Tara Abhasakun

A Thai-American dual citizen, Tara has reported news and spoken on a number of human rights and cultural news issues in Thailand. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in history from The College of Wooster. She interned at Southeast Asia Globe, and has written for a number of outlets. Tara reports on a range of Thailand news issues.
  • Crime NewsMassacre in Thailand raises questions on gun control

    Massacre in Thailand raises questions on gun control

    In the aftermath of the horrific massacre at a daycare centre in northeast Thailand yesterday, questions have been raised about the kingdom’s gun control laws. The murderer, 34 year old former police officer Panya Kamrap, had been fired due to his addiction to drugs. Many Thai people have been unimpressed with Deputy PM Prawit’s response to tackling gun and drug…

  • Northern Thailand NewsFloods in NE Thailand claimed the lives of 3 people

    Floods in NE Thailand claimed the lives of 3 people

    Floods in northeast Thailand reportedly killed three villagers in the northeast province of Sisaket since Wednesday, October 5. The floods reportedly also injured another two people in Sisaket. Seven districts of Sisaket have been impacted by floods, The Pattaya News reported. These include: the main city district, Huai Thap Than, Yang Chum Noi, Wang Hin, Phu Sing, Nam Klieng, and Uthumphon…

  • Northern Thailand NewsThe world mourns mass shooting at northeast Thailand daycare centre

    The world mourns mass shooting at northeast Thailand daycare centre

    People around the world are mourning with Thailand after a former police officer shot and stabbed to death at least 37 people at a daycare centre yesterday, before killing himself. The sickening crime that happened in the northeastern Nong Bua Lamphu province has now drawn grief and condemnation across the globe. US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan released a statement…

  • Northern Thailand NewsHip businesses in northeast Thai province offer tasty food and fun experiences

    Hip businesses in northeast Thai province offer tasty food and fun experiences

    Three hip businesses in Thailand’s northeast province of Nakhon Ratchasima are offering tasty locally made foods, and fun experiences. One business is the Green Me Organic Farm. Visitors can take a tour of the farm and harvest organic vegetables. There is also a farm-stay accommodation with six rooms available. Visitors can also buy organic vegetables, products, dishes, and drinks at…

  • World NewsAustralia sets goal of preventing any more species from going extinct

    Australia sets goal of preventing any more species from going extinct

    Australia has set an ambitious environmental goal of preventing any more species from going extinct. To do this, the country’s labour government has set another ambitious goal of conserving over 30% of its land mass by 2030. The new 10-year plan was announced on Tuesday. Australia’s new conservation plan will focus on 20 places and 110 species. The areas include…

  • Central Thailand NewsMeditation retreat in lush garden setting coming up in central Thailand

    Meditation retreat in lush garden setting coming up in central Thailand

    A world-renowned Buddhist author and teacher will guide a Vipassana meditation retreat coming up in central Thailand. The teacher, Supawan Green, will lead the retreat at the Bring Your Mental Self Back Home (BMSBH) Centre in Nakorn Pathom on Thursday, October 27. The retreat will be conducted in English from 9.30am to 4.30pm. The retreat will be held in a…

  • World NewsDrug traffickers and rangers swapped gunfire on Thai-Burmese border

    Drug traffickers and rangers swapped gunfire on Thai-Burmese border

    Drug traffickers and army rangers were involved in a gunfight on the Thai-Burmese border in Chiang Mai’s Mae Ai district on Tuesday night. The rangers witnessed a group of 30 men. Five men were carrying knapsacks, while five had guns. The rangers signalled for the group to stop and they responded by firing at the rangers. A battle between the…

  • Politics NewsRumours of tension between Prayut and Prawit over flood comments

    Rumours of tension between Prayut and Prawit over flood comments

    Rumours are circulating of tensions between PM Prayut Chan-o-cha and deputy PM Prawit Wonguwon. According to the rumours, Prawit was offended by Prayut’s comments during a teleconference call about the flood situation with provincial governors at the Interior Ministry. Prayut was quoted as saying that he did not want a welcoming committee when visiting provinces hit by floods. Prayut was…

  • Central Thailand News100 elephants could be evacuated from camp in central Thailand due to floods

    100 elephants could be evacuated from camp in central Thailand due to floods

    Thailand’s beloved national animal is another victim of the country’s floods. In the central province of Ayutthaya, officials are preparing to possibly evacuate about 100 elephants from a camp after a river overflowed. The Lopburi River had risen 30 centimetres as of yesterday morning, Nation Thailand reported. The flooding from the overflow impacted houses in Ayutthaya’s main city district, as…

  • Pattaya NewsTwo lost children found on Pattaya’s Walking Street

    Two lost children found on Pattaya’s Walking Street

    Two lost children were found on Pattaya’s famous Walking Street yesterday. A Good Samaritan alerted Pattaya Tourist Police when he saw a three year old boy and five month old girl near a pumping station in front of the street. The children were alone with two bags of clothes. The police tried to find the children’s parents, but were unsuccessful,…

  • World NewsAvalanche strikes mountaineering team in Indian Himalayas, 4 killed

    Avalanche strikes mountaineering team in Indian Himalayas, 4 killed

    An avalanche struck a mountaineering team in the Indian Himalayas yesterday morning, killing four people. Meanwhile, another 28 people are still missing. The Nehru Institute of Mountaineering said the team had been training on a mountain in the northern state of Uttarakhand. The institute’s statement said the team was returning from a 5,670 metre peak when the avalanche hit. The team…

  • Pattaya NewsYoung woman killed in hit-and-run in Chon Buri

    Young woman killed in hit-and-run in Chon Buri

    A young woman was killed in a hit-and-run in Chon Buri’s Sri Racha district on Monday night. A six-wheel truck crashed into a motorbike, crushing 32 year old Saithan Hongthong to death. The incident happened on Map Iang-Laem Chabang Road. An anonymous witness said he saw the truck crash into Saithan before speeding away. The witness did not see the…

  • Northern Thailand NewsCracks in road to popular mountain in northern Thailand

    Cracks in road to popular mountain in northern Thailand

    Adventurers driving on the road to a popular mountain in northern Thailand might have a few obstacles ahead of them. Those obstacles include cracks in the road, along with possible mudslides. Highway officials warn drivers that the main road is fractured to the Phu Thap Boek mountain in Phetchabun province. The officials said there were cracks and subsidence on the…

  • Bangkok NewsHundreds of water pumps installed for floods in Bangkok and nearby provinces

    Hundreds of water pumps installed for floods in Bangkok and nearby provinces

    Thailand’s Royal Irrigation Department is working to fight the floods currently wreaking havoc on Bangkok and its vicinity. Yesterday, the Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister announced that the department installed more than 220 large water pumps to drain water from the capital and its surrounding provinces, Nation Thailand reported. The minister, Chalermchai Sreeon, said the pumps were draining 45 million cubic…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket Vegetarian Festival wraps up

    Phuket Vegetarian Festival wraps up

    The Phuket Vegetarian Festival officially wrapped up its last day yesterday. The last day began with street processions in the main city district. The processions started in the morning at the Lor Rong Shrine and headed toward Saphan Hin Public Park. Later in the afternoon, there was a fire-waking ritual from Kathu Shrine. In the evening, there was another fire-walking ritual…

  • Pattaya NewsOfficials predict over 100,000 people at Pattaya International Fireworks Festival

    Officials predict over 100,000 people at Pattaya International Fireworks Festival

    The annual Pattaya International Fireworks Festival is coming up in November, and city officials have made some estimates about how many people will attend. Officials have estimated that over 100,000 domestic and foreign tourists will make their way to the festival. The festival will be held from November 25-26 on Pattaya Beach. If estimates come true, the festival will be…

  • Chiang Mai NewsChiang Mai wakes up to a flooded city district

    Chiang Mai wakes up to a flooded city district

    After Chiang Mai’s Ping River overflowed last night, residents woke up to a flooded city district this morning. The river’s water level this morning was 4.51 metres. This was 0.81 metres above the critical level. Residents were using sandbags to stop water from getting into their shops and houses. Small vehicles couldn’t pass through several roads. This included Loi Kroh…

  • Tourism NewsThailand wants more tourists from Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan

    Thailand wants more tourists from Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan

    Thailand’s tourism officials are eyeing two Central Asian countries in hopes of more tourists. Those countries are Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Travellers from both countries are interested in visiting Thailand, Tourism Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said on Monday. Phiphat said that Kazakh and Uzbek tourists started to show interest after Thailand extended its Visa on Arrival from 15 to 30 days on…

  • World NewsEuropeans arrested in Iran

    Europeans arrested in Iran

    Iran’s authorities are continuing their brutal crackdown amidst the country’s latest uprising. But the crackdown isn’t limited to Iranians. Nine European nationals have now been arrested, several media outlets reported on October 1. Iran’s intelligence ministry says the people arrested are from Poland, Sweden, Germany, Italy, France and the Netherlands. Local media said that intelligence officers had arrested people considered foreign…

  • Pattaya NewsClumsy burglar injures himself after trying to steal in Chon Buri

    Clumsy burglar injures himself after trying to steal in Chon Buri

    In what some might call a major incident of karma, a clumsy burglar injured himself while trying to steal from a room in Chon Buri‘s main city district. A witness and neighbour of the victim, Thongchai, said he saw the burglar riding his motorcycle back and forth around the area. Thongchai then called the property owner and went to check the rooms…

  • Chiang Mai NewsRiver in Chiang Mai overflows, floods spread

    River in Chiang Mai overflows, floods spread

    The remains of Storm Noru are continuing to plunder Chiang Mai. The province’s Ping River has overflowed and inundated several communities in the main city district today. The chief of the Chiang Mai Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Office had said that the water level at the P1 station near Nawarat Bridge was 4.35 metres, almost above the critical point. The…

  • Thailand Weather UpdatesThailand’s cold season expected to hit in late October

    Thailand’s cold season expected to hit in late October

    Thailand’s cold season is expected to hit the country slightly later than usual. The season is expected to start in the fourth week of October, about a week later than usual. The Thai Meteorological Department said the coldest time of the season would be December and January. The lowest temperatures are expected in the country’s north and northeast at 8-9…

  • World NewsSouth Korea gives North Korea a warning

    South Korea gives North Korea a warning

    South Korea isn’t playing around when it comes to North Korea’s nuclear programme. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol gave North Korea a little warning at South Korea’s 74th Armed Forces Day ceremony on Saturday. Yoon stated that if North Korea attempted to use nuclear weapons, it would face a “determined and overwhelming response.” Yoon reaffirmed that South Korea and…

  • Phuket NewsThousands join Chinese ceremony at Phuket Vegetarian Festival

    Thousands join Chinese ceremony at Phuket Vegetarian Festival

    Thousands of people yesterday joined a Chinese ceremony as part of the Phuket Vegetarian Festival. About 2,200 locals and tourists gathered along the roadside during the Yu Keng parade. The ceremony participants paid respects and lit fireworks to call upon gods, in accordance with traditional Chinese beliefs. Many of the tourists who took part in the ceremony were from Malaysia…

  • Pattaya NewsPattaya woman crashes after allegedly racing Belgian man who dissed her car

    Pattaya woman crashes after allegedly racing Belgian man who dissed her car

    Many people take great pride in their cars, and one Pattaya woman certainly did on Saturday. The woman, 48 year old Chanphen Thaweesri, allegedly raced her Mercedes Benz against a Belgian driver who she claims made fun of her car. She then ended up crashing her car. Chanphen said the Belgian man, 35 year old Stephane Cordemans, knocked on her…

  • South Thailand NewsSongkhla factory fire injures 2

    Songkhla factory fire injures 2

    A fire broke out at a plastic factory in the southern Songkhla province yesterday, injuring two workers. Thai media reported that the workers had mild burns. The blaze ripped through the entire factory, and 10 fire trucks were deployed to put out the flames. The cost of the damages has not yet been reported. The fire broke out when hundreds…

  • Thailand Weather UpdatesStorm Noru weakens from typhoon to depression as it moves across Thailand

    Storm Noru weakens from typhoon to depression as it moves across Thailand

    Tropical storm Noru has weakened from a super typhoon to a depression as it moves across Thailand. The Thai Meteorological Department has still advised people in 64 provinces to be prepared for heavy to heavy rainfall, which may cause flash flooding and overflows. After Noru plundered Thailand’s northeast this week, the department said yesterday that the storm was moving west…

  • World NewsSuicide bombing in Afghanistan hits students preparing for exam

    Suicide bombing in Afghanistan hits students preparing for exam

    There’s been a suicide bombing in Afghanistan’s capital city of Kabul today. The blast hit an education centre in a neighbourhood made up of mostly Hazaras, a persecuted ethnic and religious minority group. Hazaras are mostly Shia Muslims, while Afghanistan has a Sunni majority. The attack has killed at least 23 people, and at least 36 others were injured. According…

  • Thailand NewsThai researchers develop flood-resistant rice strain

    Thai researchers develop flood-resistant rice strain

    As heavy rains continue to plunder Thailand, researchers have developed a new flood-resistant rice strain. The new strain, called Hom Le Noi, can grow in all climates, according to the chief of the team that developed it. The team is from the National Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology. The team’s chief, Dr Theerayut Tuchinda, said that Hom Le Noi…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket’s governor Narong braces for storm Noru

    Phuket’s governor Narong braces for storm Noru

    Phuket’s Governor Narong held a meeting at Phuket Provincial Hall on Wednesday to prepare the island province for tropical Storm Noru. Narong said officials are ready to handle the storm with water removal, shelter, food, and other assistance. He said… “Every relevant office is ready to help as fast as possible with plans.” Meanwhile, Noru has wreaked havoc on other…

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