LETTER: Not the full moon I was looking for

PANTS down, bum out, reputation soiled. The full moon parties on Koh Phangan used to be great but now they’re just full of young travelers guzzling too much booze and passing out while defecating on the beach – like this young fellow whom I snapped when I visited the party last month. It’s been eight years since I last went to Koh Phangan and I was shocked at just how much the island and the vibe of the party has changed.

Yes, the parties have always been wild, but at least in the past the atmosphere was bohemian and fun; now it’s like being on a debauched stag do in Blackpool. And I had to pay 100 baht just to get on Had Rin beach! I recently read that Thailand plans to launch a campaign to bring in a better quality of tourist and clean up its image. From what I saw in Koh Phangan, this cleaning up is going to require a lot of time – and a lot of toilet paper.

Jamie Littlewood, UK