The death of the Full Moon Party

[webfact]

The death of the Full Moon Party

By Jonathan Head

 

 

The sun has dipped behind the bars and restaurants that run the length of Haad Rin beach. 

 

Soon the full moon will rise out of the sea, illuminating the soft, almost pure white sand. 

 

Staff at the bars, most of them Burmese migrants, lay out chairs and tables on the beach, to the pulsing beat of half a dozen sound systems. 

Only a handful of customers come to eat and drink. It’s a peaceful, but cheerless scene.

 

Just six months ago there would have been thousands of revellers here, drawn from all over the globe to one of the world’s most famous parties.  

 

Full story: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/extra/sgzd3bkqdp/thailand-death-of-the-full-moon-party

 

-- © Copyright BBC 2020-10-12

 

- Whatever you're going through, the Samaritans are here for you

- Follow Thaivisa on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates

[steven100]

They are nothing more than drug parties and should be shut down. Many dangerous incidents have occurred at these parties including a shooting a few years back.  imo

 

[thaibeachlovers]

Hopefully gone forever. It no doubt started as a happy occasion, and was certainly enjoyable in the early 90s, but it became a monster that destroyed one of the better beaches in LOS.

That thousands of youths would fly to Thailand just to dance on a beach, drink dangerous amounts of alcohol from buckets, consume illegal and potentially dangerous drugs, have casual sex, defecate in the sea and leave vast amounts of garbage behind does no credit to the youth of today, IMO.

 

If, as I fervently hope it is gone forever, Thailand will be better for it, IMO.

If corona ended it, it just goes to show that, IMO, there is such a thing as a silver lining.

[JulioBXL]

Who won't you let these young people just have a bit of fun and enjoy their youth before they become old and grumpy like you. 

[Matzzon]

So, they will not have more illegal drug parties? That´s great!

[Matzzon]

1 minute ago, JulioBXL said:

Who won't you let these young people just have a bit of fun and enjoy their youth before they become old and grumpy like you. 

No one ever posted they can not have fun. They just have to arrange a party within the limits of the law.

[thaibeachlovers]

Looking at the photos in the article, on the photo of the island about half way up the east side there is some major destruction going on. Sadly it is probably leading to another beach being, IMO, destroyed for greed. No one spends that amount of money on a road without hoping for a large payout.

Looks like Phangan is descending into the darkness that already, IMO, destroyed Samui.

 

Sad days for Thailand indeed.

[steven100]

4 minutes ago, JulioBXL said:

Who won't you let these young people just have a bit of fun and enjoy their youth before they become old and grumpy like you. 

a bit of fun is leaving a trail of destruction, youths vomiting all over the place, wasting valuable emergency resources at hospitals and ambulance crews. Drinking from a bucket that god knows what it's made of. Drunken drug takers staggering all over the place.

That's your youth bit of fun .... 

seems our idea of fun vary somewhat.    

[thaibeachlovers]

2 minutes ago, JulioBXL said:

Who won't you let these young people just have a bit of fun and enjoy their youth before they become old and grumpy like you. 

After the party is over the real "fun" begins, NOT. The mentally ruined from illegal drugs, the foolish that bought them being arrested and facing jail time, even liver damage from too much alcohol.

Then there are those that rented m'bikes and ended up in hospital or bandaged.

 

No one is saying they can't have fun, but if they can't have fun without being drunk or drugged that's a very sad thing.

 

https://www.nomadicmatt.com/travel-blogs/the-ultimate-guide-to-the-full-moon-party/

Read the "don't do drugs" part.

[thaibeachlovers]

From the article in the OP. Makes a lot of sense. I didn't know that they were extended to several days. When I went it was just one night.

 

 

Mark Panya Wienands, who runs Seaview Sunrise resort at the quieter northern end of the beach, has had second thoughts about the parties. 

He admits they have been good for business but says they had extended to last five days at a stretch, changing the atmosphere on the beach.

 

“People came just to experience the party, and not the community, the nature, and other things the island has to offer.” 

 

Writing on his resort’s website, he goes further.

“It looks like Full Moon Party will be dead forever anyway and we hope it stays dead. Full Moon Party is the saddest thing that ever happened to Haad Rin and it brought in nothing but destruction.”

He is optimistic that an end to the party could herald a change on the island.

“Covid has really delivered a reset button,” he tells me. “At some point the Full Moon Party was going to fail anyway, and it just so happens that Covid pushed that reset button hard. A lot of people are going to suffer, but this is a sort of watershed for a change, not just for Haad Rin but for the entire island.”

 

Mark has made his choice. From now on, he says, he will focus on long-staying guests. He is making much less money, but says he is much happier.

 

[ChipButty]

Is there anybody left on the island?

[ChipButty]

5 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

From the article in the OP. Makes a lot of sense. I didn't know that they were extended to several days. When I went it was just one night.

 

 

Mark Panya Wienands, who runs Seaview Sunrise resort at the quieter northern end of the beach, has had second thoughts about the parties. 

He admits they have been good for business but says they had extended to last five days at a stretch, changing the atmosphere on the beach.

 

“People came just to experience the party, and not the community, the nature, and other things the island has to offer.” 

 

Writing on his resort’s website, he goes further.

“It looks like Full Moon Party will be dead forever anyway and we hope it stays dead. Full Moon Party is the saddest thing that ever happened to Haad Rin and it brought in nothing but destruction.”

He is optimistic that an end to the party could herald a change on the island.

“Covid has really delivered a reset button,” he tells me. “At some point the Full Moon Party was going to fail anyway, and it just so happens that Covid pushed that reset button hard. A lot of people are going to suffer, but this is a sort of watershed for a change, not just for Haad Rin but for the entire island.”

 

Mark has made his choice. From now on, he says, he will focus on long-staying guests. He is making much less money, but says he is much happier.

 

I can just imagine owning a resort on that island what a nightmare that would have been the damage that would have been done to the property, I used to have some small bungalows here in Phuket and it was bad enough in my experience the cheaper end of the market they are worst guest,

[thaibeachlovers]

From the article in the OP

 

The Thai government is saying all the right things about making tourism more sustainable when they rebuild after Covid-19. Last year the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) celebrated bringing in nearly 40 million foreign visitors, quadruple the number 20 years ago. 

Now the TAT says Thailand should never go back to 40 million a year. They too are talking about upmarket alternatives like medical and eco-tourism. There is no talk of bringing back the backpackers.

For 60 years Thailand has allowed tourist development to spread almost uncontrolled across the country. It was a spectacular success - one emulated by many other countries - but it came at huge cost to the natural environment, with the sheer weight of numbers of visitors threatening to overwhelm the sights they had come to see. 

Turning its back on this model of tourism would be a huge step for Thailand.

 

In my opinion bringing in 40 million tourists almost destroyed Thailand as a desirable destination for anyone that cares about the environment.

Not for nothing did I and others prefer Thailand last century to now.

 

However, to shun bagpackers is disrespectful to those that made LOS a tourist destination in the first place. Many returned as flashpackers.

To banish them will, IMO, backfire spectacularly. Thailand has too many factors, IMO, that mean it will never attract the really rich in sufficient numbers to employ the millions that worked in tourism till last year. I'm not going to say what they are on here, but most of us know what I'm talking about. One only has to look at places like Pattaya to see what a disaster the authorities create.

 

IMO the hiso can dream of emulating Dubai or Singapore, but their dreams will turn to ashes, and deservedly so as they are the architects of the destruction that befell the once upon a time "land of smiles". The smile departed long ago, IMO, followed closely by sanuk.

[BritManToo]

36 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

fly to Thailand just to dance on a beach, drink dangerous amounts of alcohol from buckets, consume illegal and potentially dangerous drugs, have casual sex,

Sounds great to me!

I spent most of my 50s doing that.

In my 60s now, I've given up on the dancing.

[OneMoreFarang]

47 minutes ago, JulioBXL said:

Who won't you let these young people just have a bit of fun and enjoy their youth before they become old and grumpy like you. 

Let them do that at home. 

Good riddance. 

[steven100]

22 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Sounds great to me!

I spent most of my 50s doing that.

In my 60s now, I've given up on the dancing.

it's a shame you let the dancing go

[impulse]

43 minutes ago, steven100 said:

a bit of fun is leaving a trail of destruction, youths vomiting all over the place, wasting valuable emergency resources at hospitals and ambulance crews. Drinking from a bucket that god knows what it's made of. Drunken drug takers staggering all over the place.

That's your youth bit of fun .... 

seems our idea of fun vary somewhat.    

 

I found a simple solution that works for me.

 

I don't go.

 

Others may make a different decision, and that's none of my business.

 

[zzzzz]

went in 89, maybe 250 people on the beach.

 

this is 93

 

[suhoaswhas]

1 hour ago, steven100 said:

They are nothing more than drug parties and should be shut down. Many dangerous incidents have occurred at these parties including a shooting a few years back.  imo

 

the world needs more people like you !

 

[ExpatOilWorker]

1 hour ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Hopefully gone forever. It no doubt started as a happy occasion, and was certainly enjoyable in the early 90s, but it became a monster that destroyed one of the better beaches in LOS.

That thousands of youths would fly to Thailand just to dance on a beach, drink dangerous amounts of alcohol from buckets, consume illegal and potentially dangerous drugs, have casual sex, defecate in the sea and leave vast amounts of garbage behind does no credit to the youth of today, IMO.

 

If, as I fervently hope it is gone forever, Thailand will be better for it, IMO.

If corona ended it, it just goes to show that, IMO, there is such a thing as a silver lining.

It certainly has become bigger over the years, but from the dance moves drugs were already in the system back in the '90.

At least hair styles have improved!

 

 

[thaibeachlovers]

3 minutes ago, ExpatOilWorker said:

It certainly has become bigger over the years, but from the dance moves drugs were already in the system back in the '90.

At least hair styles have improved!

 

 

Plenty of newspaper stories about the danger of buying drugs at FMP when I was going in the early 90s.

[2 is 1]

If you not live when you are young, when you start living!? What you going to remember when you are old farth.

I had many nice party's even in Europe like Ibiza, Cypros.. etc. and i remenber those nice way! When you are young , you are little wild and reckless but so what if you are not stupid! 

And casual sex is GREAT! Sex on the beach not so great drink but great "act"!

 

[welovesundaysatspace]

I love good electronic parties. Have spent half my teenager years between Berlin and Ibiza. The fullmoon party was not a good electronic party. It’s Khao San road on the beach with commercial EDM trash as the soundtrack. I found everything disgusting about it. The music, the people, the cheap booze buckets, the dirty beach. 
 

The jungle parties were a bit better. 
 

 

 

 

[connda]

1 hour ago, steven100 said:

They are nothing more than drug parties and should be shut down. Many dangerous incidents have occurred at these parties including a shooting a few years back.  imo

 

In the meanwhile back in the Army barracks the troops get ready for some R&R and a perfectly legal alcohol fuelled drunk-fest where they'll be at least two boys from the troops with typical low self-esteem who will end up starting a free-for-all when the booze drops all the normal Thai inhibitions and one party becomes offended and loses face.  All the while the upper-crust uniforms sip Johnny Walker Black and discuss their wealth, their bling, their mia nois, and how to further destroy tourism in Thailand.

"I've got an idea!  Ban Full Moon Parties once the vaccines come out and we have no excuse to keep the borders closed to the riff-raff, hoi-polloi, foreign middle-class, and back-packers."

 

 

[Ventenio]

1 hour ago, steven100 said:

They are nothing more than drug parties and should be shut down. Many dangerous incidents have occurred at these parties including a shooting a few years back.  imo

35 million visitors.   34.999999 million come for this type of fun, or hookers, or whatever.  

 

nobody says, "let's go to Thailand and not try to have fun."   

 

because Thailand is cheap, it attracts the worst of the worst of the worst.  

 

 Thailand needs to decide who they are.  

 

Pattaya is super super super super popular for a reason.   

[mr mr]

so many get off my grass people on TV.

[Orton Rd]

These parties would have been my idea of hell on earth at any age. Flying half way around the world to listen to that racket with overpriced booze, dodgy drugs and STD's on offer would not have been my idea of fun, far better at a morlam concert with a bottle of chang.

[Ventenio]

In that video, some of those super losers look like they are having FUN!!!! OMG, Not on my watch!!!!!  How dare you!!!!  I had tons of fun, but now I'm too old for that and I'm jealous......wait, think for a second.......get back on the rant.

 

I want them banned, fined, arrested, shamed, tested.....whatever to make them miserable!!!  they are ruining my life!!!

 

OMG, I've been in my hotel room for 11 years in the jungles of Mae Hong Song and there was an old guy 8 years ago who said, "hi" to me.  I'm more Thai than those people!!!!

 

we need a TV meet-n-greet.........figure out ways to ban everyone not in our meeting!!!  while we say everyone has freedom!!!  

[mr mr]

3 minutes ago, Ventenio said:

In that video, some of those super losers look like they are having FUN!!!! OMG, Not on my watch!!!!!  How dare you!!!!  I had tons of fun, but now I'm too old for that and I'm jealous......wait, think for a second.......get back on the rant.

 

I want them banned, fined, arrested, shamed, tested.....whatever to make them miserable!!!  they are ruining my life!!!

 

OMG, I've been in my hotel room for 11 years in the jungles of Mae Hong Song and there was an old guy 8 years ago who said, "hi" to me.  I'm more Thai than those people!!!!

 

we need a TV meet-n-greet.........figure out ways to ban everyone not in our meeting!!!  while we say everyone has freedom!!!  

get off my grass !!

[thaibeachlovers]

1 hour ago, thaibeachlovers said:

From the article in the OP. Makes a lot of sense. I didn't know that they were extended to several days. When I went it was just one night.

 

 

Mark Panya Wienands, who runs Seaview Sunrise resort at the quieter northern end of the beach, has had second thoughts about the parties. 

He admits they have been good for business but says they had extended to last five days at a stretch, changing the atmosphere on the beach.

 

“People came just to experience the party, and not the community, the nature, and other things the island has to offer.” 

 

Writing on his resort’s website, he goes further.

“It looks like Full Moon Party will be dead forever anyway and we hope it stays dead. Full Moon Party is the saddest thing that ever happened to Haad Rin and it brought in nothing but destruction.”

He is optimistic that an end to the party could herald a change on the island.

“Covid has really delivered a reset button,” he tells me. “At some point the Full Moon Party was going to fail anyway, and it just so happens that Covid pushed that reset button hard. A lot of people are going to suffer, but this is a sort of watershed for a change, not just for Haad Rin but for the entire island.”

 

Mark has made his choice. From now on, he says, he will focus on long-staying guests. He is making much less money, but says he is much happier.

 

I'd be interested to know why Morch gave that a confused emoji.

All except the first paragraph is a quote.

Is Morch confused about the opinion of Mark Panya Wienands, and if so why?

Is Morch confused that I think it makes a lot of sense?

Is Morch confused because I didn't know it went on for more than one night, or that it used to be only one night?