Foreigners Challenge Local Traditions on Koh Phangan

These are not reasonable requests, if a Thai family has a marriage of course there's going to be a band, and there's going to be music and the locals have to just suck it up and deal with it for an evening. The Israelis do not own KP, they're simply being allowed to stay there, and they should behave as such. But, they sure are arrogant.

Thailand belongs to the Thai people, if you don't like the festivals and ceremonies, you are free to go elsewhere.

"Diversity is our strength". Not.

The report sounds off.

If an event has the correct permissions then the police will simply see the permission and be on their way.

Noise rules in Thailand are very soft and difficult to enforce.

If the event has gone beyond its permission or has none, in a residential area and at unsociable hours by Thai standards, then that's different.

On the flip side, why are grumpy falangs moaning about special events? Weddings and other ceremonies/celebrations are normal. Thailand is a relatively noisy country, people like to enjoy themselves.

Put up or %155 off!

18 minutes ago, pookett said:

The report sounds off.

If an event has the correct permissions then the police will simply see the permission and be on their way.

Noise rules in Thailand are very soft and difficult to enforce.

If the event has gone beyond its permission or has none, in a residential area and at unsociable hours by Thai standards, then that's different.

On the flip side, why are grumpy falangs moaning about special events? Weddings and other ceremonies/celebrations are normal. Thailand is a relatively noisy country, people like to enjoy themselves.

Put up or %155 off!

They really need to visit Cambodia in the middle of a wedding or funeral.

Then they will hear excruciating noise, and it goes on and on for days.

But, It's their country and their traditions.

43 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

These are not reasonable requests, if a Thai family has a marriage of course there's going to be a band, and there's going to be music and the locals have to just suck it up and deal with it for an evening. The Israelis do not own KP, they're simply being allowed to stay there, and they should behave as such. But, they sure are arrogant.

Have I missed a point?

I can't see the Israelis mentioned?

8 minutes ago, Scouse123 said:

I can't see the Israelis mentioned?

A "Jewish group" were mentioned in the original article.

Welcome to Thailand. We welcome you and hope you leave with a good impression.

But if you tell us what to do we will run your b_tch ass out of our country and you can put your impressions of us in the place that gets no sunshine.

I invite anyone to go to any country other than their own and criticize the way locals do things and see how warmly the natives regard them.

The problem is not the music its the volume. Does every event require the speakers and the bass set at full volume for the duration of the event.

I feel it's always a great gift of kindness for Thais to share their music for free at these events, in fact anywhere, even a pick up truck on the beach booming out music, all part of the Buddhist culture. 👍

Be careful Thailand. Before long a passage will be quoted that may translate to the island being promised to a group of people. Easier to pull small patches of weed than wait until it’s too late.

Off topic troll post removed @Bday Prang discuss the topic, not your political agenda.

From my first year here the thing that rattles me most (sometimes literally) is the noise and the volume of the noise. Let’s face it, Thais love noise. Why they aren’t all deaf, I don’t know.

Barking dogs? At 5 AM, 10 PM, 2 AM, 4 AM? No problem. Dogs bark. (In other words, we’re too lazy to train them.)

Motorcycles are better with a glasspack muffler. Everybody knows that.

Lunchtime promotions. Get a tower of speakers, a screeching Pretty, and a pile of products to sell. Set up in the middle of the sidewalk and go at it. Don’t worry that the offices up on the 32nd floor can hear it

Security guards can’t do their job without a shrill whistle.

As for the religious ceremonies and the parties, let me inform you that the peaceful, mindfulness of Buddhism is not what you think it is. Your family must not be very rich if you can’t afford to rent two huge towers of speakers and blare music at 140 dB from 11 AM to midnight. For three days in a row! And next week the neighbors are going to be doing the same thing. So get used to it.

It’s not the music that’s the problem, it’s the ear splitting volume. AFAIK,Thailand has noise ordinances but good luck finding any official who knows what they are and is willing to enforce them.

But it’s their country. It is what it is and it’s probably not going to change.

Temple bells. (IYKYK)

5 hours ago, Georgealbert said:

The post alleged that foreigners frequently complain about noise and pressure authorities to intervene

I went to a bar on KP at the top of a hill that the neighbors complained about for being way too loud.

OK, the owner may have been Thai but the DJ was some Farang who played sh$t music at way too loud of volume at the 3pm sound check.

Bet you a 12 pack of Chang this <deleted> plod cranked it up even louder later because his music was so lame.

What a hot mess. 🤣

Not a fan of loudness myself, BUT, Thailand for Thais.

Anyone here for the shortest time, before settling down roots, should know, it's a noisy place. Also easy enough to avoid that noise.

Why before you settle anywhere, know where you are settling, to avoid, whatever it is about TH, you disagree with.

We drove around many areas before buying in. You need to be away from Wats, Schools, and loud speakers on the pole. Venues that serve alcohol or open later at night, if wanting to avoid noise.

One reason we live semi rural. First house it started getting noisy, though small part of moving. 2nd house, we bought 6 rai, and away from loud speakers and local school. Even though across from a Wat, rarely active, except if someone getting BBQ'd.

Present house, same, no real neighbors, Wat & school far away, no loud speakers, and we bought most of the available building lots on our soi, to avoid any new noisy neighbors.

If buying a condo, go up as high as you can afford. Some problems are easily solved before buying or renting. Before renting, drive by prospecting housing in mind, on the weekend after 9PM, for a sound check 😂

You best hope that if you complain that your house is in order. Otherwise you might not have to hear it much longer.

Thais must increase the weight of their offering. Not to Buddha but to RTP. It all comes down to appeasing the RTP gods.

2 hours ago, jippytum said:

The problem is not the music its the volume. Does every event require the speakers and the bass set at full volume for the duration of the event.

There was a time when the most you could hope to squeeze out of a sound system was 20 watts rms per channel. Then, they invented transistors, solid-state electronics, etc.

The limit has crept up since: 100w, 500w, 2000w.

Human hearing has not kept up. So now we have an increasingly deaf, and dare I say dumb (as in dumb and dumber, not speech challenged!) population, who do not recognise the harm that is caused.

It surprises me that there are not more mass shootings in this country.

3 hours ago, Scouse123 said:

Thailand belongs to the Thai people, if you don't like the festivals and ceremonies, you are free to go elsewhere.

I suppose then that it's fine that the UK and Europe etc. can employ reciprocity in their countries because they are Christian countries... and if people don't like it they know where the airports are. Fairs fair, I guess... and you support that fully by the look of it.

The issue really is that the Thai's are inconsiderate of others around them especially when it comes to noise. And the other issue is of the lack of enforcement of existing laws in Thailand.

I don't believe the average Thai likes noise either. They just don't like complaining about it. If they do, they are seen as not fun, and it can affect their relationships within the community, so they tolerate the noise instead.

3 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

These are not reasonable requests, if a Thai family has a marriage of course there's going to be a band, and there's going to be music and the locals have to just suck it up and deal with it for an evening. The Israelis do not own KP, they're simply being allowed to stay there, and they should behave as such. But, they sure are arrogant.

We hear these parties happen throughout our village every weekend and holidays. So what - as the sole farang in the village I should complain about the noise the pesky Thai people are making? <laughs> It's part & parcel of living in a Thai village and interacting with Thai society. Really. For anyone who dislikes it - Why are you here? Thailand isn't going to allow what ya'll home countries have become......unregulated immigration and then the government siding with the immigrant as they change your home country's society and culture?

Ain't gonna happen here, and I think that's a good thing. Don't like Thai culture? Don't stay.

21 minutes ago, Grusa said:

There was a time when the most you could hope to squeeze out of a sound system was 20 watts rms per channel. Then, they invented transistors, solid-state electronics, etc.

The limit has crept up since: 100w, 500w, 2000w.

Human hearing has not kept up. So now we have an increasingly deaf, and dare I say dumb (as in dumb and dumber, not speech challenged!) population, who do not recognise the harm that is caused.

It surprises me that there are not more mass shootings in this country.

My guitar amp had four KT88 valves in push-pull pairs and could crack out 100 W of thumping bass. That was 40 years ago.

It still does.

Back on topic, unless one has made the mistake of buying a house next to a temple because the property agent told you it would be quiet....

6 minutes ago, NanLaew said:

My guitar amp had four KT88 valves in push-pull pairs and could crack out 100 W of thumping bass. That was 40 years ago.

It still does.

Back on topic, unless one has made the mistake of buying a house next to a temple because the property agent told you it would be quiet....

So, you are confessing to being part of the problem.......555!

And my comment would apply to the 1950s, not the 80s when the rot had set in....

Some people seems to forget that we foreigners are guests in Thailand, not the ones to dictate a foreign culture to be followed. Thailand is likely more noisy than one's foreign home country — including monks chanting early morning and loud noise from temple markets and wedding-parties late evenings — which you to need to accept and live with, if you wish to stay here, even it might be irritating for a foreigner. If you cannot, you better find somewhere else to stay.

59 minutes ago, Sir Dude said:

I suppose then that it's fine that the UK and Europe etc. can employ reciprocity in their countries because they are Christian countries... and if people don't like it they know where the airports are. Fairs fair, I guess... and you support that fully by the look of it.

The issue here isn't whether someone personally likes the noise. If there was a local Thai wedding, held with the appropriate local permission. In every country, people are expected to tolerate certain cultural, religious, and community events from time to time, even when they're inconvenient.

If we start arguing that local customs should be restricted simply because one individual dislikes them, that principle could be applied anywhere in the world.

People living in the UK, Europe, Thailand, or any other country generally accept that local traditions, celebrations, and community events are part of life. People with houses around Anfield may not like the inconvenience and noise of match days, but they chose to live there.

Respect works both ways.

Visitors and residents alike are entitled to express concerns, but they are not entitled to dictate that long-established local customs should stop because they personally find them inconvenient.

56 minutes ago, connda said:

We hear these parties happen throughout our village every weekend and holidays. So what - as the sole farang in the village I should complain about the noise the pesky Thai people are making? <laughs> It's part & parcel of living in a Thai village and interacting with Thai society. Really. For anyone who dislikes it - Why are you here? Thailand isn't going to allow what ya'll home countries have become......unregulated immigration and then the government siding with the immigrant as they change your home country's society and culture?

Ain't gonna happen here, and I think that's a good thing. Don't like Thai culture? Don't stay.

I don't like Songkran, so I stay home behind my locked gates and wait until it's over.

I read, play my computer, watch movies and send my other half out to get supplies.

Everyone has a good time and I don't upset the village atmosphere.

I view it, it's their culture and traditions, regardless of what I like.

Thailand is a noisey country, Farangs that don't like it need to bugger off

to some desert island, what right do they have to try and change things

or even complain about it,they need to assimilate to Thai culture ,with

all the riff raff tourists coming here now, Fighting,Shoplifting, sex in public

etc, Thais must be getting fed up with it all, the Government seen this and

halved the visa period .

regards worgeordie

3 minutes ago, worgeordie said:

Thailand is a noisey country, Farangs that don't like it need to bugger off

to some desert island, what right do they have to try and change things

or even complain about it,they need to assimilate to Thai culture ,with

all the riff raff tourists coming here now, Fighting,Shoplifting, sex in public

etc, Thais must be getting fed up with it all, the Government seen this and

halved the visa period .

regards worgeordie

Again, not disagreeing with you per se but you shouldn't be able to have it both ways... this should also apply to western countries too, but so often it's a one-way street with us having to accept the worst of both worlds, which isn't right.

Try swapping out the words "Thailand" for "England or France etc." and "Farangs" for "immigrants/refugees" and "desert island" for "back to whence they came" or "Thai culture" for "western culture" or "sex in public" for "sexual assault" and it all looks too familiar.

So many like to preach from their pulpit, but it is tone deaf when Thais and others in the UK/Europe enjoy an existence and rights we can only fantasize about here... no reciprocity, and if a European government acted like this nationalist one here does, you would hear the self-righteous screams on the moon.

I accept the situation and live here, my choice, but reserve the right to call out the injustices and deeply flawed nature of it all.

1 hour ago, Grusa said:

So, you are confessing to being part of the problem.......555!

And my comment would apply to the 1950s, not the 80s when the rot had set in....

Only on Sundays in dad's garage. We were about half-a-mile outside the village but EVERYONE could hear us.

I was inspired by Yes when they bought Iron Butterfly's killer, monster mega-watt PA system. So I chased down a similar, oversized, custom, second-hand rig at C Bruce Millers in Aberdeen. Cost my dad 280 quid.

This was in the 70's when everyone else in the band thought they were going to be famous. I was happy with us just being the loudest.