Self-exiled Australian Dies In Immigration Detention Center

[cutter007]

I forgot to mention that you would rarely hear about this type of situation, because renouncing citizenship without

having another citizenship would result in you losing your passport and ending up in immigration jail somewhere.

And if you were already in an immigration jail, renouncing citizenship basically is the same as saying, I would rather sit

in this jail indefinitely than go back to my home country.

I don’t know many people that would choose either of these options willingly.

[jackspratt]

It is quite simple to refuse deportation, you just renounce your citizenship. I assume that is what the guy basically did.

If he renounces citizenship, where are you going to deport him to, he is a citizen of no where?

I am sure in these cases, that if you renounced citizenship and then were stuck in limbo in an immigration jail, that your home country

would work with you to renew your citizenship under most circumstances, but they can't renew your citizenship if you refuse the offer, countries can't force citizenship on you, which I believe is what this guy was fighting.

In summary, it sounded if he was saying, unless Australia gives me a full passport, I am not going to accept citizenship.

Assuming Mr Hansch was born in Australia, it would not have been possible for him to "renounce" his Oz citizenship unless he was able to produce evidence that Thailand (or another country) would immediately accept him as a citizen, following the renunciation.

http://www.citizenship.gov.au/loss/renouncing-citz.htm

[Old Croc]

People who refuse deportation generally refuse to co-operate with the issuing of a travel document or passport. They won't provide ID documents, refuse to sign anything or pay fees and basically deny any attempt to obtain the necessary travelling document.

Governments can get around this if they have good working relationships (memorandums of understanding) and if the country of the subjects nationality are satisfied he is one of their own. More time consuming, but eventually a one way document will be issued. Never a full PP in these cases!

[elathai]

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.

GOOD PERSPECTIVE. THATS HOW I READ THIS STORY. I THINK GOOD ON THEM FOR MAKING THEIR OWN CHOICE NOT [sOMEONE ELSES.

Edited May 4, 2009 by elathai

[elathai]

I've read all the posts and it seem this poster and Amja are the only people that actually new Colin. I met Colin years ago at the old Thermae and ran into him fairly regularly for several years. Colin did work for some company in the computer department that had a contract with the expressways. Back then I thought he was rather normal. Then I lost touch with him and I haven't seen him in over 20 years although another Aussie mutual friend had told me that Colin had moved to Pattaya. A sad ending, RIP, Colin.

About the Aussie thing and "Still call Australia Home" For me, I can't see myself back in Aus for sometime, not without looking for the quickest way out at least. I've only been here for the 1st time for 5 months. I've not travelled much, but I do accept that people who have been here a long while would be overwhelmed with Australia and changes faced, particularly with no family. AUSTRALIA could swallow the best of them the way it is now with so many government hoops to jump through just to be an Aussie Citizen. Not critizing AUS because that is just the way it is there. Most people in Australia dont realize until they have experienced anything different. Sad for Australia and lots of freedom been restricted. The beaches and weather are gr8, but the national debt is high and so is the cost of living. You can hardly breathe without having to report to some dept or other. People make choices all the time, wether or not we agree or would make the same. I may not always be in Thailand, but I definately dont want to live in Australia. Not running, just my choice. Its sad though that he went to jail. It was at the bar that he made his choice, and narrowed his options down to 2. Australia or Jail. Neither so great a choice. It seems unlikely that he would ever have returned to Thailand, his home. Good on ya matey!

[Briggsy]

It's funny (peculiar) to consider the role of the Thai authorities here. Most other countries would have released or compulsorily repatriated a foreign national with illegal immigration status after serving a prison sentence.

I rather imagine the Thais left him there as it would have set a terrible precedent for them in that they would have actually paid for someone's ticket back home! Shock, horror. You don't want separate a Thai immigration officer from his budget.

They had no qualms about forcibly repatriating hundreds of Laotian Hmongs.

[jayceenik]

I knew Colin from when he was still on that expressway job. A Thermae buddy. He visited me a few times too when I came to live in BKK. I think I still have his business card from that time with the company logo that employed him. I thought it was an Aussie company, though.

Colin liked it in BKK and when the expresswawork was over renounced going back to Australia and stayed on freelancing in the IT field. Maybe he got a few tourist visas in the beginning but then stayed on for all those decades as an undocumented alien. One day the police showed at his aprtment in BKK while he was away. Afraid to be found out without a visa he fled to Pattaya where a common acquaintance put him up for a while. Then the bargirl fracas. The Thais don't look kindly at farangs who beat up their women.

Colin was a stubborn type of guy. Intelligent enough. Subject to nasty temper tentrums. Not evil but also not much endowed with human warmth.

RIP

[Geekfreaklover]

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

The Uk issue new pasports from Bangkok also.

Sounds like a classic case of the 'end of the dream' syndrome coupled with prescription drug abuse.

Tragic.

[jupiler]

Thousand s of foreigners in Thai jails!

Do they mean 1000 or 5000 or....?

Are theyr exact figures somewhere of nationalities and so?

[Livinginexile]

Geez he must have loved Thailand

[farseer]

Geez he must have loved Thailand

Or hated Australia!

[thanapach]

i spend 5 months in the IDC from jan 2008 ---- may 2008 and had the pleasure of meeting colin and also kevin the yank, colin was a nice chap a bit eccentric and had a few mood swings, he was sometimes picked on by the iranians and the last time i saw him when he was escorted (dragged)out of room 8 by 4 police men, he was scared shitless of going to the hospital as he knew they would dose him up, he entrusted me his suitcases and diary but when i was deported i was told by the thai police in the IDc to leave it all there REST IN PEACE COLIN

ALAN SMITH IDC00683

[lioness]

The man made his own choices. Still a very sad and lonely way to die. No matter what his life, to die with dignity is what most of us would prefer I think.

RIP

[jtp]

My thoughts are with the lass he beat the S* out of.Hard to feel sorry for a man that gets two years jail for beating some lady/girl up in Thailand.Must have been pretty serious.I hope the lass recovered and went on to live a normal(No brain damage)life. I find it hard to feel sorry for these people,and Thailand just keeps getting more every day.

[jessy88]

I would like to say about Colin Hansch. I shared a cell with him for bout a year in Lard yao (klong prem),or the hilton. He often said he would never return to Oz, but he wer'nt mad, he had become very acustomed to the Thai way of life and even in the jail he was happy, he often joked bout killing someone to stay in the prison. I can't expect you to understand it unless you been there. I have also been in the I D C , I have been looking for Colins where abouts for a while and was gutted to find out what happened. I remember on his birthday (4th October i think), myself and Robert Foley (an ozzy aswell),got him 20 doughnuts as he was bit of a fat bastard and had a party in our cell (no bar girls though),i also read his case file,and for what happened to land him inside...fact is he wouldnt have been inside if he had more cash. Anyway he was a kind hearted man with a great sense of humour and often cheered me up on a bad day. Its sad the ozzy goverment did not do more to help,yet they seem to go out there way to help perverts. Anyway Colin RIP. If your up there looking down have a doughnut on me.

Jessy88