Bangkok's Prison A Tourist Attraction

[george]

Bangkok's prison a tourist attraction

BANGKOK, Thailand — With its stark concrete walls, armed guards and electric fences, Bang Kwang maximum-security prison hardly looks like a tourist destination. But it has become an attraction to travelers wanting to experience something different — and at the same time do a good deed.

The prison on the outskirts of the capital houses Thailand's death row and more than 7,000 men serving sentences of 25 years or more for crimes ranging from drug smuggling to murder. Among them are a few dozen Western inmates, far from home and happy to be on the receiving end of what might be called prison tourism.

Their visitors are often complete strangers — tourists motivated both by curiosity and by a desire to cheer up a prisoner far from home, living in conditions that are harsh by Western standards.

"It's pretty shocking. I was on the edge of my seat, wanting to hear what he was going to say," said Anneke Wijne, 26, a Dutch traveler visiting her countryman, Machiel Kuijt.

"If he is innocent or not I really don't care," she said. "I just see a man behind bars, far away from his family."

Kuijt was acquitted on drug charges in 2002 but held in custody while the prosecution appealed. He then was convicted and sentenced to life in prison last year, prompting an outcry in the Netherlands. He has become a favorite among travelers. In fact, one recent week Dutch visitors had to wait their turn to see him.

A KLM flight attendant who began visiting Kuijt after she met his lawyer on a flight in December said she has since befriended his family and has encouraged others to visit him.

This month, she brought him two tote bags full of Dutch cheese, bread, crackers, sausage and mustard. She asked not to be identified in case it caused her trouble with the prison wardens.

The visits began years ago when relatives of foreign inmates, unable to visit Thailand often, took to tacking up notices in guest houses asking tourists to visit their loved ones. The Internet and guide books spread the word. The 1999 movie "Brokedown Palace" and the book, "The Damage Done," written by Warren Fellows, an Australian former inmate, also raised awareness.

Some countries, including the United Kingdom and the United States, have treaties with Thailand that allow inmates to come home to finish their sentence. Fewer than 10 Americans and 10 Britons are in Bang Kwang, according to their embassies.

Two British probation officers vacationing in Thailand went to Bang Kwang after hearing about the visits from repatriated prisoners.

"We know how much it means to them to get visitors," Marian Ramsey said.

Visitors can drop in four days a week. They sit facing the prisoner separated by fences and are crowded by other prisoners and visitors. Bang Kwang has twice as many inmates as it was built for.

Visitors are advised to dress modestly and to be polite to the guards. They can bring gifts such as food and reading material, but guards are known to seize items such as nud_e photos.

"There are maybe too many tourists, but it is no problem," said Chaovarej Jaruboon, who retired from his post as executioner and now looks after Bang Kwang's foreign inmates.

Some guards say they find it odd that complete strangers would visit prisoners. It is also a subject of debate among travelers.

"People will say, you know, you'd never go visit somebody back home. So why aren't you going to your local prison in Chicago or Toronto?" said Cameron Cooper, the editor of Farang, a magazine for foreigners in Thailand. "Except it isn't exactly like that. A lot of the guys who are in here are in for incredibly long sentences under incredibly rough conditions."

--AP 2004-10-25

[mango]

Some countries, including the United Kingdom and the United States, have treaties with Thailand that allow inmates to come home to finish their sentence. Fewer than 10 Americans and 10 Britons are in Bang Kwang, according to their embassies.

Two British probation officers vacationing in Thailand went to Bang Kwang after hearing about the visits from repatriated prisoners.

Who originaly wrote this report? i was always under the belief that the United Kingdom had no such treaty with The Kingdom of Thailand

Please correct me if i am wrong.

By the way i have visited Bang Kwang on a number of occasions and found it a very worth while though depressing thing to do.

Cheers Mango

[george]

Who originaly wrote this report? i was always under the belief that the United Kingdom had no such treaty with The Kingdom of Thailand

Please correct me if i am wrong.

By the way i have visited Bang Kwang on a number of occasions and found it a very worth while though depressing thing to do.

Cheers Mango

Source:

By JENNIFER VALENTINO

The Associated Press

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nati...sontours25.html

[honeyen]

Do I need to register to visit the prisoner? what are the procedures that I need to go thru, if there's any?

[mango]

Cheers George, it seems i am pleased to say i was indeed wrong, there have been some 12 prisoners repatriated to the uk from Thailand since 2002.

Cheers Mango

[mango]

Do I need to register to visit the prisoner? what are the procedures that I need to go thru, if there's any?

Hi Honeyen if you go to this site it gives you lists of prisoners in many countries including Thailand, Laos, Vietnam etc. you can find here the name/age/length of sentence/nationality/prison/building and block number etc.

It also tells you how to go about visiting and the sort of stuff like what to wear/take/things your allowed to and not allowed to take etc etc.

Hope you do it. BUT IMPORTANT NOTE when you go to the prison and ask to visit someone check in the register that nobody from there family has visited in the last few days, If they have DONT visit them as the family might come back that day to visit and find they cant coz you already have, the family might have travelled along way for this.

Cheers Mango

http://www.foreignprisoners.com/

[honeyen]

Thanks mate!

[honeyen]

I have taken a look at the website. Does anyone know about this kid called Michael Connell? There's not much detail about him. I was shocked that he was only 19!!!

[sublime]

I have taken a look at the website. Does anyone know about this kid called Michael Connell? There's not much detail about him. I was shocked that he was only 19!!!

i think he was the one who got caught with all the xtcy tablets...

[castelleone]

anyone have the address of this BKK prison (Bangkok Hilton)

[mango]

anyone have the address of this BKK prison (Bangkok Hilton)

Did you bother to read my posts? i posted a link with any information you need. But please be responsable about it if you visit. Dont be what the prisoners call a "Banana visit" called so because it makes them feel like a monkey at a zoo.

[mango]

I have taken a look at the website. Does anyone know about this kid called Michael Connell? There's not much detail about him. I was shocked that he was only 19!!!

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?sh...michael+connell

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?sh...michael+connell

[Abandon]

yes - I saw him inside Bang Kwang a year ago. Silly boy, but only that. NOt a career criminal, and not someone who should spend is life behind bars. The extradition treaty with the UK means that he has no chance of release in the next 40 years other than a pardon from the King

[Maestro]

--AP 2004-10-25

Published in October 2004. That’s why I thought I had read it before. But I see it is creating some interest just the same.

Quite a moving story!

-----------------

Maestro

[caledonia]

I ended up doing this when I was staying in Thailand. Purely because a girl I knew was leaving and she had been visiting an Australian guy except when we went along his son was there - so obviously we didn't sit in on the visit. I then ended up visiting an English guy who I had also heard about from her. He actually said he was in two minds about whether he enjoyed visits or not because sometimes it just got him down.

We talked in depth about the arrangements the UK had with Thailand and it seemed to be very different to the USA. The USA it seems, look to have their prisoners moved back to the USA in a matter of months and also push to have them sentanced in line with their laws. Or at least allow them to serve what they would expect back in the USA - I mean this is what he had been told anyway.

The UK on the other hand, well he had been there 8 years and only then was the UK moving to get him back. His understanding was that he would need to serve at least another five years at a high security prison in the UK and he felt this wold actually be worse for him. He seemed quite confident he would get a pardon quicker than going back home - i don't know how informed that view was though.

He said a few more things I probably don't want to me posting on a public forum cos you never know who is reading but he said it was not as bad as people thought - certainly not for the foreigners but then I have read books that certainly say the opposite. He felt that a High Security prison in London would be much tougher for him than Bang Wang had been.

One thing I would say that not only him but a couple of guys said was that the women's prison is far worse and they get no visitors. He was not sure of any inmates there and at the time info on the net was limited so I was not able to go there, but he did say the conditions for the women was far worse as they were often forgotten about - Bang Wang is the notorious one after all!