There has been written a lot about the high prison sentences in Thailand concerning drugs. A good example is a life sentence for the possession of only 60 grams of heroin for personal use.

Today I don’t want to talk about the madness, of how the Thai amnesty system is working!

What do you think?

Just and fair?

Far from it!

In the year 1996 (2539) Thailand was celebrating the 50^th anniversary of the coronation of the King. For this celebration the Thai King was giving a generous amnesty for all inmates of Thai prisons. The way this amnesty was given was an extraordinary acrobatic act of Thai justice

One example for all:

Two prisoners sentenced for a drug-related crime.

PRISONER ARRESTED SENTENCE SENTENCED TIME SERVED SENTENCE LEFT AFTER AMNESTY

AA 1996 50 YEARS 1996 6 MONTHS 44 YEARS

BB 1996 LIFE 1996 6 MONTHS 40 YEARS

Now as you can see the position in rest of sentence of these two prisoners have just reversed. The dice of justice have fallen and even an idiot has to ask

"What justice (foolishness) is this"

The answer is – Thai justice!

In December 1999 there should be an amnesty on the occasion of the 72^nd birthday of the King.

This is very good news for every prisoner in a Thai jail, where everybody is longing for freedom.

But where is the ball falling this time in the Thai amnesty roulette?

It is the opinion of the writer that the Thai’s will again manage to create unprecedented somersaults out of their justice and amnesty procedures.

Wish good luck to all the inmates suffering in Thai jails and come back to our web address where maybe by the beginning of next year you will find an article named

‘ Unprecedented Somersault’

Thanks for your attention.

by Spectator of Thai circus.

This question of a secret policy: -

" That the British embassy in Bangkok should never take any action that could call into question the behaviour or tactics of the Royal Thai Police Force or it’s various drug agencies, because if the embassy did so, this would cause the Royal Thai Police Force to cease co-operating with the drug liaison (HM Customs) officials who operate (illegally) in Thailand as vice consuls with diplomatic immunity."

Obviously I was affected, but the point is this policy is illegal under UK law. And because of this policy, not one investigation has ever been made over the 80-100 persons per year from the UK who die mysteriously (nearly 800 in the past 10 years) in Thailand and about 50+ who just disappear each year. The embassy does know the police are involved in many cases, but does nothing.

If your friends need extra details about this matter they should contact my friends at the above e-mail address. They will always co-operate, but they only check their e-mail every couple of days.

Take Care

John Davis

I am a British prisoner convicted like 99.9% of all foreigners in Bangkwang of heroin possession 8 years ago and have spent that period here in the notorious ‘Bangkok Hilton’.

Three months ago I got a bad case of food poisoning, so I went to the hospital for help. When I say hospital you could not class the place as such. The establishment is the same as a hospital during the great T.B problem in Victorian England, due to the treatment, conditions etc. Anyway I was happy when the doctor told me I was to stay there as he needed to keep a close eye on my condition, as I was almost permanently in the toilet (both ends burning) his reason and genuine worry was probably not because I was a Farrang (foreigner) but more the fear I had Cholera, Typhoid, or any one of Thailand’s contagious diseases, which were it true could cause a massive death toll and throw Bangkwang into total disaster, as we are so congested we sleep ‘Toe To Toe’ and ‘Shoulder to Shoulder’ causing an extreme breeding ground for any contagious disease of which Thailand has many and Bangkwang 99%.

I was sick, really sick but man, the patients there made me almost have a miracle recovery! I was both shocked and scared to see the state of my bed (yes bed) mates. The first I had slept in in 8 years. In fact I rolled out three times in the first night, and was lucky not to die from a broken neck, never mind the food poisoning. They were the high pre-war beds made of steel and 3½ feet high. The reason for this unfamiliarity with a bed is that everywhere else in Bangkwang they are not allowed. 7000 cons sleep on a make-do with a blanket on the concrete floor (7000+ of us).

When the doctor did his daily round in the first morning he asked me if I had any money in my building. I said I had a little, so he wrote me a prescription for the medicine I needed. I then arranged for Mr 10% the shopping guard to make a trip to the pharmacy, once I had the cost guaranteed by another foreigner. By that afternoon I had my medicine, and my road to recovery had started. If I had been broke like most Thai’s dying in the next beds the chances of joining them would have been high.

Most of the Thai’s, well 10 from 18 beds had full blown AIDS, and some T.B or other diseases due to low immune system such as kidney failure. The con orderlies all ex- patients had learned how to insert a drip and give an injection. Most of the AIDS boys could have injected themselves with more care and less pain. They administer injections the same way I’ve seen vets inject farm animals as a small boy, to screams of pain and much laughter from the ‘psycho-orderly’. The immune system breakdown must make pain more extreme.

Some of these boys I knew from healthier days in other buildings and most were Samurai, a tough ‘couldn’t give a fuck’ sect of cons who I remember as hard boys 3-4 years before. They give them ‘Placebo’s’, a handful of multi coloured nothing to con them into thinking they’re being given AIDS medicine, when really they were brought there to die, hopefully not keeping too many awake with their screams of pain, as they do in the last 5 days before death stage. The virus affects the brain and they are in real agony from head pains plus the rest of the body which at this stage has packed in (kidneys have stopped etc) they also stop pissing and shitting themselves. The job of cleaning them up goes to two young Thai boys who have been told (I’m not 100% sure they are) are HIV Positive. What horror to be HIV knowing that this will be you bar three kinds of miracle in the not too far future, it’s almost like an extra punishment. These boys of an average age of thirty die in unbelievable agony, and the non HIV patients get sick of hearing the screaming start shouting ‘Die Motherfucker’s Die!’ When they finally die they wash the blood, shit and vomit off them, dress them in the brown prison uniform, then the police and the ‘Bodysnatchers’ come. The ‘Bodysnatchers’ get 500Bhat per body and have been seen by many fighting over dead bodies in roadside accidents. They bag them after the Cops fingerprint them, then they take the ones with families to the Morgue. The ones (most of them) without families are taken to the temple just outside the prison and burned pauper style. It’s a shame, but the Thai’s don’t care as the Thai prisons are so overcrowded.

When I was in the hospital, one Hong Kong boy 28 years old was in his final stage, screaming insults and begging to die quickly. He was under the Brits until the takeover 2 years ago. The British and Chinese met and fully supported a Kings Pardon petition on medical grounds. Two years ago I met him and an English bloke I knew found out the both had AIDS. They were both told to quickly put in a pardon petition during 1996. They were both told they would automatically get pardons late 1998. Luckily the Brit also a young 28-year-old did. But the Hong Kong guy his name was Ah-Fang never. And he passed away two days after my ten-day stay in hospital. He still thought he could make it even when he looked like a skeleton with glad rap over his body and painted yellow. I don’t know why or how two countries couldn’t get him AIDS medicine in 1999 but let him die. He was arrested as an 18-year–old boy, one big mistake and he died screaming ten years later. Still fighting, still with hope!

I do hope you went to a better world than this with one hundred years sentences for 100grams of heroin. When help was easily available from a government who stole your home through a war to sell the same evil death you were arrested with, and put in your veins and led to your horrible brave death. I will never forget you ‘Fang’, or your screams!

I’m still having nightmares three months later thinking you are still three beds along from me, which is why I write this.

Please someone out there help everyone in here. At least someone could ease the way these men die, most for crimes that no country in the world would give death for. Even the few that would make it humane and quick.

In memory of Fang from Hong Kong

Also all the best to the young Brit who only just made it!

Bangkwang Prison 29/9/99

US Foreign policy has double standards and believes the end always justifies the means.

Edward Said is a professor at Columbia University, and is sick of seeing the arrogant USA use morality to justify its greed for power.

ARTICLE INSERT

You might be thinking what the fuck has the yanks Foreign Policy in Kosovo got to do with DEA POW’s in Thailand? Well it’s just another part of the United States fucked up Foreign Policy of bullying, abusing, morality issues to get what it wants. That and them always believing that the end always justifies the means.

Read on and the connection will become very clear. This is another true proved instance when the most decorated soldier of the Vietnam War ‘ Colonel James Bo Gritz’, tells all to a Loaded magazine reporter, ‘The True Story’ behind the US governments ‘Black OP’s’ and secret wars that the congress wouldn’t otherwise agree to funding, that were funded by drugs. Cocaine from Latin America and Heroin from South East Asia’

2^nd ARTICLE INSERT

These facts are only part of a rotten can of worms that was opened last century when Americans dealt in opium (19^th century smack) or the death trade. The famous Roosevelt family – Yes FDR’s family- even boasted when locking for a trusted group of ambassadors to deal with Generalisimo Chiang Kai Check, during the war by saying his own family had a special understanding with the Chinese as his family had infact made their fortunes from dealing in Shanghai for 150 years smuggling death (opium)

(Ref. p232 Lords of the Rim by Sterling Seagrave)

He got his way in who went to deal with Chiang Kai Check who was himself really a gangster and one of the first and biggest heroin traffickers of that time. At this time America and it’s government turned a blind eye to such business, or so they would have us believe if you were an ally.

Some like the CIA later became rich and forged untouchable connections to this day. These facts are known and provable but very rarely talked about.

These facts are only the tip of a very filthy iceberg.

Go back 80-90 years and the situation was far worse. America and Britain were and had been for century smuggling opium by the shipload to the Chinese Empire in exchange for gold or other valuable items. It got so bad that their ‘Black Ships’ turned 1 in 3 Chinese coolies into raving junkies, and when the Emperor acted and said no more opium. Britain went to war to push their dope. The first opium war 1840-42. Then a second opium war 1856-1862. In both of these conflicts the British government sneakily denied these were wars. British-armed merchant ships and naval vessels took part and defeated the Chinese twice into continuing with the drug trade, flying the Union Jack and acquired a new colony, Hong Kong, from the second war. Many Lords and titled nobles in England today made their fortunes from the opium trade to name a couple: The Squire Family owners of Cathay Pacific Airlines, and Jardin Matheson, Jardin being one of the biggest trading companies till the present day.

A contemporary view of Jardin from 1843 in The First Opium War from Disraeli’s novel ‘Sybil’: -

"You had a formidable opponent, Lord Marney told me," said Sir Vavasour, who was he?

Oh a dreadful man! A Scotchman, richer than Croesus, one Mr Druggy, fresh from Canton. With a million in opium in each pocket, denouncing corruption, and bellowing "Free trade!"

That was then when they knew how evil it was and the hypocritical as in the present day. Jardine’s is envied as a business group, and never have any of their families spent a single day in prison. Though they have killed millions with their poisons and maybe still do.

The poem would fit the shoe of many powerful traders’ even military and political persons in the land of the brave and the home of the free. Now they have a farcical war on drugs, when all the DEA, supported by such hypocrites as the modern day Jardine’s and Roosevelt’s have done here in the ‘Golden Triangle’ have increased production by a minimum of 5 tons over the last 10 years and helped it to disappear then reappear on the streets of the America. As many as 100,000 bag man would not change this fact!

Check the statistics for heroin production in South East Asia.

We, the concerned foreign inmates currently serving sentences in various prisons in Thailand demand without delay from the Thai authorities, Interior Ministry and Department of Corrections, the reasons why we, as first time offenders are perpetually kept in prison without any hope of seeing our families again.

Most of us have sentences ranging from 25 years to the maximum death sentence and have served almost 10 years or more.

The indefinite jail term system operating is highly disorientating and dehumanising, with no vocational training, no care for basic provisions, a blank future and only as good a breeding ground for hardened criminals, an avenue of extortion for the Correction Department entrusted with care taking.

Frankly, we have lost so much time, material and life, that cannot be compensated for what we put in through our ignorant involvement in the crime we committed. Our immediate dependants have suffered and still continue to suffer because of our long years of absence and exposure to starvation, agony, mental torture and hopelessness.

We have gone through these deceptive systems of prison administration. A judicial two-tier system

For so long contrary to UN Charter on prisoners of which Thailand is a signatory, we ask for explanations as we no longer believe in serving these indefinite sentences.

1. What system do the Thailand Authorities operate in counting the jail term?
2. Is the jail calendar based on the full 12 months calendar year without the benefit of public holidays and weekends?
3. Do the class on good behaviour have any relation to reduction or evaluation of sentences?
4. Most Thai inmates enjoy the benefit parole or relocation to prisons in their respective provinces in order to be nearer their families.

Do we foreign inmates as first time offenders qualify for such benefits either as a compensation over the number of years served or by consideration of the fact that most foreign inmates who do not benefit from the bilateral agreements on prisoner exchange treaties be considered to serve a conditional number of years, then get an outright release in form of deportation rather than the hopeless system of seeking for pardon or waiting the occasional amnesty – a system that has so congested the prisons over the years.

Logically, with all disrespect to human rights, equal justice or equal treatment of inmates, the occasional and conditional amnesty is outrightly derisive to a group of inmates (drug offenders) and a special preferential treatment that encourages more Thai’s outside to commit more killing’s, robberies, rapes and for those already in the prison to graduate as enemies of the society. Also the pardon is only targeted at the privileged ones.

Statistics show that one of every four households in Thailand have a member of the family in prison and an average of seven persons are killed by assassins or rapists every day, it also shows that a good number of these offenders are illiterate and come from poor families. Hence the outright acceptance of their fate when they come to jail and later turn into sophisticated, experienced criminals.

Inside here it’s a separate country created by the system. Hence their supposed silence, obedience, and loyalty, in order to enjoy/learn and operate within the permissible underground criminal activities like gambling, homosexuality, stealing, selling of Buddhist images and other illegal substances (which the outside world will never trace or look inside prison for).

In conclusion of the above mentioned irrefutable realities, we would like to remind the Thai Authorities of the injustice and imbalances in the judicial process as stated in section 173 of the criminal code which gives chance to the prosecutor and the police over the foreigner accused who is ignorant of the court proceedings because of language barrier. No translator is provided and no English-speaking lawyers are appointed .The provision of parole after 1/3 of sentences, which excludes foreign inmates, is another area where the Authorities lack the reality of balance in sentence application.

The timetable of ‘Class Promotion’ which should have been acting as a deterrent to curb the inmates from getting involved in violating the rules and regulations of the prisons (although lacking in number of personnel) have been grossly neglected by the Authorities within the prison – An active parole board administering grading and remission can only deter inmates from getting involved in crime within the prison.

In practical terms, the parole board should visit the prison regularly and the inmates who have served and satisfied the other 1/3 of their sentence should be called out and interviewed with his/her building chief in attendance.

If the inmate is found to be on excellent class continuously within the period he/she should be given remission and a release in the form of deportation and banned from entering the country during the remaining years of his/her sentence. This is another way of decongesting the prisons and a deterrent for inmates to maintain good records within the prison, provided under normal circumstances.

The Revision of Penal Sentences Act of 1984 allows for the practice

Of international co-operation in implementing the execution of penal sentence, whereby inmates were released on demand by ones government e.g. the mass repatriation of Spanish prisoners in the late 1980’s is another inference. In 1987 this was revised in the form of prisoner transfer treaty entered into between Thailand and several developed countries under article 25 of 1987 whereby the clause to serve 4 years for sentence below life, and 8 years for life sentence and above, was included and adopted.

It was an indirect diplomatic means to appease the outcry of those governments constituencies back home to circumvent against the gross barbaric inhuman treatment meted to their citizens here in Thailand’s concentration camps, otherwise known as prisons- hence the monthly allowance of 3000Bhat or above, and the urgent/periodic visits from the Embassy doctors on call as practised.

All of these arrangements allows/creates a double-standard/two tier penal system, a situation whereby an inmate served 10-15 years without knowing when he/she would get released while the other untouchable/privileged inmate served just 4 years on the same offence, just because his/her country has created the means to circumvent or manipulate the laws of the host country.

This abhorrent system of arrest, biased trial and sentence of a sound soul, later seeks the guarantor, surety bond on an already dead soul which is only peculiar to the kingdom of Thailand is an indirect way for favouritism and devaluation of respect now affecting Thailand’s international image indirectly.

The coming Millennium urgently calls for Thailand’s government to redefine it’s own foreign policy and interest to the advantage of her position in the international political arena. The era of ‘Na Patey Thai’. This in Thailand is absolutely gone.

Where will history keep us if all this partiality continues unabated. We therefore seek for the attention of the human rights international and NGO’s particularly Mrs Mary Robinson, to act and seek on our behalf an urgent answer and redress this catastrophic dehumanising situation, although the double standard behaviours of influence highjacking these different organisation have so far blocked it’s unbiased judgement of the recent past.

We also call on the Thai Authorities to ask ‘Where is the consideration for a second chance?’

SIGNED BY : African Nigerian. (Bangkwang Thailand)

The millennium’s coming, the cons’ are going daft

All the gossips have us going crazy with a going home song.

‘Woes of Armageddon’ from the African bible bashers who even have a raft,

Like all religious idiots they’re hypocrites and 9 out of 10 are wrong

The junkies are all in rehab, and trying to adapt

But after 10 years in Bangkwang it’s been too long.

The visiting monks are mobbed by scumbags who don’t even fart

The missionaries and other do-gooders tell us we did small wrong

Hearing this tears most of us apart even breaks a heart

Now the war on drugs is starting to have a funny old ‘Pong’

Maybe because production here has started to rise from it’s start.

From the D.E.A there’s dollars Khun-Sa gives the Aka, Wa and Hmong

There’s one thing for sure the D.E.A. and Drug Barons are not apart

So locking us up, bagmen, mules, fast money scams gone wrong

Has only made the real Big Dealers become even more smart

Amnesties, Kings Pardons, Millennium Are all a heap of dung

I’m sorry to say this we’re all fucked and will leave on a cart!

As many of you are probably aware, white asbestos is an extremely dangerous substance. The disease it causes is called Asbestosis. What happens when the asbestos fibres are inhaled is that those fibres that are small enough to pass through the capillary wall of the lung become lodged in the bags, which protect the lungs, just like mini javelins. If a small quantity of these javelin like fibres gather together, the area is likely to become tumerous, then the protective bag of the lung is slowly gobbled away. Slowly but very surely, as this gobbling process proceeds, raw lung is exposed to the victim’s rib cage.

Wow!, just imagine that for a second or two. Your raw lungs rubbing against your ribcage with every single breath you take, until you almost definitely will die.

In the real world precautions are taken with the removal of asbestos having a strict set of rules which must be adhered to. These begin with the company in question having a licence, and their workers having valid medical papers. There are various stages in which the contaminated area is sealed off and tests undertaken by qualified government analysts, before the removal can begin. If the double screening, triple airlocks and pumps are given the OK by the analyst, removal work can begin. Workers are clad in disposable overalls, full facemasks with triple filters and motorised regulators. All debris must be double bagged and taped, washed, then sprayed with special glue.

The bags are red and bear a hazardous warning along with skull and crossbones. When workers leave the area their disposable overalls are double bagged while they still have their facemasks on. They rinse off in the first of three airlocks. Only then can they head for the decontamination unit in a fresh pair of overalls (still wearing the masks).

The worker enters the decontamination unit, removes his fresh overalls and then enters a shower. Leaving the shower, the workers enter the clean area of the decon unit, where his regular clothes are kept. There are various stages of work to be carried out once the asbestos is removed, including jet washing the area, painting surfaces with a thick plastic paint, then spraying the whole area with a fine jet of watered down glue to catch any airborne fibres. The analyst then does more tests to see if the area is clear. He places pumps with small filters on for a set period of time. These filters are then placed under a microscope to check for fibres. If the area is passed all screens etc are dumped in a special licensed area of the tip.

Here in Bangkwang all the outer roofs are corrugated white asbestos. The Thai’s regularly put up asbestos board ceilings, they do not wear any protective clothing whatsoever, and on completion not so much as a protective coal of paint is added. Holes are made for the stems of the ceiling fans to protrude through in order to attach the fan blades to. Finally the fans are turned on spreading their javelin like fibres into the air, with every prisoner breathing them in.

One more serious hazard of life in Bangkwang.

J Wheeler

Two women who ferried crack cocaine and heroin into Scotland collapsed in tears when they were locked up for a total of 14 years yesterday.

A judge heard that the dreams of ‘easy money’ turned into a nightmare for friends Michelle Miles, 21, and Gina Johnson, 20, when they were caught with drugs worth £179,000.00.

The two – both first time offenders – had to be helped from court after Miles was jailed for six years and Johnson was given eight years detention. Judge Robin McEwan QC condemned the ‘big men’ in the drug trade. "They behave in a cowardly way getting young girls to do their errands".

But, he told Miles and Johnson: "Without couriers there would be no big men in the drug business."

The High Court in Edinburgh heard that both women told police they were too scared to say who had given them drugs, after they arrived in Aberdeen station on an overnight train from Wolverhampton.

Officers had been tipped off and were waiting for Miles and Johnson. The women were detained.

On the way to Grampian police HQ Miles admitted that she knew about the heroin and crack cocaine in her bags. Johnson began crying hysterically and told detectives: "It is just easy money."

The women were to receive £500.00 from the Midlands based drugs barons. Student Miles and club worker Johnson, both of Wolverhampton, pleaded guilty in being concerned in the supply of cocaine and heroin.

Solicitor – advocate George Mathers, defending Johnson, said after her arrest, she sobbed: "I had a bad dream about this" Mr Mathers added: "She’d had a premonition about being caught. It resulted in the nightmare she finds herself in today."

Article from Daily Express