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.
  • China NewsChinese province to allow all citizens to have unlimited children

    Chinese province to allow all citizens to have unlimited children

    Amid China’s spiralling crisis with an ageing population and shrinking workforce, one province is making some drastic policy changes. Starting on Wednesday, February 15, the western Chinese province of Sichuan will allow all citizens, including unmarried couples, to register as many children as they want. The province has over 83 million people. While current policies don’t explicitly ban unmarried women…

  • Tourism NewsTourism council predicts 30 million foreign tourists in Thailand this year

    Tourism council predicts 30 million foreign tourists in Thailand this year

    Thailand’s tourist numbers have certainly picked up lately and some groups are very optimistic about numbers this year. The Tourism Industry Council of Thailand predicts that over 30 million foreign tourists will travel to Thailand in 2023, bringing 3 trillion baht to Thailand’s economy. The number of international tourists in Thailand before the Covid-19 pandemic was 40 million in 2019. …

  • Koh Samui NewsBody of Burmese man swept out to sea found in Koh Samui

    Body of Burmese man swept out to sea found in Koh Samui

    UPDATE The body of the Burmese man who was swept out to sea in Koh Samui on Monday has been found, according to a Thai media outlet. The outlet, One News 31, said today in an Instagram post that the man’s body was found at a beach in front of a hotel. The post reads… “The body of the Myanmar…

  • South Thailand NewsSea nomads win land encroachment case in South Thailand

    Sea nomads win land encroachment case in South Thailand

    Sea nomads have won a land encroachment case in South Thailand after a month-long legal battle. The dispute was over a fence blocking access to a school on the island of Koh Lipe. The Ban Koh Adang school is located in a community populated by Thailand’s Moken minority group. The moken are a semi-nomadic Austronesian group that lives in Thai…

  • Koh Samui NewsLarge waves wash away Burmese man in Koh Samui

    Large waves wash away Burmese man in Koh Samui

    A recent tragedy in Koh Samui is a reminder of how dangerous large waves can be in Thailand. Large waves washed away a Burmese man in Koh Samui on Monday. Witnesses said the man was a migrant worker travelling with two other male friends, and the three appeared to be drunk. The three men walked to a viewpoint near the sea.…

  • 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…

  • Phuket NewsThai navy rescues tourists caught in large Phuket waves

    Thai navy rescues tourists caught in large Phuket waves

    The Royal Thai Navy (RTN) rescued a group of tourists in distress who were caught in large waves on a fishing boat off Phuket. The RTN Third Area Command said they rescued the seven foreign tourists in the south of Phuket on Wednesday. The boat’s navigator was broken, leaving the captain unable to bring the boat back to the shore.…

  • 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…

  • Northern Thailand NewsNarcotics police seize 6 million meth pills in Chiang Rai

    Narcotics police seize 6 million meth pills in Chiang Rai

    Thai narcotics police seized 6 million meth pills in the northern Chiang Rai province earlier this week. Justice Minister Somsak Thepsuthin said yesterday that officers stopped a timber truck and two scout cars in the Wiang Pa Pao district. This was after officers had been alerted that a large number of drugs were to be transported from Mae Fah Luang…

  • 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…

  • Phuket NewsCops nab Patong entertainment staffer allegedly selling cocaine to tourists

    Cops nab Patong entertainment staffer allegedly selling cocaine to tourists

    Cops nabbed a Patong entertainment staffer on Saturday who allegedly sold cocaine to tourists. Police patrolling the infamous party hotspot of Bangla Road received a tip-off from an anonymous entertainment venue operator that a staffer was selling cocaine to tourists on the road. The police then caught the staffer, 61 year old Rueng, reportedly with three bags of cocaine weighing 1.77…

  • 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…

  • Pattaya NewsRussian tourists spot foreigner’s body floating off Pattaya beach

    Russian tourists spot foreigner’s body floating off Pattaya beach

    Russian tourists spotted a foreigner’s body floating off a Pattaya beach as they were sunbathing on Monday. A hotel clerk said the tourists rushed to tell him to call the police after they discovered the body floating in the sea. Pattaya Police and rescuers arrived to retrieve the man’s body at Wong Amat Beach in front of Soi 16 in…

  • 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…

  • Pattaya NewsCrash involving motorbike and garbage truck kills woman in Chon Buri

    Crash involving motorbike and garbage truck kills woman in Chon Buri

    Another road tragedy in Chon Buri has claimed a woman’s life. A crash involving a motorbike and a garbage truck killed a woman in Chon Buri early yesterday morning. The victim was identified as 51 year old Thanaployphan Srikun. The incident happened in the Sri Racha district. Police and rescuers found Thanaployphan lying on the ground with severe head wounds.…

  • 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 NewsTourist collapses and dies on Pattaya’s major party road

    Tourist collapses and dies on Pattaya’s major party road

    A tourist tragically collapsed and died on Pattaya’s major party road, Walking Street, in the early hours of yesterday morning. Dozens of witnesses watched as the man suddenly collapsed in front of a strip of beer bars. The man collapsed without making any noise and hit his head hard on the pavement. Rescuers tried to provide CPR, but the man…

  • 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…