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 NewsYoung Thai woman building her career fighting sexual exploitation

    Young Thai woman building her career fighting sexual exploitation

    Thai university student Sirinada ‘Rose’ Anusorn was 20 years old when a stranger started chatting with her on Facebook. The man told Rose that he was looking for a game caster, and he would pay her a salary. On top of the money, Rose felt lonely in her family, and felt comforted that someone wanted to talk to her. Rose,…

  • Phuket NewsCroc randomly shows up in Phuket temple pond

    Croc randomly shows up in Phuket temple pond

    A crocodile randomly showed up in the pond of a Phuket temple on Friday. Monks at the temple on the Toh Sae Hill in Phuket’s main city district say they have no idea who released the croc there. The monks were afraid that the croc would hurt people who feed turtles in the pond. Luckily, the Phuket Fisheries Office removed…

  • Northern Thailand NewsUPDATE: Police superintendent transferred to “inactive” post after pub raid

    UPDATE: Police superintendent transferred to “inactive” post after pub raid

    UPDATE The saga continues around the pub that was raided in Thailand’s northern Chiang Rai province early yesterday morning. The police superintendent of Chiang Rai’s city district police, Colonel Kittipong Sukwattanapun, has now been transferred to an “inactive” post in the operations centre of the provincial police headquarters. The transfer is punishment for his alleged failure to control the operations…

  • Thailand NewsThai officials warn of fake news and financial schemes on social media

    Thai officials warn of fake news and financial schemes on social media

    Thai officials are warning the public that several fake news reports, including about financial schemes, are still going viral on social media. The Digital Economy and Society Ministry said today that from August 26 to September 1, it examined 266 social media posts. Of those posts, 141 contained fake news. Even though fake news on Covid-19 has dropped off the…

  • Phuket NewsUPDATE: Governor rushing to feed over 800 Phuket flood victims

    UPDATE: Governor rushing to feed over 800 Phuket flood victims

    UPDATE Phuket Governor Narong is rushing to get food to over 800 victims of the island province’s recent floods. A total of 871 people, making up 372 households, have been affected by heavy floods that hit Phuket on Friday. Narong yesterday led officials in handing out 1,800 meals to people at Wat Nai Yang temple in the Thalang district. This…

  • Thailand Weather UpdatesA work week of heavy rain coming up in Thailand

    A work week of heavy rain coming up in Thailand

    This coming week is probably a good time in Thailand to pack your umbrella before going to work every day if you don’t already. A work week of heavy rain is coming up in Thailand as the monsoon season pushes on. From Monday to Friday, September 5-9, the Thai Meteorological Department predicts more rains across most regions of the country.…

  • South Thailand NewsAustralian man kills 2 teens in Songkhla crash, another seriously injured

    Australian man kills 2 teens in Songkhla crash, another seriously injured

    An Australian man hit and killed two teenage girls on a motorcycle with his car in the southern province of Songkhla, Thai media reported on Friday. Another teenage girl who was also on the motorcycle was seriously injured in the accident. The tragic accident happened on a road in front of a Royal Navy Shooting Range, and officers found the…

  • World NewsSri Lanka’s ex-president leaves Thailand, returns home

    Sri Lanka’s ex-president leaves Thailand, returns home

    The ex-president of Sri Lanka finally left Thailand and returned to his home country. The former president, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, had initially planned to return to Sri Lanka on August 24, but his return date ended up being yesterday, September 2. Gotabaya has been on quite a journey ever since 100,000 angry protesters forced him to flee Sri Lanka on July…

  • Phuket NewsUPDATE: Prayut calls in army to help with Phuket floods

    UPDATE: Prayut calls in army to help with Phuket floods

    UPDATE After floods wreaked havoc in Phuket yesterday, General Prayut Chan-o-cha has today called in the Royal Thai Army for some backup to help the island province’s victims, and pump out flood water. Prayut has ordered army officers to pump out water in the area around the Phuket International Airport. He has also ordered to officers to help victims in…

  • Northern Thailand NewsOfficials bust hundreds of Chiang Rai teens drinking underage

    Officials bust hundreds of Chiang Rai teens drinking underage

    A team of officials has busted hundreds of teenagers in the northern Chiang Rai province drinking under Thailand’s legal age of 20. The officials raided a pub in the main city district early this morning and found 325 people drinking underage, with some as young as 16 years old. Many of the youngsters dashed away on motorcycles when they saw…

  • Central Thailand NewsEDM music festival coming up in central Thailand

    EDM music festival coming up in central Thailand

    An electronic dance music festival with a Halloween theme is coming up in Thailand’s central province of Nonthaburi. The festival, called “Oh My Ghost: The Freakiest Music Festival,” will feature both Thai and international EDM DJs, including DJ Marshmello. According to the festival’s website, the festival will be held on Sunday, September 25, from 4pm-11pm at Thunder Dome Stadium in…

  • Pattaya NewsElderly monk killed in Chon Buri temple fire

    Elderly monk killed in Chon Buri temple fire

    An elderly monk has been tragically killed in a fire that destroyed a temple yesterday in the Sri Racha district of Chon Buri province. The monk, 92 year old Phra Siang Achito Thongthammachart had been immobile due to his age, and couldn’t escape the unexpected fire. Firefighters arrived on the scene to find the two-story temple engulfed in flames. The…

  • World NewsNorth Korea throws shade at “US puppet” human rights leader

    North Korea throws shade at “US puppet” human rights leader

    North Korea is up to its hate-mongering tactics again. Today, the country called a United Nations special rapporteur on North Korean Human Rights a “puppet of the US.” An unnamed spokesman for the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in an English statement on state-run media… “We had already made clear our principled stand that we neither recognize nor deal…

  • Pattaya NewsDeputy Mayor says Pattaya’s Walking Street makeover almost finished

    Deputy Mayor says Pattaya’s Walking Street makeover almost finished

    Following an inspection this week, Pattaya’s Deputy Mayor Manoch Nongyai has announced that the resurfacing of the city’s famous Walking Street is almost finished. Manoch, along with other authorities, inspected Walking Street on Wednesday. He said the resurfacing is about 95% complete, with only the street art left to complete. He added that advertising signs obstructing the street must be…

  • South Thailand News52 kilometre car chase for suspects with millions of meth pills in South Thailand

    52 kilometre car chase for suspects with millions of meth pills in South Thailand

    Highway Police were sent on a wild goose chase in South Thailand this week in a mission to catch three drug suspects. The police reported on Wednesday that they had chased a car from the Lang Suan district of Chumphon province, all the way to Than Chana district in Surat Thani province, totalling 52 kilometres. The police found two million…

  • Politics NewsPrayut returns PM’s car to Government House

    Prayut returns PM’s car to Government House

    Thailand’s now former PM, Prayut Chan-o-cha, has returned the prime minister’s car and three motorcade vehicles to Government House. Prayut’s driver returned the vehicles. From now on, Prayut is using his car, a Mercedes Benz, to get around. This news comes after Thailand’s Constitutional Court suspended Prayut from his position as PM on August 24. Out of the nine people…

  • Koh Samui NewsBritish expat killed in Koh Samui motorbike accident, another seriously injured

    British expat killed in Koh Samui motorbike accident, another seriously injured

    A British expat has been tragically killed in a motorbike accident on Thailand’s island of Koh Samui in the early hours of yesterday morning, with another man from the UK seriously injured. The two men had been on a motorbike together when they collided with a garbage truck. The man killed had been the passenger on the motorbike. He was…

  • Thailand NewsThai teens win 3 gold medals in world dance competition in US

    Thai teens win 3 gold medals in world dance competition in US

    A Thai teenage dance team has put Thailand on the map by winning three gold medals in a world dance competition in the US. The team, named ‘Awesome,’ won the medals at the World Hip Hop Dance Championship 2022 for juniors and adults held in Phoenix, Arizona from August 7-13. The team collected their congratulations gifts at the Chon Buri…

  • Phuket NewsAnother Phuket meth bust

    Another Phuket meth bust

    There’s been another meth bust in Phuket’s main city district. Border Patrol Police reported arresting 32 year old Eakksachai ‘Gueng’ Paesophon on Monday, on a road in the Wichit Sub-district. The police seized 2,770 meth pills from Gueng, along with roughly 1,293 grammes of crystal meth. Gueng is allegedly part of a larger drug network, which includes dealers in other…

  • Phuket NewsChildren at Phuket school suffer food poisoning from drinking water

    Children at Phuket school suffer food poisoning from drinking water

    Children at a school in Phuket’s main city district went down with a heavy dose of food poisoning on August 19, according to the school’s director. The Darasamuth Phuket School’s director released a statement about the incident yesterday (Wednesday), saying the problem had been due to the school’s water system. The director, Dararat Pengpinit, said that “some” students had become…

  • Crime NewsPolice shoot and kill Thai drug suspect in Cambodia car chase

    Police shoot and kill Thai drug suspect in Cambodia car chase

    Police shot and killed a Thai drug suspect in Cambodia yesterday while chasing two cars in the capital city of Phnom Penh. The suspect, along with others, had been smuggling 20 kilograms of narcotics, including ketamine. Anti-drug police said the suspects hid the drugs among flowers. The police opened fire on the suspects’ car, killing a Thai man identified as…

  • Central Thailand NewsProvince in central Thailand hit by river overflows

    Province in central Thailand hit by river overflows

    Authorities in one province in central Thailand are advising people who live near rivers to move their belongings to higher ground due to rivers bursting their banks. Ayutthaya province has seen rising water levels in the Chao Phraya, and Noi rivers since earlier this week. Some residents’ houses have already been inundated, forcing them to camp out in tents provided…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket Immigration reports over 100,000 Indian tourists since May

    Phuket Immigration reports over 100,000 Indian tourists since May

    Even though Malaysia has now beaten India for its number of tourists to Thailand overall, Indians are still the biggest tourist group in Phuket. From May 1 to August 30, the island province saw 104,350 Indian tourists arrive on its shores, according to Phuket Immigration. This was out of a total of 436,326 foreign tourists that arrived in Phuket in…

  • Crime NewsYoung Thai woman says Chinese scammers tortured her in the Philippines

    Young Thai woman says Chinese scammers tortured her in the Philippines

    A young Thai woman is claiming that Chinese scammers brutally tortured her in the Philippines, Thai media reported yesterday. The woman, so far only known as 26 year old ‘Sa,’ said the scammers first recruited her via Facebook in what she thought was a job answering customers’ questions about Bitcoin. But when Sa arrived in the Philippines, she found out…

  • Pattaya NewsGrass mower finds grenade at Pattaya reservoir

    Grass mower finds grenade at Pattaya reservoir

    A grass mower in Pattaya was in for a pretty big shock at work yesterday when he spotted a rocket-propelled grenade at the Mapprahan reservoir. Nong Prue Police arrived on the scene and sealed off the area. They then alerted the Explosive Ordnance Disposal to collect the bomb. Police are now investigating how the grenade got to the reservoir. It…

  • Phuket NewsSeminar on business and human rights held in Phuket

    Seminar on business and human rights held in Phuket

    Thai officials held a seminar in Phuket on Monday about the importance of human rights in business. The National Human Rights Commissioner of Thailand, Pitikan Sithidejheld, lead the seminar at the Royal Phuket City Hotel in the main city district. The event was titled “Seminar to Promote Business and Human Rights for Business Operations in Phuket Area.” Phuket’s Vice Governor…

  • Tourism News50 dogs join owners on pet-friendly flight from Bangkok to Chiang Mai

    50 dogs join owners on pet-friendly flight from Bangkok to Chiang Mai

    Nok Air provided a chartered flight from Bangkok to Chiang Mai allowing pet owners to bring their furry friends along with them. The flight, named ‘Paws Can Fly Season 1’ saw about 50 dogs tag along with their owners yesterday from Don Mueang International Airport to Chiang Mai International Airport. There were reportedly several influencers and actresses on the chartered…

  • South Thailand NewsFrench tourist rescued after getting lost in Koh Pha Ngan forest

    French tourist rescued after getting lost in Koh Pha Ngan forest

    A young French tourist was rescued on Saturday after he got lost in a forest on Thailand’s island of Koh Pha Ngan. Police and officials found the man, 26 year old Marouan Rouatbi, after almost an hour of searching through the hilly forest when it was dark, in the main Koh Pha Ngan district. The group trekked through about three…

  • Phuket NewsDutch tourist injured after falling at Phang Nga waterfall

    Dutch tourist injured after falling at Phang Nga waterfall

    A Dutch tourist was injured on Monday after slipping and falling at the Thung Kamin Waterfall in the Takua Pa district of the southern province of Phang Nga. The 52 year old woman had injuries to her leg and hip, and as a consequence could not walk. Rescuers from the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Phang Nga Office arrived…

  • Pattaya NewsVIDEO: Pattaya restaurant explosion believed to have been caused by gas leak

    VIDEO: Pattaya restaurant explosion believed to have been caused by gas leak

    A huge explosion that gutted three restaurants in Pattaya yesterday is believed to have been caused by a gas leak in a BBQ restaurant called Jar Jar. A 29 year old Laotian worker was seriously injured with burns in the explosion, which occurred in Chon Buri’s Bang Lamung district. The worker was found buried under the rubble and rushed to…