250 Prisoners Crammed In One Boiling Hot Room.

[Andiamo]

From my experiences, first rule is dont sign anything. If you dont sign, the police actually have to prove a case against you. If you do, case is closed.

Second rule is dont believe what a policeman tells you. He will say whatever he needs to say to make you sign a confession and it will be an open and shut case in the future. Once you have signed, nothing a lawyer can do later. They will try to scare you with threats and leave you locked up a few days to soften you up.

Assuming you have someone outside to help, you will make bail in a few days after making an appearance at the courts (via handcuffs and prison truck) and then you can go see a lawyer. If you don't have anyone that can pay bail and process the paperwork...your screwed basically. You should be able to make a call and you can get visitors twice a day to help work through it.

This guy sounds like he is pretty much screwed if he did sign. I never understand why people do drugs in this country. Just crazy.

All I can say is that I hope the judge had a good day and doesnt hate farangs...

...and wear a clean shirt and tie.

Totally agree with the OP above.

1) DO NOT SIGN ANYTHING! Only sign documents that your lawyer has translated, explained to you and advised you if to sign or not.

2) DO NOT BELIEVE what a Thai Policeman says... Let me just repeat that one more time, DO NOT BELIEVE what a Thai Policeman says... even if does seem to be the easy option, "just sign here and you can leave..." BS! It WILL come back to haunt you and it ain't all over, believe you me.

3) Try and remember a phone number of somebody and HOPE that you will either be able to make a call or (as you will have no money and no phone - the Police will have taken those off you*), ask another prisoner to get their visitor to call the number for you and get your friend/husband/wife down there to try and sort everything out. Don't expect the POlice to take pity on you and call. Ain't gonna happen.

You will NOT have access to your mobile phone and numbers - pretty scarey, can you remember friend's/husband's/wife's numbers? Nowadays, we all have them stored electronically right...

* NB. You may or may not get your belongings returned..... Or maybe half your things returned... the rest or all of it will have gone walkabout. What you gonna do? File a complaint????

4) THE MOST IMPORTANT THING!!!!! NEVER EVER believe the Policeman (Especially if they are a high ranking Major) who says "if you sign this, I will guarantee you, you will go to Court and just pay a fine..." IF you hear this, ALARM BELLS should start going off IMMEDIATELY! Get out of there and get on to your Embassy and GET A LAWYER! Otherwise you WILL be totally screwed.

MY ADVICE

1) GET A GOOD LAWYER - the Embassies have lists or reputable lawyers.

2) Do not believe anything the Police say and DO NOT sign anything without your lawyer being present (even if it does mean you can get out that day/night).

3) DO not think the Thai Police and Justice system are ANYTHING like the equivalent in your home countries.

4) DO NOT JUDGE OTHERS. Nobody ever knows the real story.......

Edited May 20, 2008 by Andiamo

[cophen]

If you are guilty of a crime in Thailand and you do admit that guilt you get a reduced sentence so whether to sign or not depends on the circumstances.

[midas]

It sounds scary BUT the system in LAOS is even more scary and corrupt -

there you can be locked up indefinately without even being charged !

[bkkblueeyes]

It sounds scary BUT the system in LAOS is even more scary and corrupt -

there you can be locked up indefinately without even being charged !

Yes and they will delete your name and dispose of your passport of there system. moron

To me they didn’t find the Weed on him. So they tried to trick him in to saying he was guilty of a crime.

If he did have it on him he would be court red handed and just be charged

But in with in a doubt this guy who told you the story is FULL OF SHIT. And there is not god for shaken hot Rom

[Ulysses G.]

It seems to me that it is very common in America for police to use any method short of actual physical pain to trick a prisoner into a confession including lying and in some cases physical and mental torture. If lying to suspects is that common in the U.S.court system it certainly will be here.

[Ulysses G.]

But in with in a doubt this guy who told you the story is FULL OF SHIT. And there is not a god forsaken Hot Room

Imagine waiting your court sessions every month or two, for a year or two, sleeping on your side body-to-body, packed in like sardines to save space. A nocturnal trip to the toilet can involve a 20-minute wait. It also means tripping over limbs and curses from the sleeping.

Bangkok Post

A description from the Bangkok Post article. There is no aircon for prisoners so it is pretty obvious how hot this room crammed full of bodies would get in Thailand.

Edited May 20, 2008 by Ulysses G.

[kankaroo]

I would not have signed.

I was stoned one time and had some ganja in my pocket (UK). I saw a cop car coming but I threw it onto the street. They found it and connected it with me, and then took me to the station.

They took me into a room and tried to act friendly, stating that I would be released as long as I signed their bit of paper saying it was my ganja. I refused and said I have no idea what they were talking about . They said if I sign, I walk, if not they will put me in a cell. I said 'go for it'.

5 hours later (I believe the maximum time they can hold you w/o charge) they opened the door of the cell and told me to piss off

When I was young (18 or so) I uncharacteristically stole a packet of sandwiches from a shop while drunk. I ran off but the cops caught up with me and again I threw them away before they caught me. The cops were laughing about how I was not going to able to enjoy my sandwiches in the cells, and were waving the packet in my face as I was cuffed in the car.

At the station they started the same "sign this" crap again. I refused all knowledge of any sandwiches and signed nothing. I spent a night in the cells and was released the next day without charge.

Nowadays I don't smoke dope (or nick chicken sandwiches while inebriated), but I also don't have a criminal record stating 'THIEF' & 'DRUG USER' all because I didn't sign anything.

It is hard enough getting a job nowadays with a clean record !

[Fantasteak]

From what I have read on Thai law a signed confession in a Thai police station can be retracted in Court. Is this true? If it is I would of signed and gone home and smoked a joint.

[Fantasteak]

I have no sympathy for the old man he should just sign the papers IMO

Don't think anyone was aking for your sympathy.

[BFD]

I have no sympathy for the old man he should just sign the papers IMO

Don't think anyone was aking for your sympathy.

Good call! I hate it when posters come in here and just rattle off judgments, when the original post was just trying to generate discussion.

In my opinion, opinions should stay out of it.

Er..., that didn't sound right, did it?

Anyway, don't sign anything without a lawyer present. That goes for any crime, any country, any language!

BFD!

[cmsally]

Out in some of the Thai villages they have been rounding up the youths for drug testing and then getting them to sign confessions. They arrest them, take them off to the local hospital for urine sample testing and persuade them to sign a confession by telling them if they sign it they can go straight home, which of course most will do (seems quite strange that 100% test positive). They then come back to arrest them at a later date and take them back to the police cells. They go directly to prison because of that signed confession they made earlier. Either they get bailed out or stay there for a number of months.

There is no question of retracting that confession.

So by signing it could come back and haunt you later, in the case I am outlining they came back to arrest the youths over a month after the confession was signed.

[Andiamo]

cmsally,

Your account doesn't surprise me in the slightest and is totally shameful.

Most people are taught to trust and believe in the Police..... I don't know about other countries but here in Thailand I would not believe anything they said.

To the OP - A good subject to generate discussion about the reality of the Police and Justice system here in Thailand. Ensures people should be aware if, heaven forbid, they ever find themselves in a situation with them.

Edited May 20, 2008 by Andiamo

[Seizhin]

Back to original topic, I'd sign the paper first.

We know all these corrupted polices are more than willing to torture you if you refused.

[twschw]

It is quite easy to sit here at my computer in my air-con room and say "I would never sign anything!". I do think that it would be a different matter, at least for me, if I were in a small stifling room with 250 other accused criminals. My only thought would be "how the h-ll do I get out of here". Perhaps I am weaker than most of the other posters here so I hope I will remain on the good side of the law.

[skippybangkok]

To my understanding there is a law that they need to present you to court within i.e. 2 days of incarceration. Doubt i would sign without knowing what I signed.

[MrIrrisistable]

Thinking to get my wifes and lawyers phone number tattooed on me somewhere....just in case.

Now where to put them....I know where to put the lawyers, but would then also need a mirror....or someone else to read it for me.

[LooseCannon]

Thinking to get my wifes and lawyers phone number tattooed on me somewhere....just in case.

Now where to put them....I know where to put the lawyers, but would then also need a mirror....or someone else to read it for me.

No shortage of prisoners willing to read it for you, but might be a bit hard to concentrate when you are squealing like a pig.

[onzestan]

Perhaps I am weaker than most of the other posters here so I hope I will remain on the good side of the law.

That's all there is to it isn't it?

onzestan

[dr_Pat_Pong]

Does anyone know what your rights are in that situation? Is it true that you can't get out with out signing what I guess is a confession?

Is it possible to contact a lawyer before making a decision about what to plead?

First call is to ones Embassy or Consulate.

Is that a "right", like back home?

Thailand is not a signatory to the Vienna Conventions but does generally comply with the requirements. The rights to Embassy and/or Consular assistance are enshrined in the Conventions.

[OlRedEyes]

An very old man told me that a few days ago he bought a small amount of ganja from a Tuk-Tuk driver and a few moments later six policemen came bursting into his room and arrested him.

They brought him to the police station and threw him in with 250 prisoners crammed in one boiling hot room.

The next day he was told that if he signed 20 pages of Thai documents in Thai with no interpretation he would be let out that day, but would have to go to court later. If he refused, he would have to stay in jail 3 or 4 months just waiting trail.

Would you have signed the papers?

What should he have done".

He shouldn't have bought pleasure herbs from a tuk-tuk driver.

You have true visionary insight. A real leader.

[dr_Pat_Pong]

From what I have read on Thai law a signed confession in a Thai police station can be retracted in Court. Is this true? If it is I would of signed and gone home and smoked a joint.

recanting ain't all that simple in the Thai criminal system.

[OlRedEyes]

Perhaps I am weaker than most of the other posters here so I hope I will remain on the good side of the law.

That's all there is to it isn't it?

onzestan

That's extremely naive, I'd say.

[onzestan]

Perhaps I am weaker than most of the other posters here so I hope I will remain on the good side of the law.

That's all there is to it isn't it?

onzestan

That's extremely naive, I'd say.

Maybe but if you don't break the law, then you should not have to fear the law, and BTW I've never ever done drugs and never will.

cheers

onzestan

[Kilgore Trout]

The Bangkok Post did a big article on the court system in Thailand and they seemed to suggest that one's sentence would usually be much longer if you refused to sign a confession and basically plead guilty when approached shortly after being arrested. They made it sound like this is business as usual in Thailand.

By the way, the older man that I have been talking about, did, indeed, sign the papers, but he hasn't been able to find a lawyer who could get them and have them interpreted so far - never mine contested. He is very worried.

If its a minor marijuana charge and his first offense he will most likely be given a fine of under 5000 baht when he goes to court. If he's out already on bail and just waiting for the court date the thing to think about is what kind of visa is he on? If his visa is still valid when he goes to court, no problemo, just pay the fine and leave. If his visa will have already expired on that day then when he is released from the court he will be handed over to immigration who will hold him in detention (worse than jail) for a couple of weeks before shipping him back home.

[mike_rad]

What a twisted world we live in. Alcohol causes far more damage to society than weed yet it's the weed that's illegal!

---

[Ulysses G.]

Every prison in the world is filled with innocent people who were in the wrong place at the wrong time and prisoners who were arrested for minor crimes, but ended up in far worse trouble because they were forced into illegal activities inside prison by gangs and stronger inmates.

We can hope tht it never happens to us, but it very well might!

[Super Hans]

Perhaps I am weaker than most of the other posters here so I hope I will remain on the good side of the law.

That's all there is to it isn't it?

onzestan

That's extremely naive, I'd say.

Maybe but if you don't break the law, then you should not have to fear the law, and BTW I've never ever done drugs and never will.

cheers

onzestan

Then I suggest you do yourself a favour and give them a go.

Why do people who have absolutely NO knowledge of drugs have such firm views on them? It really is startling bizarre how easily brainwashed people can become on the issue of smoking a harmless plant that grows freely throughout the world; and one that has numerous natural benefits too.

[Super Hans]

What a twisted world we live in. Alcohol causes far more damage to society than weed yet it's the weed that's illegal!

---

It's slightly easier to tax, and doesn't stimulate dangerously creative thought processes.

[centric]

Perhaps I am weaker than most of the other posters here so I hope I will remain on the good side of the law.

That's all there is to it isn't it?

onzestan

That's extremely naive, I'd say.

Maybe but if you don't break the law, then you should not have to fear the law, and BTW I've never ever done drugs and never will.

cheers

onzestan

Then I suggest you do yourself a favour and give them a go.

Why do people who have absolutely NO knowledge of drugs have such firm views on them? It really is startling bizarre how easily brainwashed people can become on the issue of smoking a harmless plant that grows freely throughout the world; and one that has numerous natural benefits too.

Harmless?

Not so. How about the schizophrenia it causes? How about the car accidents related to drug use? And those just for starters. Yes I do smoke dope in the Uk for arthritis and it does work though I am aware of the dangers. Like any drug it has to depend on useage.

Would I sign? Not sure. Depends on how desperate I was becoming.

Edited May 21, 2008 by centric

[jstumbo]

Then I suggest you do yourself a favour and give them a go.

Why do people who have absolutely NO knowledge of drugs have such firm views on them?

I do not need to shoot up heroin to decide if it is good or not. How long would you suggest I be a junky before I decide that it is not good?

Should I smoke cigarettes for a few years before I decide if they are good or not?