Party 'Mafia' Blamed for Gunplay on 'Full Moon' Party Island

Party 'Mafia' Blamed for Gunplay on 'Full Moon' Party Island
By Sasiwan Mokkhasen
Staff Reporter

SURAT THANI — A dispute over all-night partying led to recent gunfire which hit tourists’ rooms on the southern island of Koh Phangan, police said today.

Five gunshots fired Tuesday at the Palita Lodge on Haad Rin Nok, the site of the island’s infamous “Full Moon Party,” are thought by police to be retaliation over the bungalow owner’s complaints about a nearby bar’s noisy late night parties.

“The Russian bar owner came to see me and my wife on Jan. 9, asking me to allow him to hold the party,” Palita Lodge owner Pairot Charoenwan said. “I said, ‘I am not in charge of this, why don’t you go ask the authorities?’”



Police Col. Prachum Ruangthong said the gun was fired from outside, either on the shore or from a small boat, as muzzle flashes were seen from that direction in security camera footage. No one was injured.

Pairot said he was sleeping when the shooting woke him up on at 4:50am on Tuesday. The 57-year-old owner thought it was fireworks until his guests came to him later, saying they were scared to leave their rooms earlier.

Full story: http://www.khaosodenglish.com/detail.php?newsid=1452754641


-- Khaosod English 2016-01-14