Here is a look at the top NATIONAL Thailand stories, chosen by our Pattaya News/TPN National team, from last week, Monday, May 12th, to Sunday, May 18th, 2025.
They are not in any particular level of importance but are listed in the order of date of publication.
Let’s get started and see what the top stories were!
- Authorities have apprehended a male Australian national in connection with a brazen robbery allegedly targeting his fellow countryman, seizing the suspect at a lavish villa in Pattaya.
The arrest stemmed from reports filed by an Australian victim, who alleged that he had been robbed twice by fellow Australians.
2. Authorities allege Aranyawan acted as an online gambling broker, receiving substantial transfers from an abbot, including millions of baht from the temple’s account, to fund gambling activities on platforms, previously targeted in a 2024 cybercrime crackdown.
Aranyawan, who reportedly confessed to knowing the abbot since her school days at Wat Rai Khing, admitted to facilitating financial transactions for the gambling network, reportedly laundering as much as over 800 million baht through three corporate entities.
3. Mr. Andrew, a 35-year-old British national, with severe injuries: A large 10-cm gash on the left side of his face, a wound on his left chest, a stab wound to his abdomen, and his left hand’s index to ring fingers nearly severed after being attacked and thrown out of a vehicle in Pattaya. The suspects are still at large.
Police later attempted to intercept the suspect’s car, which fled toward South Pattaya Road, but it remains at large as of press time.
4. 18-year-old British teenager Bella May Culley, reported missing while traveling in Thailand, was discovered over 4,000 miles away in a jail in Tbilisi, Georgia, facing serious drug smuggling charges.
She was last believed to be in Pattaya before going to Georgia, although evidence on this was not solid. She also now claims she is pregnant.
5. Phuket police have again apprehended a Ukrainian woman who allegedly fled after being charged with causing extensive damage to a rented condominium unit in Wichit.
Since the arrest took place on a public holiday, authorities granted her temporary release and scheduled her court hearing for later. Instead of attending, Anastasia failed to appear, prompting investigators to seek an arrest warrant from the Phuket Provincial Court.
6. Arrest warrants are being issued for three British men who allegedly attacked a French man at a bar in Cherng Talay, Thalang.
UPDATE: British Suspects Wanted after Allegedly Stabbing French Man Multiple Times at Phuket Bar
7. The Stop Drink Network (SDN), a prominent Thai temperance group, has issued a stern warning to pubs, bars, and restaurants in tourist-heavy areas, urging them to refrain from selling alcoholic beverages during five major Buddhist holidays.
The group claims that the Thai government has not yet enacted a firm organic law with specific details to permit such sales, despite the Royal Gazette order changing the regulations.
8. The Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation (MHESI) has introduced stringent regulations to oversee short-term educational programs for foreign students, aiming to prevent these courses from being exploited as a pathway for illegal employment in Thailand.
To prevent misuse of student visas, institutions must verify the academic records of foreign students, particularly those transferring from other programs, and report their details to MHESI within 30 days of receiving immigration approval.
9. Phra Thamma Wachiranuwat, the 70-year-old abbot of Wat Rai Khing in Nakhon Pathom, has been disrobed following allegations of embezzling over 300 million baht (approximately $9 million USD) from temple funds.
Wat Rai Khing, a historic temple founded in 1851 and known for housing a replica of the Buddha’s footprint, is now at the center of a widening investigation into financial misconduct and gambling networks.
10. Thai authorities have arrested fifteen individuals, including construction tycoon Premchai Karnasuta, in connection with the collapse of a 33-story skyscraper under construction in Bangkok, which killed 92 workers and left seven unaccounted for after a high magnitude earthquake struck in Myanmar on March 28th, 2025.
Fifteen Suspects Arrested and Denied Bail in Bangkok Building Collapse Case
The arrests follow the issuance of arrest warrants by the Criminal Court on Thursday for 17 suspects, charged with professional negligence causing death and violations of building codes as we previously reported here.
That’s all for this week, as always thanks for your support!
