Full Moon Party Ban Opposed

[tjo o tjim]

I know when I was working on Koh Tao as a divemaster our busiest period of the month was just after a full moon party.

Without the party many travellers will spend less time in Thailand and more in the other se asian countries.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Same goes for me, also as a former Koh Tao DM. The existance of the Full Moon Party was the thing that first gave me a destination outside of Bangkok. Had my first real destination in LOS been Bangkok I would not have stayed for the bulk of two years, spent money, and recommended it as a place to go for others.

I went once for fun, and a second time with someone else. Happy to never go again, but I also fully appreciate that it is a destination for many people. It is foolish to do away with anything that attracts people to Thailand that does not destroy the place.

We can all vote for the things that we think are damaging and helping LOS, but the bottom line is that things one group likes the other despises.

One thing is for sure though-- without the full moon party all of Thailand will suffer.

[Fast Eddie]

Let's face it, do you want a bunch of drunken 20 something backpackers who are high on "something" that they thought was ecstacy running around pissing on everything and fighting left and right - who cause a scene arguing that their 400 baht shithole bungalow with no A/C costs too much.

...or would you rather have law abiding middle class families who are willing to pay 4000Baht a night for their nice resort room on the beach, participate in the grossly overpriced tours, and eat 500 baht meals in the restaurants.

Middle class families are where the big tourist dollar is at.  Backpackers have had a strong foot hold in Thailand for a long time and it's apparent that the government and local business owners are doing whatever they can to get rid of them.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

One of the problems with attempting to discourage backpackers from visiting Thailand would surely be that a lot of these backpackers become the middle class families who would repeat visit over the next 20 years or more. If they visit Thailand, and leave with the attitude that they were prevented from enjoying themselves, they will not want to return when they have more money, they will also discourage people they know from visiting as well. If, on the other hand, they have a good time they may well bring their families to revisit a country which holds a place in their hearts in the future. The early closing hours of bars/nightclubs has potentially the same negative effect.

[DaveYo]

Well it will be a cryan shame if they do ban it, cause that means no more pics of the moonies shining their tushies to the moon and to the outer space visitors. Sigh

[OxfordWill]

It would also be a shame because we would no longer have a serious guage as to if we should stay at the bar with this new farang face or move on..normally the question 'Have you ever been to a full moon party' quickly decides if I want to get ot know them or not..

along with 'So, ever stayed on Khao San road?'

I r snob.

[cobra]

It would also be a shame because we would no longer have a serious guage as to if we should stay at the bar with this new farang face or move on..normally the question 'Have you ever been to a full moon party' quickly decides if I want to get ot know them or not..

along with 'So, ever stayed on Khao San road?'

I r snob.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I believe your confusing Fullmoonicus with the lesser Packarilla, which is easily identified when they ask .. what night do they usually have this full moon party on,

[bkkmadness]

It would also be a shame because we would no longer have a serious guage as to if we should stay at the bar with this new farang face or move on..normally the question 'Have you ever been to a full moon party' quickly decides if I want to get ot know them or not..

along with 'So, ever stayed on Khao San road?'

I r snob.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Wouldn't get along with me then will, as I've done both.

I'm against the banning of it myself, though not a great fan of it, I think its nice to have a place for the backpackers and budget travellers to go.

For those people that think all the people that go to full moon parties are moaning about 400 baht rooms, they are much mistaken, there are 2000 baht rooms down there, all fully booked over the main tourist season and around the full moon party time, a lot of money is spent down there.

[Totster]

I've never been to a full moon party.. but know that I wouldn't enjoy it... and if I generalise, then the people who normally attend this event are not the type I would mix with.. please note that I am generalising.

Also having never been I can only make an opinion based on what I have read.. I have a negative opinion but I am also aware that as I have never been, my opinion doesn't mean much...

Now ... just because I have a negative opinion about the full moon parties, and it's not somewhere that I will go (unless fully expensed trip with 5 star accomodation is offered), I don't think it should be banned... the loss of revenue to local businesses will be high and possible damaging to the area's local economy..

But then again lets face it .. people will find a way to party whatever... the "die hards" won't let it go... you can't ban people from having a good time ( or can you... TiT )... it just won't be called a Full Moon Party..

totster

Edited August 24, 2005 by Totster

[Neeranam]

Are these full moon parties any worse than what goes on in Pattaya?

Let's ban Pattaya as well.

[dantilley]

Let's face it, do you want a bunch of drunken 20 something backpackers who are high on "something" that they thought was ecstacy running around pissing on everything and fighting left and right - who cause a scene arguing that their 400 baht shithole bungalow with no A/C costs too much.

...or would you rather have law abiding middle class families who are willing to pay 4000Baht a night for their nice resort room on the beach, participate in the grossly overpriced tours, and eat 500 baht meals in the restaurants.

Middle class families are where the big tourist dollar is at.   Backpackers have had a strong foot hold in Thailand for a long time and it's apparent that the government and local business owners are doing whatever they can to get rid of them.

I agree - the behaviour of some backpackers is appalling at times. Why do most backpackers seem to be on this hellbent mission to spend as little money as possible? I've seen people getting very unpleasant and angry over 10 or 20 baht. Sure, some people go travelling with very little money and so have to budget, but I think a lot of people have this tight-fisted attitude just because it seems to be the done thing.

But it's not just that: the lack of respect some people have for local people and their cultures and traditions is also pretty shcoking. I could see how Thailand wants rid of these types of people, and you can see how the patience of many local Thais is wearing thin. Notice how bad tempered and grumpy many of the Thais on Khao San Road are? These people have been exposed to this obnoxious farrang behaviour for many years now.

One thing I don't agree with, though, is the atmosphere at the full moon parties: I've always had a great time at them and rarely seen any fighting or other trouble. Maybe it's because I've been hanging out with predominantly Thai groups at the parties I've been to, but still I hear mainly positive reports from other western people after the parties.

And, no they won't be banned: it's just one of the government's regular crackdowns that they have from time to time. It'll pass, and everyone will still be able to party to their heart's content each month.

Edited August 25, 2005 by dantilley

[Potato]

what should be banned is this current government

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You only swap one bad for another,imagine Tonnnniii Bbbblllaair in charge of

LOS, at least we can see the cracks !!!!!!!!!!!!!. yes i live in LONS (Land of NO smiles)

In the uk we should put all the 'politicos' on the 'tube' & tell Osama where !!!

[fire2rescue99]

I especially like the pick-up trucks plying the streets of Samui and their blaring advertisements for the parties!

[OlRedEyes]

Also having never been I can only make an opinion based on what I have read.. I have a negative opinion but I am also aware that as I have never been, my opinion doesn't mean much...

An Englishman, methinks?

[womble]

Leave these tourists alone

Newly-appointed Interior Minister Kongsak Wantana grabbed the headlines earlier this month with his plan to counter murder and mayhem in the three southernmost provinces. His idea was to win the hearts and minds of potential troublemakers by beaming them free telecasts of Premier League football. Now he wants to promote eco-tourism and launch this campaign by banning Koh Phangan's world-famous Full Moon Party, which lures thousands of young travellers to Thailand monthly in search of lunar raves, dreamy beaches and the promise of nirvana.

Many partygoers have to settle, instead, for a bad hangover, but do go on to enjoy the rest of what Thailand has to offer. Divemasters usually report their best business in the days immediately following this overhyped affair. And, of course, these youthful budget travellers frequently grow up to become affluent middle class families with children who make repeat visits a couple of decades later .By that time they have usually upgraded to five-star quality hotels and restaurants and all because Thailand captured their hearts at an early, impressionable age. If they are actively discouraged on their first visit, and leave without having enjoyed themselves, then they are unlikely ever to return. Word of mouth is a powerful advertising tool and they are likely to discourage their friends from visiting as well.

Now it is true that the minister would be most unlikely to enjoy himself at a Full Moon Party. In that, he would feel as out of place as anyone over 35, including Khon Kaen Senator Rabiabrat Pongpanit, who enraged the Koh Phangan business community earlier this year with her own attempt to ban the party after accusing it of being riddled with sex and drugs. Business-men accused her of "making a mountain out of a molehill" and the then Tourism and Sports Minister Somsak Thepsuthin went out of his way to say that only a small group of tourists were involved in immoral activities at the celebration. Mr Somsak said the authorities had done their best to regulate the event, but there might be some areas they had failed to cover. A host of VIPs then descended on the next party at Hat Rin to check on these suspect areas and found nothing to get worked up about. After all, the party has been held monthly for 25 years and if there was anything really bad about it, those who make their home on Koh Phangan should have had something to say about it by now. There are also eco-friendly projects under way to rejuvenate dead coral and improve energy and water sources and the island is well looked after by the Green Cross Conservation Group, which also effectively handles post-party clean-ups.

The Interior Minister also seems to be out of step with the rest of the government. Official policy is to encourage a resurgence of tourism after the devastation wrought by the tsunami, not suppress and ban elements of it. The whole market is already severely depressed. And, if Air Chief Marshal Kongsak is really concerned about the ecological impact of mass tourism and wishes to don the mantle of an eco-warrior, then let him take a trip to Koh Chang to see the horrors being perpetrated there in the name of "quality" tourism. It will not be long before one of our country's few remaining paradises is lost to greedy land speculators and rapacious resort developers.

Equally educational would be a ministerial trip to examine the deterioration of Jomtien Beach near Pattaya, which the Pollution Control Department last year controversially rated as the worst of the 14 Thai beaches it surveyed. It used to have far cleaner seawater than Pattaya, but sources at the department say the rot set in during the economic boom of the early '90s when high-rise condos sprang up along its beachfront to serve as weekend homes for visitors from Bangkok. This was coupled with a slew of other development schemes and a lack of pollution control. Let us hope that Interior Minister Kongsak sustains his interest in eco-tourism and puts it to good use. As for the college-age teens who come here for their Full Moon Party, let's all learn to live and let live.

Bangkok Post

[dantilley]

Womble, was that taken from the Bangkok Post? If so, is it likely to have been read by people in the government that can make a difference? Because it's a very well written article that makes a lot of sense, and clearly outlines the reasons why banning the full moon parties would be a bad idea. Hopefully if the right people read it then they can also see sense.

[womble]

Yes it was indeed taken from the Bangkok post, but what I find so interesting is that if you read the whole thread here, it seems like the writer of the article may possibly have read the forum, so much of what is written in it has been said in this thread, even a lot of the words are the same.

Ofcourse it may just be coinceidence, they're pretty obvious things that would happen were the party to be stopped.

Personally I don't like the parties, the music is rubbish, and I hate Sang Som, but it's soemthing everyone has to go to once. I think it's a great party for people into that kinda thing, and to stop it would have huge repercusions on Tourism possibly for a generation.

The 1am closing is starting to have that effect too now, if they had any sense, they would zone tourist towns.

It will revive the tourist industry in no time. For tourism to be successful, you need a mixture, backpackers, high enders, familys, spa get aways, a broad base is the key to success in any business, spread the risk.

Also it's young people who are less likley to be put off by violence, bird flu and natural disaster. It's these mysterious high end tourists that havn't appeard that would most likely be put off. Also any one with childeren may be put off. They should target the young party people, if they want quick tourist $. There is a current account surplus afterall. I thought Thailand need export $????

[schvonsky1]

B)well if they ban it then say goodbye to thailand as don't forget we r ur revenue thailand for god sake wake up

It might have a positive affect.

The accomodation is overpriced for what it is,because the Full Moon clientele are so wasted they dont mind.

Maybe it would force the operators to clean there act up.

Full moon party ban opposed

... The full moon party doesn't just benefit certain people; it brings revenue to the province and the whole country,'' ...

--Bangkok Post 2005-08-24

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Don't know about the whole country, mainly brings money into the portal Samui, and IMHO probably is the singular appreciable revenue stream for Phangan,

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[meadish_sweetball]

B)well if they ban it then say goodbye to thailand as don't forget we r ur revenue thailand for god sake wake up

Perhaps you are over-estimating the Full Moon Party's effect on the Thai economy. Either way, I fully agree with everything said in the Bangkok Post article.

You can say what you like about Backpackers and their spending habits, but the article clearly states the truth - most backpackers are in a phase of their life before they start making real money. If the Thai government tries to shut down the major attractions for these people, there will be repercussions for years to come.

I went to the party 7 years ago, and I was surprised how tidy and well-ordered it was. Much more so than many of the rock festivals and raves held in Europe around the same time.

Koh Phangan bungalow operators seemed the most keyed in with environmental issues and working much more actively to find sustainable solutions than ANY of the other islands I've been to.

Barking at the moon up the wrong tree.

[VanZam]

I went to the party 7 years ago, and I was surprised how tidy and well-ordered it was. Much more so than many of the rock festivals and raves held in Europe around the same time.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

7 years...ummm right..yeah its changed a little bit since then

[Sturbuc]

Well, i like the full-moon-parties - they make Koh Samui nice & quiet....

[Patex]

All high Buddhist holidays are on full moon... in Germany, for example, there is no danceamusement on good Friday allowed.

Why sacrifice everything to the mammon?

Patex