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 News

    Amidst storms, red flags raised on Phuket’s beaches

    As storms continue to plunder through Phuket, red flags have been raised on the island province’s beaches. Beaches with red flags now include Patong Beach, Surin Beach, Kata Beach, and Karon Beach, among others. Tourists have been asked not to get in the water at these beaches while the red flags are posted. This news comes as stormy waves have…

  • Pattaya News

    Pattaya man threatens girlfriend’s brother with gun

    A man in Pattaya who had allegedly abused his girlfriend threatened her brother with a gun on Sunday. The man, 31 year old Kritsada, frequently physically abused his girlfriend, according to her brother, 22 year old Thanakul. Kritsada became enraged after his girlfriend went to stay with Thanakul. Thanakul said he had planned to meet Kritsada at a store in…

  • Crime News

    Infant’s body found in Phuket drainage pipe

    An infant’s body was discovered in a water drainage pipe in Phuket this morning. The baby girl was a newborn, only 1-3 days old, and found in Thalang district. A waterworks authority who had been working nearby alerted Cherng Talay Police about the infant’s body. The police are now investigating the case. There have been a few similar, disturbing incidents…

  • Bangkok News

    Details on Bangkok’s Green Line train contracts to be publicly disclosed

    Details on contracts for Bangkok’s Green Line Train are set to be publicly disclosed, although it has not been announced when. Krungthep Thanakom has agreed to publicly disclose details of its contract and memorandum of understanding with Bangkok Mass Transit System PLC, more commonly known in the capital as BTS. The contracts are for the first and second extensions of…

  • Phuket News

    Phuket officials visit flood-stricken municipality to help locals

    As Phuket continues to suffer heavy floods, officials have visited homes in one municipality to help residents manage the situation. Phuket Governor Narong visited homes in the Srisoothorn Municipality in Thalang district yesterday, along with the municipality’s mayor. Officers from the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation also helped. The group checked to make sure that locals were safe, and…

  • World News

    Sri Lanka’s children face malnutrition

    More and more children in Sri Lanka face malnutrition as the country’s economic crisis is spiralling out of control. Now, government agencies along with UN agencies are seeking donations for the island nation’s children. Sri Lanka’s Ministry for Women and Child Affairs is seeking private donations to feed possibly several hundred thousand children. The ministry’s secretary, Neil Hapuhinne, said that…

  • Northern Thailand News

    Thai police face challenges with identifying bodies in Northeast

    Police are facing some challenges in investigating the death of a couple in northeast Thailand. The bodies of a man and a woman were found in a forest in Nakhon Ratchasima province on July 28. Police believe the couple had been dead for two to four weeks when they were found, making it harder to identify the bodies. The Deputy…

  • Bangkok News

    Bangkok learning centre to host award ceremony for board game competition

    One Bangkok learning centre plans to host an awards ceremony for a recent competition it held. The ceremony will be held at TK Park, located on the eighth floor of Central World Bangkok on Rama I Road, from August 6-7. It will last from 10.30am to 5.30pm. TK Park, or The Knowledge Park, has libraries but it also has interactive…

  • World News

    Lucky American wins US$1.3 billion in lottery, identity still unknown

    One lucky American bought the winning lottery ticket at a convenience store outside Chicago in a draw on Friday and landed a US$1.3 billion jackpot. The lucky winner hasn’t been identified yet but, whoever it is, they have scooped the third biggest lottery jackpot in US history. The winning numbers were 13, 36, 45, 57, and 67, plus the mega…

  • Pattaya News

    Two foreigners killed in separate motorcycle crashes in Pattaya

    Two foreigners were killed in separate motorcycle accidents in Pattaya this weekend, with both incidents happening in the Nong Prue sub-district of Chon Buri’s Bang Lamung district. An Omani man was killed in a motorcycle accident in Pattaya last night (Saturday). Security guards heard at the Royal Cliff Hotel heard the sound of the crash when it happened. They rushed…

  • Bangkok News

    Bangkok officials working to prevent river overflows

    Bangkok officials are working to prevent overflows from the Chao Phraya River. This news comes after the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation warned last week that Bangkok and the other 10 provinces along the river needed to prepare for floods from July 28 until August 1 (tomorrow). Now, Bangkok’s governor Chadchart Sittipunt says the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration is working…

  • Phuket News

    Covid-19 outbreak in Phuket elderly home

    There’s been a Covid-19 outbreak in a Phuket elderly home, with a total of 45 people testing positive for the virus so far. Forty-two elderly residents and three guests have been infected, according to the Phuket Provincial Public Health Office Chief Dr Kusak Kukiattikoon. Dr Kusak said the office was informed of the outbreak on July 27. The Phuket Elder…

  • Pattaya News

    Chon Buri man shoots and kills stepson over noise

    A Chon Buri man claims he shot and killed his stepson in a fit of rage over his loud music. The stepfather, 58 year old Dairat Saelim, shot his stepson 36 year old Prasert Santalulai in the chest and right arm, killing him on the spot in their front yard in the Bor Thong district. Dairat told police that he…

  • Pattaya News

    Police arrest Australian man allegedly involved in Pattaya’s Harley Davidson shooting

    Police have arrested an Australian man who is a suspect in a shooting at a Pattaya Harley Davidson motorcycle shop, which happened back in April. Nongprue police arrested the man yesterday when he was trying to cross a border in Sa Kaeo province. The man is 61 year old Anthony George Leorga. In the shooting, four suspects had allegedly fired…

  • Central Thailand News

    Man from central Thailand accused of lese majeste over Facebook posts

    A man from central Thailand has been accused of violating Thailand’s lese majeste law, a human rights organisation reported this week. The law prohibits criticism of Thailand’s royal family. The man, 34 year old factory worker Udom was initially accused of violating the law based on Facebook posts that he wrote between October 2021 and January 2021, according to Thai…

  • Northern Thailand News

    UPDATE: Police find clues in likely murder case in northeast Thailand

    UPDATE Police have found clues in a likely murder case in northeast Thailand. This news comes after villagers the bodies of a man and a woman in a forest in Chok Chai district in Nakhon Ratchasima province on Thursday night. Now, police have found microchips in the woman’s silicon breast implants. She also had unique tattoos. These include a tattoo…

  • Eastern Thailand News

    Celebrity among thousands of tourists on holiday in Koh Chang

    Eastern Thailand’s picturesque island of Koh Chang has been drawing tourists over Thailand’s long holiday weekend, including one celebrity. One of Thailand’s most famous actors, Nadech Kugimiya, was spotted at a show at the Klong Son Elephant camp yesterday. Nadech reportedly donated 160,000 baht for elephant feed. He posted photos and videos of his visit on Instagram. One video shows…

  • Phuket News

    Flooding chaos in Phuket

    Yes, Thailand’s monsoon season is still here, and Phuket has been hit by the latest round of flooding chaos. After heavy rain poured down on the island province, cars were slowly driving through high floods in the main city district yesterday. Many people have come to Phuket for the long holiday weekend, which has added to the traffic problems. Traffic…

  • World News

    3 Thais detained and fined in Malaysia following drug tests

    Three Thais planning to travel to Malaysia during the long weekend were in for a surprise. The travellers had been crossing a checkpoint into Malaysia from South Thailand’s Satun province this week. When Malaysian authorities took urine samples from the three, they were found to have traces of marijuana in their bodies. The tourists were fined 50,000 baht, and jailed…

  • Pattaya News

    Pattaya transgender foundation concerned about stereotypes following thefts

    A foundation in Pattaya is concerned about stereotypes against transgender people. This news follows a series of thefts against Indian tourists this year, many by transgender people. Most of the thefts involve transgender people snatching gold necklaces off tourists’ necks. However, there was also an incident this week when an Indian tourist said a transgender person stole his wallet. One…

  • Tourism News

    Thailand has 2 of the world’s most beautiful beaches, UK newspaper says

    After all these years, Thailand continues to be renowned for its breathtaking beaches. Thailand has two of the “World’s 20 Most Beautiful Beaches” on a list published by UK’s Daily Star newspaper. Thailand’s Sunrise Beach was ranked in sixth place, and Maya Bay came in at 12th place on the list. Both beaches are located in South Thailand. Sunrise Beach is…

  • World News

    Sri Lanka former president’s stay in Singapore extended

    After fleeing to Singapore on July 14, Sri Lanka’s former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa will now be able to stay in the country until August 11, Reuters reported today. Gotabaya fled Sri Lanka after over 100,000 protestors stormed the presidential palace, demanding that he and the country’s PM resign. Since Gotabaya fled, Sri Lanka’s parliament elected former PM Ranil Wickremesinghe as the…

  • Phuket News

    Foreigner’s body found off Phuket beach

    A foreigner’s body was found in waters off Yanui Beach in Phuket’s main city district this morning. Even though police found an American passport with the body, they stressed that they have not yet officially identified the man. The passport is for a 73 year old man. Police also found Thai and Korean cash with the body, as well as…

  • Pattaya News

    Blaze breaks out at Pattaya hotel

    A fire broke out on the seventh floor of a Pattaya hotel earlier this week. The blaze ripped through a storage room with electrical boxes at the LK Royal Suite Hotel on July 25. The hotel is located in Chon Buri’s Bang Lamung district. Luckily, no injuries were reported, and the fire was put out by the time firefighters arrived…

  • Crime News

    Businessman rejects rumours of arrest over marijuana seizure at Bangkok airport

    A businessman is rejecting rumours that he was arrested after customs seized his marijuana products at a Bangkok airport. Customs at Suvarnabhumi airport seized 5.3 kilograms of illegally imported marijuana flowers and hemp products from him earlier this week. He had allegedly smuggled the products in from the US. The suspect, who many Thais call ‘Tom Kreuasophon,’ is known by…

  • Phuket News

    No more monkey business! Phuket monkeys lose tourists from monkeypox scare

    Phuket’s monkeys are missing out on their usual feedings from tourists at Koh Siray island’s monkey viewpoint. At the viewpoint, tourists usually buy fruit from vendors to feed to the roughly 200 monkeys there. But following Phuket’s recent monkeypox scare, after a Nigerian man was found to have the virus, fewer tourists are coming to feed their furry friends. Local…

  • Thailand News

    Thailand upgrades monkeypox alert to national level

    Thai officials are on guard for monkeypox. The country has upgraded its monkeypox alert to the national level today. Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul called an emergency meeting today after the World Health Organisation declared monkeypox a Global Health Emergency. This news comes after a Nigerian man, who was the first person recorded with monkeypox in Thailand, escaped to Cambodia.…

  • Covid-19 News

    Thailand reports increase in Covid-19 related deaths and serious cases

    Thailand has reported a jump in Covid-19 related deaths, and serious cases, throughout the past week. The Public Health Ministry said this morning that there have been 2,390 more coronavirus in-patients and 29 new deaths in the past 24 hours. The numbers provided by Worldometers for today (July 24) are 2,390 new cases and 30 deaths. All the new infections…

  • Pattaya News

    Pattaya vendors grumpy about python and homeless people bothering customers

    Just a normal day in Pattaya. Vendors in Pattaya are grumpy that homeless people have been bothering customers, and a huge python added to the chaos on Friday. According to vendors at South Pattaya’s Wat Chaimongkol Market, homeless people have been sexually harassing female customers, speaking crudely to them. Many vagrants camp out on sidewalks around the market. Then on…

  • South Thailand News

    Rescuers carry injured Dutch hiker down steep mountain in South Thailand

    Rescuers have carried an injured Dutch hiker in a stretcher down a mountain on South Thailand’s island of Koh Pha Ngan yesterday. The man, 48 year old Jan Harm Kedde, broke his ankle after slipping and falling on a rock on Hat Khom mountain. He had been hiking with a friend. After trekking down the mountain for two and a…