Koh Phangan Island Alert – Travellers advised to avoid Full Moon Parties altogether!
Thailand’s escalating political crisis, which saw protesters shutting down both Bangkok’s major airports last week, has prompted a wave of international travel alerts from countries including China, Japan, France, Singapore and the US.
British authorities urged nationals to check with airlines before travelling to Thailand, adding to their increasingly stark warning about the dangers of going anywhere near Koh Phangan’s infamous Full Moon Party location at Hadrin Beach. “You are advised be extremely careful when walking in this area at any time, especially after dark and if possible avoid it altogether,” the Foreign Office (FO) official advice recommends.
“You should be careful about taking drinks from strangers and be wary at clubs and parties, particularly in the Koh Samui area and at the Full Moon party on Koh Pha-Ngan Island where incidences of date rape have been reported. A number of British nationals have suffered severe psychiatric problems as a result of drug use, in a small number of cases resulting in suicide,” they say.
“We receive occasional reports of tourists who have been robbed after bringing visitors to their hotel rooms. In some cases their drinks were drugged. We continue to receive reports of sexual offences committed against foreign women and men,” the FO adds.
Additional comments posted:
the elektro kitten says …
I’ve been to the Full Moon parties and honestly – common sense prevails. If you’re a guy and this ‘hot Asian girl with long legs and slender face’ approaches you with drugs and a drink – its probably a lady boy. You can buy drinks from proper vendors, for very, very cheap. You also wouldn’t by drugs from a lady screaming ‘you want ecstasy’ when her 5 year old child is next to her… just be smart!
brenly says …
Couldn’t agree more elektro kitten… going to pretty much any country – common sense is all u need. and from my experiences, if u find yourself in trouble in a country like Thailand you are doing something very, very wrong. These are some of the nicest people in the world!!
NiggZ says …
I’m going over again for new years party this yr, went last year … can’t wait … I don’t think the political shit will make much difference
yellowslug says …
I go over here all the time…have been going to full moon parties since 1994…they are great fun! Went to 2 of them this year. the june one and the april one….. am going back in april next year for another one! I have never been robbed, raped, or drugged. use common sense and its all fine! a lot of the problems are between locals with other locals …so if you just stay out of it…and party………its all GREAT. Happy Full Moon!
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Any warnings about going to Berlin, Hamburg, San Diego, L.A. take it easy and as it comes
michael
Or any uk city centre on a sat night!
I experienced a little of this first hand, I was n drugs myself (what a baghead) in the morning it was still in party mode e went to the edge of the beach where there is som cliffs over looking the whole beach some great views.. Any way I saw this young Thai lad holding hand with this english girl helping her up the rocks gettin passed us I thought she looked a bit out of it and clearly on date rape she didn’t knw where she was or who he was.. I said “here whats going on where are you taking my friend”? there was three other Thai men/teenagers in the bushes at the top…probably waiting to take turns on her. The young lad squared up to us all with a wine bottle in his hand eye 2 eye hatred it was madness I was so off my tits I stood my ground and diffused the situation! I seen the lad a couple o days later doing finger gun signals and pointing at me on the back of a scooter.. striaght on to the ferry!!
Good on ya mate… We need more folks to be proactive! It tooks some balls.
These travel advisories have been in place for some time now and I don’t think a lot of people pay much attention to them, but I’m sure some do!
Cheers Glyn
one main place for all this date rape stuff – Drop Inn Bar. theyve been doing it for years and will continue to do so because of the “power” they have, its all the same gang that those two young lads who killed a farrang earlier (the politicians son) this year and who also stabbed my mate in the head for no reason come from. when i lived on the island for a couple of years i always saw what these guys were up to and also met a couple of farrang girls who had experienced this but were to scared to go to the police as they wouldnt do anything except take a bribe from the bar to piss off!!
There was also a guy called Boo who raped a girl above Cactus – all this when he had only been back on the island a few weeks after living in England. he got told by the owner – who’s name i wont mention – and the rest of the heavies to leave so he went to samui and upset the mob there, i know he got a few kickings and subsequently moved back to the UK!!
The problem is though with this date rape thing going on is that farrang women get sucked into the thai men (even though everyone slates thailand for its women / hookers they never say anything about thai men and farrang women, and this is where a major problem lies) as soon as they get sucked into the murky world of the bar boy and his mates their life changes, things become more agressive, your not allowed to speak to other guys, if you do that guy will get a kicking and the women more than likely get a slap or get shoved around and this leads on to more punishment – spiked drinks , rape etc.
Lets be honest here not just about what ive written but also about crime as a whole on the island. ive said before in previous posts that people need to start waking up and realising that “paradise isnt what it seems” and koh phangan has changed and although the people there are friendly there is an ever growing black cloud hanging over it now – crime wise – and it seems it is getting bigger and bigger and worse and worse.
When i lived there about 4 years ago there was always a few robberies and shootings, etc etc but mainly thai against thai and the occassional farrang getting a kicking for being a twat. but now it seems to be thais turning more and more on farrang which is worrying. the only way it is going to change is if the farrang stop taking the piss when they go there, but whats the chances in that happening?? absolutly Fuck all!!
I’ve been on Phangan 2 months this last summer, and I am just moving there for another 6 months in 2 weeks…I’ve also heard about rapes, criminal and all these stories before i went, but nothing similar happened to me whilst being there. I haven’t even heard that such brutal cases which have been described on this page ever happened to anyone (my point is that it doesn’t happen more often then anywhere else).. Stuff like that happens anywhere to anyone who gets out of their head and right mind!. Where ever you go common sense is needed!!!!!! I also think you have better chances of being raped in London or Florence!!!!!!!! (i almost got raped in Florence few years ago for the same reason..i was drunk out of my head)…
I went to the full moon party in sep 08 and saw a high number of assults, manily on unsuspecting westerners. Guys i was staying with were slashed and stabed during a robbery, another had his ankle broken. Many others, about 50% were robbed of alot. I myself couldn’t leave the haad rin beach via the one main road as groups of people were coming back down, injured and scared. i exited thru the jungle where i found literally (no pun intended) hundreds of bags, backpacks, napsacks, bumbags etc, all empty, and seemingly dumped into a couple of spots around the rocks at the right end of the beach. not cool
I have travelled thru europe, asia and around Australia, and have never felt like people were targeting me as happened there.
It is a beautiful place with alot of great people…
However i would warn anyone travelling there to pack light and be on top of your game… something was definately not quite right at that party…
and respect the land and the ocean, some travellers were disgraceful at that party……
I have been to about 20 FMP over the past 5-6 years and I have no idea what the fuck you are talking about. Sounds like you need to be more aware of the paranoia-incuding effects that drugs and/or alcohol have on you. For the record, act like idiot (leer at women; act tough when dancing and knock into people; etc): trouble may find you. Go to have a good time (smile, be relaxed): groovy time…
Well said brother..I have been here for a very long time and can tell you that 99.9% of the problim are the fucking arseholes that come here to party..Last night i saw a german getting busted for robbing peoples rooms..So you say that its the Thais that make the problims well fuck you its you arseholes that come here to rob etc..Good on the Thais for killing you..I know that if you did the same in my cournty i would beat the shit out of you as well..
Hi I originally posted the comment about the rape thing… If u ever go take a look at that place and if u see this happening call the tourist police and don’t get involved..
End of the day there is a dark side to every place, but never let your guard down in every place… Koh Phangan in my opinion is more concentrated with so many people at one certain time these cunt theiving rapists make a living and WILL TAKE ADVANTAGE OF the fact we all get absolutely OFF OUR PICKLE…! I did think it was all happy clappy Thailand but i’m looking after myself and friends first and sick of preaching…I’ll be in the Amsterdam bar chilling the fuck out on New Years Day!
Take care of ya selfs…
I m going to koh samui snd koh phangan in a week and all this talk of rape makes me not even want to go. I definitley wont drink a dtop of alcohol and will avoid the full moon party if possible