Bangkwang Central Prison 18 August 2000
I'm
in the middle of my last visit with my brother Brian, who is in his eighth year
of the life sentence (100 years) that he got for possession of heroin back in
1992.
This
is the eighth year that I have made the long journey from the UK to Thailand to
visit Brian. You would think that things
might have got a little easier by now having learned what to expect. But you don't know what the Thai's are going
to throw at you. Every year they surprise
you with rule changes so ridiculous you wouldn't believe. They obviously don't understand or just don't
care how far we have to travel for these visits.
We
need to apply for extra visiting privileges through the British Embassy. This is where the trouble begins. Anyone who has ever travelled abroad will
know that you can't always get flights at the drop of a hat on the days you
want to travel so you must book your tickets well in advance. I have to keep in constant touch with the Embassy
to try to find out when the visits will be so that I can book the flight. They seem to be unable to get straight
answers from the Thai's so I usually have to book my tickets around rough guide
dates and just hope they have got it right.
This
year I arrived here on the 5th August after requesting visiting
permission papers on the 1st June, I finally received them
yesterday. A friend from Denmark who
visits her husband has had her papers for over a month, maybe the Danish
Embassy actually care about their people.
Back
to today, It's relatively quiet in here today as most of the foreign visitors
have gone back home. We look up as we
hear the clank of chains, "Someone going home" Brian says, "Hey
wait a minute, I know that guy" He
gets to his feet and shouts "Hey good luck mate, have a good
life". The guy turns round and says,
"Thank you Brian, take care, maybe it will be you next". Brian sits back down he says " That guy
was arrested 6 months after me, for the same crime. In a couple of weeks he will be lying on a beach somewhere with
his wife".
Even
after Brian is transferred home he will have to serve between 5 and 12 years in
a UK prison, either Wandsworth or Parkhurst.
The
other guy by the way was Hong-Kong/Canadian, unfortunately Brian is from GREAT
BRITAIN!!!
Sheila.
