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.
  • Crime NewsThai police bust major drug smuggling operation, seize illegal substances bound for overseas

    Thai police bust major drug smuggling operation, seize illegal substances bound for overseas

    Thai police yesterday revealed the quantity of drugs seized since October of last year, which were intended for illicit transportation across borders. The Airport Interdiction Task Force (AITF) and the Narcotics Suppression Bureau (NSB) worked together to seize the drugs. Pol. Lt. Gen. Sarayut Sanguanphokai, the commissioner-general of the NSB, announced the results. The drugs seized since October 2022 included…

  • Phuket NewsChinese tourists bring Thai school uniform trend to famous spots in Phuket

    Chinese tourists bring Thai school uniform trend to famous spots in Phuket

    Chinese tourists have now brought the new trend of dressing up in Thai school uniforms to famous spots in downtown Phuket. These hotspots include Museum Phuket, ThaiRath reported yesterday. The museum is a well known landmark with its clock standing high above the main building. Chinese tourists also enjoyed taking photos of themselves dressed in Thai school uniforms at Chiang Mai…

  • Tourism NewsPattaya mayor attends Thailand tourism event in Germany

    Pattaya mayor attends Thailand tourism event in Germany

    Thailand continues to make its mark as a tourism destination across the globe. Pattaya’s mayor this week visited Germany to attend a Thailand tourism event. Mayor Poramase Ngampiches visited Berlin to attend the ‘Discover Thailand, Journey to Happiness.’ The tourism stimulus expo was set to run from March 9 to 11, Pattaya News reported. The event aimed to attract high-spending…

  • Pattaya NewsAmerican injured in Pattaya car crash

    American injured in Pattaya car crash

    An American man was injured in a Pattaya car crash this week. The man, 68 year old David Andrew Rogers, rear-ended an 18-wheeler rig with his pickup truck, Pattaya Mail reported. The collision caused Rogers’s Nissan Navara to flip. The incident happened on Tuesday, March 7 on Sukhumvit Road in front of Srisuvit School, located north of Rong Po market.…

  • Phuket NewsBody spotted off Phuket believed to be missing Romanian diver

    Body spotted off Phuket believed to be missing Romanian diver

    Nearly two months after the search for the Romanian diver who went missing at sea off Phuket ended, officials believe that his body has been found. A body was spotted floating off Phuket’s Koh Kaew island yesterday, The Phuket News reported. At 12.30pm, an unnamed boat captain told Chalong Police that he found a legless body in the water some…

  • Thailand NewsFamily of British man in coma needs help to bring him home from Thailand

    Family of British man in coma needs help to bring him home from Thailand

    A British man’s family is appealing for help to bring him home from Thailand, where he is fighting for his life following a terrible motorbike crash. The man, 32 year old Jay Bridgehouse from Stockport, travelled to Thailand for a chance to ‘chase his dreams’ and look for work, Manchester Evening News reported. But tragedy struck when a pickup truck ploughed…

  • Environment NewsPeople in central Thailand have no place to hide from landfill emissions

    People in central Thailand have no place to hide from landfill emissions

    Residents of Thailand’s central provinces of Lop Buri and Sa Kaeo have no place to hide from emissions caused by landfill fires. In Lop Buri’s Hua Samrong sub-district, residents complained about the foul smell and smoke emanating from the burning landfill operated by Tha Wung sub-district municipal office. The smoke and smell are said to be penetrating their homes, even…

  • Phuket NewsAnother meeting with French consul on French motorbikers in Phuket

    Another meeting with French consul on French motorbikers in Phuket

    There’s been yet another meeting with the French Consul in Phuket addressing the issue of dangerous motorbike driving by French nationals on the island. This is after the former French Consul in Phuket met with Patong Police over the issue just last month. The Honorary Consul of France in Phuket, Alain Faudot, along with the Consul at the French Embassy…

  • LifestyleWhich 10 food names are the most commonly mispronounced?

    Which 10 food names are the most commonly mispronounced?

    Many people struggle to pronounce the names of certain foods. The rental property search engine Holidu has compiled a list of the top 10 most commonly mispronounced food names, along with their correct pronunciations. The list was published in Daily Mail on Wednesday. Researchers collected 100 foreign foods that many people have a tough time pronouncing. Then they found the…

  • Pattaya NewsChon Buri woman dies in motorbike crash, young daughter seriously injured

    Chon Buri woman dies in motorbike crash, young daughter seriously injured

    A tragic motorbike crash in the Sri Racha district of Chon Buri claimed the life of a woman and left her young daughter seriously injured. The incident occurred on Wednesday in the Nongkham sub-district. Rescuers and Nongkham Police arrived on the scene, where they found 41 year old Potjaman Chuklin and her seven year old daughter with severe injuries. Both…

  • Northern Thailand NewsThai plus-size pageant ladies have eating contest with an elephant

    Thai plus-size pageant ladies have eating contest with an elephant

    A group of Thai plus-size beauty pageant contestants partook in an eating contest with an elephant yesterday in the northeast Nakhon Ratchasima province. The Miss Jumbo Queen beauty pageant is not just about celebrating plus-size beauty, it also aims to boost Nakhon Ratchasima’s tourism and help society. The contestants are taking part in several charitable causes, one of which is…

  • Tourism NewsTwo Thai destinations win awards in Germany for sustainable tourism

    Two Thai destinations win awards in Germany for sustainable tourism

    Two Thai destinations have won prestigious awards in Germany for sustainable tourism. The destinations are the island of Koh Mak, located in the eastern Trat province, and Huay Pu Keng village in the northern Mae Hong Son province. The two picturesque locations won top spots at the Green Destinations Story Awards held at ITB Berlin 2023 in Germany. The awards…

  • Bangkok NewsCelebrate the Holi festival coming up in Bangkok

    Celebrate the Holi festival coming up in Bangkok

    Indians around the world will soon mark the Hindu festival of Holi this weekend, and the festival is now coming to Bangkok! The festival, which marks the arrival of spring, love, and new life, will take place on March 12 at Bangkok World, located near the Siam Amazing Park entrance. The festival will be held from 1pm to 10pm. The…

  • Northern Thailand NewsThais on Lao border bear the brunt of haze crisis

    Thais on Lao border bear the brunt of haze crisis

    Residents living along the border of Laos in Thailand’s northeast Nakhon Phanom province are facing the brunt of the country’s haze crisis. PM2.5 levels reached 167 micrograms (MCG) per cubic metre in four districts yesterday, according to the city’s Office of Natural Resource and Environment. These districts include Muang, Bang Phaeng, Tha Uthen, and That Phanom. Any level above 50…

  • Pattaya NewsPattaya bans airhorns at bars after noise complaints

    Pattaya bans airhorns at bars after noise complaints

    Pattaya‘s nightlife scene can get loud, and authorities are looking to deal with noise pollution. Pattaya City has now released a statement to the city’s bar operators with three regulations that they must fully follow by March 15. Among these regulations is the removal of air horns. The new regulations come after numerous Pattaya residents lamented to police about the…

  • Crime NewsPolice say no action to take on German man’s traffic fine drama in Phuket

    Police say no action to take on German man’s traffic fine drama in Phuket

    After a German man claimed that he had to pay a traffic fine of 2,000 baht in Phuket last month, Chalong Police say there is no action to take over the accusation, since there is no record of the fine. Reports said that on February 20, the man had been riding a motorbike through the Chalong underpass. The man said…

  • Central Thailand NewsCollapsed crane on ‘cursed’ highway halts traffic in central Thailand

    Collapsed crane on ‘cursed’ highway halts traffic in central Thailand

    A collapsed crane blocked the outbound lane of Thailand’s “cursed” Rama II highway in the central Samut Sakhon province on Tuesday night. The collapsed crane caused traffic to come to a standstill, according to police. The incident occurred in front of a petrol station in the main city district. Construction workers took about half an hour to remove the crane…

  • Thailand NewsHelloFresh says no to Thai coconut milk due to forced monkey labour

    HelloFresh says no to Thai coconut milk due to forced monkey labour

    HelloFresh, the largest meal-kit provider in the US, announced it will no longer purchase coconut milk from Thailand. This bold new move comes after animal rights group PETA accused HelloFresh of selling coconut milk from farms using forced monkey labour, Axios reported yesterday. After a series of investigations, PETA reported that monkeys were being forced to pick heavy coconuts from tall…

  • Hua Hin NewsHua Hin beach launches twin campaigns to tackle smoking and jellyfish perils

    Hua Hin beach launches twin campaigns to tackle smoking and jellyfish perils

    Two campaigns dedicated to different causes took off at a Hua Hin beach on Tuesday. Officials launched an anti-smoking campaign, as well as a jellyfish awareness campaign. The Smoke-free Beach project, and the jellyfish awareness campaign, were launched at Hua Don beach in Khao Takiab. The campaigns aimed to educate tourists about the harmful effects of smoking on the environment,…

  • Tourism NewsThailand’s Prachuap Khiri Khan province gets tourism blast from long weekend

    Thailand’s Prachuap Khiri Khan province gets tourism blast from long weekend

    Thailand’s Prachuap Khiri Khan province got a tourism blast during the recent long weekend. The province generated a revenue of over 548 million baht, according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT). The director of TAT’s Prachuap Khiri Khan Office, Atchawun Kongkapan, reported that the tourism atmosphere in the province was very lively during the holiday weekend, with hotel occupancy…

  • Eastern Thailand NewsLandfill fire covers district of eastern Thailand province with smoke

    Landfill fire covers district of eastern Thailand province with smoke

    A landfill fire covered a district of a province in eastern Thailand with smoke on Monday. The thick blanket of smoke engulfed Sa Kaeo province’s main city district in the afternoon after the city’s main landfill caught fire. Nation Thailand reported yesterday that, as of press time, the fire still had not been fully extinguished due to heavy winds. It took…

  • LifestylePink trumpet trees decorate park in middle of Bangkok

    Pink trumpet trees decorate park in middle of Bangkok

    Nature enthusiasts and keen photographers, rejoice! Wachirabenchathat Park, also known as Suan Rot Fai, in the Chatuchak district of Bangkok, is currently decorated with gorgeous Tabebuia rosea or pink trumpet trees in full bloom, Sanook reported. For those who have been waiting for the park to transform from its usual green appearance to a picturesque pink, the wait is finally…

  • Eastern Thailand NewsDesperate elephants flee massive forest fires in eastern Thailand

    Desperate elephants flee massive forest fires in eastern Thailand

    Desperate wild elephants are fleeing massive forest fires in Thailand’s eastern Trat province. The fires have destroyed more than 2,500 rai of forests since February 26, and the poor creatures are trying to escape. A herd of 13 elephants in the Klong Kaew Waterfall National Park have started moving out, Naewna reported yesterday. Rangers flew a drone which spotted the…

  • Crime NewsPhuket man fires gun in hospital car park in spat over parking space

    Phuket man fires gun in hospital car park in spat over parking space

    Yet another parking spat in Thailand has resulted in a gun being drawn. A Phuket man yesterday fired a gun at another man’s car in a hospital parking lot in a spat over parking space. The incident happened on the fifth floor of Vachira Phuket Hospital’s car park building at 9.30am. The man, 31 year old Thanakorn Thongek, had reportedly…

  • Northern Thailand NewsIrate Thai man who set his own car on fire has absolutely no regrets

    Irate Thai man who set his own car on fire has absolutely no regrets

    An irate Thai man who set his car on fire in the northeast Udon Thani province has absolutely no regrets. The man, 58 year old Panya, set fire to his sedan on Sunday after continuing to experience problems with the car’s electrical system and trouble getting the car to start. The issues really ground Panya’s gears. When he wanted to…

  • Koh Samui NewsGerman man drowns at Koh Samui beach

    German man drowns at Koh Samui beach

    There’s been another tragic drowning at one of Thailand’s holiday paradises, this time the island of Koh Samui. A 58 year old German man drowned at Koh Samui‘s Chaweng Beach on Monday. Bo Phut Police said the tourist had gone into the water with his girlfriend. When his girlfriend got out of the water, she could not find her boyfriend…

  • Crime NewsThai navy busts Phuket umbrella operator for beach encroachment

    Thai navy busts Phuket umbrella operator for beach encroachment

    The Royal Thai Navy busted a Phuket umbrella operator for encroaching on a beach yesterday. The incident happened on Koh Racha Yai, an island off southern Phuket. The navy inspected the island yesterday and found the operator on Ao Pratok Beach. Twenty sets of umbrellas were seized, and the operator was arrested and brought to Chalong Police Station for further…

  • Crime NewsPhuket cops on the prowl for hit-and-run driver

    Phuket cops on the prowl for hit-and-run driver

    Phuket cops are on the prowl for a hit-and-run driver who sideswiped a motorbike, knocking the rider onto the ground. The incident happened on Saturday at 12.02am on Wiset Road in the village of Rawai. CCTV footage showed that the car was half in the left lane while it passed the Honda Click motorbike before it sideswiped the motorbike and…

  • Thailand NewsThai netizens call out sentence for tiger killers as too lenient

    Thai netizens call out sentence for tiger killers as too lenient

    Thai netizens are calling out the recent sentencing for five hunters who killed a tiger mother and her cub last year as too lenient. Comments on a Facebook post by the Thai news outlet Story This Morning unleashed a wrath of anger from Thais. The over 100 comments included, “That’s it. Very little blame,” “Thai law is so weak,” and “Should…

  • Pattaya NewsCelebrate the Indian Holi Festival of Colours in Pattaya

    Celebrate the Indian Holi Festival of Colours in Pattaya

    Come join Pattaya’s Indian community as they celebrate their holiday of Holi. The Thai Indian Pattaya Business Association, in collaboration with The Indian Community Pattaya Association and Pattaya City, are inviting everyone to attend Holi, the Festival of Colours, on Saturday, March 11. The event will take place at the Central Pattaya-Beach Road intersection from 12pm to 7pm. Holi is a…