German Expat Shot in Koh Phangan
A gunshot attack on one of the island’s long-term residents has raised questions about the safety situation in Koh Phangan.
German expat Ralf Flederer, 39, attempted to run for his life when two men attacked him in the middle of the night, but ended up getting shot in the hip before he was able to escape. The victim is well known on the island as the publihser of Kohphangannews.org, a news blog and web portal.
Now seeking treatment at the Bangkok Samui Hospital, Ralf believes that Phangan’s party planners played a role in the attack, as he along with other island residents actively filed complaints with the local police against the raucous all-nighters that result from the Full Moon Party and its various incarnations.
Unable to see any progress or initiative with the Phangan police, Ralf and the other residents took their complaint to the Government Anti-Corruption Bureau in Bangkok. “I started getting threats when the Bureau started their investigation,” Ralf shares. “Ten days before the attack, somebody shot at the coconuts in my yard.” The 17-year resident of Phangan further elaborates that the new party regulations set by the Bangkok authorities, which only allows festivities to last until 6 am, may play a role in the recent shooting.
The recent increase of violence and foreign victims on the island, including a missing backpacker and a German tourist found dead near the party grounds, has furthered the notion that Koh Phangan is now starting to become a lawless island.
Koh Phangan, dubbed as the Island of Madness, draws in party revelers from around the globe to experience the moon-themed shindigs on the island. The Full Moon Party has since branched into several varieties, including the Half Moon, Black Moon, and Shiva Moon parties among others, most of which are held in Baan Thai, the island’s party epicenter. These events, which attract mostly hordes of young travelers, often reek of alcohol and drugs against the backdrop of all-night partying.