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.
  • World NewsTensions flare once again in Israel-Palestine ahead of controversial march

    Tensions flare once again in Israel-Palestine ahead of controversial march

    Perhaps the most divisive, disputed conflict in the world is hot with tension once again, as Israel’s annual flag march is expected to take place today (Sunday). The march celebrates Israel’s capture of Jerusalem in 1967 after the ‘6 Day War’. The march is now heavily associated with Israel’s Right Wing, which has become the country’s dominant political force after…

  • Economy NewsNow there’s a Pepsi price surge coming to Thailand, too

    Now there’s a Pepsi price surge coming to Thailand, too

    Amidst Thailand’s skyrocketing prices on fuel, postal services, and palm oil, another item’s price is set to go up- Pepsi. Suntory Pepsico (Thailand) Beverage announced today that Pepsi’s price will rise by up to 2 baht per bottle starting June 1, now that the cost of plastic bottles and aluminium cans has risen. The company noted, however, that the price…

  • Environment NewsPhuket conservationists lead beach cleanup after trash washes up from storms

    Phuket conservationists lead beach cleanup after trash washes up from storms

    A conservation group in Phuket lead a beach cleanup at Siranart National Park on Friday, as storms have hit the Andaman Sea with large waves that tend to wash up garbage and marine debris on shores. The event, organised by the Andaman Natural Resources Foundation, was titled Big Cleaning Day 10. Other government agencies and private organisations, as well as…

  • Bangkok NewsThailand’s annual silk fair in Bangkok helps with ‘soft power’ scheme

    Thailand’s annual silk fair in Bangkok helps with ‘soft power’ scheme

    The word ‘soft power’ has exploded into Thailand’s lexicon ever since young rapper ‘Milli’ promoted the country’s signature sticky rice and mango dish last month. In its soft power scheme, Thai authorities aim to promote the ‘5 Fs’ to the rest of the world. The 5 Fs are: food, films, fashion, fighting, and festivals. Now, Thai authorities say they will…

  • Covid-19 NewsThailand’s DDC stops reporting positive ATK results

    Thailand’s DDC stops reporting positive ATK results

    Thailand’s Department of Disease Control has stopped reporting Covid-19 infections with ATK tests. A spokesperson for the CCSA said that tomorrow, another proposal for changes in Covid-19 reporting will be submitted to the meeting of the Public Health Ministry’s Emergency Operations Centre. The proposal states that, starting June 1, the DDC will only report cases that require hospitalisation. The spokesperson, Dr.…

  • South Thailand NewsTrain hits car, killing young girl in South Thailand

    Train hits car, killing young girl in South Thailand

    A train hit a car at a railway crossing with no barriers in South Thailand’s Chumphon province yesterday. The crash killed 16 year old Piyamat Nilsuk, and injured her brother, 19 year old Payungsak Nilsuk. Police arrived on the scene to find Piyamat and Payungsak’s car badly wrecked, after the crash had made it turn over several times until it…

  • Phuket NewsStorms rip through areas of Phuket, including food festival

    Storms rip through areas of Phuket, including food festival

    Even the weather is conspiring against Thailand’s tourism recovery. As the annual monsoon season settles in, areas of Phuket have been damaged by storms yesterday, overnight, and into today. A series of wind squalls, preceding heavy rain, hit parts of the tourist island. One of the spots hit by some sudden wind blasts yesterday was the Kata Karon Food Festival…

  • World NewsPassengers missing after boat capsizes off Indonesian island

    Passengers missing after boat capsizes off Indonesian island

    A motorboat capsized off Indonesia’s Sulawesi island after leaving the island on Thursday night. The boat was reported missing the next day when it didn’t show up at its destination, according to local media. The South Sulawesi search and rescue agency chief Djunaidi confirmed today that the boat has sunk in the search area. Of the 43 people who were…

  • Northern Thailand NewsSoldiers in Chiang Rai shoot and kill 8 drug suspects who reportedly opened fire

    Soldiers in Chiang Rai shoot and kill 8 drug suspects who reportedly opened fire

    Soldiers in Thailand’s northern province of Chiang Rai have shot and killed 8 suspects who reportedly opened fire on them along the Thai-Burmese border last night. The soldiers had been warned that a gang would try to smuggle drugs from Myanmar, according to Thai media. They then went to patrol the border area in Mae Fa Luang district. Later, they…

  • World News10 Thailand-Laos bus routes starting June 15

    10 Thailand-Laos bus routes starting June 15

    Starting next month, bus travel enthusiasts in Thailand will have 10 bus route options options in Laos. One of the Thailand-Laos bus routes began earlier this month, from Mukdahan to Savannakhet. Now, the president of Transport Co Ltd, Sanyalux Panwattanalikit, has listed 9 new Thailand-Laos routes starting June 15. The new routes will be: Nong Khai to Vientiane, Udon Thani…

  • Pattaya NewsBurning rage: Chon Buri woman allegedly burns down boyfriend’s friend’s house

    Burning rage: Chon Buri woman allegedly burns down boyfriend’s friend’s house

    A Chon Buri woman has allegedly burned down her boyfriend’s friend’s house because she was enraged that she couldn’t find her boyfriend. The incident happened between Thursday night and Friday morning, in Bang Lamung district. The house owner, 33 year old Parichat Yongpanya, told The Pattaya News she and her 2 daughters were sleeping in the house, when the woman came in…

  • Crime NewsProsecutors to delay indictments of suspects in Thailand’s Tangmo case

    Prosecutors to delay indictments of suspects in Thailand’s Tangmo case

    Prosecutors are delaying the indictment of the 6 suspects facing charges in the now infamous drowning of Thai actress Nida Patcharaveerapong, or ‘Tangmo’, until the end of June. Tangmo’s body was found in Bangkok’s Chao Phraya river in February after she had been on a boat trip with 5 of the suspects. The details the suspects provided on how Tangmo…

  • World NewsAlmost 200 cases of monkeypox reported across the globe, according to WHO

    Almost 200 cases of monkeypox reported across the globe, according to WHO

    After an outbreak of monkeypox, a viral infection similar to smallpox, began last week, almost 200 cases have been reported across more than 20 countries, according to the World Health Organisation. The Associated Press noted that this number seems likely an undercount, though. Meanwhile, various health professionals and officials continue to dispute the cause of the virus. Doctors in the UK,…

  • Pattaya NewsYet another necklace theft against an Indian tourist in Pattaya

    Yet another necklace theft against an Indian tourist in Pattaya

    The seventh Indian tourist in the past few weeks says thieves in Pattaya stole his pricey necklace. The tourist, 28 year old Gourab Paul, says 2 women approached him when he was heading back to his hotel with his friends early this morning after a night out in South Pattaya. In a story that seems almost identical in all the…

  • Crime NewsPhuket thief steals 1,000 baht from elderly woman

    Phuket thief steals 1,000 baht from elderly woman

    A thief in Phuket who stole 1,000 baht from an elderly woman last week was caught yesterday. The victim’s granddaughter said the thief stole the money from a jar on a table at the elderly woman’s home in Phuket’s main city district. Police tracked down the thief, who they so far have only named as “Ms. Davika”, 9 days after…

  • Northern Thailand NewsGambling suspects arrested at northeast Thailand resort

    Gambling suspects arrested at northeast Thailand resort

    Police arrested 18 gambling suspects at a resort in Thailand’s northeastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima yesterday. The suspects reportedly used all 10 rooms of the Lake Pine resort to operate 2 gambling websites. Officers seized 10 desktop computers, 5 notebook computers, 30 mobile phones, and 12 bank account books, according to Police Colonel Wiwat Jitsophakul from the Crime Suppression Division.…

  • Crime News“Mega rich” Bangkok father and daughter arrested in Bahrain trafficking case

    “Mega rich” Bangkok father and daughter arrested in Bahrain trafficking case

    Two members of a wealthy Bangkok family were arrested on warrants for human trafficking earlier this week. The father and daughter, 54 year old Wiraya and 37 year old Wachi, allegedly started recruiting women to work in Bahrain in 2015, saying they would give traditional Thai massages. Instead, the women were forced into sex slavery. Some of the women escaped,…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket thief allegedly stole more than 30 times, said he needed gaming money

    Phuket thief allegedly stole more than 30 times, said he needed gaming money

    A Phuket thief allegedly stole more than 30 times in 2 months, and said he needed the money to play online video games and for his living, according to Phuket City Police Chief Colonel Sarawut Chooprasit. Sarawut told The Phuket Express that police had arrested the thief on Wednesday after he broke into a ‘restaurant’ and stole cash. Sarawut said that later,…

  • South Thailand NewsTourists who went missing in southern Thailand park found safe

    Tourists who went missing in southern Thailand park found safe

    Yesterday, park rangers in Thailand’s southern province of Surat Thani found 2 tourists who had gone missing the day before. The women, 19 year old Eliza Rose and 19 year old Matilda Cox, got lost in a jungle in Khao Sok National Park in Phanom district. Eliza is a British national, and Matilda is from Northern Ireland. Eliza and Matilda…

  • Thailand NewsThailand’s authorities launch donation campaign to feed rescued animals

    Thailand’s authorities launch donation campaign to feed rescued animals

    Thailand’s wildlife department has launched a campaign called “Foster Parents” for people to donate money to feed rescued wild animals. This news comes as the department is having a tough time feeding thousands of wild animals on a tight budget. While the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation used to receive 80 million baht each year to care…

  • Economy NewsThai PM suggest people only drive for “essential journeys”

    Thai PM suggest people only drive for “essential journeys”

    Amidst the global surge in fuel prices impacting Thailand, a spokesman for PM Prayut Chan-o-cha is giving drivers some advice. The spokesman, Thanakorn Wangbunkhongchana, said yesterday that Prayut wants to keep prices as low as possible to help people avoid economic hardship. He said Prayut suggests people only use their private vehicles for “essential journeys” since the price of petrol…

  • Pattaya NewsMayor says more changes to come at Pattaya’s Jomtien beach

    Mayor says more changes to come at Pattaya’s Jomtien beach

    The Na Jomtien municipality mayor says authorities are planning several more fixes to Jomtien Beach in the south of Pattaya. The mayor, Rapeepan Rattanakluang, inspected a footpath at the beach following a request by tourists and locals. Rapeepan said authorities plan to revamp the deteriorated footpath, as well as the road surfacing. She added that there are spots where street…

  • World NewsDeadly Afghanistan blasts target mosque and car

    Deadly Afghanistan blasts target mosque and car

    A series of blasts in Afghanistan yesterday targeted a minivan, and a mosque. An explosion targeting the minivan happened in northern Afghanistan’s Balkh province. The blast killed at least 4 people and wounded over 10, according to the province’s spokesman Mohammad Asif Waziri. Another explosion happened a short time later in the same area. Another blast happened at a mosque…

  • Road deathsPrayut says government wants to cut Thailand’s road deaths by 2 thirds

    Prayut says government wants to cut Thailand’s road deaths by 2 thirds

    Thailand’s PM Prayut Chan-o-cha yesterday announced another major goal in reducing Thailand’s infamous problem with road deaths. At a Bangkok forum titled “New Decade, New Normal, Safe Driving Is Priority”, Prayut said the government aims to cut the number of road deaths by almost 2 thirds by 2027. Thailand has the ninth highest road death rate in the world, with…

  • Phuket NewsUPDATE: German tourist who went missing in Phuket is headed home

    UPDATE: German tourist who went missing in Phuket is headed home

    THE LATEST Barbara Lange, the 76 year old woman who went missing from her Phuket hotel earlier this month, is now headed back home to Germany. Yesterday, a team from the Phuket Tourist Assistance Center helped Barbara and her family at the Phuket International Airport. This news comes after Barbara was released from the hospital earlier this week. Barbara and…

  • Pattaya NewsPattaya officials say Walking Street should be repaired by August

    Pattaya officials say Walking Street should be repaired by August

    After Pattaya’s famous Walking Street welcomed back visitors last month for the first time since Covid-19 broke out, the city’s officials have put in a big budget to give the street a ‘makeover‘. Pattaya city officials announced yesterday that the city has now spent 13 million baht on road repairs for the street, and these repairs are expected to be…

  • Phuket NewsOfficial in one Phuket district plans to step up English teaching

    Official in one Phuket district plans to step up English teaching

    Even though Thailand’s English language proficiency ranked 100 out of 112 countries last year, an official in one Phuket district isn’t giving up on teaching the language. The chief of Phuket’s Kathu district, Siwat Wangkun, says he has looked beyond the walls of the district’s schools for teaching English, since some school staff lack proficient English teaching skills. The groups Siwat…

  • Pattaya NewsChon Buri driver allegedly threatens man with gun over road accident

    Chon Buri driver allegedly threatens man with gun over road accident

    A driver in Sri Racha district of Chon Buri allegedly threatened another driver with a gun, and physically attacked him, over a minor car accident earlier this week. The alleged victim, 40 year old truckdriver Mongkol Kladngam, told Thai media he got into a minor accident while he was delivering goods. Mongkol said he planned to negotiate with the driver…

  • Economy NewsAs fuel prices climb, Thailand’s delivery workers struggle

    As fuel prices climb, Thailand’s delivery workers struggle

    As Thailand’s fuel prices climb, some delivery drivers are saying the country’s attempts at subsidies aren’t helping them much. One motorcycle taxi driver told Thai PBS World that, even though the government offers a 250 baht discount per month on benzene or gasohol, it’s not worth it when he has to travel a long distance for it. The driver added that…

  • South Thailand NewsNotorious hitman arrested in southern Thailand

    Notorious hitman arrested in southern Thailand

    Yesterday, police and military forces in Thailand’s southern province of Ranong arrested a notorious hitman. The hitman, 41 year old Nirut Krajang, had fled to Myanmar when a Chumphon court issued an arrest warrant for murder. There, he worked for 4 months in forestry before his eye was injured and he returned to Thailand for treatment. But coming back home…