Welcome To hel_l

[Prakanong]

I find it hard to believe that A: anybody would want to return to a country that just jails them for a large proportion of their life when they say they were innocent, and B: that the country would allow them back in.

Mr. Martin was definitely in the Black Swan (amongst other places) on Sukhumvit a couple of months ago and several of my friends definitely met the guy.

He was possibly in town for a book signing?

If he wasn't welcome back in Thailand I'm sure his book would not be on sale in every bookshop in Thailand.

I find it hard to beleive he is not blacklisted but TIT.

As for his book being for sale being a logical argument to this back up is just a straw man - do you think Sandra Gregory or Warren Fellows are aloowed back in?

Sandra Gregory states in her book she is sorry she can never visit again the country she loves I beleive.

[Prakanong]

There seems to be conflicting reports from former long-term prisoners. In the eyes of Colin Martin it's a living hel_l, but compare that to David Mc Millan (author of Escape) who said that Thai prisons weren't that bad at all.

When we interviewed David, he claimed that a lot of the stuff written by former foreign prisoners is 'sensational'. That is because they have to sell the book and readers want to read about 'horror'. No publisher too, is gonna want to release a book about Thai prisons which is 'boring'.

My friend who is incarcerated at the moment in Samut Prakan Central Prison 'Gor' has also said that life behind bars isn't as bad as he had originally perceived, though of course it isn't exactly Dream World.

I wouldn't therefore, accept all of what Colin has to say, as 'God's truth'.

The voice of reason, finally. Why on earth give credence to anything written by a guy with his background? When it comes to trusting the honest reporting of different classes of people, killers and shysters don't come very high on my list.

I would tend to be in the sensationalist argument side - they do it to sell books

So we have Got and Sadnra Gregory among others on one side and Fellow's and Martin on the other . hmmmm

Lets take a little look at the characters behind them - I know which pair I would beleive and it not the aussie and Paddy

Martin may have been defrauded (he must have been naive as hel_l - paying an agent for a job - its illegal in the UK - thats why they advertised outside the country - alarm bellls ding ding ding).

He did kill the guy in a fight but does he admit it - not from my reading of the book - he admits rolling down the hill with the guy but who killed the guy - someone hiding miles away from anywhere - I would have had much more respect if he had admitted his crime - he killed the guy in a fight but it seems he still can not

[yaketyak]

Whether he did kill the guy or not , whether he was naive or not , all this is hardly the most important thing here. The most important thing is that jails anywhere in the world should not be like his description which , as i knew someone who was in the BKK Hilton , i know to be absolutely true.

How people can callously call him scum and be indifferent to anyone whose mistakes lead them to be incarcerated for an incredibly long time in inhuman conditions (and so unneccessarily so) is beyond me .

I wouldn't wish that on anyone , but then again i sleep well at night as my conscience is clear..

[Tafia]

I think the latest craze is "glassings" into the face/eyes.hopefully this wont catch on in Thailand .

Well i finished the Welcome to hel_l book today by Colin Martin and i really think this guy is spot on.

The Thais are the greediest corrupt people,i believe that,but he also said they are the most brutal.

Even his ex Thai wife wanted to sell his son to him.

In his book he said they are also the filthiest people which i always thought Thais were clean but he said they use to pull their penises out whilst eating and look for lice and then smell their hands.

But is that ALL tHAI PEOPLE WHO are corrupt and unclean,NO I dont think so,he was living with the low class,im sure high class Thais,the ones on the soapies i watched dont act like that,you cant say all of one race are the same.

However any of you thinking of overstaying your visa dont do it,in his book he talks of Srichacha immigration prison where it is so filthy yand crowded you have to line up to use the one hole in the floor toilet.

Last April i watched outside a Jomtien beer bar some very drunk british young guys with shaved heads throwing buckets of water at motobikes and i decided to join in.however im thinking after reading this book that i dont want to cause a accident to happen and end up meeting the man with the one rubber glove and 200 backsides to inspect with it.

Having said that,i am thinking of starting a charity to assist farang prisoners,in buying stationary,magazines donations and food parcels.

He's back here though

[macleod101]

i have read this book, and although it makes for an interesting read, the man is speaking a lot of cow dung..

he deserved what he got and at best I would call the guy a 'buffalo'

im sure he's a nice enough guy, but it really was his own fault..

[Theyreallrubbish]

I find it hard to believe that A: anybody would want to return to a country that just jails them for a large proportion of their life when they say they were innocent, and B: that the country would allow them back in.

Mr. Martin was definitely in the Black Swan (amongst other places) on Sukhumvit a couple of months ago and several of my friends definitely met the guy.

He was possibly in town for a book signing?

If he wasn't welcome back in Thailand I'm sure his book would not be on sale in every bookshop in Thailand.

I find it hard to beleive he is not blacklisted but TIT.

As for his book being for sale being a logical argument to this back up is just a straw man - do you think Sandra Gregory or Warren Fellows are aloowed back in?

Sandra Gregory states in her book she is sorry she can never visit again the country she loves I beleive.

I met someone in Chiang Mai who said they'd done 8 months in prison for possession of ganga about 2 years previously. He came out and wasn't blacklisted and still kept his visa up to date by doing visa runs to the border with no problems whatsoever, so it seems that going to prison, even for a drug offence, isn't enough to get you blacklisted.

I also met a vietnam vet who was a heroin addict who said he'd been inside Thai jails several times for possession of heroin and still had no problem.

BTW I'm not hanging out with the criminal underclasses! I met both of these guys in restaurants during the day and just chatted with them.

Both of them also said the jail at Chiang Mai wasn't too bad, they suffered no violence, and that Thai people would visit to bring you food even if they didn't know you.

[Prakanong]

I find it hard to beleive he is not blacklisted but TIT.

As for his book being for sale being a logical argument to this back up is just a straw man - do you think Sandra Gregory or Warren Fellows are aloowed back in?

Sandra Gregory states in her book she is sorry she can never visit again the country she loves I beleive.

Good point. I was not aware either Fellows or Gregory were Persona Non Grata.

The obvious difference is that they were both convicted of drugs offences, while Colin Martin was convicted of murder. From what I know of Immigration law and the application thereof, drugs offences are treated more seriously than other crimes.

A lot of people finding his presence in back in Bangkok "hard to believe" but rest assured he was there.

Several people that I know have met him and they are all long time respected members of the expat community so their integrity is not in question.

I do not know about Fellows but Sandra Gregory does say that at the end of the book.

Maybe they should now invite her back as a rehabilitated Oxford graduate to speak to schoolkinds about the consequences of drug abuse just as she did in the UK - they might listen more to her than their teachers?

[Dakhar]

Remeber the idiot that got caned in Singapore? He spray painted a Mercedes.... thinking he was "Oh so cool."

He gets busted, and there was an international out cry because he was going to get a spanking for his crime....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_P._Fay

You have got to read it... very interesting, a total loser.

[Etrigan]

I read the book in one day, I couldn't put it down. Then I reflected. It is pure bullshit. Utter crap designed to be spun around for profit. Seriously, some of his "experiences" were simply drug induced fantasies which over time became lodged as memory.

Would you seek advice from a junkie about anything? No. Reading that book is the same as giving a junkie an audience. Foolish.

[LivinLOS]

I find it hard to believe that A: anybody would want to return to a country that just jails them for a large proportion of their life when they say they were innocent, and B: that the country would allow them back in.

Mr. Martin was definitely in the Black Swan (amongst other places) on Sukhumvit a couple of months ago and several of my friends definitely met the guy.

He was possibly in town for a book signing?

If he wasn't welcome back in Thailand I'm sure his book would not be on sale in every bookshop in Thailand.

I find it hard to beleive he is not blacklisted but TIT.

As for his book being for sale being a logical argument to this back up is just a straw man - do you think Sandra Gregory or Warren Fellows are aloowed back in?

Sandra Gregory states in her book she is sorry she can never visit again the country she loves I beleive.

I met someone in Chiang Mai who said they'd done 8 months in prison for possession of ganga about 2 years previously. He came out and wasn't blacklisted and still kept his visa up to date by doing visa runs to the border with no problems whatsoever, so it seems that going to prison, even for a drug offence, isn't enough to get you blacklisted.

I also met a vietnam vet who was a heroin addict who said he'd been inside Thai jails several times for possession of heroin and still had no problem.

BTW I'm not hanging out with the criminal underclasses! I met both of these guys in restaurants during the day and just chatted with them.

Both of them also said the jail at Chiang Mai wasn't too bad, they suffered no violence, and that Thai people would visit to bring you food even if they didn't know you.

Someone I hear of was busted and ended up with a longish sentence.. Few years later he was back out, in fine health, actually on the local muay thai card (hardly the picture of walking dead thats painted).. Definitely not blacklisted and continued to live here for a while.

[OlRedEyes]

In some ways im scared to go back to Thailand after reading this book,would this guy be allowed back in Thailand ,say for a holiday?

Thai law is a commodity, it is traded at all levels. Keep your nose clean and pander to the locals and you'll be fine.

[Prakanong]

Remeber the idiot that got caned in Singapore? He spray painted a Mercedes.... thinking he was "Oh so cool."

He gets busted, and there was an international out cry because he was going to get a spanking for his crime....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_P._Fay

You have got to read it... very interesting, a total loser.

I was not here then but expats who were including Americans thought the brat got what he deserved and did not have much sympathy.

As for the USA protesting - its a bit much when they actually execute the mentally ill and those commiting offences while juveniles

[Prakanong]

I read the book in one day, I couldn't put it down. Then I reflected. It is pure bullshit. Utter crap designed to be spun around for profit. Seriously, some of his "experiences" were simply drug induced fantasies which over time became lodged as memory.

Would you seek advice from a junkie about anything? No. Reading that book is the same as giving a junkie an audience. Foolish.

Which book? - the one mentioned in the OP is not about drug offences but murder

[Etrigan]

Wasn't "Welcome to hel_l" that Ozzie drug trafficker??? If not, thanks for the heads up.

[Prakanong]

Wasn't "Welcome to hel_l" that Ozzie drug trafficker??? If not, thanks for the heads up.

The Ozzie drug trafficker in Thailand was Warren Fellows with "The Damage Done" (alternative title in some countries "12000 days")

"Welcome to hel_l" was Colin Martins book mentioned in the OP about a crme of murder.

There is another Aussie one called "hel_l's Prisoner" by Christopher w Parnell about Indonesia.

Of course he is innocent he say's - like all Aussies doen for drugs are!!!!!

[mrtoad]

Remeber the idiot that got caned in Singapore? He spray painted a Mercedes.... thinking he was "Oh so cool."

He gets busted, and there was an international out cry because he was going to get a spanking for his crime....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_P._Fay

You have got to read it... very interesting, a total loser.

I was not here then but expats who were including Americans thought the brat got what he deserved and did not have much sympathy.

As for the USA protesting - its a bit much when they actually execute the mentally ill and those commiting offences while juveniles

I remeber that one very well, and several of my friends knew this guy, and said he was a comlete and utter tosser, lah. Thankfully, I never had the pleasure to meet in.

The general feeling as you have said, was ttat he got what he deserved, and that the protests from the American Govt was pretty hypocritical.