Tara Abhasakun

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 News

    Province in Vietnam boosting tourism with its rich culture

    One province in Vietnam aims to boost its tourism with its rich cultural heritage. Twenty-one ethnic minority groups reside in the coastal, northeastern province of Quang Ninh. This year, authorities launched several tourism initiatives to draw visitors to the province, and improve accessibility to tourism products tied to ethnic cultures. From November 4-6 this year, the Binh Lieu district’s District…

  • Environment News

    Environmental police arrest 7 over illegal dumping in Bangkok

    Bangkok’s pollution problem is rearing its ugly head once again. Environmental police arrested and charged seven people over illegal dumping at 16 sites in the Thai capital. The chief of the Crime Suppression Division ordered environmental police to inspect 16 spots, following reports of illegal dumping causing foul-smelling air. The dumping also reportedly led to the spreading of germs to…

  • Thailand News

    Percentage of HIV infections rising among young Thais

    In a worrying new trend, the percentage of AIDS infections has been rising among young Thais. According to the director of the Disease Control Department’s Division of AIDS, nearly two-thirds of new HIV infections are in young people. The director, Dr Cheewanan Lertpiriyasuwat, said this was much higher than the global average of around 30%. One HIV/AIDS prevention organisation, M…

  • World News

    Iranian forces kill young man for celebrating World Cup loss

    Iranian authorities have once again confronted individual expression with lethal force. Security forces in the country’s northern city of Bandar Anzali have killed a young man for celebrating the national football team’s elimination from the World Cup. Security fatally shot the man in the head last night after he honked his car horn. The man killed, 27 year old Mehran…

  • Pattaya News

    Intoxicated Pattaya woman left uninjured after overturning car

    An intoxicated Pattaya woman escaped injury after overturning her car in the early hours of this morning. The woman, Nantakan Surinthorn, remarkably walked away from the vehicle with little more than a few minor scrapes and bruises after she crashed her car into a parked truck, before overturning it. The 26 year old bar owner admitted to Pattaya police that…

  • Crime News

    Woman who allegedly scammed victims for over 30 million baht arrested in Pattaya

    Another day, another major scam in Thailand. A woman who allegedly scammed victims for over 30 million baht has been arrested in Pattaya. Police arrested the woman, 24 year old Patcharee Maneesri, at a condominium in the city following an arrest warrant from the Loei Provincial Court for fraud and a loan scam imported into a computer system. Patcharee was…

  • World News

    New drug marks major milestone in slowing Alzhemier’s

    A new drug is marking a major milestone in slowing the impacts of Alzheimer’s disease. The drug, Lecanemab, reduces memory decline in Alzheimer’s patients, as shown in its recent trial. Lecanemab is given to patients every two weeks. The drug clears a protein called amyloid, that builds up in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s. Amyloid is believed to be…

  • Politics News

    Iran promises Thailand it won’t attack Israeli tourists

    Iran promised Thailand that it won’t attack Israeli tourists on Thai soil. The Thai government informed Israel’s government yesterday that it had received a commitment from Iran not to attack Israeli targets in Thailand, according to an Israeli Foreign Ministry cable and two Israeli officials. Iran, and Iran-backed forces, are believed to have been behind attacks on Israelis and Jews…

  • Tourism News

    Thai immigration reports over 900,000 tourists in Phuket since May

    Phuket’s tourism is continuing to make its post-Covid-19 comeback. Thai immigration reported over 900,000 tourists in Phuket from May 1 to November 27. The total number of tourists that visited the island province in that time frame is 934,164. Of those tourists, 914,746 are foreigners, and 19,418 are Thai. Meanwhile the Phuket Walking Street Sunday Market, also well known as…

  • World News

    Iranian Kurdish footballer released from jail

    UPDATE The Iranian Kurdish footballer jailed last week has been released on bail, along with another former member of the country’s national team. Iranian authorities announced the release of Voria Ghafouri and Parviz Boroumand yesterday. The Iranian Kurdish player, Voria Ghafouri, was arrested on November 24 for “insulting the national soccer team and propagandising against the government,” Iranian media reported.…

  • World News

    Iran threatens footballers’ families with prison and torture, security source says

    There’s been a new development in the situation of Iran’s national football team and the recent events at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Iranian authorities have threatened the families of its national football players with imprisonment and torture, according to a source involved in the security of the games. This news comes after the players refused to sing their…

  • Crime News

    Pattaya loan sharks allegedly abduct and assault young woman

    Loan sharks in Pattaya allegedly abducted and physically assaulted a young woman. The woman, 21 year old Tasneeporn Youngram, reported the incident to Pattaya Police yesterday. Tasneeporn said that four loan sharks forced her to get in a car after she failed to repay 35,000 baht that she borrowed from them. She said this happened on Soi Paniad Chang in Bang…

  • Lifestyle

    Stop and smell the tulips at Floral Fair 2022 in Bangkok

    Thailand’s winter season is highlighting the kingdom’s many beautiful, fragrant flowers, including in Bangkok. The fragrant Floral Fair 2022 wafts into the capital tomorrow and will last until December 10. The festival will be held at the Suan Luang Rama IX park. The Floral Fair will feature 600,000 plants. The theme will be “continuing works of art in a brilliant…

  • Crime News

    Hundreds of thousands of meth pills seized in Songkhla

    Thailand’s meth problem is rearing its ugly head again, this time in the Southern province of Songkhla. Narcotics control police seized about 400,000 meth pills from a rented room in the Bang Klam district on Sunday. The suspect, 28 year old Athiwat, allegedly told police that he had stored 15 consignments of about 200,000 meth pills, also known as Yaba,…

  • Thailand News

    Thai officials plan to nominate historic park for World Heritage status

    Thai officials are continuing to seek recognition for the kingdom’s rich heritage. The country’s World Heritage Convention Committee is collecting information for an application for the Phu Phra Bat Historical Park to be listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The park is located in Thailand’s northeast province of Udon Thani. The site demonstrates Thailand’s prehistoric beliefs, according to Lieutenant…

  • Pattaya News

    Pattaya’s Walk and Eat food festival coming up

    Foodies in Pattaya have something to look forward to. The city’s Walk and Eat food festival is coming up, after being cancelled or restricted for years due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The long festival will run from December 10 to January 29 at the Naklua fish market in Old Town Naklua. Attendees can sample tasty local dishes, and enjoy concerts…

  • South Thailand News

    Russian crewman’s hand cut off in Songkhla ship accident

    A Russian crewman’s hand was cut off in a brutal cargo ship accident off Songkhla. A team of doctors and emergency nurses rushed to help the man on Saturday, according to a Facebook post by the Maritime National Interest Administration Center- Sor Chon. The Russian man, 47 year old Evgenii Kriukov, was transferred to the Songkhla Naval Base Hospital. He…

  • Tourism News

    TAT holds Amazing Thailand Fest 2022 in India

    Thailand’s tourism officials held another event to draw visitors to the Land of Smiles, this time in India. The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), in cooperation with Team Thailand in India, held the ‘Amazing Thailand Fest 2022’ in New Deli from November 25-27. The event was part of TAT’s campaign Visit Thailand Year 2022: Amazing New Chapters. The festival displayed…

  • Crime News

    Man arrested in South Thailand for attempted murder in Phuket

    A man has been arrested in South Thailand’s Phatthalung province for attempted murder in Phuket four years ago. The man, 23 year old Thanakorn Phontha, was wanted on arrest warrants issued in January and August 2018. Officers found Thanakorn in his house on Moo 7 in the Srinakarin district, after finding through an investigation that he had been hiding in…

  • Pattaya News

    Pattaya International Fireworks Festival meets goal of over 100,000 spectators

    The Pattaya International Fireworks Festival 2022 has come to a close, and officials say the festival was a success. Pattaya Mayor Poramase Ngampiches said the festival met its goal of bringing back tourists to boost Pattaya’s economy. As expected, the festival drew over 100,000 spectators. Although there were some major traffic delays, there were no reports of other issues during…

  • World News

    Iranian Kurdish football player arrested after speaking out

    Iranian authorities arrested a former member of the country’s national football team on November 24. Voria Ghafouri was arrested for “insulting the national soccer team and propagandising against the government,” Iranian media reported. Ghafouri, who was not chosen to go to the World Cup, is a member of Iran’s Kurdish ethnic minority. He recently called for an end to the…

  • Koh Samui News

    VIDEO: Naked Russian man walks around with erection in Koh Samui

    A naked Russian man was spotted cavorting in Koh Samui yesterday. According to witness Justin Ross Lee, an American expat, the drunk man had somehow managed to find himself in the Secret Garden beach resort mixing with shocked leisure seekers. Lee told The Thaiger… “A drunk guy who was speaking Russian was walking on the beach naked with an erection…

  • Hua Hin News

    Hua Hin International Jazz Festival coming up

    The Hua Hin International Jazz Festival is coming up, with more than 30 artists from around the world en route to perform at the renowned tourism hotspot. Several local artists and bands will also be performing. The festival will be held from December 2-3 on Suan Son Pradit beach, in front of the Seapine Recreation Centre. Musicians will perform from…

  • Northern Thailand News

    Officials expand northeast Thailand’s Naga tourism with new travel route

    Officials are expanding northeast Thailand’s Naga tourism with an exciting new travel route. The route stops at places in the region where people can worship the mythical serpent. The route is organised by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT)’s Udon Thani office. Tourists on the route visit places of worship in the Udon Thani, Nong Khai, and Bueng Kan provinces.…

  • Road deaths

    Polish tourist killed in Phuket vehicle crash

    A Polish tourist was tragically killed in a vehicle crash in Phuket’s town of Kamala yesterday. The 69 year old man crashed his motorbike into a taxi car on Patong Road. Rescuers dashed to the scene to find the man lying on the road, having sustained severe head injuries. The taxi car and the motorbike were both damaged. The taxi…

  • Tourism News

    Tourists and seagulls flock to each other at a sandbar in central Thailand

    Tourists and seagulls are flocking to each other at a sandbar in central Thailand. At Don Hoi Lot, a sandbar in Samut Songkhram province, crowds of excited tourists are gathering to feed the birds fried chicken and pork skins from 5pm until sunset. Hundreds of seagulls arrived at Don Hoi Lot late last month, according to locals. Tourists are excited…

  • China News

    China’s Covid numbers hit record high

    The number of Covid-19 cases in China has hit a record high, major news outlets reported today. Yesterday, the country recorded 31,527 cases while Beijing recorded its fourth Covid-related death since last weekend. China’s previous Covid peak had been around 28,000 cases when Shanghai was locked down. Virus cases are being recorded in 31 provinces. Officials have tried to avoid…

  • Crime News

    Thai police arrest drug smugglers with 1.6 million meth pills, 1 suspect still on the loose

    Police arrested five drug smugglers in Thailand’s northern Kamphaeng Phet province yesterday. Officers from the Narcotics Suppression Division seized 1.6 million meth pills from the suspects. The suspects had been driving from Chiang Rai to Bangkok to deliver the pills. The police then apprehended them at a gas station. The pills were spread into 16 backpacks and were hidden in…

  • Phuket News

    CCTV across Phuket to be integrated as part of “Phuket Crime-Free”

    Phuket Governor Narong launched a new initiative earlier this week called “Phuket Crime-Free.” As part of the initiative, Phuket officials are making some innovations on the island province’s CCTV networks. CCTV networks across Phuket will now be integrated into one system. On Tuesday, there was a mass signing of an MoU between agencies and government offices involved. This included 12…

  • World News

    Walmart manager commits deadly shooting in US

    A Walmart manager committed a deadly shooting in the US. The gunman, 31 year old Andre Bing, shot and killed six people and injured six others on Tuesday before turning the gun on himself. The incident happened in the break room of a Walmart in Chesapeake, Virginia. Survivors said the gunman walked into a break room and opened fire. One…