Full Moon Pary/ Haad Rin Entry Fee?

[notime]

My last trip to Full Moon Party in KPG few days ago started from an unpleasant experience.

All the people arriving at Haad Rin piers by speedboats from Koh Samui found themselves surrounded by metal barriers right after arrival. The "entry fee" of 100 THB was demanded and collected by a bunch of people sitting along the rails. There was some sign saying that the fee is collected to help clean the beach.

I live in Samui and I was to FMP 4 times before never seeing anything like this. Although the idea of raising some money for beach cleaning seems a good one the way it was done felt like a pure extortion. "If you don't want to pay you can go back" said a lady behind the rails and laughed. When I said "ok, I changed my mind and I don't want to go to the party any more. I want to go to Thong Sala" she looked puzzled but would not budge. So neither I nor anybody else had any choice short of wasting the 800THB speedboat fare and going back to Samui. The man at the gate said to me that everybody even the Thai people pay for the last 6 months. But what about people arriving at Haad Rin by road or boats from elsewhere in KPG? What about people staying few nights at various hotels of Haad Rin? How do they make THEM pay? It really seems to me like the speedboat arrivals from Samui have been singled out.

My Thai companion quickly and resolutely calculated that if 5000 people attending the party paid 100THB each it would be half a million THB - the sum that looks very excessive for a troop of 20 people cleaning the beach in one day after the party. My guests who are staying at our villas and also went to KPG on the night commented to me later that they felt ripped off. I presume everybody else as well but they paid since they had no choice.

If money needs to be raised for beach cleaning why not to charge speed boat operators who can add few THB to the price of their tickets? At least people would be able to make an informed decision before buying those tickets and not feeling ransacked right after arriving at KPG. Why not to charge bar operators and hotel owners at Haad Rin who make money out of the event and who can add the cost of the clean-up to their prices?

What does the forum think about the situation? Any idea of who the people collecting the fee were and are their actions legal? Are they accountable before KPG community? If I don't feel like going back to the FMP anytime soon is not a big deal. But if our guests feel being ripped off at every corner they may choose to go to other holiday destinations next time. Another nail in the coffin of Samui/KPG and Thailand?

[girlx]

welcome to koh phangan.

are there really people cleaning the beach the next day?

[Boater]

its a scam !!...... after years and years of not making to much money, the thought of 500K a month for doing sweet FA one night a month was to good to miss

why not contact TAT and see what there thoughts are on the matter

[sbk]

I am guessing you missed this post a bit down the page? 100 Baht To Get Into Full Moon Party

And a search of the forum would have yielded:

Ticket Fee For Full Moon Party from March.

[angiud]

welcome to koh phangan.

are there really people cleaning the beach the next day?

I understand your experience in KPG was not so good, but why always involve the island and not only your personal experience. Look like you are always happy to talk bad about the island.

Many people clean the beach of Haad rin and the surrounding streets the morning after full moon so, around 10 am people can use again Haad rin Beach like a real beach.

For sure, like everything in thai business, also in this case, a good part of the cash take a separate way than the official one...

[girlx]

actually the majority of my experience in koh phangan was good- i said welcome to koh phangan because that's what it is, isn't it? straight off the boat you're hit up for cash!

[Boater]

Many people clean the beach of Haad rin and the surrounding streets the morning after full moon so, around 10 am people can use again Haad rin Beach like a real beach.

so this little excerise costs 500 K ???

i said welcome to koh phangan because that's what it is, isn't it? straight off the boat you're hit up for cash!

TIT , so true, but so upsetting

KPG is loseing its unquie identity !!! ... Scams and rip offs should be left to Koh Samui and Phuket..... at least the tourist can expect it there!!

[NHJ]

i never went to the full moon party, where is the fee collected, i mean when you go to the full moon, is the boat driing you to a special location or is the fee collected at the regular pier?

[angiud]

the fee collected at the regular pier

[notime]

i never went to the full moon party, where is the fee collected, i mean when you go to the full moon, is the boat driing you to a special location or is the fee collected at the regular pier?

The fees are collected at speedboat piers some 300m from where the party is and on the opposite side of Haad Rin penisula. The piers are mostly used for party arrivals from Samui so it's hard to say they are regular. But unless one pays the fees not only the access to the party but to Hadd Rin itslef is impossible.

Thank you for all replies. I'm sorry I missed the previous post about the same issue.

Just as I thought the fee is only for people arriving from Koh Samui. But who says that people coming from Samui don't spend the same or more at KPG businesses than people staying there? But the fairness of it and the level of it aside the way fees are being collected show the lack of respect to visitors (mostly foreigners) and ruthlessness of organisers.

It's not the point that 100THB is not much for most tourists. It's a matter of principle that they are being surrounded with bariers (entrapment) and charge money if they want to leave the arrival area. But when the tickets are sold at Samui side nobody informs about additional costs to leave the pier on the other side. This leaves a sour feel amongst the visitors and should not be allowed.

As I suggested to the English speaking Thai gentelmen at the gate maybe a better way to collect the money for beach cleaning would be by some transparent surcharge on the speedboat tickets. But I guess that would require KPG mob to talk to Samui mob which is easier said than done. And the government ... is where?

[huggybear]

My last trip to Full Moon Party in KPG few days ago started from an unpleasant experience.

I was at a KPG Full Moon Party in 1993 and had a GREAT time. Stayed up all night danced, lots of girls good music etc, etc, etc.

What a commercial bit of rot it seems to be now. "Metal gates"? "Entrance fees"?

[Daffy D]

I thought the local school kids cleaned up the beach next morning.

[frankman]

At least they bought new rubbish bins for the beach, lol.

TIT !!!

[Boater]

was with a few of the DJ's last night from the full moon party, and major topic of discussion was the entrance fee now being taken....

it is a local mafia money making scam, and has nothing to do with a ' Beach Clean '

alot of the locals and long time DJ's are really pissed off with this, as the full moon party is supposed to be a ' free ' beach party..... as it has for the last 20 years!!!

I think this will have a serious negative effect... even those it is 100 THB only, it is the principle ! ......

[lazeeboy]

100baht this month 200baht next ,they always get greedy,then the bib will want some and its 300baht...

[Boater]

100baht this month 200baht next ,they always get greedy,then the bib will want some and its 300baht...

well that was the major worry !!!, they will get Jealous they didnt think of the idea and then demand a Cut !!!!

well lets wait and see......

[baco]

Who says it is not the bib who's taking the entrance fee, local maffia and the bib is that not virtually the same?

[5tash]

Surely there must be some legal implications for charging people to enter Hat Rin.

The beach nor the town are privately owned, how can you charge people an "entrance fee" when it doesn't belong to you?

This is totally illegal.

Who are the people collecting the money? Are they part of a company that cleans the beach?

The shops, bars and resorts are the ones who should be paying for the beach to be cleaned, they make plenty of money with their inflated prices. It's also their rubbish, from bottles, plastic bags etc. that litter the beach.

This is Thailand at it's worst (almost).

PS. why aren't these two similar threads combined?

[sbk]

The pier at Hadrin is privately owned as is all the land around it. In fact, all of the land in Hadrin is indeed privately owned and is rented out by the various owners.

[sbk]

PS. why aren't these two similar threads combined?

There are currently some glitches in the system and I am unable to merge threads. I have closed the other one, so please continue the discussion in this one, thanks.

[angiud]

Today the local "Haad Rin Business association" asked with a flyer to every shop to give some of our employeds to clean the beach after the full moon party and/or an economic help.

So i'm wondering where all the ticket money go.

But that is a question a falang with a business in Haad Rin better don't ask

[5tash]

The pier at Hadrin is privately owned as is all the land around it. In fact, all of the land in Hadrin is indeed privately owned and is rented out by the various owners.

Thanks for the explanation, sbk.

[smartiemarty]

SBK - I believe the pier in Haad rin is actually not a private pier and was built with public money same as the bantai pier and the huge pier in banrak in samui ( which is now rented out to seatrans as they dredged the end so it could actually be used by boats!).

I don't know if part of it was then rented out to Mr Kao? for the regular ferry. However all the land around the pier is private land.

Can anyone shed more light, as i also believe that private users are actively discouraged in using this so called private pier ??

A trip to the harbour department might be in order to clarify the ownership..

Cheers

[sbk]

Perhaps, but if it is indeed rented out then it is the prerogative of the leasee to determine who can and cannot use the pier. In fact, this was an issue many years ago when Songserm leased the pier in Thong Sala from the Harbor Dept and raised the docking rate so high that all other passenger boats were forced to stop running.

I was always under the impression that it was built privately but can certainly find out.

***edit*** From what I have heard it was privately built but the owner had to surrender it to the harbor dept. Presumably, he now rents it from them.

[ham]

I was yesterday dancing for some hours at the "halfmoon festival" (brand name) in Ban Tai. Entrance fee 300 Baht (Thai's 200). It is quite expensive, but always a very good party in a very nice environment. It does not close anymoe at 2 in the morning.

Even I left at that time So if you like to party better take this one in your agenda, and twice a month!

see here: halfmoonfestival.com

[samuibeachbum]

Only once a year AFAIK, i helped them a few year ago, they make it into a competition (which team collects the most plastic etc..sponsered by coca cola and tv crew there, i was only farang that helped, i have some photos somewhere, i will try and find

I thought the local school kids cleaned up the beach next morning.

[samuibeachbum]

Surely there must be some legal implications for charging people to enter Hat Rin.

The beach nor the town are privately owned, how can you charge people an "entrance fee" when it doesn't belong to you?

This is totally illegal.

Who are the people collecting the money? Are they part of a company that cleans the beach?

The shops, bars and resorts are the ones who should be paying for the beach to be cleaned, they make plenty of money with their inflated prices. It's also their rubbish, from bottles, plastic bags etc. that litter the beach.

This is Thailand at it's worst (almost).

PS. why aren't these two similar threads combined?

It was myself that raised this subject, last month when they tried to stop me i simply ignored them and walked through the barrier.

Last week when i tried the same a large thai guy with no shirt and a ponytail stopped me, when i said i live on samui and pay tax here his reply was, 'you want to have a problem with me' and pushed me in the direction of the table where everyone was being made to pay.

when i asked at the table what this money was for they said 'to clean beach' at the same time another thai guy came over and gave me one of those looks that meant i had no choice.

it's a fuc_king disgrace!

[samuibeachbum]

Here a few picks of the kids from had rin school cleaning the beach and getting their awards in 2006, it was part of the worlwide ocean clean up sponsered by coca-cola, the mayor and tv crew were there, i had a bungallow on the beach next to where they all met so i joined in and helped, i still have the yellow t-shirt they gave me and they let me give an award to the team of kids that collected the most straws(they had scales to way everything). whilst i was doing it i asked a few farangs to help and they all ignorned me, it was one of the best experiences i have ever had in thailand. it was so much fun i had all the boys asking me for cigs and the girls asking me to marry them.

Just one of the reasons i get so pissed of when i get made to pay 100b

[aka_jack]

I would say this operation is highly illegal made to pay soon as you step of the boat, if it is about the pier the boat operators should be paying and adding extra on the tickets some where, what if you have been over to samui for the day and are actually staying in a hotel in haad rin.

Last time i was there even had 2 d###s on the samui side try it on for a 100baht to enter samui, god loves a tryer!!. I would say these people might have already asked the boat operators and was told no! so then where next? the unsuspecting tourist easy to deal with, threats of not being allowed in and violence! i wonder how it would play out if you stood your ground and called the police telling them you was staying on another part of the island, they would surely have to let you to your hotel!

[frankman]

I wish, they they would take more money,

so nobody will show up anymore.

And then, let them start thinking.

Ups!