Madness under the moon
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Sex and drugs on the beach as young people flock each month to the full moon party on Koh Pha-ngan
Couples entwined on the beach or under coconut trees, drunk teens passed out on the sand, men urinating into the sea and partygoers draining small plastic buckets of booze are all part of the regular aftermath of Thailand’s Full Moon Party.
The morning after, empty bottles and plastic buckets are strewn along the two kilometres of Haad Rin beach on the south-eastern cape of Koh Pha-ngan, an island in the Gulf of Thailand.
It makes a stark contrast to the nights before.
On each month’s night of the full moon, people dressed in neon clothes turned themselves into walking graffiti with iridescent paint all over their bodies. Strong caffeinated drinks laced with alcohol are on sale in plastic buckets.
“Magic” mushrooms, marijuana and other drugs are readily available.
Flashing lights and lasers light up the night sky as loud speakers blast out remixes of electronic hits with boosted bass notes. The smells of fuel from the fire-shows and of marijuana fill the breezy air. The beach becomes a giant dance floor with the moon as the disco ball.
The Full Moon Party is one of the world’s biggest beach parties, drawing tens of thousands of all nationalities to party from dusk until dawn.
Whether or not the moon is to blame, the party is wild, with injuries common and several lives lost over the course of each year. Dehydration, burns, cuts, fights and thefts are common, mostly attributable at least in part to intoxication.
There are also regular reports of rapes, and deaths from alcohol-related accidents and drownings at the all-night rave, which goes back almost three decades and has been held more than 300 times.
The Thai local authorities are now trying to regulate the event more strictly. The Koh Pha-ngan police department and the Haad Rin Business Association are trying to make the event safer for partygoers.
“The police force is more strict and careful during the party,” says police colonel Prachoom Ruengthong, adding that problems usually occur when tourists are too drunk and do not take care of themselves and their belongings.
“I saw a guy fall off a raised platform and crack his head open because he was too drunk,” says Australian youngster Christina.
“The association helps the police take care of partygoers because there are far fewer police than tourists,” says Boonprasob Tuaycharoen, the head of the Haad Rin Business Association. “We have given the police two walk-through metal detectors to screen for weapons at entrances to the party area.
“We try to reduce crime and make it less violent.”
Police keep the area under surveillance three days before and after the event. Closed-circuit TV cameras have been installed around the area as well.
“There are fewer incidents of thieves breaking into hotel rooms,” says Nok Suwanchai, the manager of a bungalow on Sunrise Beach.
Police say they regularly assess their plan to tackle drug problems.
“We found that drug dealers do not sell drugs to Thai people, so we use foreigners in undercover operations,” the superintendent says.
According to the police, the most common drugs at the party are marijuana, MDMA and cocaine. Drug-related crime is punishable by imprisonment and even death under Thai law.
In an effort to clean up the image of the Full Moon Party, the Haad Rin Business Association has asked vendors to refrain from using vulgar language on their signage, which was common in the past.
A sleep area has also been set up on the beach to provide a safe resting spot for partygoers. Money collected in the form of an entrance fee is used to clean up the beach after the party.
The association also pays for emergency transportation for people who need medical attention on Koh Samui, a larger island nearby.
“There has been a decrease in the number of charges per full moon night,” the police chief says.
Personal crime has fallen to three charges per night and drug crime to seven, he says.
Theo, a student from France who has been to the party twice, says the new controls are not obvious and that the party has not changed. “I don’t feel the police presence, so it is still fun.”
The party continues to draw people from all over the world, despite the tighter controls from local authorities.
“The fact that they try to make it stricter does not necessarily lower the fun,” says Denise from Germany.
The party still brings in more than 30,000 visitors each full moon. The crowds are mostly foreign nationals, with British, Germans, French and Australians among those most represented.
Located in the Gulf of Thailand, Koh Pha-ngan is the fifth largest island in Thailand. The island is a haven for partygoers and is known for its wild nightlife. In addition to the Full Moon Party, the island also hosts four other high-profile monthly outdoor music events.
The biggest events are held at the end of the year, celebrating Christmas, New Year's Eve and the first Full Moon Party of the new year.
