CHONBURI — May 6, 2026: A video showing four couples of foreign tourists engaged in explicit behaviour in Pattaya Bay has drawn criticism from locals.

The clip, which circulated on social media, shows eight tourists—four men and four women—appearing heavily intoxicated as they entered the sea in Nong Prue, Bang Lamung district. The group was seen embracing and kissing in pairs, displaying intimate behaviour in the water. Although only three couples are visible at any one time, the full video captures all eight individuals.

Witnesses at the scene, including other tourists and local residents, repeatedly shouted at the group to stop and recorded the incident on their phones. The tourists, however, ignored the warnings and continued their behaviour openly.

Around 2:00 AM on May 6, 2026, reporters spoke with a 44-year-old witness who filmed and posted the video. He stated the incident occurred between approximately 3:00 and 4:00 AM when the group appeared severely intoxicated and began acting inappropriately. He said he was angered by the situation and attempted to intervene, but the group did not respond and their behaviour escalated. He decided to record the video as evidence for authorities to take action.

The witness added that similar incidents have occurred before involving tourists from various countries, and warned that such behaviour damages Pattaya's image as a tourist destination and reflects poorly on Thailand.

Thailand has laws and widely observed cultural norms governing behaviour in public spaces. Indecent or explicit conduct in open areas may constitute an offence and can result in legal action. Authorities and local communities regularly urge visitors to respect local customs to help maintain public order and Thailand's reputation as a welcoming destination.

During the parliamentary session at 9:00 AM on May 6, 2025, with parliamentary speaker Sophon Sathiramya presiding, Lampang MP Dachay Ekpatphai from the Rak Thailand Party raised the issue regarding Bangkok MP Phandthil Nuamchai from the People's Party, who had made remarks linking village headmen and sub-district chiefs to drug abuse. Ekpatphai noted that these local administrative positions have a history spanning over 133 years and serve as crucial institutional pillars for the Ministry of Interior and all provinces. Village headmen and sub-district chiefs are positions of honor and dignity with responsibilities to address public suffering and promote community welfare. However, on April 30, another MP made sweeping allegations in parliament accusing all village headmen and sub-district chiefs of being drug addicts and traffickers, causing distress to these officials nationwide.

"I visited Lampang, and the village headmen and sub-district chiefs asked me to convey their strong concerns," Ekpatphai said, using language he later requested to be stricken from the record. He continued by arguing that the MP in question demonstrated a severe lack of intellectual integrity, as village leaders work tirelessly to care for their communities, yet the remarks have damaged all of them. He called for an apology rather than superficial video apologies.

Ekpatphai formally requested the speaker consider establishing an ethics committee to investigate whether the MP violated ethical standards under sections 13 and 15 of category 2 of the parliamentary code of conduct. In response, Phandthil bowed and apologized to the village headmen and sub-district chiefs, acknowledged all criticisms, and accepted all appropriate sanctions.

Deputy Prime Minister and Commerce Minister Supachai Suthummaphand reported on May 4, 2025, that her discussions with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and Deputy USTR Rick Switzer were constructive and reflected shared commitment from both Thailand and the U.S. to accelerate the Reciprocal Trade Agreement (ART) negotiations toward a quick conclusion to boost economic and investment confidence while reducing U.S. trade pressure.

The U.S. emphasized trade balance rebalancing and welcomed Thailand's expanded investment in joint-potential sectors including agricultural processing and energy, while Thailand seeks to import U.S. goods it cannot produce domestically. Thailand confirmed its readiness and presented Thai private sector investment plans to the U.S., which received positive reception and represents a tangible cooperation element both sides can advance together.

Supachai emphasized Thailand leveraged this opportunity to push multiple key issues, particularly securing U.S. tariff exemptions for Thai products the U.S. cannot domestically produce, with the U.S. showing openness and willingness to consider further. Both sides agreed to expedite negotiations to conclude the agreement's essential elements soon, confirming Thailand's status as a strategically important U.S. trading partner and reducing future tariff risks.

The Commerce Ministry will send a Thai delegation to the U.S. on May 13-14, 2025, to present and answer questions before the USTR office regarding the Section 301 investigation, aiming to clarify Thailand's trade and production structure. During her U.S. visit, Supachai also discussed economic cooperation, investment, and supply chain enhancement opportunities with U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth.

The U.S. proposed cooperation in potential sectors including clean energy and carbon reduction technology, small nuclear energy technology, food innovation, healthcare cooperation, and infant food industry—areas of interest to Thai private companies. Both sides agreed to promote cooperation between private sectors, educational institutions, and U.S. government agencies, particularly in Illinois, which has potential in energy, technology, and advanced agriculture, to expand investment and create long-term supply chain value.

Government spokesman disregards Democrat Party's plan to petition the Constitutional Court over the 400 billion baht emergency loan decree, calling it a legal right while asserting the government must use the measure to address energy and cost-of-living crises. On May 6, 2025, government spokesperson Rachada Thanadirek explained the government's position regarding the Democrat Party's preparation to file a Constitutional Court petition questioning whether the 400 billion baht loan decree is necessary and urgent, noting that while it is a legal right, the government maintains that swift implementation of measures to mitigate energy crisis and living cost impacts is urgently necessary and cannot wait. Thailand currently faces pressure from global conditions, particularly volatile energy prices that directly affect public living costs, production sector expenses, and the nation's competitiveness. Without prompt relief measures, the country risks high inflation coupled with economic recession that would be far more difficult to remedy than current challenges. The government has established two approaches: accelerating relief for public living costs and reducing production sector expenses, especially agriculture, while simultaneously restructuring the nation's energy use to reduce fossil fuel dependence and build long-term energy security. Rachada stated that those who believe swift action is unnecessary and suggest using standard budget processes fail to understand that regular budgets are set in advance, requiring time for adjustments and causing delays. Critically, standard processes are insufficient to combat the current crisis since we are in the latter half of the fiscal year with the new budget beginning in October, which may not come in time to address the immediate crisis. The government therefore must use the emergency decree mechanism to help citizens and businesses move forward promptly. She confirmed that all actions operate within fiscal discipline frameworks and do not affect the public debt ceiling of no more than 70 percent of GDP, with all projects undergoing screening, verification, and transparent public disclosure. Clear timelines for assistance programs such as Thai Helping Thai Plus-Fifty-Fifty target June 1 implementation, with increased welfare card disbursements to deliver funds to people as quickly as possible and stimulate economic circulation. The government has a duty to make decisions based on the necessity to care for people and sustain the economy through the crisis. Every step aims to provide swift assistance combined with prudence, transparency, and accountability, while the opposition may have different opinions.

Kritsada Wongkeaw, known as Captain Chang and a Thai national futsal player, has posted intimate photos with renowned singer Lamyai Haitongkam accompanied by the caption 'Asking for love's permission,' officially confirming their relationship. The 38-year-old futsal player previously caused a stir on social media after posting birthday celebration photos with the famous singer, leading fans to flood the comments asking whether the two were dating. Most recently, Captain Chang posted another sweet couple photo with Lamyai, this time with the caption 'Asking for love's permission' and tagging the singer, clearly answering fans' questions that the couple is nurturing their love together.

On May 6, 2025, reports revealed how Madam Kaeng first met Tone Bang Khae in 2022 through a respected amulet collector. When Madam Kaeng called seeking advice about selling a Bentley that a car dealer was underpricing, the amulet collector introduced her to Tone, who claimed expertise in luxury vehicles. Tone, recognizing Madam Kaeng's reputation in amulet circles as a savvy investor, immediately volunteered to help, promising to use his network to secure a better price and arranging to view the car.

Initially, Tone displayed warm, flattering behavior and built trust by claiming his social media page had many followers and significant social capital, making him capable of selling goods effectively. This led Madam Kaeng to entrust him with various assets including luxury watches, designer handbags, amulets, and cars for sale, with certified checks as collateral and a 10-month payment period agreed upon.

Tone also borrowed money from Madam Kaeng, claiming he was producing 1,000 amulet-viewing cameras from a German company for retail at approximately 10,000 baht each, offering her 300 units at cost price of 3,000 baht per unit. However, when months passed without receiving the cameras, Tone claimed the goods were nearly sold out, with only 100 remaining at the full retail price of 10,000 baht each, raising Madam Kaeng's suspicions.

Investigation revealed that Tone claimed to have sold some assets but never returned the money. A luxury Richard Mille watch was found being worn and displayed on social media rather than being sold. Additionally, amulets and other items Tone used as collateral for debt negotiations were appraised at significantly inflated values, causing substantial financial damage to Madam Kaeng.

The situation severely affected Madam Kaeng's mental health, causing accumulated stress and depression, ultimately prompting her to file a complaint with law enforcement to pursue legal action against those involved.