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.
  • GuidesA guide to 5 romantic movies to watch on Valentine’s Day

    A guide to 5 romantic movies to watch on Valentine’s Day

    Valentine’s Day is coming up next week, and whether you’re taken or single, the holiday can be a good time to reflect on love, romance, and relationships. Those spending their Valentine’s Day with a special someone will appreciate movies with sweet love stories and happy endings. Meanwhile, single people might enjoy movies with darker storylines, and reminders that they’re not…

  • Crime NewsAuthorities investigate mass haircut punishment at northern Thailand school

    Authorities investigate mass haircut punishment at northern Thailand school

    Thai authorities are investigating after a video surfaced on social media showing a school teacher in the northern Phetchabun province cutting the hair of over 100 students on Tuesday as punishment for violating haircut rules. Education Minister Trinuch Thienthong ordered state agencies to investigate the school director and teacher involved in the incident. Trinuch said the behaviour of the teacher…

  • Pattaya NewsWild boar creates chaos in Pattaya, still on the loose

    Wild boar creates chaos in Pattaya, still on the loose

    A wild boar created chaos in Pattaya yesterday, attracting widespread attention on social media. The massive animal, estimated to weigh between 200-300 kilograms, was spotted roaming around the city at 7.30pm on February 7. The beast was also seen swaggering around Big C Extra in central Pattaya as if it owned the joint. Despite the best efforts of Sawang Boriboon…

  • Pattaya NewsKind Pattaya bus driver returns bag with thousands of Euros to Finnish tourist

    Kind Pattaya bus driver returns bag with thousands of Euros to Finnish tourist

    A kind Pattaya baht bus driver has been praised for his integrity after returning a lost bag containing thousands of euros and other valuable items to its rightful owner, a Finnish tourist. The bag with 4,000 euros was left behind in the back of the baht bus. The driver, Lek, made it his mission to track down the owner. He…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket Police help Russian woman get her pricey diamond earrings back

    Phuket Police help Russian woman get her pricey diamond earrings back

    Phuket Police helped a Russian woman get her pricey diamond earrings back yesterday after she accidentally left them at a guesthouse at Nai Yang Beach last month. The woman, 42 year old Elena Zholobetskaia, realised that her 70,000 baht earrings were missing while she was travelling in Koh Samui, after she had already checked out of the guesthouse, The Phuket…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket fishing crew missing since last month

    Phuket fishing crew missing since last month

    Crew members of a fishing boat in Phuket have been missing since last month. The boat, named Soi Sakun Petch, was captained by Roong Luekamwong and had three other crew members on board, including one Thai national and two Myanmar nationals. According to the Royal Thai Navy Third Area Command, the boat had set out to fish in the Southwest…

  • Pattaya NewsBlaze guts Chon Buri police training centre

    Blaze guts Chon Buri police training centre

    A blaze gutted a police training centre in Thailand’s eastern province of Chon Buri on Sunday night. The large fire broke out at the Provincial Police Training Center Region 2. Fortunately, there were no reported injuries. Firefighter units from Chon Buri’s main city district were quickly dispatched to the two-storey training centre located on Soi Khao Noi in Ban Suan…

  • Thailand NewsThailand to deploy rescue team to Turkey following earthquakes

    Thailand to deploy rescue team to Turkey following earthquakes

    Thailand is stepping up to help following the recent earthquakes in Turkey and Syria. Thailand’s Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation announced yesterday that it will deploy a 20-member Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) team to Turkey. The USAR Thailand team will consist of fully equipped experts trained in search and rescue operations at both national and international levels. The…

  • Koh Samui NewsSpeedboat engulfed in flames sinks off Koh Samui, Thailand

    Speedboat engulfed in flames sinks off Koh Samui, Thailand

    A speedboat engulfed in flames sank off Thailand’s island of Koh Samui last night. According to the Thailand Maritime Enforcement Command Centre (Thai-MECC), the boat caught fire near the Bang Rak boat pier in tambon Bo Phut of Koh Samui district, at around midnight. The emergency response team arrived at the scene and found the two-engine speedboat, named the Silver…

  • Crime NewsFormer Thai lawyer allegedly involved in romance scam

    Former Thai lawyer allegedly involved in romance scam

    A former Thai lawyer was allegedly involved in a romance scam. Police in the central Samut Prakan province caught the suspect, 43 year old Pongsakorn Supakornmongkolchai, in front of a gold shop on Sukhumvit Road in the main city district on Friday. The arrest was made by a joint effort of the Police Cyber Taskforce unit 5 and the Metropolitan…

  • Environment NewsRussian tourists lend a hand by cleaning Koh Samui beach

    Russian tourists lend a hand by cleaning Koh Samui beach

    A group of Russian tourists demonstrated their environmental responsibility this week by lending a hand to clean up a beach on Koh Samui. On the morning of January 31, a group of Russian tourists helped to collect garbage from Baan Mae Nam Beach before enjoying their day swimming, sunbathing, and exercising. The Phuket Express reported the cleanup yesterday. The tourists found a…

  • Phuket NewsTourist Police and Good Samaritan rescue American lost on Phuket trail

    Tourist Police and Good Samaritan rescue American lost on Phuket trail

    Phuket Tourist Police, with the help of a Good Samaritan, rescued an American man lost on a trail near the Krating Cape in Karon. According to the Phuket Tourist Police, the man, who has not been identified, called the Tourist Police call centre for assistance at 1155. He reported that he was walking along the trail and was unable to…

  • Environment NewsThai officials provide safety guidelines for students, school staff amidst pollution

    Thai officials provide safety guidelines for students, school staff amidst pollution

    As Thailand continues to grapple with the ongoing air pollution crisis, officials provided guidelines for students and school staff. Yesterday, the Ministry of Education provided school safety guidelines for students and staff to protect themselves from PM2.5. The guidelines include: avoiding outdoor activities for extended periods, wearing face masks when outdoors, wearing long-sleeved shirts, taking showers or washing skin after…

  • Pattaya NewsRaging fire at Pattaya condo sends hundreds evacuating

    Raging fire at Pattaya condo sends hundreds evacuating

    A raging fire at a Pattaya condo sent hundreds evacuating in the early hours of this morning. Over 200 residents of the Amazon Residence Condominium were evacuated, and at least five people were injured. The condo is located on Soi Wat Boon Kanjanaram 5 in the Nong Prue sub-district of Bang Lamung. Four people suffered smoke inhalation, and one foreign…

  • Crime NewsPhuket police bust Nigerian overstayers

    Phuket police bust Nigerian overstayers

    Phuket police busted Nigerian overstayers in at least two areas of the island province yesterday. Officers from Phuket Immigration and the Phuket Tourist Police caught the group of four men in Chalong and Rawai. Phuket Tourist Police Deputy Chief Lieutenant Colonel Ekachai Siri said that “good citizens” had alerted police that the men were involved in illegal activities such as…

  • Crime NewsPhuket taxi drivers call for authorities to get tough on illegal drivers

    Phuket taxi drivers call for authorities to get tough on illegal drivers

    Phuket taxi drivers are calling for authorities to get tough on illegal drivers. On Thursday, over 100 drivers protested about the issue at Phuket City Hall. The president of the Patong Taxi Operators Association, Thinnakorn Chommueang, said that local, legal taxi drivers on the island province were suffering, especially those operating through apps. He said… “Therefore would like to demand…

  • Crime NewsPolice bust Belarusian man in Phuket for allegedly stealing cash, crypto from Russians

    Police bust Belarusian man in Phuket for allegedly stealing cash, crypto from Russians

    UPDATE Police busted a Belarusian man in Phuket who allegedly helped to steal tens of thousands of dollars in cash and cryptocurrency from Russians in the island province. The man, 36 year old Georgi Gavrylchyk, was allegedly part of a group of three suspects who attacked two Russians on Soi Cherng Talay 16 for US$20,000 in cash, and US$25,000 in a crypto…

  • Pattaya NewsPolice nab Chon Buri meth dealers after trying to sell via Facebook

    Police nab Chon Buri meth dealers after trying to sell via Facebook

    In a recent sting operation, police nabbed two drug dealers on Wednesday with 63,500 meth pills in Chon Buri’s Sattahip district. The police were able to track the two suspects from their Facebook account “Nooka,” and set up a rendezvous with the suspects to lure them in for the arrest. The first suspect, 28 year old Chotiwat “Nook” Koomsonklin, was…

  • Tourism NewsSouth Thailand’s hotel industry booming with increased tourist arrivals

    South Thailand’s hotel industry booming with increased tourist arrivals

    South Thailand is seeing a resurgence in tourism, with room bookings in hotels reaching 85%, according to Sueksit Suwandissakun, the president of the Southern Hotel Association. This is a positive sign for the industry, which has been impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic over the past year. Many hotels in popular tourist areas are already fully booked, with the majority of…

  • Crime NewsChiang Mai authorities seize millions of Yaba pills, along with raw opium

    Chiang Mai authorities seize millions of Yaba pills, along with raw opium

    Chiang Mai authorities made a significant drug bust in the northern province of Chiang Mai. Two members of a drug caravan were arrested and 5.7 million Yaba pills and 6.6 kilograms of raw opium were seized following a clash with soldiers along the Thai-Myanmar border in the Chiang Dao district. The bust took place on Wednesday night when two military…

  • Thailand NewsManchester City Takes on the Far East: Tour of Thailand and Japan in Mid-July

    Manchester City Takes on the Far East: Tour of Thailand and Japan in Mid-July

    Manchester City, the reigning Premier League champions, are embarking on a journey to Asia as part of their preparations for the upcoming season. The tour, expected to take place in mid-July, will cover both Thailand and Japan, marking their first trip to the Far East since the outbreak of the pandemic. Sportsmail UK reported that the club has already planned…

  • Crime NewsThieves rob Phuket 7-Eleven a day before it closes down

    Thieves rob Phuket 7-Eleven a day before it closes down

    Two thieves robbed a 7-Eleven in Phuket on Tuesday, just a day before it was set to close down. The two men snatched 1,826 baht from the store’s two female staff at gunpoint, The Phuket News reported. Thalang Police arrived at the scene and reviewed the CCTV footage. The footage showed two men on a motorbike circling the store twice…

  • Tourism NewsPhuket looks to entice more low-cost Saudi flights

    Phuket looks to entice more low-cost Saudi flights

    Thailand’s renowned paradise of Phuket is looking to entice more low-cost Saudi flights to the island province. The Phuket Tourist Association said in a Facebook post yesterday that it sent a delegation to meet with a low-cost Saudi airline last week. The delegation met with the airline, Flynas, at Flynas’s headquarters in Saudi Arabia on January 25. The delegation gave…

  • Crime NewsPhuket Russian allegedly stole tens of thousands of dollars in cash and crypto

    Phuket Russian allegedly stole tens of thousands of dollars in cash and crypto

    A Russian man in Phuket allegedly stole tens of thousands of dollars in cash and cryptocurrency from other Russians. Region 8 Police said they arrested the man, 32 year old Dnitry Shergin, on Wednesday, over a crime he allegedly committed on December 11. The two victims said that in the early morning on December 11, a group of foreign suspects threatened…

  • Thailand NewsThai fisheries department introduces unique new clownfish breed

    Thai fisheries department introduces unique new clownfish breed

    The Thai fisheries department introduced a unique new clownfish breed. The new breed, called Gold x Thunder Maroon, is a cross between the Gold Nugget Maroon and Thunder Maroon clownfish. Gold x Thunder Maroon clownfish have maroon-spotted white sides. They grow to a maximum length of 17 centimetres. Males of the species can reproduce at six months old, while females can…

  • Phuket NewsResidents find first leatherback turtle eggs in Phang Nga village in 2 years

    Residents find first leatherback turtle eggs in Phang Nga village in 2 years

    Residents in a Phang Nga village found some buried leatherback turtle eggs for the first time in two years. The locals of Koh Kor Khao village in Takua Pa district were delighted to find the nest on Sunset Beach on Tuesday. Luckily, the eggs had not been impacted by seawater or poor weather conditions. The Department of Marine and Coastal Resources…

  • Pattaya NewsPattaya’s new police chief pledges to prioritise tourists’ safety

    Pattaya’s new police chief pledges to prioritise tourists’ safety

    Pattaya has a new police chief in town. The new chief, Pol. Col. Thanapong Phothi, pledged to prioritise tourists’ safety when he joined Pattaya Police Station yesterday. A crowd of police officers, city officials, and business people happily welcomed Thanapong. Thanapong is a long-time Pattaya dweller, who has previously served in other roles in and around the city. He said…

  • World NewsEastern Thailand province suffers smoke from Cambodian forest fires

    Eastern Thailand province suffers smoke from Cambodian forest fires

    A province in eastern Thailand is suffering from smoke due to Cambodian forest fires. Smoke from the fires has drifted across the border into large parts of Trat province, with Trat’s governor receiving complaints from the main city district, as well as Klong Yai and Bo Rai districts, Naewna reported yesterday. The governor, Chamnanwit Teerat, said the governors of Cambodia’s…

  • World NewsGerman-Iraqi woman allegedly kills doppelganger to fake her own death

    German-Iraqi woman allegedly kills doppelganger to fake her own death

    A German-Iraqi woman allegedly killed her doppelganger in order to fake her death. The bizarre murder story circled world news on Tuesday. The woman, identified as 23 year old Sharaban K., allegedly scoured through Instagram to search for a doppelganger as part of a plan to stage her death. Sharaban, a beauty blogger and web influencer based in Munich, came…

  • World NewsDeath toll rises after suicide bomb in Pakistani mosque, expert calls it ‘national security crisis’

    Death toll rises after suicide bomb in Pakistani mosque, expert calls it ‘national security crisis’

    UPDATE Following the horrific suicide bombing at a mosque in Peshawar, Pakistan on Monday, the death toll has risen from 59 to at least 100, according to a hospital spokesperson. The spokesperson for Lady Reading Hospital, Muhammad Asim Khan, said that at least 100 people have died following the attack. Meanwhile, the Inspector General of Peshawar Police Moazim Jah Ansari,…