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.
  • Bangkok NewsFamous porn star to fight model in Bangkok boxing match

    Famous porn star to fight model in Bangkok boxing match

    A famous Thai porn star and a model are planning to beat each other up in a Bangkok Muay Thai match on July 9. The 37 year old adult film star, Kesarin Chaichalermpol, better known as ‘Nong Natt’ has posted several steamy workout videos on instagram, although no posts actually show her doing Muay Thai training…   View this post…

  • World NewsLaotian tourists are flocking to Thailand

    Laotian tourists are flocking to Thailand

    Crowds of eager Laotian tourists are flocking to Thailand now that Thailand and Laos have eased travel restrictions this month. Deputy government spokeswoman Rachada Dhnadirek said yesterday that the checkpoint in Nong Khai, which borders Laos in Northeastern Thailand, is now the fourth most popular entry point into Thailand. The top 3 most popular entry points are Suvarnabhumi and Phuket…

  • Economy NewsIn midst of price inflation, Thailand to freeze prices on dozens of products

    In midst of price inflation, Thailand to freeze prices on dozens of products

    In the midst of the world’s overwhelming price inflation, Thailand plans to freeze the prices of 46 items. The items are grouped into 9 categories, which are: paper and paper products, transport-related products, farm-related products, petroleum products, medicines, construction materials, “important” farm products, consumer products and food. The items include bicycle and car tires, motorcycles and trucks, water pumps, fertiliser,…

  • Pattaya NewsFree massages in Pattaya until end of June

    Free massages in Pattaya until end of June

    Feeling stressed? A project training aspiring massage therapists is providing free massages at Pattaya City Hall from Monday to Friday from 9am-3pm, on the fourth floor. The project began this week, and will last until June 30. If you’re dying for relief from your hectic daily life, 20 massage trainees are happy to help. Massages are free for both Thais,…

  • Thailand TravelThailand’s cabinet approves budget to help Andaman tourism and development

    Thailand’s cabinet approves budget to help Andaman tourism and development

    Thailand’s cabinet is making it a priority to support development in the country’s Andaman provinces of Phuket, Phang Nga, Krabi, Trang, and Satun. The budget of 338.8 million baht will go towards 6 projects in environmental and tourism development. A budget of 80.8 million baht will go to health services and environmental systems projects at Lipe Island in Satun. A…

  • World NewsPakistani government tells people “drink less tea” amidst economic crisis

    Pakistani government tells people “drink less tea” amidst economic crisis

    Pakistan is the latest of several countries hit by an economic crisis. In the midst of the crisis, Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Planning and Development has some interesting instructions for citizens: drink less tea. Pakistan is the world’s largest importer of tea, buying more than US$640 million worth in 2020, according to the Observatory of Economic Complexity. The minister, Ahsan…

  • Phuket NewsSea turtle lays 60 eggs at Phang Nga beach

    Sea turtle lays 60 eggs at Phang Nga beach

    A national park in South Thailand’s Phang Nga province has reported yesterday that 60 sea turtle eggs were found on a beach near the park’s office. The eggs are believed to have come from a green sea turtle, and are expected to hatch in 60 days. The eggs have now been moved to a safe area nearby, in order to…

  • Pattaya NewsCompletion of Pattaya’s Walking Street postponed again

    Completion of Pattaya’s Walking Street postponed again

    Pattaya City authorities are kicking the can down the road again. After Pattaya city officials announced last month that construction of the city’s famous Walking Street would finish in August, they now say it will be completed in September (presumably September 2022). The contractor, DD Infrastructure Company, informed Pattaya’s city council chairman that the postponing is due to the delay…

  • Bangkok NewsFormer Bangkok police inspector gets 20 years for murdering girlfriend in 2020

    Former Bangkok police inspector gets 20 years for murdering girlfriend in 2020

    A former inspector from Bangkok’s Wang Thoglang Police station has been sentenced yesterday to 20 years in jail for murdering his girlfriend in 2020. The man, 31 year old Songklod ‘Boy’ Boonsong, shot and killed his girlfriend, 30 year old Pimchadaporn ‘Nim’ Puyamsai at a townhouse in Bangkok’s Bang Kapi. Boy shot Nim in the head. Boy claims he accidently…

  • Thailand NewsTAT says it’s the season for venemous jellyfish in Thailand

    TAT says it’s the season for venemous jellyfish in Thailand

    After thousands of “fire jellyfish” washed up on the shores of Krabi’s Bok Khorani National Park earlier this week, Thailand’s tourism authorities are warning of more venomous jellyfish to come. On Facebook, the Tourism Authority of Thailand has urged swimmers and snorkelers not to take any risks on beaches where jellyfish warning sings have been posted. TAT acknowledged that it’s…

  • Eastern Thailand NewsOfficials in eastern Thailand scramble to save tree from tourists

    Officials in eastern Thailand scramble to save tree from tourists

    Officials in eastern Thailand are scrambling to save a lone tree on a tiny islet off Trat province from tourist destruction. The islet is only a few metres wide, with nothing on it except the tree and its roots. The director of maintenance at Koh Mak Tambon Administrative Organisation, Lertrob Saithongpu, said the wee little islet can only handle 5…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket vice governor announces 5 year goal to cut road deaths in half

    Phuket vice governor announces 5 year goal to cut road deaths in half

    Phuket’s Vice Governor Anupap announced a 5 year goal for reducing Phuket’s road deaths at a meeting yesterday. Anupap said the goal for 2027 is to have only 12 deaths per 100,000 people. This would mean 41 road deaths a year in Phuket. Last year, Phuket saw 70 road deaths. To meet the 2027 goal, Phuket would have to cut…

  • South Thailand NewsFull Moon Party in Koh Pha Ngan sees double the tourists

    Full Moon Party in Koh Pha Ngan sees double the tourists

    The third Full Moon Party of the year on Koh Pha Ngan has drawn double the number of tourists to South Thailand’s Koh Pha Ngan since the first party back in April. Last night, about 20,000 visitors arrived on the shores of Haad Rin. The tourists passed through 5 checkpoints to be screened for weapons and drugs before they could…

  • Pattaya NewsArtificial reefs placed around Pattaya’s Koh Larn and Koh Sak

    Artificial reefs placed around Pattaya’s Koh Larn and Koh Sak

    Thailand’s authorities are building new homes for Pattaya’s marine critters, hoping to boost coastal tourism. Yesterday, government authorities placed 300 sets of artificial reefs around Koh Larn and Koh Sak, 2 small islands off Pattaya. Pattaya’s Deputy Permanent Secretary, Kiattisak Sriwongchai, said the island’s coral reef had been especially damaged by people walking in them. The artificial reefs are made…

  • Crime NewsBrother of pregnant Thai woman murdered in Taiwan demands justice

    Brother of pregnant Thai woman murdered in Taiwan demands justice

    The brother of a Thai woman murdered in Taiwan is calling on police to catch the killer. Thirty-eight year old Yingyot Sae Li said the man who murdered his sister and her husband had been very close to his family, and grew up in the same village as them. His sister, Potjanee, had been 5 pregnant with twins when the…

  • China NewsMen brutally attack group of women at restaurant in China

    Men brutally attack group of women at restaurant in China

    Several men attacked a group of women at a restaurant in northern China last week after one of the women rejected a man’s advances. Security footage shows a man in a restaurant in the city of Tangshan approach a woman dining with 2 of her friends. The man puts his hand on the woman’s back, and she pushes him away.…

  • World NewsThai and Laotian officials discuss border trafficking

    Thai and Laotian officials discuss border trafficking

    Thai and Laotian officials met in Bangkok today to discuss trafficking along their countries’ borders, among other subjects. Last week, the 2 countries signed a Memorandum of Understanding agreeing to work together on a wide range of issues, among them drug and human trafficking. Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan, and Laotian Deputy Prime Minister Chansamone Chanyalath, also discussed…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket officials hold job fair, wanting to solve unemployment problems

    Phuket officials hold job fair, wanting to solve unemployment problems

    A job fair in Phuket yesterday featured over 30 employers receiving applications from hopeful searchers. Phuket’s Vice Governor Pichet, who facilitated the event’s opening, noted that “there is a lot of interest in applying for a job”. The fair advertised 1,000 vacancies. It was held at the Central Festival Phuket, in the middle of the island. Pichet added that the…

  • Northern Thailand NewsNortheast Thai man shoots and kills ex-wife, and himself, after she refuses to re-unite

    Northeast Thai man shoots and kills ex-wife, and himself, after she refuses to re-unite

    A man in Northeast Thailand has shot and killed his ex-wife after she refused to go back to him. The man, 35 year old soldier Akkhaphon Phonphan, shot his ex-wife, 34 year old nurse Naphaporn Nakkiew, at Khon Kaen Hospital in the early hours of this morning, before turning the gun on himself. According to Khon Kaen city police, Naphaporn’s…

  • Northern Thailand NewsFormer police inspector in North Thailand scammed, loses retirement funds

    Former police inspector in North Thailand scammed, loses retirement funds

    A scam gang, pretending to be police, have tricked a former police inspector in North Thailand into handing over all of his retirement money, totalling 1.8 million baht. The former inspector, who lives in Lampang province, said the scammers called him on June 1, claiming to be from the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission. The scammers told the former inspector…

  • Economy NewsEmployment at Thailand’s venues slowly picks up following nightlife reopening

    Employment at Thailand’s venues slowly picks up following nightlife reopening

    Aspiring bartenders can dream again, because now that Thailand’s nightlife is ‘officially’ back on, venues are slowly employing again. The country’s pubs, bars, karaoke bars, massage parlors and other venues are picking up the pieces after having to lay off employees during the Covid-19 pandemic. This news comes after Thailand stopped requiring such venues to call themselves ‘restaurants’ on June…

  • Pattaya NewsChon Buri teacher allegedly injures student with forced exersises

    Chon Buri teacher allegedly injures student with forced exersises

    A teacher in Sri Racha district of Chon Buri province has allegedly injured a 12 year old student by forcing her to do 60 squat jumps. The girl’s father says she was hospitalised for 6 days for “a very bad fever and leg pain”. He said his daughter was discharged from the hospital on May 31. The father, 36 year…

  • Phuket NewsUPDATE: Phuket hospital director speaks at press conference on baby’s broken arm

    UPDATE: Phuket hospital director speaks at press conference on baby’s broken arm

    UPDATE The director of Vachira Phuket Hospital, where a newborn baby mysteriously suffered a broken arm, has spoken at a press conference on the incident yesterday. The director, Dr. Weerasak Lorthongkam, said the baby was in a normal state after she was born (on May 23). He said that on June 5, she was able to move her arms and…

  • Bangkok NewsBangkok’s new governor requests a year to study traffic solutions for the city

    Bangkok’s new governor requests a year to study traffic solutions for the city

    Bangkok’s newly elected governor has requested a year to study how best to solve the city’s traffic problems. In a meeting with metropolitan police today, Governor Chadchart Sittipunt outlined plans to set up a traffic command centre, which will cooperate with several other institutions. These include traffic police, the Transport Ministry, the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority, the metro system, and…

  • Pattaya NewsLocals complain of people having sex at Pattaya Train Station

    Locals complain of people having sex at Pattaya Train Station

    Get a room! Locals are complaining of used condoms left around the tracks of Pattaya Train Station in Bang Lamung district of Chon Buri. There have been complaints about the issue as far back as December, however, police claim they have not slacked off on patrolling the station. Instead, officers from Bang Lamung Police Station say the troublemakers are having…

  • World NewsDengue fever breaks out in Singapore

    Dengue fever breaks out in Singapore

    Dengue fever has broken out in Singapore, as the number of cases has already climbed to more than double the number throughout all of 2021. The city-state’s peak dengue season usually begins on June 1. A spokesperson for Singapore’s Ministry of Health told CNN that on May 28 this year, Singapore already had about 11,670 cases. Throughout all of 2021,…

  • Phuket NewsMan dies after being swept out to sea in Phuket

    Man dies after being swept out to sea in Phuket

    A man in Phuket’s Thalang district has died after being swept out to sea when he went fishing near a beach earlier this week. Rescuers found the man’s body between several giant rocks near Banana Beach on Monday (June 6). The man’s girlfriend said he had been fishing on a rock on Sunday as she accompanied him. When a huge…

  • Thailand NewsEven Thailand’s monkeys don’t have monkeypox

    Even Thailand’s monkeys don’t have monkeypox

    Thai officials have now run tens of thousands of tests for monkeypox on monkeys throughout Thailand (we’re not quite sure why). There have so far been 25,000 tests, out of 50,000 monkeys in 222 locations across the country. Yesterday, a veterinarian at the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, Phattarapol Mee-on, announced that all the tests have turned…

  • Pattaya News5 million Indian tourists in Pattaya this year?

    5 million Indian tourists in Pattaya this year?

    The Tourism Authority of Thailand is making optimistic predictions about Indian tourists arriving in the Kingdom, this time in Pattaya! TAT officials announced yesterday that TAT expects 5 million tourists to visit Pattaya by the end of this 2022. Just last week, TAT said that its goal for the number of Indian tourists in Thailand overall was 3,000 per day…

  • World NewsSingapore is looking to Thailand and other countries for its chicken supplies

    Singapore is looking to Thailand and other countries for its chicken supplies

    Singapore’s chicken supply is depending on Thailand, plus a few other countries, after Malaysia banned poultry exports last month. Before the ban, about a third of Singapore’s chicken came from Malaysia. In a country that takes its Chicken Rice meal VERY seriously, the situation has become an acute supply chain shortage in the island nation. Singaporean Minister of State for…