Koh Phangan Message Board - A Bravenet.com Forum

eg

Jun 30, 05 - 5:44 AM

phangan resort dont stay there unless u want 2 get beaten up by staff!!

just back form full moon part which was brill. however on checking out of our accomadation in the Phangan resort bungalows we were beaten up by 2 of the staff.
After staying a week in bungalow 2,000 baht per night myself and my pal (2girls by the way)were checking out we queried our bill with the guy on reception. He then got a phone and went to hit her with it as when we wanted to pay with visa card. The girl who also worked on reception then proceeded to pull my hair and hit me with her left flip flop huge insult in Thailand. My friend came to help me and they then turned on her. Nice !!!! as we are both females we are not used to this sort of behaviour.
The guy who beat us there then told us to contact the police hello in Thailand. Unfortunatley there is nothing we can do except go on a website. We were only in Thailand for 2 weeks and this occurred on our last day to say the least it left sour taste after what was an amazing trip.

So be warned fellow travellers.

PW

Jun 30th, 2005 - 10:16 AM

Re: phangan resort dont stay there unless u want 2 get beaten up by staff!!

Is there more to this story than you are telling us?
Why did nt you pay with cash, KPG is not the place to pay for things with cards. Why did nt you withdraw money from one of the numerous ATMs and pay with that?Was you trying to get away with not paying your bill and using the card as an excuse?
There must be more to the story than what you are saying, Hotel staff dont beat people up over minor disagreements .
I would like to hear their side of the story before I pass judgement.

partyguy

Jun 30th, 2005 - 10:45 AM

Re: phangan resort dont stay there unless u want 2 get beaten up by staff!!

Have to agree with PW, there seems as though there should be more to this story? Not to down play the actions that were taken against you cuz I could see how this would leave a terrible taste in your mouth. Why didnt you contact police on the island???? Ko Phangans new head of police is quite proactive when it comes to the tourists on the island. Here is a recent interview with him

Finally … and available at Koh Phangan Island News! Directly from within the headquarters of the Royal Thai Police on Koh Pha-ngan Paradise Island. A friendly chat between Police Colonel Pinyo Huankasin and our un-corrupted reporter from Koh Phangan Island News :-)

Q: Your name is?

Pinyo Huankasin

Q: Your rank in the Royal Thai police?

Police colonel (Superintendent Chief of Koh Pha-ngan police station).

Q: Can you give me a brief history of your career in the police?

I trained at the police collage in Sampan Kolok, Nakornpathom province and then for the past 22 years I have worked in various places in Thailand before taking up this post in last June.

Q: Is this your first posting to Koh Phangan?

Yes, but it is not my first visiting here. I had been here for vacation, and I like the island very much with its beautiful natural environment, lovely coast line and mountains.

Q: How long do you plan to stay on the island?

Usually a tour is for 2 years but this can be extended and it is usual to move every 2 years to a new post somewhere else.

Q: How many officers do you have working for you and what area do you cover?

At present I have 62 officers working for me on this island and also on Koh Tao as well. With the increase in tourists more officers may be assigned to the island in the future. Unfortunately if crime also increases I will need more officers to police the islands efficiently.

Q: Do you have control over just the police we see going about or do you also have police from other agencies under your command on the island?

I only control the local police; however when tourist police come to the island for special events like the full moon party they then come under my overall control. If marine police are working around the island they do not come under my direct control but we work together through a control system run from Bangkok. There is also a liaison with other departments through offices on Koh Samui.

Q: Is there anything very different about policing this island from an area on the mainland and what extra factors have to be considered when policing here?

The duty and the job is the same wherever I am, however with the parties and tourists making this a very different place from many mainland police areas special consideration had to be made for the tourists and there welfare because Koh Phangan is one of the tourist destination. Tourism is growing and I am addressing the special factors related to that. We also have to consider the fact that there are many boats operating in and around the island whether they are just fishing or transporting people to various locations and the special needs of them have to be taken into consideration as well.

Q: With tourism now a major earner for the island how do you see the local police role changing from the past and what changes do you want made in the short term and the long term with regard to tourism and the governing of tourists?

There are changes coming in the future and these changes are as a direct result of the increase in tourism. At present these changes are still being debated in Bangkok and a policy will eventually emerge. The police are already responding to the increase in crime associated with more people coming here by targeting known individuals and there associates and dealing with them. With the growth of tourism on such a rapid scale it is very hard for the police to cope with the workloads imposed on us especially when you take into account the influx of 10,000 people every month for the full moon party.

Q: Do you think there is a need for better tourist Thai police relations and if so how do you think this can be achieved?

The biggest stumbling block here is the fact of language. This is a problem I am aware of and I am taking steps to remedy the situation by starting an English course for my officers along with computer training. It would also improve relations between the two communities if more tourists took the time to learn a little Thai. Interestingly more tourists are coming here that do not speak any English and this further compounds problems between the police and tourists when they need to communicate information.

Q: At present when a tourist has a problem that requires the help of the police it is extremely hard to find an office who speaks even a little English. Do you have any plans on changing that at all?

As I said I am starting training for my officers. The policy at present is to try and put officers who speak a little English in the tourist centers su

SH

Jul 1st, 2005 - 6:41 PM

Re: phangan resort dont stay there unless u want 2 get beaten up by staff!!

Yeah, what exactly do you mean by 'queried our bill'?? And what sort of language did you use when querying the bill? It is very very unusual for hotel staff to beat up paying, well mannered clients with slippers.

I would be very interested to know what your nationality is... I could make a wild guess, but I should try not to jump to any conclusions!

PW

Jul 2nd, 2005 - 3:59 AM

Re: phangan resort dont stay there unless u want 2 get beaten up by staff!!

And I do feel that the "beaten up" bit was exegerated.Pulling of hair doesnt merit the use of the words"getting beaten up".Getting"beaten up" usually requires medical attention afterwards(in my books) . Besides, for the majority if the ill-behaved, disrespectful ,"KPG is my playground" kind of youngster that holidays on KPG a good kicking should be compulsory on departure.

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eg Jun 30, 05 - 5:44 AM	phangan resort dont stay there unless u want 2 get beaten up by staff!! just back form full moon part which was brill. however on checking out of our accomadation in the Phangan resort bungalows we were beaten up by 2 of the staff. After staying a week in bungalow 2,000 baht per night myself and my pal (2girls by the way)were checking out we queried our bill with the guy on reception. He then got a phone and went to hit her with it as when we wanted to pay with visa card. The girl who also worked on reception then proceeded to pull my hair and hit me with her left flip flop huge insult in Thailand. My friend came to help me and they then turned on her. Nice !!!! as we are both females we are not used to this sort of behaviour. The guy who beat us there then told us to contact the police hello in Thailand. Unfortunatley there is nothing we can do except go on a website. We were only in Thailand for 2 weeks and this occurred on our last day to say the least it left sour taste after what was an amazing trip. So be warned fellow travellers.
PW Jun 30th, 2005 - 10:16 AM	Re: phangan resort dont stay there unless u want 2 get beaten up by staff!! Is there more to this story than you are telling us? Why did nt you pay with cash, KPG is not the place to pay for things with cards. Why did nt you withdraw money from one of the numerous ATMs and pay with that?Was you trying to get away with not paying your bill and using the card as an excuse? There must be more to the story than what you are saying, Hotel staff dont beat people up over minor disagreements . I would like to hear their side of the story before I pass judgement.
partyguy Jun 30th, 2005 - 10:45 AM	Re: phangan resort dont stay there unless u want 2 get beaten up by staff!! Have to agree with PW, there seems as though there should be more to this story? Not to down play the actions that were taken against you cuz I could see how this would leave a terrible taste in your mouth. Why didnt you contact police on the island???? Ko Phangans new head of police is quite proactive when it comes to the tourists on the island. Here is a recent interview with him Finally … and available at Koh Phangan Island News! Directly from within the headquarters of the Royal Thai Police on Koh Pha-ngan Paradise Island. A friendly chat between Police Colonel Pinyo Huankasin and our un-corrupted reporter from Koh Phangan Island News :-) Q: Your name is? Pinyo Huankasin Q: Your rank in the Royal Thai police? Police colonel (Superintendent Chief of Koh Pha-ngan police station). Q: Can you give me a brief history of your career in the police? I trained at the police collage in Sampan Kolok, Nakornpathom province and then for the past 22 years I have worked in various places in Thailand before taking up this post in last June. Q: Is this your first posting to Koh Phangan? Yes, but it is not my first visiting here. I had been here for vacation, and I like the island very much with its beautiful natural environment, lovely coast line and mountains. Q: How long do you plan to stay on the island? Usually a tour is for 2 years but this can be extended and it is usual to move every 2 years to a new post somewhere else. Q: How many officers do you have working for you and what area do you cover? At present I have 62 officers working for me on this island and also on Koh Tao as well. With the increase in tourists more officers may be assigned to the island in the future. Unfortunately if crime also increases I will need more officers to police the islands efficiently. Q: Do you have control over just the police we see going about or do you also have police from other agencies under your command on the island? I only control the local police; however when tourist police come to the island for special events like the full moon party they then come under my overall control. If marine police are working around the island they do not come under my direct control but we work together through a control system run from Bangkok. There is also a liaison with other departments through offices on Koh Samui. Q: Is there anything very different about policing this island from an area on the mainland and what extra factors have to be considered when policing here? The duty and the job is the same wherever I am, however with the parties and tourists making this a very different place from many mainland police areas special consideration had to be made for the tourists and there welfare because Koh Phangan is one of the tourist destination. Tourism is growing and I am addressing the special factors related to that. We also have to consider the fact that there are many boats operating in and around the island whether they are just fishing or transporting people to various locations and the special needs of them have to be taken into consideration as well. Q: With tourism now a major earner for the island how do you see the local police role changing from the past and what changes do you want made in the short term and the long term with regard to tourism and the governing of tourists? There are changes coming in the future and these changes are as a direct result of the increase in tourism. At present these changes are still being debated in Bangkok and a policy will eventually emerge. The police are already responding to the increase in crime associated with more people coming here by targeting known individuals and there associates and dealing with them. With the growth of tourism on such a rapid scale it is very hard for the police to cope with the workloads imposed on us especially when you take into account the influx of 10,000 people every month for the full moon party. Q: Do you think there is a need for better tourist Thai police relations and if so how do you think this can be achieved? The biggest stumbling block here is the fact of language. This is a problem I am aware of and I am taking steps to remedy the situation by starting an English course for my officers along with computer training. It would also improve relations between the two communities if more tourists took the time to learn a little Thai. Interestingly more tourists are coming here that do not speak any English and this further compounds problems between the police and tourists when they need to communicate information. Q: At present when a tourist has a problem that requires the help of the police it is extremely hard to find an office who speaks even a little English. Do you have any plans on changing that at all? As I said I am starting training for my officers. The policy at present is to try and put officers who speak a little English in the tourist centers su
SH Jul 1st, 2005 - 6:41 PM	Re: phangan resort dont stay there unless u want 2 get beaten up by staff!! Yeah, what exactly do you mean by 'queried our bill'?? And what sort of language did you use when querying the bill? It is very very unusual for hotel staff to beat up paying, well mannered clients with slippers. I would be very interested to know what your nationality is... I could make a wild guess, but I should try not to jump to any conclusions!
PW Jul 2nd, 2005 - 3:59 AM	Re: phangan resort dont stay there unless u want 2 get beaten up by staff!! And I do feel that the "beaten up" bit was exegerated.Pulling of hair doesnt merit the use of the words"getting beaten up".Getting"beaten up" usually requires medical attention afterwards(in my books) . Besides, for the majority if the ill-behaved, disrespectful ,"KPG is my playground" kind of youngster that holidays on KPG a good kicking should be compulsory on departure.