What Does Koh Phangan Need Now After Lotus

[mssabai]

signs are a good start but doubt they will help. remember they put signs up all over the island (in thai) saying "don't cut down the trees"? they were flatly ignored, and in fact someone went around knocking them down. in koh tao they have loads of signs up saying "don't feed the fish, they can't digest human food and it kills them". boatloads of western and thai tourists were still chucking the remains of their lunch in the water, plastic bag and all. there has to be some better way to educate.

ham, you (& others here maybe) know the israeli lady who is setting up the non-profit in thong nai pan for this very reason, don't you? why don't you all pitch in on a fund-raising event under the umbrella of her org, which has already been set up legally, has the backing of businesses on the island, and has a great venue? she could use help setting things up as she has a hard time doing it all herself. does anyone know any bands, artists, etc. who might want to play a night? you could get someone to make you cloth shopping bags to pass out (they did this at the phangan film festival but the bags were too small to be of any help), you could get visitors to make signs and have a contest for the best one, you could play movies about environmental issues, get people to sign up for weekly trips to a different beach to clean up and promote, etc.

If you talk to anybody that was involved in this event the general feeling is it was a complete sham and set up and that she is not exactly a rational person to deal with. She has given a very different reason for why the event was no longer with PAC as to what PAC did, she is still visiting and tormenting many local business owners for various bizarre reasons. After everything I have heard (and I was personally never involved) I would not go near "Happy Nature" with a barge pole. Not least because the event seems to have been purely set up to provide funds to finsih the building of her own businesses and to buy computer equipment etc.

It would be very easy to set up your own group - similar to the Green Cross - with it's own clear objectives. Seville I will PM you as I think I can help you out if you are interested in pushing forward with this idea.

[girlx]

yeah, you are right about that ms sabai, i had a huge falling out with her myself (precisely because i posted on here that her event was questionable), and things might be worse than i know since i have not been around since the event happened (or not). but that is what i meant when i said i don't think she knew how to go about it in the right way- she is pretty idealistic and dare i say narcissistic... however, if others who knew her (like ham) were willing to work with her to show her a more diplomatic and organized way of doing things, i do think her intentions are good and she does have a real interest in improving the island (i have to give her credit for apologizing and admitting she did things wrong to me at least). and more importantly she already has a business structure and a venue ready to use. perhaps people could salvage the venue to do a real event, run by someone else like seville. or not, maybe you guys can find another venue, it's just an idea.

however i do think her general idea of setting up a non-profit events production company is great. at the parties you can:

- get people to make all the promo products themselves (like cloth shopping bags made from scraps like sheets and old sarongs)

- get people to make signs to put up all over the island

- show films educating about environmental awareness, drug addiction, sex workers and STDs, thai and farang culture, etc. (i have a projector and screen i could lend by the way)

- provide entertainment as an alternative to the inane moon parties (it would be so excellent if there were some real artists and musicians brought in)

- get donations for things like water refilling stations, garbage bins (or whatever needs to be bought)

- sign up volunteers to travel to different beaches every week and clean up

- build a farang support network

- etc. etc.

If anyone has other ideas about where and how to do this, post them!

Edited July 31, 2008 by girlx

[girlx]

once I am back on the island I'd be up for hosting a benefit at my restaurant.

maybe we can hold you to that, spike- do you have a large space?

p.s. is Green Cross still around?

Edited July 31, 2008 by girlx

[seville]

Interesting information mssabai. I'm just getting around to reading this. I read your pm first.

Please keep sending me any ideas you have and contacts of people who are really interested in giving back to the island. I still have to check out Green Island.

[sbk]

Perhaps its best to continue this part of the conversation on in the plastic bag thread...

[Razzler1973]

7/11s are one thing but a Lotus now, well I never :/

[mangostays]

Now kpn has lotus what the next thing we need overhere

a decent school

a prison

a proper lawyer

a proper land department with real officers and not just cross eyed bandits from SriThanu

an instant banishing for anyone caught NOT wearing shoes in Thong Sala

a British Embassy

a modest thermo nuclear explosion in Haad Rin

there. rant away.

[angiud]

Do you want a queen too??

[baco]

and the changing of the guards?

[PoorSucker]

Do you want a queen too??

There is a queen already. Her Majesty the Queen Sirikit of Thailand.

[girlx]

a prison