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.
  • Thailand NewsKuwaiti man allegedly motorbike racing in Pattaya loses middle finger in crash

    Kuwaiti man allegedly motorbike racing in Pattaya loses middle finger in crash

    A young Kuwaiti man who was allegedly motorbike racing in Pattaya had a rather nasty crash on an overpass in the early hours of this morning. A taxi driver revealed he saw the man, 19 year old Faisal, driving fast in a group of four-five people. He said Faisal then crashed into his taxi from the front and then slammed…

  • Phuket NewsLocal man discovers skeleton at viewpoint in Phuket Town

    Local man discovers skeleton at viewpoint in Phuket Town

    A local man going to plant coconut trees near a viewpoint in Phuket’s main city district stumbled upon something quite unexpected – a skeleton. The local man found the male skeleton covered with a cloth at the Khao Khad Viewpoint in the Wichit neighbourhood on August 20. The uniform on the skeleton was reportedly similar to a security guard’s uniform.…

  • Pattaya NewsPattaya locals gather to promote road safety

    Pattaya locals gather to promote road safety

    A crowd of about 200 locals in east Pattaya gathered at a school on Monday to raise awareness about Thailand’s problems with road safety. Speakers discussed the kingdom’s poor driver training, and the even worse enforcement of motorcycle helmets, which riders often don’t wear. Among the crowd was Chon Buri Deputy Governor Naris Niramaiwong, along with teachers, students, and volunteers.…

  • World NewsFloods wreak havoc on northern India, killing over 30 people

    Floods wreak havoc on northern India, killing over 30 people

    Floods are wreaking havoc on two of India’s northern states, destroying homes and leaving people stranded. Since August 19, at least 32 people in Uttarakhand state and Himachal Pradesh state have been killed in floods and landslides, often due to houses collapsing in the floods. In the Himalayan state of Himachal Pradesh, 27 people have been killed, and six were…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket man rescued after falling overboard due to strong waves

    Phuket man rescued after falling overboard due to strong waves

    A Phuket man was rescued earlier this week after a close call when he fell off his boat due to strong waves. The boat crew member, 43 year old Eakkarat Limsomboon, said he fell into the sea near Kaew Noi Island after the boat swayed and an ice box hit him. Luckily, the Royal Thai Navy sent out a search…

  • Bangkok NewsBangkok governor wants to control crowds at train stations after accident

    Bangkok governor wants to control crowds at train stations after accident

    Following the accident where 27 people got injured falling down an escalator, Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt is looking to decrease overcrowding at train stations. The governor said that one possibility could be to limit the number of people that can enter crowded stations. Chadchart said this would possibly be an option pending consultation with train operators. Chadchart said today that…

  • Central Thailand NewsPolice seize fake designer products worth 50 million baht in central Thailand

    Police seize fake designer products worth 50 million baht in central Thailand

    Thai police yesterday seized 50 million baht worth of fake “designer” products in the central province of Nakhon Nayok. Officers from the Department of Special Investigation found 60,000-70,000 fake products following raids on 15 warehouses in the main city district. The products had counterfeit logos of some of the world’s most famous, pricey brands, including Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Coach,…

  • Phuket NewsJealous boyfriend who shot girlfriend on the loose in Phang Nga

    Jealous boyfriend who shot girlfriend on the loose in Phang Nga

    Yet another jealous boyfriend has shot his girlfriend in Thailand, this time in the southern province of Phang Nga. The man, 20 year old Chakrabongse, shot both his girlfriend and her friend as they were leaving the restrooms of a PTT petrol station. Police said the two women had just gone to a restaurant, and they had stopped to use…

  • Krabi NewsKrabi tour boat captain missing after falling into ocean

    Krabi tour boat captain missing after falling into ocean

    A tour boat captain in Thailand’s southern Krabi province has gone missing after falling into the ocean during a tour on Friday. The captain, 27 year old Apichart Boonrat, had been at the helm of a long tail boat between Yaman Island and Rok Island when he fell in, according to marine police. There had also been 14 tourists and…

  • Bangkok NewsEscalator accident at Bangkok train station leaves 27 injured

    Escalator accident at Bangkok train station leaves 27 injured

    Twenty-seven people were injured last night after a group of teenagers fell down an escalator at a Bangkok train station. Rescuers from Ruam Katanyu Foundation said earlier that the escalator at BTS Surasak station malfunctioned. But police say the accident was caused by someone slipping and falling down the stairs. BTS has now released a statement saying that an initial…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket car suddenly catches fire

    Phuket car suddenly catches fire

    A car suddenly caught fire yesterday in the town of Chalong in Phuket. Firefighters rushed to the scene near the junction of Soi Ta-ied and Chao Fa East Road, to find the front of the Mazda sedan ablaze. Luckily, they were able to get the fire under control in only four minutes, and no injuries were reported. Still, the flames…

  • Phuket NewsFood fair coming up in Phuket

    Food fair coming up in Phuket

    The town of Kathu in Phuket is hosting a healthy food fair later this month. The seventh annual food fair and healthy market will take place from August 25-27. The fair will include a cooking competition, a music competition from students, family running, and live music. There will also be free massages, free cat and dog sterilizations, free haircuts, and…

  • Pattaya NewsPattaya Police Station deemed “satisfactory” in annual evaluation

    Pattaya Police Station deemed “satisfactory” in annual evaluation

    Pattaya Police have received a high enough score to be deemed “satisfactory” in the Royal Thai Police’s annual assessment this week. The Pattaya Police Station scored 90% on the evaluation. The evaluation assessed police on: general service, criminal justice administration, security of lives and property, traffic control and management, personal management and development, and police drilling and tactics. The evaluation…

  • World NewsISIS member involved in plot that killed Americans gets sentenced for life

    ISIS member involved in plot that killed Americans gets sentenced for life

    Justice was served yesterday for one of the bloodthirsty savages of ISIS. The ISIS member, 34 year old former British national El Shafee Elsheikh, had been part of a plot to take hostages, which led to the killings of four Americans in Syria. Those slain included journalist James Foley and aid worker Kayla Mueller. ISIS members notoriously beheaded Foley in…

  • South Thailand NewsSix children rushed to hospital after bridge collapses in South Thailand

    Six children rushed to hospital after bridge collapses in South Thailand

    Yesterday was a terrifying day for a group of 50 fifth graders and teachers on a nature field trip in South Thailand. As the group was walking across a bridge in the Chian Yai district of Nakhon Si Thammarat province, the bridge collapsed, causing everyone to fall into the water below. Six children were rushed to nearby hospitals for their…

  • Pattaya NewsPrime suspect in Pattaya’s thefts against Indian tourists arrested

    Prime suspect in Pattaya’s thefts against Indian tourists arrested

    There’s been a major development in the chaos this year around thieves stealing from Indian tourists in Pattaya. One of the prime suspects has been arrested on August 15, police reported yesterday. Tourist Police Colonel Somchai Theerapatphaisarn said the suspect, named Frame, is a transgender individual. Somchai said Frame had fled to Bangkok, and they have allegedly confessed to multiple…

  • World News“Drink more booze” Japan urges youth with new contest

    “Drink more booze” Japan urges youth with new contest

    Japan’s alcohol sales have gone way down since Covid-19 restrictions, and the government is desperate to bring them up again. Numbers show that Japan’s young drink quite significantly less than its old. While about 30% of people in their 40s to 60s drink regularly, only 7.8% of people in their 20s do. Meanwhile, sales at Japan’s pubs were cut in…

  • Central Thailand NewsShooting after comedy show in central Thailand, 1 seriously injured

    Shooting after comedy show in central Thailand, 1 seriously injured

    A comedy show has turned into a not-so-funny night. A shooting has been reported after a comedy show at a bar in central Thailand. One customer was shot and rushed to a local hospital seriously injured. The shooting happened in the early hours of Thursday morning in the main city district of Ratchaburi province. The bar had hosted two famous…

  • Thailand NewsPolice shoot and kill major drug trafficker in Kanchanaburi

    Police shoot and kill major drug trafficker in Kanchanaburi

    Police have shot and killed a major drug trafficker in the western province of Kanchanaburi, Thai media reported yesterday. The trafficker, a 30 year old man known as ‘Mot Daodam’ had been a major distributor of narcotics in Kanchanaburi, as well as Ratchaburi. Ratchaburi police found out about Mot Daodam through small-time dealers they had arrested. A team of Ratchaburi…

  • Pattaya NewsFerocious cobra bites rescuer’s girlfriend in Chon Buri

    Ferocious cobra bites rescuer’s girlfriend in Chon Buri

    A ferocious cobra bit a rescuer’s girlfriend in Chon Buri’s Sri Racha district this week. Locals had called the rescuer on Tuesday after spotting the two-meter-long monocled cobra in their house. The species is highly venomous. The 41 year old Pattipan, an officer from a foundation, arrived on the scene. He brought his girlfriend, 29 year old Apirat, along with…

  • Pattaya NewsFather tragically drowns while fishing in Chon Buri pond

    Father tragically drowns while fishing in Chon Buri pond

    A Chon Buri woman tragically lost her father, after he drowned in a deserted pond in the main city district yesterday. The woman, 22 year old Maneemol, went to look for her father, 54 year old Kwanjai after she noticed he had been out fishing for an unusually long time. Maneemol arrived at the pond to find her father’s bucket…

  • Politics NewsSri Lanka’s exiled president to head home after Thailand stay

    Sri Lanka’s exiled president to head home after Thailand stay

    Sri Lanka’s exiled president is planning to finally head home next week after staying in Thailand. The ousted leader, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, has been on quite a journey ever since 100,000 angry protesters forced him to flee Sri Lanka on July 14. He first travelled to the Maldives and then to Singapore, where he was granted a temporary residence but without…

  • Crime NewsThais cautioned against fake government websites

    Thais cautioned against fake government websites

    Thais are being told to be aware of websites pretending to be government agencies’ pages. A deputy government spokesperson said on Friday that cybercriminals are using these fake sites to get people’s data and even hack their devices. The spokesperson, Rachada Dhnadirek, gave one example that showed just how advanced some of the fake government sites are. A fake Department…

  • World NewsAnother Thai boxer dies from brain injury after fight in Malaysia

    Another Thai boxer dies from brain injury after fight in Malaysia

    Another Thai boxer has tragically died from a brain injury after a fight. The boxer, known as Petchkeng Kaiyanghadao, had been fighting in Malaysia, according to his martial arts club at Rajamangala University of Technology Phra Nakhon. In a Facebook post, the martial arts club described Petchkeng as a skilled fighter. Petchkeng had been an alumnus at the university. The…

  • Environment NewsAnti-Corruption Network complains of smelly wastewater in coastal Thai province

    Anti-Corruption Network complains of smelly wastewater in coastal Thai province

    A local chapter of the Anti-Corruption Network has complained of foul smelling wastewater released onto a beach in Thailand’s coastal province of Prachuap Khiri Khan, located near the Gulf of Thailand. The chapter says that six officials are overlooking the problems with a hotel dumping wastewater onto the beach near the town hall, in the main city district. A recent…

  • Crime NewsPhuket police nab 3,373 meth pills from 5 suspects

    Phuket police nab 3,373 meth pills from 5 suspects

    After two suspects were arrested in Phuket last week for having thousands of meth pills, five more meth suspects have been arrested on August 10-11. The five men were arrested in different areas of Phuket. Altogether, police ended up seizing 3,373 meth pills. One man was arrested in the west coast town of Karon. The 31 year old man, Charin…

  • Pattaya NewsPattaya night club owner gives free meals on Thai Mother’s Day

    Pattaya night club owner gives free meals on Thai Mother’s Day

    A Pattaya night club owner performed an act of kindness on Thai Mother’s Day on Friday. The Stones House night club is located on Pattaya’s famous Walking Street, a tourist hotspot and renowned party area. But this past Friday evening was a time for families lining up in front of the club. The club’s owner, Amporn Kaewsang, worked with her…

  • Central Thailand NewsPolice find fake Covid-19 tests worth millions in central Thailand

    Police find fake Covid-19 tests worth millions in central Thailand

    After raids this week, police have found tens of thousands of falsely labelled Covid-19 tests, along with medical supplies, in central Thailand worth about 2 million baht. Police posed as customers to crack down on a building in the province of Nakhon Pathom, and a house in the province of Nonthaburi, on July 11. In the Nakhon Pathom building, police…

  • Crime NewsForeign parrotfisher in Krabi says he’s sorry

    Foreign parrotfisher in Krabi says he’s sorry

    UPDATE The foreign man spotted parrotfishing off an island in South Thailand’s Krabi province has said today that he is sorry for his actions. The man had been fishing in the Hat Noppharat Thara-Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park. Catching fish in a national park is illegal under Thailand’s National Park Act BE 2562. A storm of Thai netizens went…

  • Economy NewsAfter poor South Koreans die in flooded basement home, will there be change?

    After poor South Koreans die in flooded basement home, will there be change?

    After a poor South Korean family died after being trapped in a flooded basement apartment this week, authorities are discussing changes to poor areas of Seoul. Across the capital city, 13 people were killed because of the floods. The family of three who died in the basement home included a woman in her 40s with down syndrome, the woman’s sister,…