PATTAYA, Thailand – More than 100 police and local officials swept through 10 abandoned buildings in Pattaya’s Soi Thepprasit before dawn on October 13, detaining 24 people in a coordinated operation against suspected illegal activities. The operation began at 5.36am, with officers from Provincial Police Region 2, Pattaya Tourist Police, Chonburi Immigration and Banglamung district authorities deploying teams to search the derelict buildings.
The raids followed complaints from local residents who reported that homeless people had moved into the long-abandoned, approximately six-storey structures and were allegedly gathering to use drugs, raising concerns about safety in the surrounding community. Officers found people sleeping in rooms throughout the 10 buildings and detained 24 for checks. Urine tests showed that 23 tested positive for drugs. Two people were found in possession of drugs, while another was wanted under an arrest warrant. All 24 were taken to investigators for further legal proceedings.
Pol Maj Gen Nunthawut Suwanla-ong, deputy commissioner of Provincial Police Region 2, said the operation followed a nationwide directive from national police chief Pol Gen Samran Nualma to intensify enforcement against illegal activities and vice. Provincial Police Region 2 oversees 117 police stations. Nuntawut identified Pattaya as a key enforcement area and said joint teams would continue inspecting abandoned buildings at other locations where people gather, aiming to prevent drug use, drug dealing and potential property-related offences. He said authorities would continue clearing problem sites as part of broader efforts to improve public safety and keep Pattaya’s communities orderly.
