I've just heard second hand, that some friends of mine have just abandoned their holiday villa in a hurry due to locals brandishing guns around. Given also the recent murder there, and trouble generally down south, does anyone have any recent info ? I'd appreciate it as I was planning a possible trip there.

There appears to be a build up of stories about crime (usually low key) against farangs on Samui and more recenly some major indicents such as the murder of British backpacker Katherine Horton and 12 year old Swedish Girl Raped in Koh Samui. The local expats seem to think everything is ok, but you can see that all these stories may spook visitors who think they have come to a paradise island.

talking to Bus this afternoon ,she started to tell me a spanish lady has been reported missing while staying in Koh samui.
nothing mentioned over here so i dont know for sure whats what.
just hope that its a misunderstanding some where along the lines.

Cant speak from experience as ive never been there but i get a lot of bad feedback from the place just lately one guy i recently met say's the police dont do anything when i farang as a problem these day's. my wife is very anti the place as its near the south she seems to think its a bad place to be which is very unfortunate for a mate of mine as he's just invested a lot of money in land there. its such a shame as in my opinion los is such a beutiful place but the Thais dont seem to care about their own country.

I think the news about Ko Samui is spreading. The Pattaya police have had a meeting following the murder and have stepped up night patrols of the beach.
They didn't manage to stop a grenade being thrown into the Bitchy Bar though when it was closed. (It didn't go off)

I have lived hear for the last near on 2 years (in lamai)and am still hear now, yes the place has changed alot for the worse.I hate to say it but sometimes it feels like parts of spain(loads of ****ed up lads just hear for the beer and the girls with little respect for anyone/thing but thats only in the bars in lamai/chaweng its still very easy to get away from all that).I first came hear near on 10 years ago and it was great back then,very chilled & laid back but as its developed more towards mid/higher end tourists/buisness/spa's (people with money not backpackers)etc so like most places it changes the whole feel of the island(koh samui is not alone in this).I know many people who are moving on,but there are many more coming when you come from england/europe its still a very nice island (but when you've seen many other parts of thailand/s.e. asia its not that nice)if ya know what i mean?Having said that its still a safe place,i know there has been some problems hear,but where does not have some sort of problem?looking at how busy it is now i dont think what happend has put many people off coming hear,i speak to many people who can't wait to come back again.I know its not as busy as last year but alot of that is down to the tsunami knock on effect and all the extra buisness's that have sprung up since last high season.If i was coming from the uk for a holiday would i come hear? no not because of what has happend but bacause there are many nicer parts of thailand to visit........But like most things "it's all a matter of opinion"...all the best for 2006....peace mark.

I visited Ko Samui for a week in May 2004 and whilst I thought the beaches at Chaweng and Lamai were beautiful and much nicer than any other beaches I'd ever seen in Europe or the States, that was really the only thing I liked about the place.
I found a lot of the local people to be rather unfriendly and certainly nowhere near as nice as the people I've met in both Hua Hin and Bangkok (maybe surprising to some as usually the big cities are where the bad attitudes are, but I've never had a problem there and like the people a lot). I never had any trouble or felt the threat of trouble from the locals though, all this talk of violence is very surprising to read.
I fully agree with StyleThai about the large number of drunken lads there just for beer and girls, it feels like being in Benidorm or Eye-beefa in the evening if you go to either Lamai or Chaweng. Green Mango road wasn't my cup of tea, half of it was like Kao San road with assorted hippies and travellers being 'individual' (whilst all dressing the same) and the other half was gogo and beer bars. Neither are really my scene. Lamai beach was where I felt most threatened, sitting amongst many skin-headed knuckled-dragging farangs whilst trying to just have a quiet beer. Never felt threatened from the locals though.

From what I've read about Samui since I was there it sounds like things have got even more touristy and loud, so maybe the locals are getting fed up of it and fighting back a little? (obviously it doesn't excuse the violence but might be a reason for it). I would't go back

I was there for a month or so in total and had no trouble and everyone I met was friendly. I stayed in Lamai and the only people causing and giving others trouble were the p***ed up mouthy Fallangs taking over the Island and disrespecting all forms of culture offered there.

The place is full of Mafia, where there are tourists there is money, I met my wife there, she vows never to go back to the place, I have seen what goes on out there,

I know of a few people that have moved there since what happened last year, yep Thai people, there to milk the Farrang.
I spent over a year there back and forth, the majority of the Thais there are robbing b******s

I've stayed in Samui for over a year on & off over the past 14 years & never had any trouble at all. Well, apart from (as mentioned) loads of p***ed up English & German t*****s who seem to be everywhere there now. Yeah there's mafia, but hey, this is LOS after all, they seem to be everywhere as well.

I met my wife there as well, if we ever go back it'll be to see friends, certainly not too see the island, it's a dump nowadays. Not sure where to go next though, Pattaya/Patong definitely not my scene (nor would I be allowed either, not sure why ), to many flippin falangs!

Cheers

I have been there twice most recently from the 15th of Dec until the 21st, I would never return.

We stayed at the 1st House which was a great hotel at the lamai end of Chawang Beach.

To get a Baht bus into town cost 20baht, at night to get out the price goes to 100baht its plain robbery.

I never had this in Phuket, Pattaya or Bangkok

I agree with the sentiments of many the drunken Falangs screaming and shouting are our worst export.

When the Thais see this how can they respect the Westerners if we do not respect ourselves, the poor girl who was murdered (Condolonces to her family) I wonder whether it would have happened if falangs acted with more self control.

It does make you think.

Longy

Also, Mam would never get a cab alone at night in Samui because of women being attacked in one way or another.

I always thought she was worrying about nothing, after the recent horror stories (see Peter's link above) I fear there's more weight to it than I thought, not good at all.

Phewwww ! Maybe someone should send this thread to the Thai Tourist Board

Well just got back from LOS Sat morning.

During that time me and the girlfriend spent from 3rd Jan - 9th Jan in Koh Samui.

Stayed Lamai beach in the Weekender resort (don't recommend due to the dirty water we suffered in the shower, sink, toilet in two different rooms which we complained about).

Did not think Lamai was that crowded really.

Now I got there the day after the poor girls body was found. One think both myself and my Thai girlfriend commnented on was the lack of police around. Hardly saw any police apart from one or two on clapped out motorcycles looking for some traffic offenders. Never saw any on the beaches.

Now me and the girlfriend had a little bit of a falling out well here and one of the things she told me when I got back to Bangkok was she felt scared. She said that she felt unsafe some nights walking back because I had had a few drinks and she did not feel that I could protect her or myself after a few drinks even through I felt fine and was not drunk in any way, however you know what its like when you drink - you feel fine but the sober ones around you see the difference.

But I could not understand why she felt threatened really but she said on the last night a lad was staring at me and her while we got some pancakes. She said he was staring at her gold bracelet and she was scared. She did not tell me this to we got back. She also said that Southen Thai's did not like Western lads and Issan girls together!!!

So there was a sense of threat there which did make me feel a bit uneasy.

As a whole Samui looked nice but then as a bar owner said to me "you could be in blackpool here".

I don't think I will return to Samui in a hurry.

Chocolate-eater.

Regarding Brazilian model. She had not been kidnapped but went with a Thai guy willingly to his birthday party and ended up sleeping with him twice in a motel. Later on that morning the Thai guy reported to the police what had happened he also gave some money to the Brazillian girl for transportation to go back to see her brazilian bf on samui who has a small business on the island.

http://www.thairath.co.th/thairath1/2549/page1/jan/06/p1_3.php