example, they are so well and across the board evenly behaved that you will never know the difference between a garbage collector and a CEO), but the UK seems to have a much higher percentage among this demographic.

"The Thaiger"

21 May 2025 ·

In a surprising turn of events, Pattaya has been ranked 9th in the Top 10 Safest Cities in ASEAN for 2025, with a Safety Index score of 53.9. Despite its reputation for nightlife, Pattaya has made significant strides in improving public safety, thanks to investments in law enforcement, infrastructure, and family-friendly tourism initiatives. The city’s ranking reflects these efforts, placing it ahead of Johor Bahru and alongside other major cities like Bangkok. Chiang Mai topped the list as the safest city in ASEAN.

22 minutes ago, georgegeorgia said:

I actually ran up the steps ,but I stopped near him and said ,"mate time for you to hit the treadmill !!!

Take care mate, most of these guys are psychos.

57 minutes ago, Scouse123 said:

I am sure, actually, as I was in Pattaya during the mid-nineties all the way up to 2008.

I agree with you; Pattaya is an unrecognizable behemoth now.

No, there was no social media as there is now, but we had plenty of hard-print regular newspapers that didn't miss much, plus the mobile news channels.

Pattaya was much smaller then and easier to move around—the good old days, for lack of a better word.

As previously stated, people dressed better in the evenings and went out for dinner; they had plenty of money to spend and were an older crowd. Shorts and singlets were for the beach, not walking around the town.

I miss those days, but I am glad I was a part of them. They are well and truly gone now.

I've joined the ranks of holidaying in Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, etc. I don't think it's as much an age thing as the fact that Pattaya no longer has that laid-back, friendly town feel to it.

Yes back in the 90s before smartphones, most of the girls used to read those little comics, in the beer bars, looking for love.

1 hour ago, Scouse123 said:

You are a silly man who is probably the only one who thinks he's funny.

Now where is that ignore button?

Oh darl , don't put yourself through the misery , put me on ignore like you mentioned last year ! And the year before that

But...no...your back again reading my posts , can't help yaself darl...admit it .you love me

1 hour ago, wavodavo said:

I blame the legalisation of shops selling pot on every street corner selling it dirt cheap . It was not necessaryily the drug itself it was the fact that blokes who delved in it now and then back home in UK or wherever were attracted to Thailand for the above mentioned reason.So they get it so cheap and readily that they go over the top and end up in a stupified state and in more trouble than Ned Kelly. Luckily the Government has tightened up on these shops and maybe these problems will be alleviated.

Brilliant point davo

And many overlooked

22 hours ago, boloaf said:

Seems to coincide with the increase in violent crime in the UK. Funny that, I can't think why.

If you look at the statistics, actual violent crime in the UK is way down.

Stop getting your "news" from Facebook.

Just now, bkk_mike said:

If you look at the statistics, actual violent crime in the UK is way down.

Stop getting your "news" from Facebook.

They say that about Alice Springs in Australia on a Friday and Saturday night.

Not surprising. A few years ago I happened to be in the supposedly genteel town of Guildford in the UK on a Friday evening. Drunkenness aggression, and worse, in spades.

16 minutes ago, georgegeorgia said:

They say that about Alice Springs in Australia on a Friday and Saturday night.

You should go there instead of pattaya g, maybe take your Muay thai lessons along tbo😁

2 hours ago, georgegeorgia said:

Yes many not only live in the past but WANT to be old , they pretend to walk with walking sticks to get sympathy

I saw a guy my age last night , walking slow going up that escalator to the Pattaya Hilton .

I actually ran up the steps ,but I stopped near him and said ,"mate time for you to hit the treadmill !!!

Then I continued running up the escalator

Many of these old folks want to be old and live on the past when it was much worse

I remember going to the 1978 New Years eve concert in Sydney Australia to watch the Angels sing and drunken bogans were throwing empty cans of beer at them and that was 1978

You previously posted that you use a walking frame.

You need to have a very good memory to tell lies.

Obviously you do not.

On 3/9/2026 at 8:07 AM, FolkGuitar said:

Every day we read about fights occurring in Pattaya. Either Ladyboys attacking someone, or motorcycle taxi drivers ganging up on some poor foreigner.

20 hours ago, Purdey said:

Not so poor, I think. Some ask for it by starting the fight.

So you believe that to be justification for half a dozen people who happen to be walking by or standing near, having no dog in the hunt, to just start kicking a complete stranger just because other Thais are doing it?

Interesting insight into how you roll.

2 hours ago, emptypockets said:

ours ago, georgegeorgia said:

I saw a guy my age last night , walking slow going up that escalator to the Pattaya Hilton .

I actually ran up the steps ,but I stopped near him and said ,"mate time for you to hit the treadmill !!!

Then I continued running up the escalator

You previously posted that you use a walking frame.

He recently visited a witch doctor.

Prescribed some magic powder, healed now 😊

4 hours ago, Thingamabob said:

Not surprising. A few years ago I happened to be in the supposedly genteel town of Guildford in the UK on a Friday evening. Drunkenness aggression, and worse, in spades.

Doubt it's beats Alice Springs in North Australia

They had to recruit 500 police from the UK to work there ,no Aussie wanted the job