Self-exiled Australian Dies In Immigration Detention Center

[sriracha john]

Self-exiled Aussie dies in Bangkok

A Melbourne man who preferred to live in a crowded Bangkok immigration cell rather than return to Australia has died.

Colin Hansch, 61, told Thai authorities he would rather stay in jail than return to Australia, even though he only slept on a mat and received a small serve of rice and soup each day.

"I've not been back to Australia for 30 years. I don't want to go back. I've got nothing to go back to," Mr Hansch said last year.

A spokesman for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed Mr Hansch's death in a police hospital in Bangkok.

The spokesman declined to reveal the cause of death.

People who visited him in the detention centre say he probably died from an overdose of prescription medicine.

Mr Hansch, a computer engineer who left Australia decades ago, refused offers by the Australian embassy in Bangkok to issue him a limited Australian travel document to allow him to return to Australia.

It is believed he wanted a passport so he could again leave Australia.

Mr Hansch had been detained at the Immigration Centre in Bangkok, near the Australian embassy, since September 2004.

He was transferred there, supposedly pending deportation, after serving two years in a Bangkok jail for assault causing bodily harm that related to a dispute with a bar girl in the tourist resort city of Pattaya.

There are about 25 Australians among thousands of foreigners being held in Thai jails, most of them for drug related offences.

Nicholas Zemlianski, another elderly prisoner from Melbourne, is believed to be unwell in a prison hospital in Bangkok.

Australia has an agreement with Thailand that allows prisoners there to be transferred to Australian jails but the process is intensely bureaucratic and there have been only a handful of exchanges.

- The Age (Australia) / 2009-04-23

[sriracha john]

Excerpts from previous article on Mr. Hansch:

Australian knocks back help to get out of Thai cell

A MELBOURNE man who has been living in a crowded Bangkok immigration jail cell for more than four years is refusing Australian Government help to return home.

Colin Hansch, 61, has told Thai authorities he would rather stay in jail than return to Australia, even though he has only a mat to sleep on and gets a small serve of rice and soup daily.

"I think (Australia) don't want to give me a passport, they don't want to set a precedent giving a passport to somebody while they are in custody," he said. It is believed Mr Hansch wants to be able to travel to Malaysia or Cambodia.

A spokesman for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Canberra said the Australian embassy in Bangkok has offered to issue Mr Hansch a limited Australian travel document to allow him to return to Australia immediately.

"However, Mr Hansch has rejected this offer on several occasions," the spokesman said.

Mr Hansch shares a cell on the immigration centre's second floor with up to 100 illegal immigrants. Fights often erupt.

The department spokesman said Australian consular officers had provided help to Mr Hansch while he was in jail and at the immigration centre.

For 12 years, Mr Hansch was a computer engineer for a US company in Thailand. He was a computer engineer in the US and at the former Woomera defence site in South Australia.

"Thai authorities have informed the embassy that Mr Hansch is subject to deportation following completion of his criminal sentence and must travel directly to Australia," the spokesman said.

- The Age / 2008-12-22

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[webfact]

How does someone want to stay voluntarily in the IDC? It is considered more worse than Bang Kwan prison (The big tiger).

If this guy was not insane there was something he might wanted to hide... otherwise I can't see any logical explanation for his "wish" to stay.

last question - how can an Embassy allow a countryman rot in that 5hithole for over 5 years?

something wrong here?

Edited April 23, 2009 by webfact

[angiud]

R.I.P. poor guy

[harrry]

A full passport shold have been issued by the Australian Government if all conditios for a passport have been met There is no indication they were not. THe officials claim they offered him a one way travel document. Why didn't they do their job and issue him a passportl

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Well, why didn't he just go to Australia, serve out any remaining time, and THEN just apply for a passport.

[Sheryl]

I think many countries, perhaps most, do not issue new passports from their Embassies abroad, only from the Passport agency at home. Passport renewals/replacements yes, new passport, I think not.

One also wonders why he did not have a passport to begin with?

[fruittbatt]

This is a real Somerset Maugham-style story of a veteran expat who no longer "called Australia home". What a miserable end! And what an indictment of Australia that the deceased would (allegedly) prefer to die of an overdose of pharmaceutical drugs in a Thai jail than to go back to his country of origin!

Replies to the OP so far have glossed the issue that the deceased was convicted of GBH. I suspect there is more to this saga than we have heard on this thread.

[imaneggspurt]

A full passport shold have been issued by the Australian Government if all conditios for a passport have been met There is no indication they were not. THe officials claim they offered him a one way travel document. Why didn't they do their job and issue him a passportl

Just maybe his a reason not to want to go back as such was an arrest warrant waiting for him there, hence no passport being offered,,.or maybe he was mad,surely you would have to be a little crazy to prefer a thai prison to the aussie one,.

[PhilHarries]

last question - how can an Embassy allow a countryman rot in that 5hithole for over 5 years?

something wrong here?

They didn't, they offered him an out which he refused for reasons we'll probably never know.

Yes there are more missing pieces to this story than solid facts. As he had been there for quite some years has any forum member ever visited him and can fill in some of the blanks?

I wouldn't be so quick to take this as a sad, or otherwise, indictment of Australia until we know more about the man and his motives.

[imaneggspurt]

Is Australia really THAT bad !

[thesyndicate]

You never become Thai, living in Thailand and have one fight with some bar girl and you deported. In any western country you get visa in that country since you stayed to long. On the other hand why do you want to fight with a bar girl after 30 years in Thailand?

The guy was "insane" and should have been dragged back to A and should have got proper care. Nobody want to stay in immigration prison.

[stevehaigh]

Is Australia really THAT bad !

that's been the subject of debate since 2005:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Aussies-Bad-t25308.html

[Checker]

I'm returning home to Australia in 3 months time AND CAN'T WAIT . . . . . .

[sunny747]

feeling bad for the guy...he was not a cheap charlie , an educated computer engineer. ...don't know what happened to him.

[Checker]

Indeed it is very sad that this guy seems to have had no family that cared about his wellbeing . . .

[Badbanker]

Actually the IDC is not all that bad! To say and I quote "How does someone want to stay voluntarily in the IDC? It is considered more worse than Bang Kwan prison (The big tiger)." is far from the truth!

A number of people have lived in the IDC for as much as 10 years or more as to go home would be worse for them! Some people won't even tell immigration their real name of nationality and so they are stateless! This is their own choice on most occasions.

I work there regularly and people that have completed their sentence at Bang Kwan say the IDC is like heaven.

Prisoners are segregated somewhat racially/nationally and it is far from being as packed as some of the other prisons at least you have room to move. Don't believe all the media hype written to sell newspapers!

Oh and you can have a visitors every day who can bring you food and cold drinks and and and it is a big difference from any jail in Thailand.

BB!

Edited April 23, 2009 by Badbanker

[ozzydom]

>quote

"I've not been back to Australia for 30 years. I don't want to go back. I've got nothing to go back to," Mr Hansch said last year.

It seems that he had spent the latter half of his life out of Oz, and probably had no family or friends plus he may not have been eligible for benefits.

His actions were his decision so how about letting the poor buggar rest in peace.

[MyphuketLife]

I think many countries, perhaps most, do not issue new passports from their Embassies abroad, only from the Passport agency at home. Passport renewals/replacements yes, new passport, I think not.

One also wonders why he did not have a passport to begin with?

The US embassy does, they issued a passport for my son. Not a temp passport but the full real passport

[KayT]

I am expat Aussie here in Thailand and I DON'T EVER want to go back for reasons of my own.I respect that guy for standing up for what he felt was right.And if he was happy in the space he was in then there is no reason for any one to belittle his choice.It was his and the laws allowed him to live that way.

Rest in Peace Lad.

[Jing Joe]

Is Australia really THAT bad !

"The world is a mirror", "live and let live", someone must have loved him and waited for him to return.

Sad for them he didnt see a more enlightened view of life. His choice.

We do have "hermits" here, even rich as all getout but prefer to live in "difficult" conditions maybe worse than Thai prisons.

Each to their own and as you said, home is where I hang my hat.

They dont make international news like this poor chap.

No Oz isnt that bad --- imaneggspurt.

My wife returns from a holiday in L.O.S. this weekend, says she missed me the most ---then followed by the good Aussie weather.

I said I missed her the most --- followed by her good Thai cooking.

She cant wait to get back here, maybe she has acclimatised to this lucky country in more ways than one.

[marsteele]

I definately think that there is a lot more to this story. It appears that the Australian govt has offered to help him and that is not an issue apart from not granting a passport. The question is why didn't he want to go back? He must have been hiding from something. If a passport is not issued, did he have outstanding warrants of apprehension for serious criminal offences ie: serious assaults / sex offences in australia? If he did he would not have a passport renewed or issued as he would fall into the category of an unacceptable risk of fleeing.

found this following article dated 22/12/2008

Australian prefers Thai jail to homeLindsay Murdoch and Jim Pollard | ^{_{December 22, 2008}}

A MELBOURNE man who has been living in shocking conditions in a crowded Bangkok immigration jail cell for more than four years is refusing to accept Australian Government help to return home.

Colin Hansch, 61, has told Thai authorities he would rather stay in jail than return to Australia, even though he has only a mat to sleep on and receives a small daily serve of rice and soup.

"I've not been back to Australia for 30 years. I don't want to go back, I've got nothing to go back to," he said.

Mr Hansch, a computer engineer who left Melbourne in 1967, is worried he will not be able to obtain a passport to travel overseas again if he accepts the offer. It is believed he wants to be able to visit Malaysia or Cambodia.

"I think they [Australia] don't want to give me a passport … they don't want to set a precedent giving a passport to somebody while they are in custody," he said.

#A spokesman for the Department of Foreign Affairs in Canberra said Mr Hansch had repeatedly rejected an offer from the embassy in Bangkok to issue a limited-validity document to let him return home immediately.

Mr Hansch has been held at the immigration centre in Bangkok, just around the corner from the Australian embassy, since September 2004. He was transferred there, supposedly pending deportation, after serving two years in a Bangkok jail for assault causing serious bodily harm, which related to a dispute with a bar girl in the beach resort of Pattaya.

He shares a large cell on the immigration centre's second floor with up to 100 illegal immigrants. Fights often erupt. He spends much of his time listening to FM radio and reading books.

The department spokesman said Australian consular officers have provided assistance to Mr Hansch while he was in jail and now at the immigration centre.

For 12 years Mr Hansch worked as a computer engineer for a US firm in Thailand. He has also worked as a computer engineer in the US and at the former Woomera defence site in South Australia.

"Thai authorities have informed the embassy that Mr Hansch is subject to deportation following completion of his criminal sentence and must travel directly to Australia," the foreign affairs spokesman said.

"The embassy is not able to issue Mr Hansch with a full-validity passport as he has been unable to satisfy documentation requirements to enable the issue of a full-validity passport."

There are about two dozen Australians among thousands of foreigners in Thai jails, most of them for drug-related offences.

There is an agreement with Thailand under which prisoners can transfer to Australian jails, but the process is very bureaucratic.

[MJo]

Wondering how someone can choose not to be deported ? Isn't deportation just that they will get rid of you against your will ? Carry you into plane or even join the flight and hand you over the authorities in destination and tell you not to return ever.

Where i come from there is no chance of staying, jail or elsewhere once you have been deported and all possible means of appeal are rejected.

[Scott]

I offer my condolences, but it really doesn't sound like there are very many people grieving over his passing. I guess that is even sadder.

[webfact]

Wondering how someone can choose not to be deported ? Isn't deportation just that they will get rid of you against your will ? Carry you into plane or even join the flight and hand you over the authorities in destination and tell you not to return ever.

Where i come from there is no chance of staying, jail or elsewhere once you have been deported and all possible means of appeal are rejected.

Thats a point you make here. I know in other countries they put you on a plane sometimes by using force. Have seen that many times on television.

Deportation is ordered by a court of law

So, how can someone refuse not to get deported???

Edited April 23, 2009 by webfact

[Brewsta]

hmm....more detail before judgment would be at the very least charitable - yes?

regards.

[vahack]

I think many countries, perhaps most, do not issue new passports from their Embassies abroad, only from the Passport agency at home. Passport renewals/replacements yes, new passport, I think not.

One also wonders why he did not have a passport to begin with?

The US embassy does, they issued a passport for my son. Not a temp passport but the full real passport

US to Australia is apples to rotten oranges lol

yea the guy sounds insane. im sure he could have bounced into AU and back out to one of a dozen countries. Cambodia, Vietnam, Indonesia, etc. they're all the same.

a US court wouldnt uphold an assault charge from Thailand unless someone died. he'd be back on his way in a couple months. Dont know how AU rolls.

probably just crazy tho. 30 years in Thailand would do that lol

[PeaceBlondie]

When I misplaced my US passport here in 2005 the embassy in BKK issued me a 10-year pp created in Baltimore and sent to embassy in BKK

[Asianrider]

this is a sad story, the guy obviously needs physical and mental help. Most Australian's i meet are a "hardy" bunch. I see a lot of people working their life to save up and live in LOS, but aspire to something higher then IDC.

[Bengt]

Self-exiled Aussie dies in Bangkok

A Melbourne man who preferred to live in a crowded Bangkok immigration cell rather than return to Australia has died.

Colin Hansch, 61, told Thai authorities he would rather stay in jail than return to Australia, even though he only slept on a mat and received a small serve of rice and soup each day.

"I've not been back to Australia for 30 years. I don't want to go back. I've got nothing to go back to," Mr Hansch said last year.

A spokesman for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed Mr Hansch's death in a police hospital in Bangkok.

The spokesman declined to reveal the cause of death.

People who visited him in the detention centre say he probably died from an overdose of prescription medicine.

Mr Hansch, a computer engineer who left Australia decades ago, refused offers by the Australian embassy in Bangkok to issue him a limited Australian travel document to allow him to return to Australia.

It is believed he wanted a passport so he could again leave Australia.

Mr Hansch had been detained at the Immigration Centre in Bangkok, near the Australian embassy, since September 2004.

He was transferred there, supposedly pending deportation, after serving two years in a Bangkok jail for assault causing bodily harm that related to a dispute with a bar girl in the tourist resort city of Pattaya.

There are about 25 Australians among thousands of foreigners being held in Thai jails, most of them for drug related offences.

Nicholas Zemlianski, another elderly prisoner from Melbourne, is believed to be unwell in a prison hospital in Bangkok.

Australia has an agreement with Thailand that allows prisoners there to be transferred to Australian jails but the process is intensely bureaucratic and there have been only a handful of exchanges.

- The Age (Australia) / 2009-04-23

Is there any human rights in this part of th world??