Koh Samui ‘influential person’ gunned down

[The Deerhunter]

Got a call from a Thai woman friend i have known for years this afternoon who lives on Samui. Can not discuss much of the details but she was invited to dinner with Mr. Influential when the shooting took place. As i have mentioned before a number of mafias are in control of the island both Thai and foreign. So if you have no problems supporting your local mafia continue visiting the Full Moon Party, Koh Samui and Koh Tao. I won,t get near the place. My Thai friends and family understand this and we meet elsewhere.

I love it when people who don't really know anything try to give the impression they know it all :-)

Most major businesses on Samui, such as the major hotels, are owned and run by people in Bangkok. I am sure there are some local and foreign wannabe gangster types, but they don't control anything worth mentioning.

Bangkok Mafia operations run lots of businesses on those islands. Been there, done that I even regrettably admit to meeting one . Jungle Jim's comment probably stands without need for change.

[monkeycountry]

Got a call from a Thai woman friend i have known for years this afternoon who lives on Samui. Can not discuss much of the details but she was invited to dinner with Mr. Influential when the shooting took place. As i have mentioned before a number of mafias are in control of the island both Thai and foreign. So if you have no problems supporting your local mafia continue visiting the Full Moon Party, Koh Samui and Koh Tao. I won,t get near the place. My Thai friends and family understand this and we meet elsewhere.

I love it when people who don't really know anything try to give the impression they know it all :-)

Most major businesses on Samui, such as the major hotels, are owned and run by people in Bangkok. I am sure there are some local and foreign wannabe gangster types, but they don't control anything worth mentioning.

Bangkok Mafia operations run lots of businesses on those islands. Been there, done that I even regrettably admit to meeting one . Jungle Jim's comment probably stands without need for change.

Yes, you all seem to know that lots of major businesses on Samui are run by mafia, yet fail to give even one example :-)

Keep in mind also that many of the major hotels, hospitals, banks, shopping malls, airport, convenience stores, restaurants, spas and so on are publicly traded companies on the Thai stock exchange. But who knows, maybe all the shareholders are gangsters :-)

[monkeycountry]

I looked up a few of the major Thai hotel operators such as Central and Minor, both of whom own and run several of the major hotel brands, shopping malls, restaurants etc. on Samui. It turns out both chains have a shareholder named HSBC. I bet that is the gangster alias for the mafia guy who runs it all.

[monkeycountry]

Got a call from a Thai woman friend i have known for years this afternoon who lives on Samui. Can not discuss much of the details but she was invited to dinner with Mr. Influential when the shooting took place. As i have mentioned before a number of mafias are in control of the island both Thai and foreign. So if you have no problems supporting your local mafia continue visiting the Full Moon Party, Koh Samui and Koh Tao. I won,t get near the place. My Thai friends and family understand this and we meet elsewhere.

I love it when people who don't really know anything try to give the impression they know it all :-)

Most major businesses on Samui, such as the major hotels, are owned and run by people in Bangkok. I am sure there are some local and foreign wannabe gangster types, but they don't control anything worth mentioning.

What does ownership have to do with gangsterism? If you believe that these hotels, etc. that you speak of are above paying protection money then you are deluded.

Jeez, it wasn't that long ago since the taxi mafia on Phuket held every major hotel to ransom.

Quite so. Not so long ago the mafia in New York exerted significant "influence" over all the major hotels (through control of their laundry collection) and the garbage hauling business to ALL commercial buildings via their control of the teamsters union. For all I know they still do have a lot of "influence." Glass houses anyone?

The unions do not have much power in Thailand, so I guess it must be the laundry guys and garbage collectors who really run Samui. Who would have known. Come to think of it, the garbage collectors have indeed purchased shiny new orange garbage trucks recently.

[JoeLing]

Got a call from a Thai woman friend i have known for years this afternoon who lives on Samui. Can not discuss much of the details but she was invited to dinner with Mr. Influential when the shooting took place. As i have mentioned before a number of mafias are in control of the island both Thai and foreign. So if you have no problems supporting your local mafia continue visiting the Full Moon Party, Koh Samui and Koh Tao. I won,t get near the place. My Thai friends and family understand this and we meet elsewhere.

I love it when people who don't really know anything try to give the impression they know it all :-)

Most major businesses on Samui, such as the major hotels, are owned and run by people in Bangkok. I am sure there are some local and foreign wannabe gangster types, but they don't control anything worth mentioning.

What does ownership have to do with gangsterism? If you believe that these hotels, etc. that you speak of are above paying protection money then you are deluded.

Jeez, it wasn't that long ago since the taxi mafia on Phuket held every major hotel to ransom.

I don't think you can name even one hotel on Samui that pays protection money to anyone.

The only people who pay protection money are the usual semi illegal businesses such as bars, jetskis and taxis who pay the police in order to avoid the usual trouble with licenses, lack of meter use, closing hours and prostitution.

Just one of many but maybe try:

facebook.com/dinkyrock

or check out:

Bandidos Incorporated: A Motorcycle Gang with Island Fever

and then tell me again, there's no mafia in Samui .

Just because you can't see it, doesn't mean it's not there

[englishoak]

Monkeycountry. Its there in spades you are looking at the wrong revenue stream, its SME business and mom and pops stall that are targeted most.

You have a typical outside view and supposing business operates the same in Thailand as other countries, it dosnt matter about huge hotel chains, Honda outlets, Robinsons etc, its only a small part of the local economy and holds no interest or use for mafia types. Its the peripheral suppliers and businesses and medium/smaller enterprises they target.

They do control the bars you drink in, the entertainment venues, the street booth rents, the protection, the permission and the guarantee of smooth running of businesses and many other things besides that support the big chains ventures and outlets that in turn provide business opportunity for more victims and more racketeering profits for the mafia.

Its all pretty much interlinked and not a small part of the collections and rounds are often done by the police and or military mafia as well as civilian.

I think you must have been walking around blind or spending far too much time on your barstool not to notice.

[monkeycountry]

I don't think you can name even one hotel on Samui that pays protection money to anyone.

The only people who pay protection money are the usual semi illegal businesses such as bars, jetskis and taxis who pay the police in order to avoid the usual trouble with licenses, lack of meter use, closing hours and prostitution.

Just one of many but maybe try:

facebook.com/dinkyrock

or check out:

Bandidos Incorporated: A Motorcycle Gang with Island Fever

and then tell me again, there's no mafia in Samui .

Just because you can't see it, doesn't mean it's not there

I never said there was no mafia/gangsters in Samui, I am simply saying that they do not run anything worth mentioning. We are talking about taxis, jetskis, bars and drugdealers.

I have never even heard of dinkyrock, but from what I can see on your link (only skimmed a few posts) it is a case of fraud/corruption where a foreigner lost a relatively small investment due to fake paperwork and bad lawyers, and then complained about it on facebook :-). This does not have much to do with hotels paying protection money to the mafia does it?

Yes, there was a few bandidos guys a few years back who tried their luck with small time extortion and real estate, and then they went to prison and/or got deported. Are those seriously the guys you claim run Samui? :-)

[monkeycountry]

Monkeycountry. Its there in spades you are looking at the wrong revenue stream, its SME business and mom and pops stall that are targeted most.

You have a typical outside view and supposing business operates the same in Thailand as other countries, it dosnt matter about huge hotel chains, Honda outlets, Robinsons etc, its only a small part of the local economy and holds no interest or use for mafia types. Its the peripheral suppliers and businesses and medium/smaller enterprises they target.

They do control the bars you drink in, the entertainment venues, the street booth rents, the protection, the permission and the guarantee of smooth running of businesses and many other things besides that support the big chains ventures and outlets that in turn provide business opportunity for more victims and more racketeering profits for the mafia.

Its all pretty much interlinked and not a small part of the collections and rounds are often done by the police and or military mafia as well as civilian.

I think you must have been walking around blind or spending far too much time on your barstool not to notice.

So all the major businesses, those who are not SMEs, are just a small part of the local economy? Imagine what would happen if you closed all the bars for a week, or all the street/beach vendors. Not much. Now Imagine if you closed all the major hotels and/or department stores for a week :-)

As I said, if you want to open a bar and operate outside the official closing hours, or sell girls, or have no alcohol license or if you have a noodle stand on public property, or try to sell CDs or copy goods on the beach, then usually the police will ask for a monthly donation, just like they do all over Thailand. If you want to call the police mafia, then I will not disagree, but they only bother illegal businesses, and the worst thing they will do to you is close your illegal business if you do not pay.

I don't really see how this relates to the "the mafia running the island"?

[monkeycountry]

Monkeycountry. Its there in spades you are looking at the wrong revenue stream, its SME business and mom and pops stall that are targeted most.

You have a typical outside view and supposing business operates the same in Thailand as other countries, it dosnt matter about huge hotel chains, Honda outlets, Robinsons etc, its only a small part of the local economy and holds no interest or use for mafia types. Its the peripheral suppliers and businesses and medium/smaller enterprises they target.

They do control the bars you drink in, the entertainment venues, the street booth rents, the protection, the permission and the guarantee of smooth running of businesses and many other things besides that support the big chains ventures and outlets that in turn provide business opportunity for more victims and more racketeering profits for the mafia.

Its all pretty much interlinked and not a small part of the collections and rounds are often done by the police and or military mafia as well as civilian.

I think you must have been walking around blind or spending far too much time on your barstool not to notice.

You mention the "military mafia" doing the rounds too?

When was the last time you saw any military personnel on Samui, besides the handful of guys sleeping at the radar station in the mountains and the 500 teenage navy boys who flood Nathon for a day or two when passing by with their warships every 6 months or so?

Fact is there is virtually no military presence on Samui, not even after the coup, and the fact that you seem not to know this suggests that you know very little about Samui?

Also, there is no Robinson on Samui, so don't bother looking for one the next time you visit the island :-)

[JoeLing]

I don't think you can name even one hotel on Samui that pays protection money to anyone.

The only people who pay protection money are the usual semi illegal businesses such as bars, jetskis and taxis who pay the police in order to avoid the usual trouble with licenses, lack of meter use, closing hours and prostitution.

Just one of many but maybe try:

facebook.com/dinkyrock

or check out:

Bandidos Incorporated: A Motorcycle Gang with Island Fever

and then tell me again, there's no mafia in Samui .

Just because you can't see it, doesn't mean it's not there

I never said there was no mafia/gangsters in Samui, I am simply saying that they do not run anything worth mentioning. We are talking about taxis, jetskis, bars and drugdealers.

I have never even heard of dinkyrock, but from what I can see on your link (only skimmed a few posts) it is a case of fraud/corruption where a foreigner lost a relatively small investment due to fake paperwork and bad lawyers, and then complained about it on facebook :-). This does not have much to do with hotels paying protection money to the mafia does it?

Yes, there was a few bandidos guys a few years back who tried their luck with small time extortion and real estate, and then they went to prison and/or got deported. Are those seriously the guys you claim run Samui? :-)

Small time extortion? You kidding?

68'000'000 US$ just from "a few guys" small time extortion?

So wonder just how much the "big guys" like the Yacuzza, Russian,

Chinese, European and Thai syndicates are turning over in Samui alone.

But yes, you might be right, they might not extort money on a weekly or

monthly base, they just come and take over your business but it seams

to me, for you it is just small time crocks, nothing to do with organised

crime, controlling many types of businesses on the island from the taxi

services, stalls, shops, lawyers, police right up to the court house

"The investigation found that the Bandidos gang imported more than

three billion baht (€62.7m) and laundered it in Koh Samui in the form

of investments in several tourist businesses," including real estate,

resorts, bars and the bungee-jumping business, Piyawat said.

Although even the Thai Immigration office said, there is Yacuzza,

European, Russian, Chinese and Thai crime syndicates operating

in Samui ranging from narcotics, real estate scams,money laundering,

extortion, trafficking .... MONKEYCOUNTRY still tries to insist,

no mafia activities exist.

Dohhhhh.

BTW, those guys up at the Radar Station do not sleep there unless they

sleep whilst on duty. Otherwise they have their base and sleep down in

their barracks in Samui, some with their famillies, some in two and four

bed dorms, at least the last time I stayed there

Now go an eat a banana.

[JoeLing]

..................................... the worst thing they will do to you is close your illegal business if you do not pay.

So if the worst they will do is close your illegal business,

I wonder why I read in the headline:

Koh Samui ‘influential person’ gunned down

Now go and eat an other banana

[ratcatcher]

Paradise is getting smaller because the Thai government thinks more foreigners means better. I would pay thousands more for my visa if the government made a real effort thinning out the foreign riff raff. The tourist traps tend to attract the lowest of humanity both Thai and foreign. They deserve each other.

Sad, and paradise keeps getting smaller and smaller ....

Very sad Indeed.

"I would pay thousands more for my visa......."

Unfortunately it is more often the case that those that are willing to pay exorbitant amounts, usually under the table, to stay in Thailand are indeed the very people the government should be taking a second look at.

Most of the effluent that ends up in Pattaya, Samui and Phuket are quite capable, and willing, to pay to stay.

Meanwhile tens of thousands of peaceful retirees and their families living in all areas of the country are quite willing to pay the annual B1900 for their extension of permission to stay.

Unfortunately the riff-raff associated with those centers is usually well wedged up.

[monkeycountry]

..................................... the worst thing they will do to you is close your illegal business if you do not pay.

So if the worst they will do is close your illegal business,

I wonder why I read in the headline:

Koh Samui ‘influential person’ gunned down

Now go and eat an other banana

I see you conveniently left out an essential part of my quote, referring to the police :-)

Anyway, rumor has it it was the army guys from the radar station who shot him, under direct orders from the Japanese Yakuza, as the influential guy and his bodyguards were really Chinese triad members trying to take control of the local bungee jump :-)

[FredNL]

Another mobster beats the dust.

Most foreign businessmen on Samui were prisoners in/of their home country.

I met big old drugsdealers, major scammers and other "businessmen" when I visited Samui. Beautiful island but completely rotten by it's businessmen and local mafia. (Like the shitholes called Pattaya and Phuket)

Sorry, but I have an academic degree and have been CEO of major companies since 1994.

[monkeycountry]

Another mobster beats the dust.

Most foreign businessmen on Samui were prisoners in/of their home country.

I met big old drugsdealers, major scammers and other "businessmen" when I visited Samui. Beautiful island but completely rotten by it's businessmen and local maffia. (Like Pattaya and Phuket)

Sorry, but I have an academic degree and have been CEO of major companies since 1994.

It is amazing how the foreign businessmen all seem to wear sleeveless singha shirts and spend all day chatting with tourists (with an academic degree) at the local bar

[FredNL]

Another mobster beats the dust.

Most foreign businessmen on Samui were prisoners in/of their home country.

I met big old drugsdealers, major scammers and other "businessmen" when I visited Samui. Beautiful island but completely rotten by it's businessmen and local maffia. (Like Pattaya and Phuket)

Sorry, but I have an academic degree and have been CEO of major companies since 1994.

It is amazing how the local businesmen all seem to wear sleeveless singha shirts and spend all day chatting with tourists (with an academic degree) at the local bar

Well, living and working (yes, legally) in Thailand brings me to several places. Once, one of my former business partners was co-owner / investor of a high class resort on Samui. with several million Euro. He asked me to check it out, you probably know why...... Was in 2005. Believe me, he got screwed !!!

[spidermike007]

Should have known influential actually means dodgy.

Influential means rich. Plain and simple. Money is power in this country. With enough cash you can buy your way out of anything, and everything. With enough cash the police captains are your best friends. The government officials are your allies. The judges and prosecutors will not touch you. Just look at the Dark Tao example. A serial killer is running loose, due to his families "influence" (cash on hand).

[monkeycountry]

Another mobster beats the dust.

Most foreign businessmen on Samui were prisoners in/of their home country.

I met big old drugsdealers, major scammers and other "businessmen" when I visited Samui. Beautiful island but completely rotten by it's businessmen and local maffia. (Like Pattaya and Phuket)

Sorry, but I have an academic degree and have been CEO of major companies since 1994.

It is amazing how the local businesmen all seem to wear sleeveless singha shirts and spend all day chatting with tourists (with an academic degree) at the local bar

Well, living and working (yes, legally) in Thailand brings me to several places. Once, one of my former business partners was co-owner / investor of a high class resort on Samui. with several million Euro. He asked me to check it out, you probably know why...... Was in 2005. Believe me, he got screwed !!!

Any chance your business partner was Mr. Boris from dinkyrock? (see post 95)

[phuketandsee]

You misunderstand my point monkeycountry. The unions in New York are just the mafia's tool through which they exercise control there. Whether there are unions in Samui is irrelevant.

[monkeycountry]

You misunderstand my point monkeycountry. The unions in New York are just the mafia's tool through which they exercise control there. Whether there are unions in Samui is irrelevant.

I am sure you are right. In any case posters above with the right connections and inside information have already established that the Japanese Yakuza, Chinese triads (recently eliminated at Fishermans Village), russian mafia, Bandidos and the military from the radar station share control of Samui. Rumor has it that they all have a secret meeting once a month at the radar station where they split the earnings and continue to plot how to take over the bungee jump and dinkyrock

[JoeLing]

You misunderstand my point monkeycountry. The unions in New York are just the mafia's tool through which they exercise control there. Whether there are unions in Samui is irrelevant.

I am sure you are right. In any case posters above with the right connections and inside information have already established that the Japanese Yakuza, Chinese triads (recently eliminated at Fishermans Village), russian mafia, Bandidos and the military from the radar station share control of Samui. Rumor has it that they all have a secret meeting once a month at the radar station where they split the earnings and continue to plot how to take over the bungee jump and dinkyrock

With your condition ,

you shouldn't start drinking this early.

[BigC]

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Got a call from a Thai woman friend i have known for years this afternoon who lives on Samui. Can not discuss much of the details but she was invited to dinner with Mr. Influential when the shooting took place. As i have mentioned before a number of mafias are in control of the island both Thai and foreign. So if you have no problems supporting your local mafia continue visiting the Full Moon Party, Koh Samui and Koh Tao. I won,t get near the place. My Thai friends and family understand this and we meet elsewhere.

I love it when people who don't really know anything try to give the impression they know it all :-)

Most major businesses on Samui, such as the major hotels, are owned and run by people in Bangkok. I am sure there are some local and foreign wannabe gangster types, but they don't control anything worth mentioning.

What does ownership have to do with gangsterism? If you believe that these hotels, etc. that you speak of are above paying protection money then you are deluded.

Jeez, it wasn't that long ago since the taxi mafia on Phuket held every major hotel to ransom.

I don't think you can name even one hotel on Samui that pays protection money to anyone.
The only people who pay protection money are the usual semi illegal businesses such as bars, jetskis and taxis who pay the police in order to avoid the usual trouble with licenses, lack of meter use, closing hours and prostitution.

Samui locals control everything on this Island as the Mayor is a local and so is the Nai Amper so without the permissions from these 2 then no one can do anything.

Be it people from Bangkok or forangs plus most of the clever samui people still own large sections of land and some only lease the land out if they do decide to.

The local people are fully in control other people like to believe they are but for real local people run this whole island.

Counter my post if you like but i know what i know and thats all that matters

[churchill]

3 suspects accused being involved in the contract murder of Samui business man arrested

http://www.samuitimes.com/3-suspects-accused-involved-contract-murder-samui-business-man-arrested/

[churchill]

3 suspects accused being involved in the contract murder of Samui business man arrested

http://www.samuitimes.com/3-suspects-accused-involved-contract-murder-samui-business-man-arrested/

Chanai ! , Lamai Fame …. 'Police officers have also reportedly also arrested Mr. Chanai Soksom '

[churchill]

3 suspects accused being involved in the contract murder of Samui business man arrested

http://www.samuitimes.com/3-suspects-accused-involved-contract-murder-samui-business-man-arrested/

Chanai ! , Lamai Fame …. 'Police officers have also reportedly also arrested Mr. Chanai Soksom '

I have known Chanai a long time , I don't think he would do this …..

But when your house is shot up ..