Farang German Web Designer Shot On Koh Phangan

[Boater]

Uh, ok. Hopefully the mothership will get the transporter working one of these days....

:cheesy:

but this guy really needs to keep low now !

[on-on]

Uh, ok. Hopefully the mothership will get the transporter working one of these days....

Yeah, that blog entry or whatever we're calling it, wow. He sounds like a really sweet guy, frankly, but he also sounds like maybe he's spent a little too long on Koh Phangan. Possibly time to trade in the bong and the pyramid hat for a bullet proof vest and a ticket out of town. I don't live down there, but I've had acquaintances who have and from what I understand when you mess with the local wallets and piss someone off you get warnings and then if you don't heed them you stop getting warnings and then you get bullets. He's actually lived through the bullets, he should consider himself lucky and skedaddle.

[jmdelan5]

Uh, ok. Hopefully the mothership will get the transporter working one of these days....

but this guy really needs to keep low now !

I agree. Look, he's right but he's wrong too. He's technically in the right but he's in a foreign land and his tactics are not going to work. he's escalating it and his attitude (warrior) will get him hurt or killed. being right will not protect him. the police are on the take and money rules in the LOS. either move or accept the noise. and take down that site; it's like a target on his back. what will happen next is a larger, more experience group will get him when he's not prepared and really do a number on him. he should consider another island.

[Warpspasm]

1/ All those who haven't read Becki's "newspaper", do it now.

2/Now tell me he doesn't deserve what he got and if he doesn't stop, much worse.

Due to KPNnews myself and a number of associates have lost a sizeable amount of our various incomes over the last half a decade.

This at a time when every satang counts. No exaggeration but in the last 3 years I have been killing myself waiting for non-existent customers scared away by Becki and the international media's laziness and ignorance in giving KPNnews.org link out to the world.

"Please Stop!" wouldn't work with Batman, he has been on a martyrdom crusade for years.

Unfortunately even more harm will be done by those who "grass" to their Embassies.

"Please Don't!"? I'm in enough debt, so are ALL my friends, seriously if KPNnews stopped we'd notice an immediate increase, even due to his poxy weather reports!

[OnTheSnap]

Is KPNnews that big a deal? I never even heard of it until this thread, and I've been in this area for quite a while.

[Rooo]

Defamatory post has been deleted.If posters are not sure, please refer to Forum rules, found here:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/boardrules.html

[angiud]

First time I have seen KPG news site was when beck gone shot. I don't think this or TV too have the power to influence the tourism in KPG on in any place of thailand.

The only site have some power to dissuade people to go some location IMO is Pattaya one

[smartiemarty]

1/ All those who haven't read Becki's "newspaper", do it now.

2/Now tell me he doesn't deserve what he got and if he doesn't stop, much worse.

Due to KPNnews myself and a number of associates have lost a sizeable amount of our various incomes over the last half a decade.

This at a time when every satang counts. No exaggeration but in the last 3 years I have been killing myself waiting for non-existent customers scared away by Becki and the international media's laziness and ignorance in giving KPNnews.org link out to the world.

"Please Stop!" wouldn't work with Batman, he has been on a martyrdom crusade for years.

Unfortunately even more harm will be done by those who "grass" to their Embassies.

"Please Don't!"? I'm in enough debt, so are ALL my friends, seriously if KPNnews stopped we'd notice an immediate increase, even due to his poxy weather reports!

What a load of old tosh..... are you seriously telling us that due to one website you income has been affected? Sorry but maybe your income has dropped over the last "half decade" because you haven't changed with the times. The tourists visiting KPG today are VASTLY different from those a decade ago and if you haven't adapted over the last 5 years then it's your own fault.

Oh and tourists are not affected in a big way by the continual police corruption, false arrests, local government corruption, and the heavy handed way the "local mafia" sort out their problems..... Maybe you should also consider that acts of violence have increased massively over the last 10 years, just go and hang around the Drop Inn for a few nights and watch how those bar boys treat the customers..... punches, kicks and severe beatings are handed out on a weekly basis.... BUT NO ----- Its all KPGNews Fault....

I have followed beckmanns site for a few years now and overall i think his articles are pertinent and show a dark undercurrent of phangan that most are unaware of.

Blaming your loss of income on beckmann is surely a joke, and sounds to me like sour grapes because you can't manage your business.

Anyway have fun waiting for your customers.........

Laterzzzzz

[deprogrammed]

seriously what do you expect.this is thailand,dont meddle in things you cannot posibly win.

Yes don't stand up for what you know is right - best be a coward and a wimp and let the shit win

[BIC]

I sypathise with both sides and it needs a balenced view.

Sadly with this negative publicity on the world wide web and in newspapers inevitably Phangan businesses sadly will lose money - both Thai and Foreign buisnesses and I really feel for those people who this is affecting.

The other side of the story affects the local Thai people who live near the parties and cannot sleep at night and the type of crazy tourists these parties attract with many not spending much money on the island other thank alcohol and cheap rooms.

I also understand the party organisers - they want to have a business and the parties are popular so they should be able to do this but maybe they could be better organised if they all worked together to consider make them in an organised zone that does not affect the local population. Create a single party area at least 3Km away from the villagers that all parties could use each on different designated nights.

Websites such as Mr Beckman's do impact on people's impression of Koh Phangan- and I must say Koh Phangan is a beautiful island with many nice people - but it is quite a large island and many areas do not have parties such as Thong Nai Pan, Haad Yow, Haad Salad, Haad Thien etc ... and these places are very tranquil.

The island is sufferring from it being 'unbalenced' and a more positive appraoch could be adopted if people could work together and promote the island in both directions - a fun party island in some places as well as a beautiful peaceful island in some places.

Its very sad that this shooting happened, and I am sad for Mr Beckman as he will probably lose his home in Thailand, but we must all remember that we are guests in Thailand and their rules and workings are not the same as back in the west and we should try and respect that - if not, then at least ignore it.

[taxexile]

good post there from smartymarty.

tourists are wising up to the treatment that they may receive in thailand from immigration, police, local thugs, and local "mafia" to say nothing of the decreasing quality of service and the gimme gimme gimme attitude of many thai run businesses in tourist resorts.

more power to the press and the net for disseminating this information.

[goldfish]

2/Now tell me he doesn't deserve what he got and if he doesn't stop, much worse.

This is a paragraph from the UK foreign office' website

There have been a number of incidents in Koh Phangan in 2008 where western tourists have been victims of vicious unprovoked assaults by gangs. These attacks are increasingly common around the time of the Full Moon Parties and generally occur late at night in the vicinity of bars in Haad Rin. You are advised be extremely careful when walking in this area at any time, especially after dark and if possible avoid it altogether.

There's more if you wish to look

http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travelling-and-li...ceania/thailand

Please try to understand 'cause and effect' before you undertake anymore violence. I, and many others, had never heard of Mr Beckman's paper until this incident. I had no immediate plans to visit Koh Phangan in the near future, but this one line of yours I quoted has made sure I will probably never set foot on the island again

[angiud]

Its very sad that this shooting happened, and I am sad for Mr Beckman as he will probably lose his home in Thailand, but we must all remember that we are guests in Thailand and their rules and workings are not the same as back in the west and we should try and respect that - if not, then at least ignore it.

BIC, I remember not so many weeks ago, you try to push to break the 'rules' about Haad Rin situation

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?s=...t&p=2595233

So, respect or break the rules?

[samuibeachcomber]

seriously what do you expect.this is thailand,dont meddle in things you cannot posibly win.

Yes don't stand up for what you know is right - best be a coward and a wimp and let the shit win

easy for you to talk tough behind your faceless keyboard.

[Samuian]

I sypathise with both sides and it needs a balenced view.

Sadly with this negative publicity on the world wide web and in newspapers inevitably Phangan businesses sadly will lose money -

man - this guy almost lost his LIFE!

for voicing an opinion...

where are we?

is it all just the rule of money?

is it all just because some are happy skimming...

everyone has to shut TFU and go on with his/her own business..

some of this is effecting entire communities... not only on the noise level...

get real - there (supposedly) lived people on KPG and made a livin'

\BEFORE meth, ice, ex and friends came with their PA's and decided:

"this is party time!"

Where are we?

[samuibeachcomber]

Is KPN a relic from the hippy days? certainly seems like it from this guys web page,and sounds like he suffers from a huge dose of self importance.

Most people come to thailand to lead a peaceful,non antagonist life style,so why stir up a hornets nest,let the local thais, who understand the thai ways deal with it.

If anyone finds themselves in a situation they dont like to live with,just move away,and nice that he thanked all his supporters on his web page,he might have just as well added their address and telephone numbers too.

[BIC]

Its very sad that this shooting happened, and I am sad for Mr Beckman as he will probably lose his home in Thailand, but we must all remember that we are guests in Thailand and their rules and workings are not the same as back in the west and we should try and respect that - if not, then at least ignore it.

BIC, I remember not so many weeks ago, you try to push to break the 'rules' about Haad Rin situation

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?s=...t&p=2595233

So, respect or break the rules?

Depends on which side of the bed you get out of :-)

[Mark Wolfe]

I'm more interested in what the police are doing. Clearly the youngsters were acting on orders from someone. Who?

Did they catch these kids?

[t.s]

Is KPN a relic from the hippy days? certainly seems like it from this guys web page,and sounds like he suffers from a huge dose of self importance.

Most people come to thailand to lead a peaceful,non antagonist life style,so why stir up a hornets nest,let the local thais, who understand the thai ways deal with it.

If anyone finds themselves in a situation they dont like to live with,just move away,and nice that he thanked all his supporters on his web page,he might have just as well added their address and telephone numbers too.

i wasn't aware becki and KPG were synonymous. Becki certainly is a leftover from the days of yore, from his last post it seems he is also heavily medicated.

In addition he refers to himself in the third person, always offputting.

i certainly dont think he is doing anyone any favours with his catlog call of thank yous.

i am of many minds about this, however one thing i do know was settling in chaloklam rather than the horny mile or haadrin was certainly an easy call to make.

i think he should have posted after the meds wore off.

perhaps he will be an authour of change if this gets enough publicity.

[nagleng]

t.s., reading some of your posts you seems also is also heavily medicated.

[ClaudeFeller]

Its very sad that this shooting happened, and I am sad for Mr Beckman as he will probably lose his home in Thailand, but we must all remember that we are guests in Thailand and their rules and workings are not the same as back in the west and we should try and respect that - if not, then at least ignore it.

We are not lawless here, there are rules in Thailand and even in a place like KPN which is not a moo baan somewhere in the Isaan region.

[BigC]

simmering ....????!!????

[t.s]

t.s., reading some of your posts you seems also is also heavily medicated.

could indeed be the case..

Edited April 11, 2009 by t.s

[gaipad]

Hope he gets better soon. Messing with Thai issues is like playing with fire. You never know when you get burned aye..

[Sisaketmike]

Two nights ago in the village of Ban Tai two masked men entered the property of a German long term resident of Koh Phangan, Mr Beckman, and subsequently beat him. When he fought back they pulled out a gun and released two rounds - one of which entered his body. He survived this attempted murder.

The reason he was attacked is that via his website forums at kohphangannews he has launched a peaceful campaign with support of Thai Ban Tai local residents to try to have the closing time of the parties in Ban Tai where he resides controlled as none of the Thai locals can sleep. This includes half moon, shiva moon, black moon, jungle experience parties.

This campaign was ignored for many months by the officials of Koh Phangan who were trying to keep the parties running to what ever time they liked ... then officials in Surat Thani called a meeting and controls were put in place.

Since he started the campaign on his website and in the local community, Mr Beckman had been recieving threatening phonecalls from Thai's men, a number of gunshots were made outside his property, some Thai people came and threatened him and now he has been shot. He is lucky to be alive.

Kohphangannews explains in more detail the lead up to this event.

This island is special. Special for it's drug parties, overdosed people...and the famous full moon parties.????

You can't bull shit other people for such a long time, I'm sorry that they're trying to kill him. Half moon? Shiva moon? That's just a money making thing. Thais might not like that.

Edited April 17, 2009 by Sisaketmike

[Sturbuc]

...don't mess with local affairs.. or bear the consequences!

- beeing a resident, it becomes an own affair !

- who is to decide it's ok to disturb the mass by making profit?

- what about the local gouvernement ?

I'm sorry but i quit making holidays on a certain place at Samui because it's bee to loud at night.

Maybe it helps if there will be a lack of tourists.

[animatic]

A shame he got shot, hope he recovers well.

Messing with the party peoples revenue stream was asking for trouble.

TIT this is their place not ours.

But consideration for others is not exactly a local big issue.

I can't help but think the killings, attempted killings, suicides and general violence,

is MUCH more the CAUSE of loss of business, and not a few reporting websites.

[MickeyHolland]

His website is already offline for 2 days..

Half Moon party 17 April got cancelled..

Anybody hear anything about the latest developments ?

[sedeflonga]

seriously what do you expect.this is thailand,dont meddle in things you cannot posibly win.

true

[Boo]

I wonder how long some posters think someone has to live a place to be considered worthy of an opinion. As I understand it this man has lived on KPG for over 15 years. He has invested time, money & hisself into the community. Why shouldn't he be able to express his opinion about his home. I hope he makes a full recovery.