Horrible People Live On Samui !?

[Donz]

I think your all paranoid.

Ill be in Samui in a few weeks and im gonna have a blast.

[Rooo]

Good on you Donz.

[lomatopo]

Follow-on letters Bangkok Post 23 Dec:

No one to defend Samui's reputation

Recent weeks have seen many letters in the English-language press pointing out the glaring troubles Koh Samui is facing. As a long-time resident and tourism business owner I, like many others, stand to lose if these letters have an effect on tourist arrivals. As the letter from "Name Withheld" (Postbag, Dec 21) came one day after an incident with an irresponsible taxi driver who turned violent when I dared to blare my horn at him, I feel compelled to write.

Name Withheld's letter was arguably the most dramatic and ardent plea yet. I was tempted upon finishing NW's letter to consider that had Phuket been the victim of a string of so many intensely critical observations, articulate voices from that island's movers and shakers would have come forward and pointed out the unfairness of the sweeping generalisations. I wondered, where are the voices of Samui's civic and business leaders? Is there no one to come forward and defend the island's reputation?

I suspect that, like myself, they all realise that things have gotten so out of hand, bad publicity may be the only hope for the changes so desperately needed.

ANOTHER NAME WITHHELD

Koh Samui

Island in need of a new, clean sheriff

With regard to "Horrible people live on Samui" (Postbag, Dec 21), I can confirm as a resident that no law and order exists on Samui, and that ordinary people are terrorised by the negative effects of corrupt police and other government officials.

A certain late-night establishment in central Chaweng beach has for more than one year been blaring out loud techno music till 6am every morning, keeping the numerous residents in nearby houses, bungalows, hotels, guest houses and rooms for rent sleepless all night long. Any requests to the police have been ignored as they obviously appear to be cashing in on the illegal disturbances.

In fact, the police might even have been telling the nightspot owners the names of those who have been complaining because they have received threats to keep quiet and not complain. The local government prefers to ignore any complaints from local residents who are kept sleepless and lose business as tourists have been checking out of their hotels because of unbearable noise. Samui needs a new sheriff in town, an honest and decent police chief who is not there to fill his pockets but to care for the well-being of all Samui residents and visitors. As it is today, ordinary people are powerless and have no protection.

SAMUI RESIDENT AND UK CITIZEN

[limbos]

With the second letter about Solo Bar I can sympathise.

Wonder how long this place can keep open after the recent shootings.

Edited December 24, 2005 by limbos

[taxexile]

those letters just echo what so many others (including myself) have been saying for months now , the place is run by and for the benefit of the selfish skimmers , scammers and scum who have made the place their home.

[Malice in Wonderland]

As a (tax-paying) resident here for over 3 years I'm not quite sure i want to be classed as a "skimmer,scammer or scum" - Quote taxexile.

These frankly sad utterings do nothing except make the poster look like a bitter and twisted old so and so who should go back to England and see how shit life REALLY is....

In the meantime to all those with something useful to say - "Happy Christmas Samui,some of us still love ya...."

[taxexile]

malice in wonderland , i did not intend to imply that ALL residents of samui are scammers , skimmers or scum , so apologies for any offence caused by my remarks.

but i stand by my remark that the place is run by scammers , skimmers and scum. i.e. immorality and corruption are the driving forces there. honesty and decency are being forced out.

some people can live amongst all that quite happily and not be too concerned about it , or affected by it .

we did not like what we found there and chose to leave , many others have left too.

i know that it exists to an extent all over thailand and in other places too , but down there on samui it was just becoming too much.

nothing bitter and twisted about that.

[OlRedEyes]

Taxexile. Gotta agree with your assessment of Samui. Especially the aggression just under the surface bit. It's thinly veiled.

Them boobs, they AquaBoobs?

[limbos]

Me thinks that this part;

Especially the aggression just under the surface bit. It's thinly veiled.

is not exclusive to Samui.

[pepsi666]

I have to admit it is getting worse since my first visit,

My wife was mugged last year on our holiday over there, it was only a few gold chains she was wearing, but it was a bit of a comedy

He grabbed the chains from her neck and was off,

I went after him, through a hotel pool area, he went over a fence,

I followed, a quick sprint down the road and I caught him, had a quick 'chat' about the error of his ways, and the tourist police turned up and beat the crap out of him and then put us BOTH on his motorbike, we ended up outside the guest house where it happened, and the security guard grabbed him and HE beat the crap out of him, screaming in Thai, after about 5 minutes the REAL police turned up, the tourist police told them what had happened and THEY beat the crap out of him, he was looking in a really sorry way by now, some smart shiny shoed policeman drew his pistol and pionted it at him and said bang and grabbed hold of him and was going off round behind the guest house,

I asked the guest house manager what the hel_l was going on, he said, he ws a bad nman and had done it before and this was the best way to stop him as he was bad for tourist, I thought this was a bit extreme and got the guest house owner to translate, that he should go to the police station, they were somewhat surprised by this, then old shiny shoes said that we should have some photos of the crime, so out came the digital camera, and trhe re enactment started, him grabbing the gold chains and him legging it with me in pursuit, after a short run, I realised this bloke werent stopping, so off we go, the police hadnt noticed this until the guest house manager and my wife pointed it out that we had BOTH gone, I caught him AGAIN and had another 'chat', the police turned up AGAIN and this time the batons came out and did they lay into him, then an open back van turned up and we ALL piled in, with the prisoner cuffed to the floor in the back (4 policemen, us and the driver)

NOW, this is where the farce really begins, a detective turned up, looked at the pictures and asked us if we could attend court the following week, we said we wouldnt be there as our holiday would be over and we would be back in the UK,

He said they would have a trial there and then, 3 police turned up, the detective became judge, WE were the prosecution, and the prisoner was HIS OWN defence, the policemen were the jury

Now we have 2 non Thai speakers(us),

4 non English speakers( the prisoner and 3 policemen) and

the judge (*the detective) who can speak a little english,

But we never said anything, the prisoner never said anything, the 'judge' looked at the pictures, showed them to the 'jury' and that was it

It lasted ALL of 2 minutes, he was found guilty and the 'judge' gave him 5 years, we left and the last we saw of him was 5 or 6 policemen beating the hel_l out of him in the yard behind the police station with their batons, I dont know whether he lived long enough to serve his 5 years

Is this the usual Samui kind of justice ?

I was quite happy with giving him a 'chat' and telling him not to do it again

But we will be back again in 2006, I like Samui and the Samui people

[steverino]

Pepsi666

Glad to know you'll be back in 2006, but I dare say if they didn't kill him, he'll be back in 2006 too.

"...but the hangman isn't hanging, and they throw you on the street,

you go back Jack do it agian, wheels spinnin'...etc"

[steverino]

On the front of Daily News today 27th, another shooting on Koh Samui, behind the airport in a supermarket. Evidently there had been an arguement about where to channel the flood water the other day, and the victim had hit his adversary with one of those long digging impliments that the thais use for everything (sic). The adversary didn't do the killing himself, but someone was hired, whether it be by the adversary or not, no one knows. Evidently the victim had some other "familly" problems re. land etc., so they might have used this opportunity to do away with a troublesome relative and have someone else blamed.

[user786895]

This is the reputation we're getting.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/21Dec2005_news70.php

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

While touring through the North of your beautiful country I noted repeated negative stories and letters relating to Koh Samui, which almost caused me to avoid the island. But I did not, and instead, took the opportunity to evaluate conditions for myself.

There, for the first time, I encountered an almost overwhelming number of mean people. This was especially surprising, and barely unbelievable, after meeting so many wonderful Thais in other places; but I guarantee your readers that that is exactly what happened, and in spades.

Reports of murderous driving are vastly understated, but the high probability of death or injury by motorbike was overshadowed by the continuous hassle with street people. Most particularly, the threatening Thai men-cum-cab drivers of that ilk, who push the boundaries of civilised people.

Residents told me they live in fear of the mafia and the police who resemble them (or maybe vice versa). And yes, like so many others, I was attacked for no apparent reason, and then discovered that a police report is a joke (to them); and my hospital bills far exceeded the fine given to the Thai man who attacked me from behind.

The unprovoked attack, which would have been assault with a deadly weapon and/or attempted murder in any civilised place, is all too common on Samui and hardly remarkable. The attacker was friendly with the police and totally unconcerned. He laughed as he paid a small fine and then threatened me again as he walked out the door. The policeman giggled.

My embassy is unaware of any pattern developing, but perhaps the walls and barbed-wire surrounding them obstructed their view. Nevertheless, in a short time I heard many strong-arm and intimidation stories from other tourists, and from local residents powerless in the face of massive police corruption.

It is surprising to discover that a tourist's life is worth less than 1,000 baht on Koh Samui; but the experience was reminiscent of that last year when a policeman killed two Western tourists; except I was not drinking and did not know my attacker; and it happened in broad daylight and in full view of more than 100 Thai people.

Significantly, not one Thai person responded to cries for help, or telephoned the police when asked to do so. In fact, they locked their doors and turned their backs.

Discussing this matter with several high-level island officials, all whom insisted they not be quoted fearing for their own lives, I was encouraged in the strongest possible terms to urge tourists with similar experiences to write to newspapers and travel magazines and shout these outrages loud and often. I promise to do so.

My life is worth more than a few baht but my resources will be used to warn every English-language publication possible about the animals running loose on Samui. I loved my visit to Thailand (excluding Samui), but unfortunately most westerners will probably not make that fine distinction after reading my account of it.

NAME WITHHELD

[OlRedEyes]

I have to admit it is getting worse since my first visit,

My wife was mugged last year on our holiday over there, it was only a few gold chains she was wearing, but it was a bit of a comedy

He grabbed the chains from her neck and was off,

I went after him, through a hotel pool area, he went over a fence,

I followed, a quick sprint down the road and I caught him, had a quick 'chat' about the error of his ways, and the tourist police turned up and beat the crap out of him and then put us BOTH on his motorbike, we ended up outside  the guest house where it happened, and the security guard grabbed him and HE beat the crap out of him, screaming in Thai, after about 5 minutes the REAL police turned up, the tourist police told them what had happened and THEY beat the crap out of him, he was looking in a really sorry way by now, some smart shiny shoed policeman drew his pistol and pionted it at him and said bang and grabbed hold of him and was going off round behind the guest house,

I asked the guest house manager what the hel_l was going on, he said, he ws a bad nman and had done it before and this was the best way to stop him as he was bad for tourist, I thought this was a bit extreme and got the guest house owner to translate, that he should go to the police station, they were somewhat surprised by this, then old shiny shoes said that we should have some photos of the crime, so out came the digital camera, and trhe re enactment started, him grabbing the gold chains and him legging it with me in pursuit, after a short run, I realised this bloke werent stopping, so off we go, the police hadnt noticed this until the guest house manager and my wife pointed it out that we had BOTH gone, I caught him AGAIN and had another 'chat', the police turned up AGAIN and this time the batons came out and did they lay into him, then an open back van turned  up and we ALL piled in, with the prisoner cuffed to the floor in the back (4 policemen, us and the driver)

NOW, this is where the farce really begins, a detective turned up, looked at the pictures and asked us if we could attend court the following week, we said we wouldnt be there as our holiday would be over and we would be back in the UK,

He said they would have a trial there and then, 3 police turned up, the detective became judge, WE were the prosecution, and the prisoner was HIS OWN defence, the policemen were the jury

Now we have 2 non Thai speakers(us),

4 non English speakers( the prisoner and 3 policemen) and

the judge (*the detective) who can speak a little english,

But we never said anything, the prisoner never said anything, the 'judge' looked at the pictures, showed them to the 'jury' and that was it

It lasted ALL of 2 minutes, he was found guilty and the 'judge' gave him 5 years, we left and the last we saw of him was 5 or 6 policemen beating the hel_l out of him in the yard behind the police station with their batons, I dont know whether he lived long enough to serve his 5 years

Is this the usual Samui kind of justice ?

I was quite happy with giving him a 'chat' and telling him not to do it again

But we will be back again in 2006, I like Samui and the Samui people

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

A very entertaining story

[pepsi666]

I have to admit it is getting worse since my first visit,

My wife was mugged last year on our holiday over there, it was only a few gold chains she was wearing, but it was a bit of a comedy

He grabbed the chains from her neck and was off,

I went after him, through a hotel pool area, he went over a fence,

I followed, a quick sprint down the road and I caught him, had a quick 'chat' about the error of his ways, and the tourist police turned up and beat the crap out of him and then put us BOTH on his motorbike, we ended up outside  the guest house where it happened, and the security guard grabbed him and HE beat the crap out of him, screaming in Thai, after about 5 minutes the REAL police turned up, the tourist police told them what had happened and THEY beat the crap out of him, he was looking in a really sorry way by now, some smart shiny shoed policeman drew his pistol and pionted it at him and said bang and grabbed hold of him and was going off round behind the guest house,

I asked the guest house manager what the hel_l was going on, he said, he ws a bad nman and had done it before and this was the best way to stop him as he was bad for tourist, I thought this was a bit extreme and got the guest house owner to translate, that he should go to the police station, they were somewhat surprised by this, then old shiny shoes said that we should have some photos of the crime, so out came the digital camera, and trhe re enactment started, him grabbing the gold chains and him legging it with me in pursuit, after a short run, I realised this bloke werent stopping, so off we go, the police hadnt noticed this until the guest house manager and my wife pointed it out that we had BOTH gone, I caught him AGAIN and had another 'chat', the police turned up AGAIN and this time the batons came out and did they lay into him, then an open back van turned  up and we ALL piled in, with the prisoner cuffed to the floor in the back (4 policemen, us and the driver)

NOW, this is where the farce really begins, a detective turned up, looked at the pictures and asked us if we could attend court the following week, we said we wouldnt be there as our holiday would be over and we would be back in the UK,

He said they would have a trial there and then, 3 police turned up, the detective became judge, WE were the prosecution, and the prisoner was HIS OWN defence, the policemen were the jury

Now we have 2 non Thai speakers(us),

4 non English speakers( the prisoner and 3 policemen) and

the judge (*the detective) who can speak a little english,

But we never said anything, the prisoner never said anything, the 'judge' looked at the pictures, showed them to the 'jury' and that was it

It lasted ALL of 2 minutes, he was found guilty and the 'judge' gave him 5 years, we left and the last we saw of him was 5 or 6 policemen beating the hel_l out of him in the yard behind the police station with their batons, I dont know whether he lived long enough to serve his 5 years

Is this the usual Samui kind of justice ?

I was quite happy with giving him a 'chat' and telling him not to do it again

But we will be back again in 2006, I like Samui and the Samui people

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

A very entertaining story

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I wish it WAS A story, but sadly its VERY true, still got the police reports and the bloody ridiculous police photos.

[OlRedEyes]

I didn't mean story as in lie. Can we see the pics, please?

[naomisri]

I feel like I'm living in a different place most of the time. I very rarely experience hostility here, but I always speak Thai when I go into shops or restaurants. I drive both a car and a motorbike and although I am well aware that there are unlicensed manic drivers on the roads, I have never had an accident. I have reasonably decent neighbours, bar a couple of western men that have moved in nearby (renting) and throw fireworks every day and night off the second floor of their villa. I have never been a victim of a crime, either violent or otherwise and I have been spoken to by 90% of the Thai people I meet with respect or friendly curiosity. I am well aware of the way things work in regards to the police etc. but any time my husband has called them for assistance from the resort he works at they have been nothing but helpful.

I'm not denying that things take place that shouldn't. In my opinion there are a lot of itchy trigger fingers that risk becoming active after a LOT of alcohol and money can be far too persuasive, but my lifestyle must be what it needs to be to avoid hastle here, I still love the place and the people and have faith that whatever needs to be done will be done to make it comfortable here for anyone who is living a respectful and positive life.

[sbk]

There is a really funny article in the Phangan Explorer about how 100 years ago there was no crime and violence on Koh Phangan, and then tourists came. What a fantasy.

There has been violence between man since Cain slew Abel. If Koh Samui is no longer the paradise you once thought it was could that be perhaps because you are finally seeing what was always there?

[nellyp]

I have been back in britain for a year now, but was living on samui before that.

I would just like to say that I never met anything but politness from every Thai I met and spoke to on Samui, except in Chaweng. I would like to point out that if you go to the big city you have to expect big city action. personally I avoided Chaweng, Bophut etc like the plague, you don't need to go to these places to enjoy island life so stay away from them go to places like bahn sen and chill out.

I will be back on Samui next year, I'll hire a house somewhere quiet, and avoid all the nasty farang and Thai and just relax

[naomisri]

Okay, I felt so disappointed when my husband returned home last night and told me that two policemen had been to his resort warning of a death of a young girl. She was staying at a resort in Lamai and was found at a private beach (frequented by a lot of farang locals despite having to get through barbed wire to reach it) and it is thought that she may have been assaulted. I was so gutted to hear about this after reading this thread. I am devastated that this should happen, so close to home too, my brother was at the resort she was staying at, with some friends, just the day before.