PATTAYA – Police took a 35-year-old Chinese national into custody after he brought a gun into a 7-11 convenience store late Thursday night, leading to a tense standoff that lasted nearly two hours.
Officers responded to a call around 12.15 am reporting an armed foreigner inside a shop located at the entrance of Soi Theppasit 8 in the Nong Prue area of Bang Lamung district, according to Pol Lt Col Siriwat Khratchamas, deputy chief at Pattaya police station.
When police arrived, they found crowds of vendors and onlookers outside. Officers quickly secured the scene, cleared bystanders, and set up a cordon around the shop.
After lengthy talks with the help of a translator, the suspect, identified as Zhang Shuai, aged 35, from Korea but holding Chinese citizenship, gave himself up. He left from the back of the shop with his hands raised to show he no longer posed a threat.
Police later recovered a modified Glock 19 handgun, capable of firing .380 calibre rounds, which Mr Zhang is said to have brought with him into the store.
Shop workers told police that Mr Zhang appeared agitated when he arrived, saying he was being pursued by other Chinese nationals who wanted to harm him. Staff noticed another Chinese man enter shortly after, then saw Mr Zhang head to the rear of the shop.
On realizing he was armed, the staff evacuated and contacted the police at once.
Pol Col Anake Srathongyu, chief of Pattaya police, confirmed that Mr Zhang is now in custody for questioning.
Pattaya Police investigators are looking into possible links between this incident and call centre scam groups, as the case closely matches a previous situation in which a Korean man tried to escape a Chinese-led scam operation near Pattaya.
On 7 August 2025, Thai immigration officers raided a luxury villa in Pattaya, detaining a Chinese group involved in illegal live-streamed adult shows. The group used a Chinese social platform to charge viewers and collect payments, raising more concerns about organized crime in the city.
In April, police arrested a Chinese couple, Oh Zhihang (67) and Lin Tingting (35), for public sex acts on a Pattaya street, which they recorded using a tripod. The public nature of the act sparked debate about visitor behaviour and respect for local customs.
Such cases have sparked debate both among locals and online, with some people on X and in expat circles suggesting that Chinese tourists are behind many of Pattaya’s issues. Others warn against blaming one group, pointing out that scams, crime, and culture clashes involve people from many backgrounds.
While stories like these draw attention, they do not reflect the behaviour of all Chinese visitors. Some Chinese business leaders have spoken out about Thailand’s safety and plan to bring more business groups to Pattaya, offering another side to the story.
Reports suggest that cultural differences and one-off crimes have influenced negative opinions. Still, Pattaya’s broader struggles with tourism go beyond nationality and include a sharp drop in Chinese arrivals in early 2025, driven by economic worries, safety fears, and growing competition from places like Japan.
