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 NewsPolice arrest arson suspect in Phuket over a decade after crime, allegedly linked to Tuhao

    Police arrest arson suspect in Phuket over a decade after crime, allegedly linked to Tuhao

    Police arrested an arson suspect in Phuket on Wednesday, over a decade after he allegedly committed his crime. The suspect, 42 year old Surachai, was allegedly involved in attacking a security guard and setting fire to a snake farm in Phuket on April 23, 2012. Surachai was allegedly involved with the well-known Chinese criminal ‘Tuhao,’ whose name has made headlines…

  • Tourism NewsPattaya tourism now close to pre-Covid levels, association says

    Pattaya tourism now close to pre-Covid levels, association says

    Tourism in Southeast Asia’s sin city of Pattaya is now close to pre-Covid levels, according to the Pattaya Entertainment Association. The association’s secretary-general, Damrongkiat Pinijkarn, said that tourism is now at 80-90% compared to pre-pandemic levels. Damrongkiat said that on Pattaya’s most buzzing road, Walking Street, over 90% of venues have already reopened. He noted that venues on the road…

  • Crime NewsThai woman alleges ex-husband kidnapped her daughter

    Thai woman alleges ex-husband kidnapped her daughter

    A Thai woman alleges that her ex-husband kidnapped her two year old daughter. The woman, 25 year old Pornapha ‘Pim’ Thankew told The Thaiger that on Sunday, January 1, her ex came to her house in the northeast Surin province to pick up their daughter. He told her that he was taking their daughter, Apichaya ‘Ung-Ing’ Thankew, to an ordination…

  • Thailand NewsThai activists warn that new hair guidelines will allow schools to be more strict

    Thai activists warn that new hair guidelines will allow schools to be more strict

    A Thai student activist group warns that Thailand’s new guidelines for schools will allow schools to be stricter on students. This news comes after Education Minister Treenuch Thienthong signed an order cancelling the ministry’s 2020 regulation on student hairstyles on January 16. This week, Treenuch said she was preparing a guideline for schools on hairstyles. The draft guideline says that…

  • Crime NewsCops catch gamblers at Phuket temple fair

    Cops catch gamblers at Phuket temple fair

    Temples are supposed to be sacred spaces, but not for one group of people who cops caught gambling at a Phuket temple fair. Region 8 Police said they busted the 18 people at the Chalong Temple Fair in the early hours of yesterday morning. The gamblers included 15 men and three women. Most of the gamblers were sellers at the…

  • Northern Thailand NewsVan overturns in northeast Thailand, injuring 22 students

    Van overturns in northeast Thailand, injuring 22 students

    A school van overturned in Thailand’s northeast Nakhon Ratchasima province this morning, leaving 22 students injured. Police and rescuers arrived to find the van overturned along the side of the road, with many students crying in fear. The 22 children injured suffered minor injuries, including bruises and head swelling, Thai Rath reported. The children were mostly kindergarten and primary students. …

  • Phuket NewsRussian man found hanged in Phuket

    Russian man found hanged in Phuket

    A Russian man was found hanged in his rented room in Phuket yesterday. The man, 36 year old Roman Melnik, was found hanged by a strap attached to the balcony door behind his room in Rawai, The Phuket Express reported. Police said Melnik is believed to have died some 12 hours before his body was found. Chalong Police Captain Charat…

  • World NewsAmerican clinic says nutrient in eggs could increase risk of blood clots

    American clinic says nutrient in eggs could increase risk of blood clots

    An American clinic says that a nutrient found in eggs could make people more prone to blood clotting. Cleveland Clinic conducted a study suggesting that the nutrient choline could increase the risk of blood clots when consumed in high concentrations. According to Medical News Today, the body makes some choline, but most of it comes from dietary sources. The nutrient supports…

  • Tourism NewsKoh Samui welcomes first Taiwanese tour group in 3 years

    Koh Samui welcomes first Taiwanese tour group in 3 years

    Thailand’s tropical holiday island of Koh Samui welcomed its first Taiwanese tour group in nearly three years on Tuesday. The group of 142 tourists enjoyed Koh Samui’s nature tourism, as well as its temples and shrines. The group also plan to travel to Koh Ang Thong, Koh Tao, and Koh Nang Yuan for four days. The group had a three-night…

  • Tourism NewsPattaya prepares for return of Chinese tour groups

    Pattaya prepares for return of Chinese tour groups

    Cities across Thailand continue to prepare for the expected rise in the number of Chinese tourists to the kingdom. Pattaya is preparing for Chinese tour groups to finally return to the renowned party city. On Tuesday, Pattaya Mayor Poramase Ngampiches met with the Thai-Chinese Tourism Association to discuss how best to accommodate the influx of Chinese tourists to the city.…

  • Thailand NewsThai livestock department hits back at rumours of fake Chinese eggs

    Thai livestock department hits back at rumours of fake Chinese eggs

    Thailand’s Department of Livestock is hitting back against rumours that the country is importing fake eggs from China. This is after a video went viral on social media showing a factory in China that makes ‘century eggs.’ The video’s text says the Chinese delicacy can be made with a variety of eggs including duck, chicken, or quail eggs. It then…

  • Thailand NewsThai netizens predict lucky lottery numbers based on diamond eye cat

    Thai netizens predict lucky lottery numbers based on diamond eye cat

    Thai netizens are predicting lucky lottery numbers based on an unusual cat with a diamond eye. TikTok clips that went viral today show the cat’s peculiar, piercingly bright left eye. Some netizens predicted lucky numbers for the February 1 lottery based on the TikTok user’s name, @user3026088746242. They have also predicted numbers associated with cats, mainly four, eight, and seven. Many…

  • Pattaya NewsMother drowns in Pattaya pond where she previously ‘heard a voice’ (video)

    Mother drowns in Pattaya pond where she previously ‘heard a voice’ (video)

    A mother tragically drowned in a Pattaya pond on Monday night. The woman, 49 year old Amnuay Khemram, had gone into the pond twice in the past after she heard a voice telling her to walk into it, according to her son, 26 year old Thammarong Khemram. Thammarong said his mother went missing from their home at 11am on Monday.…

  • World NewsOne Iranian footballer sacked, another suspended, for supporting protesters

    One Iranian footballer sacked, another suspended, for supporting protesters

    Iran’s Islamic Republic regime continues to harass footballers who dare to show solidarity with protesters screaming for freedom. One Iranian footballer has been sacked, and another suspended, for supporting protesters. The footballer who was sacked is 35 year old Voria Ghafouri, the now former captain of the Persian Gulf Pro League club Foolad. IranWire reported yesterday that Ghafouri was sacked…

  • Tourism NewsOver 158,000 tourists in Phuket for Chinese New Year, officials say

    Over 158,000 tourists in Phuket for Chinese New Year, officials say

    Thai tourism officials say the Chinese New Year Festival drew over 158,000 tourists to the holiday paradise of Phuket. From January 21-22, the festival drew 158,414 Thai and foreign tourists to Phuket, said the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Phuket Office director Nanthasiri Ronnasiri. Nanthasiri said the festival generated at least 2.6 billion baht, Thai media reported. Over the two…

  • Phuket NewsOfficials remove fence from Phuket beach following complaints

    Officials remove fence from Phuket beach following complaints

    There’s been another incident involving a business allegedly encroaching on a Phuket beach. Officials removed a fence from Kamala Beach following several complaints that the fence encroached upon the beach. The business accused of encroaching on the beach is a beach bed operator. Law enforcement officers inspected the area where the operator was ordered to remove the fence from the…

  • Crime NewsPolice catch Phuket couple with half a kilogram of crystal meth

    Police catch Phuket couple with half a kilogram of crystal meth

    There’s been another meth bust in Phuket, this time involving a couple. Police caught a Phuket couple with half a kilogram of crystal methamphetamine in the island province’s main city district on Friday night. Officers from the Narcotics Control Board seized 510.98 grams of crystal meth from the couple at Saphan Hin Public Park. They also seized two meth pills.…

  • LifestyleThai ladies don kimonos to pose among Himalayan cherry trees

    Thai ladies don kimonos to pose among Himalayan cherry trees

    Some Thai ladies really love to dress up, and some are even donning kimonos to pose for photos among Himalayan cherry trees. This trend comes as the trees are blooming in the Phu Lom Lo mountains in Phu Hin Rong Kla National Park, located in Thailand’s northeast province of Loei. Some Thais call the trees “Thai sakura trees.” One woman…

  • Tourism NewsMore European tourists than Chinese in Hua Hin, officials say

    More European tourists than Chinese in Hua Hin, officials say

    More European tourists are making their way back to Thailand’s coastal paradise of Hua Hin than Chinese tourists, according to officials. The vice president of the Thai Hotel Association said most of Hua Hin’s tourists are European, from Scandinavia, Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, and Germany. The vice president, Udom Srimahachota, said the number of foreign tourists is expected to rise…

  • Thailand NewsThai woman pays to save pig from slaughter, plans to give it to temple

    Thai woman pays to save pig from slaughter, plans to give it to temple

    A Thai woman paid to save a pig from being slaughtered yesterday and plans to give the pig to monks at a temple. The pig reportedly fell off the back of a lorry in the central Nakhon Nayok province on its way to be slaughtered. After the pig fell off the truck, it made its way to the car park…

  • Phuket NewsOfficials work to tackle homelessness around Patong Beach

    Officials work to tackle homelessness around Patong Beach

    Phuket officials are working to tackle homelessness around Patong Beach. Officials from the Phuket Protection Center for the Destitute said they inspected Patong Beach and the surrounding area from Monday, January 16 to Friday, January 20, along with Patong Police and Patong Law Enforcement officers. The team found eight homeless people including four men, three women, and a young girl. The…

  • Northern Thailand NewsThai cops bust Chinese fraudster wanted by Interpol

    Thai cops bust Chinese fraudster wanted by Interpol

    Thai cops busted a Chinese fraudster wanted by Interpol in the country’s northeast region on Sunday. The Immigration Bureau’s deputy commissioner said the suspect is wanted on an arrest warrant in China and an Interpol warrant for public fraud. The deputy commissioner, Pol Maj-General Phanthana Nutchanart, said immigration police arrested the suspect in the province of Maha Sarakham, in the…

  • Crime NewsGunman kills 10 in shooting at California dance studio

    Gunman kills 10 in shooting at California dance studio

    A gunman killed 10 people in a shooting at a California dance studio on Saturday night. The gunman, 72 year old Huu Can Tran, also injured another 10 people after opening fire in the Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park, located in Los Angeles County. LA County Sherrif Robert Luna did not have the victims’ exact ages, but said…

  • Pattaya NewsIllegal poachers shoot and kill Chon Buri forest ranger

    Illegal poachers shoot and kill Chon Buri forest ranger

    Illegal poachers shot and killed a Chon Buri forest ranger in the Sri Racha district on Thursday night. A group of 14 rangers came across the poachers while on a routine patrol in the Khao Khiao-Khao Chomphu Wildlife Sanctuary. The rangers attempted to arrest the poachers, and the poachers then started shooting at them, leading to a gunfight. One of…

  • Bangkok NewsChinese-Thais pack Bangkok road for ‘day for shopping’

    Chinese-Thais pack Bangkok road for ‘day for shopping’

    Chinese-Thais packed one road in Bangkok today for ‘day for shopping,’ a day that comes two days before Chinese New Year. Bangkok’s Yaowarat Road is celebrating Chinese New Year until February 15, Nation Thailand reported. On ‘day for shopping,’ Chinese-Thais usually buy food and other offerings for deities and gifts for relatives. Tomorrow, Saturday, will be the ‘day to pay…

  • Road deathsDriver hits and kills pedestrian on dimly lit Pattaya road

    Driver hits and kills pedestrian on dimly lit Pattaya road

    A driver hit and killed a pedestrian crossing a dimly lit Pattaya road on Wednesday night, in Thailand‘s latest road tragedy. Bang Lamung police arrived on the scene in front of Soi Bang Lamung 12 to find the victim, a 46 year old man named Paiboon Tongmo, dead on the road. The driver, 27 year old Sila Narinnok, was in…

  • Crime NewsPhuket police volunteer faces drunk driving charges

    Phuket police volunteer faces drunk driving charges

    A Phuket police volunteer faces drunk driving charges after he and a medical staffer collided on their motorbikes. The incident happened on Korsimbi Road near the Rang Hill in Talad Nuea market in Phuket’s main city district. Rescuers arrived on the scene to find both men injured, with their motorbikes damaged. One of the injured men was 52 year old…

  • World NewsTaliban forces Afghan shopkeepers to cover mannequins’ faces

    Taliban forces Afghan shopkeepers to cover mannequins’ faces

    The Taliban is forcing Afghan shopkeepers to cover mannequins’ faces. Mannequins in women’s clothing shops across Kabul now have cloth and bags covering their faces, the Associated Press reported on Monday. The Taliban initially wanted the mannequins beheaded. While some shopkeepers obeyed, others weren’t having it. Shopkeepers complained that they would not be able to advertise their clothes, or that…

  • Crime NewsPhuket cops raid nightclub gambling den

    Phuket cops raid nightclub gambling den

    Phuket cops raided a nightclub gambling den in the island province’s main city district in the early hours of yesterday morning. Phuket City Police sent an officer to monitor the situation at the nightclub near Surin Circle (known as Fountain Circle) on Rassada Road in Talad Yai market. The officer informed his team that people were gambling at the club.…

  • GuidesWhere to celebrate Chinese New Year in Thailand

    Where to celebrate Chinese New Year in Thailand

    Thailand is home to a large ethnically Chinese population, which means that Chinese New Year is a big deal here. The holiday, also known as Lunar New Year or Spring Festival, has been celebrated in Thailand for centuries by the country’s Chinese-Thai community. Chinese New Year festivals offer exciting experiences filled with dragon parades, fireworks, dance performances, and more. This…