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.
  • Phuket NewsPhuket car suddenly catches fire

    Phuket car suddenly catches fire

    A car suddenly caught fire yesterday in the town of Chalong in Phuket. Firefighters rushed to the scene near the junction of Soi Ta-ied and Chao Fa East Road, to find the front of the Mazda sedan ablaze. Luckily, they were able to get the fire under control in only four minutes, and no injuries were reported. Still, the flames…

  • Phuket NewsFood fair coming up in Phuket

    Food fair coming up in Phuket

    The town of Kathu in Phuket is hosting a healthy food fair later this month. The seventh annual food fair and healthy market will take place from August 25-27. The fair will include a cooking competition, a music competition from students, family running, and live music. There will also be free massages, free cat and dog sterilizations, free haircuts, and…

  • Thailand Weather UpdatesHeavy rain expected for next few days in 40 Thai provinces

    Heavy rain expected for next few days in 40 Thai provinces

    If you live in Thailand and you’re not already packing an umbrella with you every time you leave the house, now might be a good time to start. The country’s meteorological department said today that it expects heavy to very heavy rain to pour down on 40 of Thailand’s provinces until Monday (August 22). The rains will likely hit these…

  • Pattaya NewsPattaya Police Station deemed “satisfactory” in annual evaluation

    Pattaya Police Station deemed “satisfactory” in annual evaluation

    Pattaya Police have received a high enough score to be deemed “satisfactory” in the Royal Thai Police’s annual assessment this week. The Pattaya Police Station scored 90% on the evaluation. The evaluation assessed police on: general service, criminal justice administration, security of lives and property, traffic control and management, personal management and development, and police drilling and tactics. The evaluation…

  • South Thailand NewsSix children rushed to hospital after bridge collapses in South Thailand

    Six children rushed to hospital after bridge collapses in South Thailand

    Yesterday was a terrifying day for a group of 50 fifth graders and teachers on a nature field trip in South Thailand. As the group was walking across a bridge in the Chian Yai district of Nakhon Si Thammarat province, the bridge collapsed, causing everyone to fall into the water below. Six children were rushed to nearby hospitals for their…

  • Pattaya NewsPrime suspect in Pattaya’s thefts against Indian tourists arrested

    Prime suspect in Pattaya’s thefts against Indian tourists arrested

    There’s been a major development in the chaos this year around thieves stealing from Indian tourists in Pattaya. One of the prime suspects has been arrested on August 15, police reported yesterday. Tourist Police Colonel Somchai Theerapatphaisarn said the suspect, named Frame, is a transgender individual. Somchai said Frame had fled to Bangkok, and they have allegedly confessed to multiple…

  • Thailand NewsVisa extensions for foreign visitors to Thailand coming in October

    Visa extensions for foreign visitors to Thailand coming in October

    It’s official, that Thailand’s CCSA has said yes to longer visas for foreign travellers to the country. Starting October 1 this year, the exemption period extension for foreign visitors will be extended from 30 days to 45 days. Meanwhile, the visa-on-arrival scheme will go from 15 days to 30 days, the CCSA announced yesterday. The visa extensions will last until…

  • World News“Drink more booze” Japan urges youth with new contest

    “Drink more booze” Japan urges youth with new contest

    Japan’s alcohol sales have gone way down since Covid-19 restrictions, and the government is desperate to bring them up again. Numbers show that Japan’s young drink quite significantly less than its old. While about 30% of people in their 40s to 60s drink regularly, only 7.8% of people in their 20s do. Meanwhile, sales at Japan’s pubs were cut in…

  • Thailand NewsPolice shoot and kill major drug trafficker in Kanchanaburi

    Police shoot and kill major drug trafficker in Kanchanaburi

    Police have shot and killed a major drug trafficker in the western province of Kanchanaburi, Thai media reported yesterday. The trafficker, a 30 year old man known as ‘Mot Daodam’ had been a major distributor of narcotics in Kanchanaburi, as well as Ratchaburi. Ratchaburi police found out about Mot Daodam through small-time dealers they had arrested. A team of Ratchaburi…

  • Pattaya NewsFerocious cobra bites rescuer’s girlfriend in Chon Buri

    Ferocious cobra bites rescuer’s girlfriend in Chon Buri

    A ferocious cobra bit a rescuer’s girlfriend in Chon Buri’s Sri Racha district this week. Locals had called the rescuer on Tuesday after spotting the two-meter-long monocled cobra in their house. The species is highly venomous. The 41 year old Pattipan, an officer from a foundation, arrived on the scene. He brought his girlfriend, 29 year old Apirat, along with…

  • Crime NewsAlleged kidnapper arrested, girl reunited with parents after months

    Alleged kidnapper arrested, girl reunited with parents after months

    A man who allegedly kidnapped a young girl in Phuket in February was arrested in South Thailand on Tuesday. The victim, a 13 year old girl, has been reunited with her parents. The suspect, 33 year old Somsak, allegedly kidnapped the girl on Rawai Beach in the main city district of Phuket, where she had been selling flowers. The girl’s…

  • Pattaya NewsFather tragically drowns while fishing in Chon Buri pond

    Father tragically drowns while fishing in Chon Buri pond

    A Chon Buri woman tragically lost her father, after he drowned in a deserted pond in the main city district yesterday. The woman, 22 year old Maneemol, went to look for her father, 54 year old Kwanjai after she noticed he had been out fishing for an unusually long time. Maneemol arrived at the pond to find her father’s bucket…

  • Crime NewsThais cautioned against fake government websites

    Thais cautioned against fake government websites

    Thais are being told to be aware of websites pretending to be government agencies’ pages. A deputy government spokesperson said on Friday that cybercriminals are using these fake sites to get people’s data and even hack their devices. The spokesperson, Rachada Dhnadirek, gave one example that showed just how advanced some of the fake government sites are. A fake Department…

  • World NewsAnother Thai boxer dies from brain injury after fight in Malaysia

    Another Thai boxer dies from brain injury after fight in Malaysia

    Another Thai boxer has tragically died from a brain injury after a fight. The boxer, known as Petchkeng Kaiyanghadao, had been fighting in Malaysia, according to his martial arts club at Rajamangala University of Technology Phra Nakhon. In a Facebook post, the martial arts club described Petchkeng as a skilled fighter. Petchkeng had been an alumnus at the university. The…

  • Pattaya NewsVIDEO: Young Thais have a blast at Pattaya Music Festival weekend 2

    VIDEO: Young Thais have a blast at Pattaya Music Festival weekend 2

    Young Thais had a blast during the second weekend of the Pattaya Music Festival last night, and on Friday. Hundreds of teens took to Jomtien Beach to watch popular singers and bands perform live, including pop-rock artist ‘Stamp.’ Hip hop artists also performed. Video footage from The Pattaya News shows the eager youngsters packing onto the beach and the roads around it.…

  • Environment NewsAnti-Corruption Network complains of smelly wastewater in coastal Thai province

    Anti-Corruption Network complains of smelly wastewater in coastal Thai province

    A local chapter of the Anti-Corruption Network has complained of foul smelling wastewater released onto a beach in Thailand’s coastal province of Prachuap Khiri Khan, located near the Gulf of Thailand. The chapter says that six officials are overlooking the problems with a hotel dumping wastewater onto the beach near the town hall, in the main city district. A recent…

  • Pattaya NewsPattaya night club owner gives free meals on Thai Mother’s Day

    Pattaya night club owner gives free meals on Thai Mother’s Day

    A Pattaya night club owner performed an act of kindness on Thai Mother’s Day on Friday. The Stones House night club is located on Pattaya’s famous Walking Street, a tourist hotspot and renowned party area. But this past Friday evening was a time for families lining up in front of the club. The club’s owner, Amporn Kaewsang, worked with her…

  • Central Thailand NewsPolice find fake Covid-19 tests worth millions in central Thailand

    Police find fake Covid-19 tests worth millions in central Thailand

    After raids this week, police have found tens of thousands of falsely labelled Covid-19 tests, along with medical supplies, in central Thailand worth about 2 million baht. Police posed as customers to crack down on a building in the province of Nakhon Pathom, and a house in the province of Nonthaburi, on July 11. In the Nakhon Pathom building, police…

  • World NewsUPDATE: Rushdie is talking again, attacker pleads not guilty

    UPDATE: Rushdie is talking again, attacker pleads not guilty

    UPDATE Renowned author Salman Rushdie appears to be recovering after being brutally attacked while giving a speech in New York City on Friday. The 75 year old was taken off a ventilator yesterday, and his agent confirmed that he was talking again. Rushdie has three stab wounds to his neck, four to his stomach, a puncture wound to his right…

  • Crime NewsForeign parrotfisher in Krabi says he’s sorry

    Foreign parrotfisher in Krabi says he’s sorry

    UPDATE The foreign man spotted parrotfishing off an island in South Thailand’s Krabi province has said today that he is sorry for his actions. The man had been fishing in the Hat Noppharat Thara-Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park. Catching fish in a national park is illegal under Thailand’s National Park Act BE 2562. A storm of Thai netizens went…

  • Northern Thailand NewsTropical storm ‘Mulan’ makes a splash in the north of Thailand

    Tropical storm ‘Mulan’ makes a splash in the north of Thailand

    The tropical storm ‘Mulan’ that meteorologists warned would hit Thailand has now poured down on the country’s north and northeast regions. The regions dealt with flash floods yesterday (Friday), due to heavy rain caused by the depression from the storm. In the northern province of Phayao, villagers in Nam Bong forest were forced to evacuate when flash floods swallowed their…

  • Phuket NewsFire breaks out at Patong bar

    Fire breaks out at Patong bar

    A fire broke out at a Patong bar on Thursday, at the tourist hotspot of Bangla Road. Firefighters rushed to the scene to find smoke coming out of the bar. Firefighters reported that the incident was caused by sparks from a high voltage electric cable above the bar. Luckily, no injuries were reported. A photo by The Phuket Express shows…

  • World NewsUPDATE: Salman Rushdie on ventilator, details on stabber emerge

    UPDATE: Salman Rushdie on ventilator, details on stabber emerge

    UPDATE Fearless writer Salman Rushdie has sustained some very serious injuries after a man stabbed him yesterday at a speech he gave in New York. The attacker stabbed the 75 year old wordsmith in his neck and torso. Rushdie is now on a ventilator at a hospital, and unable to speak. Rushdie’s agent says his liver is damaged, nerves in…

  • Thailand NewsCampaign to get international training for Thai teen declared record sprinter

    Campaign to get international training for Thai teen declared record sprinter

    One young Thai athlete is giving the kingdom a new reason to be proud. World Athletics has declared a Thai teenager the fastest 100 metre sprinter in the world at under 18 years old. The 16 year old boy, Puripol Boonson, recorded 10.09 seconds in a 100 metre sprint, and 20.19 seconds in a 200 metre sprint, at the World…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket officials say no human trafficking cases found in island province

    Phuket officials say no human trafficking cases found in island province

    Thailand is notorious for its human trafficking problems, but a Phuket government sub-committee says it has found no human trafficking cases on the island province. The sub-committee works with the Phuket Provincial Trafficking Prevention and Suppression Action Center. At a meeting at City Hall yesterday, Phuket’s vice governor said the sub-committee’s efforts are focusing on five key areas of human…

  • Northern Thailand NewsNigerian and Vietnamese couple found dead linked to drug trade

    Nigerian and Vietnamese couple found dead linked to drug trade

    The two foreign nationals found buried in a forest in northeast Thailand last month might have been linked to the drug trade, according to the national police. The couple, a 38 year old Nigerian man and a 33 year old Vietnamese woman was found buried in a forest in Nakhon Ratchasima province on July 28. Today, Thailand’s national police chief…

  • Pattaya NewsFree noodles for beach cleaners after Pattaya Music Festival mess

    Free noodles for beach cleaners after Pattaya Music Festival mess

    Music festivals are fun, but they often create heaps of trash. One Pattaya noodle vendor felt sympathy for some beach cleaners dealing with the mess from the Pattaya Music Festival this past weekend. So she decided to treat them to her noodles for free. The vendor, 51 year old Walaiphan, said she saw how hard everyone was working to clean…

  • World NewsLots of Hong Kongers are searching for flights to Bangkok

    Lots of Hong Kongers are searching for flights to Bangkok

    Lots of Hong Kongers have been searching for flights to Bangkok ever since their government announced fewer quarantine days on Monday. From now on, people travelling to Hong Kong will only be required to quarantine in a hotel for three nights, down from seven. The day the government announced this, flight searches out of the territory jumped by 290%, and…

  • Politics NewsUPDATE: Sri Lanka’s exiled president allowed temporary Thailand stay, with conditions

    UPDATE: Sri Lanka’s exiled president allowed temporary Thailand stay, with conditions

    UPDATE Sri Lanka’s exiled president Gotabaya Rajapaksa will be allowed to stay in Thailand for 90 days, according to Thailand’s Deputy PM Don Pramudwinai. Don is also Thailand’s Minister of Foreign Affairs. Don told Thai media that he understands Sri Lankans are angry at their former president, and he stressed that Gotabaya will only be allowed to stay for a…

  • China NewsAnother new virus found in China reportedly spread from shrews

    Another new virus found in China reportedly spread from shrews

    After the global disaster of Covid-19, another new virus has been reported in China, known as the “Langya” virus. On Tuesday, 35 people were reported to be infected with Langya in eastern China. The virus is believed to have spread from shrews, and tests have detected it in 71 out of 262 shrews, 27% of the shrews tested. Symptoms of…