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.
  • Phuket NewsFree concert with renowned Russian Jazz artist coming to Phuket

    Free concert with renowned Russian Jazz artist coming to Phuket

    Jazz lovers in Phuket will soon have an opportunity to attend a free concert with a renowned Russian jazz artist, Igor Butman. Butman is known as a virtuoso saxophonist. The concert, titled “Igor Butman and Friends,” will be held at Karon Beach on Friday, December 13, at 6.45pm. The concert is being held as part of the 125th anniversary of…

  • Pattaya NewsPattaya man says friends attacked him with a knife

    Pattaya man says friends attacked him with a knife

    A young Pattaya man says his friends attacked him with a knife. The man, 27 year old Comephee Thungkhun, said the group came to his house in Nong Prue on Sunday night. Comephee said the attackers bludgeoned him with a stick and slit his forehead with a knife. Comephee’s mother told police her son was yelling for help before he…

  • Phuket NewsPatong Police set up checkpoints on Bangla Road

    Patong Police set up checkpoints on Bangla Road

    Patong Police are on the lookout for drugs and weapons, and they’re taking action. On Monday night, police set up two checkpoints at both ends of Bangla Road, a known party hotspot, from 8pm to 10pm. The police checked people for weapons and illegal drugs. They also checked whether people were wanted suspects. The Phuket Express reported that it was…

  • Phuket NewsPHUKET TASTIVAL festival coming up

    PHUKET TASTIVAL festival coming up

    Another one of Phuket’s food festivals is coming up this week. The festival, titled PHUKET TASTIVAL Seafood & Gastronomy: Dive Thru Seafood, will be held from November 17-21. The festival will be held at Patong Beach at the Dolphin Public Park (Loma Park) from 11am to 8pm each day. Locals and tourists alike can taste fresh seafood, and there will…

  • Pattaya NewsIsland off Pattaya sees 20,000 tourists over weekend

    Island off Pattaya sees 20,000 tourists over weekend

    An island off Pattaya well known as a vacation hotspot saw at least 20,000 tourists over the past weekend. The cluster of young and old tourists swarmed to the island of Koh Larn, flocking to its Ta Waen Beach. The tourists enjoyed traditional Thai massage, as well as food, umbrellas, and other services offered at the beach. Pattaya City has…

  • Northern Thailand NewsNortheast Thai teen dies after falling from building

    Northeast Thai teen dies after falling from building

    A teenager in northeast Thailand tragically died after falling from his school’s building on November 10. Thai media reported that this recent death came after a few similar cases in Nakhon Ratchasima province this year. The teenager who died was a 14 year old boy. His body was found on the ground next to the school building in the main…

  • Crime NewsPolice seize over 2 million meth pills in central Thailand

    Police seize over 2 million meth pills in central Thailand

    Police seized over two million meth pills, along with other drugs, in Thailand’s central Lop Buri province on Saturday. Officers from the Narcotics Suppression Bureau confiscated 2,200,000 meth pills, and 40,000 Erimin 5 pills. Erimin is a hypnotic drug. Police said the drug bust came after police were alerted that a large number of drugs were being transferred from a…

  • Tourism NewsHigh hotel occupancy in northern Thai province as golden flowers bloom

    High hotel occupancy in northern Thai province as golden flowers bloom

    There’s been a high hotel occupancy in Thailand’s northern province of Mae Hong Son now that its signature golden flowers are in bloom. The provincial tourism office chief said that hotels and resorts are reporting up to 75% occupancy. This, he said, is a much higher occupancy rate than the rates seen during other times of the year. Tourists are…

  • World NewsGen Z, Trump, and the US midterm election

    Gen Z, Trump, and the US midterm election

    With the US midterm election results, Democrats celebrated a narrow victory over Republicans. This was after a Democratic senator won in the state of Nevada, ensuring that Democrats would at least keep a 50-50 majority in the Senate, with VP Kamala Harris holding the deciding tie-breaking vote. The win for Democrats came after the Republicans had hoped for a ‘red-wave’…

  • Pattaya NewsBritish man warns other after he was was hit on a Pattaya crossing

    British man warns other after he was was hit on a Pattaya crossing

    A British man says he was hit by a motorcycle at a “very dangerous” pedestrian crossing in Pattaya. The man, 69 year old Chris Baker, told The Thaiger that yesterday morning a motorcycle hit him at the crossing from Rompho market to Soi 7. The market is located in the Bang Lamung district. Baker says he suffered a broken tooth,…

  • Crime NewsPolice plan new approach to drug problems in South Pattaya

    Police plan new approach to drug problems in South Pattaya

    Pattaya Police are planning a new approach to drug problems in one neighbourhood of the city. Police will push for rehabilitation over arreststoo deal with drug issues in the Thappraya community in South Pattaya. The community surrounds the Bali Hai flyover, under which many homeless people and drug users have encamped. These residents were invited to a meeting with local…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket pickup truck racers fined

    Phuket pickup truck racers fined

    UPDATE Pickup truck drivers who went viral in a video for racing on a Phuket road last week have been fined. Three racers presented themselves at Phuket City Police Station on Friday and admitted that they were the drivers in the viral clips. The three men have now been fined 2,000 baht each. They are facing charges of causing loud…

  • Central Thailand NewsVIDEO: Thai husband chases wife and male friend in car, car crashes

    VIDEO: Thai husband chases wife and male friend in car, car crashes

    A Thai husband chased his wife and her male friend in his car on Friday, and the wife and friend ended up crashing. The incident happened in the central Chachoengsao Province. The Thai husband, 42 year old “A,” said he secretly installed a GPS in his wife’s mobile phone. A then saw that his wife, 33 year old “Ying,” was…

  • Pattaya NewsFire guts abandoned Pattaya sports club

    Fire guts abandoned Pattaya sports club

    A fire gutted an abandoned Pattaya sports club on Saturday. The huge blaze destroyed the Pattaya Land and House Village in Chon Buri’s Bang Lamung district. Firefighters took about half an hour to put out the flames. Most of the objects in the one-storey club were destroyed, but luckily there were no injuries. Firefighters said the blaze was believed to…

  • Tourism NewsRussians the biggest tourist group in Phuket in November so far

    Russians the biggest tourist group in Phuket in November so far

    Russians have made up Phuket’s biggest group of tourists so far in November. From November 1-10, Phuket saw 18,370 Russian tourists. The total number of foreign tourists was 75,247, The Phuket Express reported. The next top four countries for tourism in Phuket were: India with 8,939 tourists, Australia with 5,275 tourists, the UK with 4,511 tourists, and Germany with 4,152…

  • World NewsVIDEO: Student who threw eggs at British royals can’t carry eggs in public anymore

    VIDEO: Student who threw eggs at British royals can’t carry eggs in public anymore

    UPDATE The student who threw eggs at British royals on Wednesday has been legally banned from carrying eggs in public. The student and self-identified climate activist, 23 year old Patrick Thelwell, threw eggs at King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla during their visit to the northern city of York. Video footage showed police pinning Thelwell to the ground after…

  • Phuket NewsVideo of pickup trucks racing in Phuket goes viral

    Video of pickup trucks racing in Phuket goes viral

    A video of pickup trucks racing on a road in Phuket last night has gone viral. The video shows at least three trucks driving at a lightning fast speed, racing from an intersection near the Saphan Hin Public Park in the main city district. The Phuket Provincial Police commander said that officers caught five of the drivers. Commander Major General…

  • Phuket NewsOfficials plan to step up Phuket’s education standards

    Officials plan to step up Phuket’s education standards

    Phuket officials are planning to step up the island province’s education standards. Phuket Governor Narong led a meeting on the issue yesterday. Officials discussed using Big Data to develop Phuket’s entire education system. The aim would be to ensure that all students have an equal education, with no students left disadvantaged. Narong said that this would make Phuket an “international…

  • Pattaya NewsVIDEO: robber snatches 1 million baht worth of jewellery from Pattaya gold shop

    VIDEO: robber snatches 1 million baht worth of jewellery from Pattaya gold shop

    There’s been another gold shop robbery in Thailand, this time in Pattaya. On Wednesday, the robber threatened staff at the Aurora Gold Shop in Tesco Lotus in South Pattaya at gunpoint. The robber reportedly first gave the staff a piece of paper detailing his demands. The staff were hesitant, so the robber then walked behind the counter himself, and took…

  • Pattaya NewsAngry Pattaya teens allegedly assault Walking Street nightclub guards

    Angry Pattaya teens allegedly assault Walking Street nightclub guards

    There’s been another report of late-night violence on Pattaya’s iconic Walking Street. Around 30 angry Pattaya teens allegedly assaulted the guards of one nightclub on the street. The youths reportedly attacked the Jannaat club guards for not allowing them to enter the club at 4am on Tuesday, well past the legal closing time of 2am. After being denied entry to…

  • Crime NewsPhuket man arrested with over 10,000 meth pills

    Phuket man arrested with over 10,000 meth pills

    There’s been another methamphetamine bust in Phuket’s main city district this week. Border Patrol Police arrested a man in the Rassada sub-district. They seized 10,504 meth pills from him, in addition to crystal meth. The police arrested Ban at the entrance of Soi Bang She Lao on Thep Kasattri Road, The Phuket Express reported. They then brought him to Phuket…

  • Krabi NewsA fish tale: thousands of fish jump onto bridge on Krabi island

    A fish tale: thousands of fish jump onto bridge on Krabi island

    A fish tale has come to light on an island in Thailand’s iconic southern province of Krabi. On the island of Koh Lanta, thousands of fish jumped onto a bridge. A Krabi resident came across the massive pile of small jumping fish while docking his boat at the pier. The breed of fish is known as “Ta Maew,” or cat-eye…

  • Thailand NewsThai medical experts hold seminar, warn of the risks of HPV

    Thai medical experts hold seminar, warn of the risks of HPV

    Several Thai medical experts discussed the country’s struggles with human papillomavirus (HPV) at a recent seminar. HPV is a common sexually transmitted infection that causes several cancers, most commonly cervical cancer in women. Cervical cancer kills 13 Thai women every day. It is the second deadliest cancer for working-age Thai women, after breast cancer. A shockingly high percentage of people…

  • Thailand NewsPattaya tourists enjoy the beauty of Loy Krathong and eclipse on beach

    Pattaya tourists enjoy the beauty of Loy Krathong and eclipse on beach

    Pattaya tourists got to enjoy the beauty of the Loy Krathong festival, combined with the lunar eclipse, on Tuesday night at Pattaya Beach. The crowd of thousands gathered on the beach to float their krathongs in the sea. A video shows students from nearby schools wearing traditional Thai clothing, and assembling their krathongs for contests. At the beach, there were…

  • Central Thailand NewsThai man drowns after falling into canal on Loy Krathong night

    Thai man drowns after falling into canal on Loy Krathong night

    A man tragically drowned in Thailand’s central province of Ayutthaya on Loy Krathong night on Tuesday, after he and his wife fell into a canal linked to the Rama VI Dam. The couple, a 44 year old wife and 51 year old husband had been invited to a Loy Krathong event after work. They decided to go and float their…

  • Pattaya News1 thousand people celebrate start of Buddhist festival at Pattaya temple

    1 thousand people celebrate start of Buddhist festival at Pattaya temple

    About 1,000 people celebrated the start of a Buddhist festival at a temple in Pattaya on Sunday. The Nong Or Temple had a kick-off event for the Thod Kathin Festival with about 1,000 people in attendance. Photos show a happy crowd of attendees smiling and clapping, as well as attendees presenting offerings to a monk. The Thod Kathin Festival begins…

  • Environment NewsBangkok dwellers float over half a million krathongs on Loy Krathong night

    Bangkok dwellers float over half a million krathongs on Loy Krathong night

    Bangkok dwellers floated more than half a million krathongs down the city’s waterways during the Loy Krathong celebrations last night. This year, there were as many as 572,602 krathongs. A spokesperson for the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) said that almost all of the krathongs, 548,086, were made from natural materials but added that 24,516 krathongs were made from foam. The…

  • Phuket NewsMass tree-planting planned for Phuket beach after illegal structures removed

    Mass tree-planting planned for Phuket beach after illegal structures removed

    After police removed removed illegal structures from a beach in Phuket‘s Thalang district, they now plan to recover the beach’s nature. Phuket Vice Governor Amnuay announced at a meeting on Monday that a mass tree-planting would start at Layan Beach on Tuesday, November 15. The tree-planting event will begin at 9am, and will include a beach cleanup, he said. Amnuay…

  • Crime NewsPatong venue staffer tests positive for drugs

    Patong venue staffer tests positive for drugs

    A Patong entertainment venue staffer tested positive for drugs on Monday night after police conducted a major drug testing crackdown on five venues on Bangla Road. Patong Police drug tested nearly 184 staffers and one tested positive. It has not been reported what drug the staffer tested positive for. The recent crackdown is part of a campaign police are calling…

  • Crime NewsPolice in central Thailand offer cash reward to help nab gold shop robber

    Police in central Thailand offer cash reward to help nab gold shop robber

    Police in Thailand’s central province of Ayutthaya is offering a cash reward to help catch a gold shop robber. The robber got away with 95 baht weight in gold jewellery worth over 2.8 million baht on November 4, and he still hasn’t been caught. The robber fired shots at the store’s showcase at Lotus Department Store’s Sena branch, before running…