Here is a look at the top NATIONAL Thailand stories, chosen by our Pattaya News/TPN National team, from last week, Monday, May 11th to Sunday May 17th.
They are not in any particular level of importance but are listed in the order of date of publication.
- Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior Anutin Charnvirakul visited Koh Samui and Koh Phangan to oversee efforts set at resolving issues related to foreign business operations in the region, especially around a large number of businesses allegedly operating illegally using nominee structures and certain nationalities like Israelis and Russians allegedly running many of them.
2. Surat Thani’s provincial authorities have unveiled the results of a sweeping crackdown on foreign nationals violating Thai laws, with more than 2,600 cases recorded over the past seven months, led by Myanmar, Russia, France, Israel, and the UK.
Foreign Nationals Face Over 2,600 Criminal Cases on Koh Phangan in Past Seven Months
3. A train slammed into a public bus stranded on a railway crossing, in a deadly accident that has claimed at least eight lives and left 32 others injured.
UPDATE: Bangkok Train-Bus Collision at Railway Crossing Kills 8, Injures 25
The driver of a freight train involved in a catastrophic collision with a public bus on May 16th, 2026, tested positive for illegal substances, with urine reportedly turning purple during screening, a common indicator in local drug tests. Early reports indicate the presence of cannabis and methamphetamine.
4. Thai police in Chonburi province have explicitly not ruled out terrorism or sabotage as motives in the case of a 31-year-old Chinese national arrested.
A 31-year-old Chinese national identified as Mingchen Sun, who is facing charges for concealing C4 explosives and a large cache of war weapons in the Pattaya area, was urgently transported to a local hospital under heavy guard and with a SWAT team on Monday evening after suffering a violent seizure while being processed into Pattaya Special Remand Prison. He has now been released to regular patient care.
Thai authorities have confirmed strong evidence, including financial trails and digital communications, linking a Chinese national arrested in connection with a large weapons cache to scammer syndicates in Cambodia.
5. Police raided a luxury home near Pattaya on Monday afternoon, uncovering what authorities describe as a secret homemade factory used by a Chinese syndicate to manufacture drug-laced e-cigarette pods, locally known as “pot K, or zombie pods”, arresting three Chinese nationals.
Thai Police Bust Chinese Drug Maker Near Pattaya Producing Illegal Zombie Pods in Luxury Villa
6. A joint team of immigration, tourism, and local police raided a luxury villa in Pattaya late Wednesday night, breaking up an illegal high-stakes poker gambling operation and arresting 16 Chinese nationals.
Police Raid Luxury Home in Pattaya, Bust Illegal Poker Den, Arrest 16 Chinese Gamblers
7. Thai police in Pattaya have arrested a 33‑year‑old British national identified only as Mr. Amir, accused of playing a key role in supplying weapons for a cartel‑related assassination in Phuket of an Iraqi man earlier this year.
8. Thailand’s Department of Special Investigation (DSI) has launched a sweeping investigation into 34 companies so far, registered on Koh Samui and Koh Phangan, Surat Thani, suspected of using Thai nationals as “nominee shareholders” to conceal foreign ownership.
Thai DSI Targets 34 Companies So Far in Nominee Shareholder Probe on Koh Phangan and Koh Samui
9. Deputy National Police Chief Pol. Gen. Samran Nualma, together with Pol. Gen. Noppasil Poolsawas, led a sweeping operation against suspected nominee companies on Koh Phangan.
Police Raid 32 Suspected Nominee Firms Holding Land Worth 150 Million Baht on Koh Phangan
That’s all for this week, as always thanks for your support.
For the original version of this article, please visit The Pattaya News.
