Attracted by its proximity to Bangkok and its podery white sand, backpackers, package tourists and Thai students flock to the island of Ko Samet, 80km southest of Pattaya, whose former name, Ko Kaew Phitsadan, means "the island with sand of crushed crystal". Only 6km long, Ko Samet was declared a national park in 1981, but typically the ban on building has been ignored and there are now over...
