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 NewsThe “world’s dirtiest man” dies in Iran

    The “world’s dirtiest man” dies in Iran

    An Iranian villager dubbed the “world’s dirtiest man,” died last week, several news outlets reported. The man, 94 year old “Amu Haji,” or “Uncle Hajj” was known in his village in the southern Fars province for being a soap dodger. Until a few months ago, Haji hadn’t bathed in 67 years, over half a century. When other villagers took him…

  • Pattaya NewsLargest Indian restaurant in Southeast Asia opens in Pattaya

    Largest Indian restaurant in Southeast Asia opens in Pattaya

    The largest Indian restaurant in Southeast Asia has opened in Pattaya. The restaurant, named “MumbaiSe,” is located at the Stardice Pub on the Pattaya-Naklua road. The restaurant held its opening ceremony on Saturday night, with many Pattaya officials attending, including Mayor Poramese Ngampiches. The founders are two Indian businessmen who have invested 25 million baht in the restaurant. The restaurant will…

  • Crime NewsA scammer who posed as police chief arrested in central Thailand

    A scammer who posed as police chief arrested in central Thailand

    A scammer who posed as a police chief was arrested in Thailand’s central Ayutthaya province on Friday. A team of officers from the Police Cyber Taskforce (PCT) arrested the man, 32 year old Chonwicha Pansamut, in the Wang Noi district, according to the Metropolitan Police Bureau (MPB). Authorities have evidence that Chonwicha claimed to be the Chiang Rai city district…

  • Phuket NewsAfter devastating floods, Phuket students step up to help with haircuts and repairs

    After devastating floods, Phuket students step up to help with haircuts and repairs

    Following Phuket’s devastating floods, some students are stepping up to help victims. The student group from Phuket Polytechnic College launched an initiative called “Fix It Community Renovation Center- Volunteer Spirit.” The initiative involves helping repair motorbikes for free, as well as electronic appliances such as microwaves. The students are also offering people free haircuts. Phuket Governor Narong and other officials…

  • Crime NewsA man in South Thailand causes floods by stealing drainage equipment worth 2 million baht

    A man in South Thailand causes floods by stealing drainage equipment worth 2 million baht

    A man in the Trang province of South Thailand has caused floods by stealing public drainage equipment worth 2 million baht, Thai media reported yesterday. The man, 30 year old Permpol, allegedly stole the equipment in Trang’s main city district. He reportedly stole parts including gears, gate valves, water drainage screws, and panelboards. Residents complained to Trang police, who gathered evidence…

  • LifestyleThe history of Thailand’s lottery

    The history of Thailand’s lottery

    Almost all forms of gambling are illegal in Thailand with one exception – the country’s lottery. The bi-monthly lottery draw has brought great fortunes to many people. The next draw is tomorrow, and you might be interested to learn some fun facts about its history. The lottery first began in 1874 on King Chulalongkorn’s birthday. The king had given the…

  • World NewsPolice say US gunman’s weapon was taken from him a week before attack

    Police say US gunman’s weapon was taken from him a week before attack

    More details have emerged on the horrific shooting in the US on Monday. Police said that the gunman’s weapon had been taken from him about a week before he shot and killed a teacher and student at the Central Visual & Performing Arts High School in St. Louis. The gunman, 19 year old Orlando Harris, also injured seven others in…

  • World NewsPervert in Singapore pretended to be female gynaecologist to get nude pics

    Pervert in Singapore pretended to be female gynaecologist to get nude pics

    A pervert in Singapore has been caught pretending to be a female gynaecologist to trick women into sending him photos of their lady parts. The man, 37 year old Ooi Chuen Wei, from Malaysia, used a fake Facebook profile to contact women. Chuen, posing as a female gynaecologist, asked the women to fill out surveys about their genitals and sex…

  • Road deathsSoon-to-be bride tragically killed in car crash in central Thailand

    Soon-to-be bride tragically killed in car crash in central Thailand

    A soon-to-be bride was tragically killed in a car crash in Thailand’s central province of Suphan Buri. The soon-to-be groom, meanwhile, was seriously injured. The future bride and groom were set to marry on November 6. Yesterday, the two had driven to the eastern Chachoengsao province to deliver eggs. On their way home, a fatal crash happened. The groom, 26…

  • Bangkok NewsAfter Bangkok drug party raid, police investigate possible Chinese connections

    After Bangkok drug party raid, police investigate possible Chinese connections

    After police raided a Bangkok drug party with hundreds of Chinese nationals on Wednesday, they are now investigating possible connections with a group of wealthy Chinese business owners. Deputy Commissioner of the Royal Thai Police, Surachate “Big Joke” Hakparn, said the police are probing whether the business owners are behind the increasing number of unauthorised night venues in Bangkok’s Ratchada…

  • LifestyleThe dark and twisted history of Thailand’s “haunted” brothel in Kanchanaburi

    The dark and twisted history of Thailand’s “haunted” brothel in Kanchanaburi

    Halloween is coming up, and you may be wondering what sort of spooky places exist in Thailand. One notorious spot is an abandoned house of disrepute, called ‘Brothel 35’, in Kanchanaburi province. The brothel was open from the mid-1960s until it closed in 1986. It has been nicknamed the ‘Prostitute Cemetary.’ The brothel is believed to be haunted due to…

  • Pattaya NewsCoral reefs off Chon Buri found diseased

    Coral reefs off Chon Buri found diseased

    There’s been some unfortunate news for all the ocean lovers out there. Coral reefs off Chon Buri’s Sattahip district and the Samae San island have this month been found to have yellow-band disease. The disease attacks and kills colonies of coral, according to the director-general of the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources. Yellow-band disease occurs when coral gets stressed…

  • World NewsMan rejected from job due to misunderstanding caused by abnormally large penis

    Man rejected from job due to misunderstanding caused by abnormally large penis

    There are a million jokes about men being self-conscious about their penis being too small. But for some men, being abnormally “well endowed” is hard (pun intended). One man in the United Kingdom experienced a rather tragic misunderstanding at a job interview due to his unusually large penis. The man, Joe, was featured in a Channel 4 documentary titled My Massive…

  • Bangkok NewsBangkok man loses lots of weight after wife promises him PS5

    Bangkok man loses lots of weight after wife promises him PS5

    One Bangkok man really, really wanted a PS5 so badly that he was willing to go on a grueling weight-loss journey in order to earn it. The man’s wife promised that she would buy him a PS5 if he lost 10 kilograms. Prab rose to his wife’s challenge and followed an intermittent fasting plan for four months to lose 10…

  • Phuket NewsMotorbikes can now drive on Patong Hill road

    Motorbikes can now drive on Patong Hill road

    After the road on Patong Hill collapsed due to landslides last week, officials are now letting motorbikes drive on the road again. Phuket Governor Narong said the decision was made to relieve the burden on people who need to travel across the hill every day, especially young students. Narong declared the road open to motorbikes last night. However, cars are…

  • Pattaya NewsYoung Chon Buri man loses leg in car crash

    Young Chon Buri man loses leg in car crash

    A young Chon Buri man tragically lost one of his legs in a car crash on Tuesday night. The man, 24 year old Atthaphon Simsuwan, reportedly crashed his motorbike into a pickup truck. Rescuers arrived on the scene in Bang Lamung district to find Atthaphon in terrible pain. They rushed the Chon Buri man to a nearby hospital. Meanwhile, the pickup…

  • Phuket NewsOfficials arrest 18 in Phuket gambling bust

    Officials arrest 18 in Phuket gambling bust

    Officials arrested 18 people in a gambling bust in Phuket’s Thalang district on Monday. The eight men and ten women were caught at a gambling den in a house in the Thep Kasattri sub-district. The officials received complaints about an illegal gambling network in the area and acting on the information officers brought the suspects to Thalang Police Station. The suspects…

  • World NewsNorth Korean defector’s remains found in South Korea

    North Korean defector’s remains found in South Korea

    The remains of a North Korean defector have been found in South Korea. Seoul police said a public housing company last week sent workers to visit the woman’s apartment after she had missed multiple rent payments, and could not be contacted. The workers found the woman’s decomposing remains in her apartment. The body of the woman, who was in her…

  • Pattaya NewsTourists flock to Pattaya seafood festivals over long weekend

    Tourists flock to Pattaya seafood festivals over long weekend

    Tourists flocked to two seafood festivals in Pattaya over the three-day weekend. The Central Pattaya shopping mall held the “Sea Bear” food festival, bringing in income for vendors. There was also a seafood festival at Terminal 21 shopping mall, which saw hundreds of vacationers stopping by, Pattaya Mail reported. The festival had planned to feature street food vendors from across…

  • Bangkok NewsHundreds of Chinese citizens arrested in Bangkok drug party raid

    Hundreds of Chinese citizens arrested in Bangkok drug party raid

    Thailand appears to be struggling a bit in its quest to draw in “high-quality tourists.” Bangkok police arrested hundreds of Chinese citizens at a raid on a drug party in the Sathorn area early this morning. The police busted a total of 266 people at a karaoke venue on Charoen Rat Road. 237 of the busted partiers were Chinese nationals,…

  • Crime NewsInvestigators find note from gunman after US school shooting

    Investigators find note from gunman after US school shooting

    UPDATE In the aftermath of the horrific shooting at a US school on Monday, investigators have found a handwritten note from the gunman. The gunman, 19 year old Orlando Harris, killed two people and injured seven others at the Central Visual and Performing Arts High School in St. Louis on Monday. Harris ended up being shot dead in a gunfight…

  • Tourism NewsLong weekend in Thailand draws tourists to natural sites

    Long weekend in Thailand draws tourists to natural sites

    Thailand’s recent three-day weekend drew tourists to some of the country’s most beautiful natural sites. Over 10,000 people ventured to Thailand’s highest mountain peak, Chiang Mai’s Doi Inthanon, according to officials there. Tourists visited a number of other natural sites as well. In the western Kanchanaburi province, a tourism business operator said the tourist influx in Sangkhla Buri district over the…

  • Phuket NewsTemporary field hospital opens after road collapse in Patong

    Temporary field hospital opens after road collapse in Patong

    After a road collapsed on Phuket’s Patong hill last week, health officials have worked to set up a temporary field hospital. The Kathu Field Hospital opened yesterday at the Kathu Public Park, as a result of a partnership between the Phuket Provincial Public Health and Patong Hospital. The temporary field hospital is open from Monday to Friday from 8.30am to…

  • South Thailand NewsA rare flowering plant species found in South Thailand

    A rare flowering plant species found in South Thailand

    Researchers have found a rare flowering plant species in southern Thailand’s Narathiwat province. A team of biology researchers from Chiang Mai University found the plant in an evergreen forest in Janae and Sukhirin districts. The rare flowering plant belongs to the Annonaceae family, with the scientific name Phaenthuspiyae Wiya, Aongyong & Chaowaskul. The organisation Thailand Science Research and Innovation described…

  • World NewsAir strike hits concert in Myanmar, at least 50 killed

    Air strike hits concert in Myanmar, at least 50 killed

    Myanmar’s civil war appears to have no end in sight. An air strike killed at least 50 people at a concert in Kachin State yesterday, several news outlets reported. The concert had been held to celebrate the anniversary of the Kachin Independence Organisation (KIO). The number of casualties is believed to be the highest in a single air attack ever…

  • Tourism NewsTourism officials plan Loy Krathong events for 6 Thai provinces

    Tourism officials plan Loy Krathong events for 6 Thai provinces

    The Thai holiday of Loy Krathong is coming up, and tourism officials are planning events in six provinces. Known as Thailand’s festival of lights, Loy Krathong is one of the biggest celebrations on the Thai calendar. This picturesque festival is a time for people to gather around rivers, canals, ponds, lakes, and other bodies of water to release lotus-shaped rafts…

  • Krabi NewsVIDEO: Krabi resident secretly films gambling den

    VIDEO: Krabi resident secretly films gambling den

    A resident in Krabi’s main city district secretly filmed a gambling den, Thai media reported on Sunday. The blurry footage shows a crowd of people in a big house around a table. The video recorder said the house belongs to a former politician, although they did not specify who. However, some gamblers insisted that said the house belongs to a…

  • Crime News“Big Joke” says Pattaya Pool villa victims might have been involved in drugs

    “Big Joke” says Pattaya Pool villa victims might have been involved in drugs

    UPDATE There’s been yet another twist in the ongoing Pattaya pool villa shooting story. The Deputy Commissioner of the Royal Thai Police, Surachate “Big Joke” Hakparn, held a press conference about the incident yesterday morning. Surachate said the victims of the shooting might have been involved in drugs, The Pattaya News reported. Surachate discovered illegal substances in their systems after…

  • Phuket NewsOfficial says Patong road will need seven days of temporary repair work once rain stops

    Official says Patong road will need seven days of temporary repair work once rain stops

    UPDATE A Phuket official said yesterday that it would take seven days of temporary repair work before the road to Patong Hill is ready to use again. The official said the repair work can start once the rain stops. This news comes after the road suffered two landslides on Wednesday and Thursday. Phuket Highway Director Yutthana Pitak told The Phuket…

  • LifestyleWhy is Diwali important to Indians? The mythology behind the festival

    Why is Diwali important to Indians? The mythology behind the festival

    You might have heard of India’s “festival of lights” known as Diwali. Many photos show people who celebrate by holding colourful lanterns, or lighting candles. But what exactly is the festival celebrating? What do the lights symbolise? This year’s Diwali festival is coming up on Monday, October 24, and if you have Indian friends, it might be helpful to understand…