It's an unfair cop gov...

This one goes out to the one of the laziest, scariest and most corruptible police stations in Thailand.

Koh Phangan Police Station is an experience in itself. By simply walking through the doors of the place as an innocent and legal member of planet Earth, you feel like you're walking into a trap, scam or otherwise not very nice place.
The offices on duty don't even bother looking up from their newspaper unless you're someone of standing (criminal) or you owe them (or are about to) owe them a lot of money.

I lost a wallet recently and tried to report it. The shiny, plastic looking cop on duty looked at me like I'd just shot his dog when I asked if anybody had handed it in and absolutely refused to write anything down or even acknowledge my problem.

Funny how they can't be arsed to investigate the murder of an ex Island Poo-Yan-Baan (elected 'Mayor') because they claim to be under resourced, yet they always seem to find the time at least twice a month (or when the 'tea' money' runs short perhaps...) to have the entire squad setting up roadblocks and fining terrified Foreigners for not wearing motorbike helmets.

Suggestions: Pay them a proper wage so they don't have to subsidise their salaries by stealing off the people/dealing drugs/providing protection services, and make the penalty for corruption a jail sentence and NOT a transfere. Twats.

Full Moon Party Rape Alert

There has been a spate of rapes during the full moon parties these past few months. Usually, the victim is pissed up on buckets and then literally jumped on by a group of young Thai males in the early hours of the morning as she sleeps on the beach or balcony of her bungalow. There have been stories of amorous young males climbing into the bungalows of sleeping girls whome a few hours earlier they thought were a 'sure thing' (until the bucket(s) kicked in). Another favorate of the rapists is to offer the girl a lift home on his motorbike, then once she's on his bike, drive her off into the jungle to rape her, or worse, takes her to a house full of pissed Thai males for a bit of group activity.

Foreign women attending the full moon party either alone or in small groups, be VERY wary of over friendly Thai males who want to hang out and make friends with the foreigner girls. If you don't know these men/boys before the party, then stay well clear of them, no matter how cool you think you are or how 'uber traveller' you think it makes you look.

The local police will do nothing about it and reportedly try to get the victim to sign a statement saying she was drunk and out of control. Often the rapists are from the mainland and come over to the party looking for pissed foreign girls who they have been led to believe through popular media, are 'easy lays'. Often the rapists are local boys under the protection of their
big Mafia taxi driver' fathers.

Still don't believe the stories? Then you're a bloody fool.

Be warned.