Thailand shooting: are Ko Phangan parties safe? On New Year's Eve, Stephen Ashton, 22, died after being caught by a stray bullet fired during a fight between Thai youths at a beach party in Haad Rin, on the island of Ko Phangan. His death prompted the Foreign Office to review its travel advice to the country and warn that, although Mr Ashton had been a bystander, western tourists risk becoming victims of "vicious, unprovoked attacks" by gangs on the island. While the island has some lovely, quiet parts, it is also world famous for its long running Full Moon Parties and served as the location in Alex Garland's bestseller The Beach. Ko Phangan attracts more than half-a-million tourists a year and an airport currently being built is likely to consolidate its reputation as a bastion of hedonistic abandon. The island was first "discovered" by hippies in the 1970s and managed to retain a rustic alternative ambience well into the early 1990s. The first Full Moon Party, a modest affair with a few handfuls of travellers took place on Haad Rin Beach, located in the south east of the island, in 1988. Something stuck and the event morphed from a casual party to one of the largest regular dance festivals in the world. Nowadays between 5,000 and 10,000 revellers, and even more during peak holiday periods, come together once a month to consume unfeasibly large amounts of cheap alcohol and significant amounts of drugs while dancing the night away to techno, house music, drum and bass and dubstep. Several smaller parties, including Half Moon and Black Moon, take place at other locations around the island and attract smaller but nevertheless substantial crowds. Thailand is generally a fairly safe travel destination but it pays to be careful. The kingdom's tourist islands especially can be dangerous and crimes against foreigners on Ko Samui and Phuket are common. There have been a few sporadic incidents on Ko Phangan over the years but this is not unusual for a destination in the developing world that attracts so many affluent young people from the West in such an inebriated state. The biggest risk to young travellers is their willingness to engage in behaviour they would not consider at home, such as driving motorbikes without a license or helmet on the island's dangerous roads, having unprotected sex, and experimenting with drugs. Despite its reputation as a zero tolerance drug destination, tourists are rarely prosecuted for the possession of narcotics. The fines, however, can be enormous, even for those caught with minute amounts of drugs. How to stay safe at a party on Ko Phangan Don't turn up to a party without having accommodation pre-booked - Haad Rin beach, the location of the Full Moon parties, is booked out a few days before, during and after the party. Those arriving on the day of the Full Moon event should look for a place to sleep elsewhere. The road between the island's capital Thong Sala and Haad Rin is steep, dangerous and extremely busy on the day of the Full Moon Party. Accidents are common and occasionally deadly. The police set up a road block on the way into Haad Rin and check all revellers for drugs. To avoid all this stress, travellers are advised to hop onto a songthaew (open taxi) elsewhere on the island. Under no circumstances should revellers accept drugs from strangers. These are likely to be drug peddlers selling useless or dangerous substances, plain clothes police, or gangsters posing as police. The "mushroom shakes" available at the Full Moon Parties are not particularly strong but consuming anything in excess poses risks. The "whiskey buckets" that most visitors consume - a combination of hard liquor, a soft drink and an energy drink - are extremely potent and if consumed quickly can lead to immediate and total inebriation. Drunken or drugged party people should not enter the water. There are no life guards and drownings occasionally occur. Women travellers should take care not to travel to and from the party alone or with unknown men, whether local or foreign. Sexual assaults on foreign women take place with alarming regularity in Thailand, and in the event of an incident, the police can be unsympathetic and may even side with the attacker. Pickpockets operate at the party and revellers are advised to take only bare necessities. Phones and purses are particular targets. Countless sex workers frequent the Full Moon Party looking for customers. Ladyboys (transgender or transvestites) sometimes combine their work with a spot of pick-pocketing. Haad Rin Beach is covered in broken glass and burning cigarettes during the party event and visitors should always wear flip-flops or sandals. Occasionally Thai gangs, usually competing for business interests, fight each other during the Full Moon Parties. Revellers are advised to leave as soon as instances of violence occur and never to challenge the locals. During the party there's a refuge area on Haad Rin Beach which is guarded by volunteers. Those who have drunk too much can pass out here without having to worry about being mugged. First aid is available. Cheap guesthouses around the island occasionally experience burglaries on Full Moon Party nights. Note that bars around the island, even those that may occasionally sell marijuana or where the consumption of the drug is tolerated, are sometimes raided by police. Tom Vater has also written our expert guide to Bangkok