Bang Kwang Jail

[Insight]

There's another book I read recently about life on the inside in Thailand - Welcome To hel_l. Another pretty good read.

[thaiflyer1]

Perhaps  'billyboy' (regular visitor to Singapore? ) should click on: Steve Willcox for more of an insight.

Just had a quick look at his site..............maybe its just me but these guys who deal in drugs illicit no sympathy from me.

At the end of the day they know the score.

[Artisi]

Foreigners are exempt from labour

Yes of course they have to be exempt how would they get a work permit ???????

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Didn't a Farang there serving 40 years, get caught working, and was driven to the Airport and put on the first plane home?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yeah - but he had to pay a 4 year overstay fine, and had his passoport stamped - no re-entery

[Noel]

Perhaps  'billyboy' (regular visitor to Singapore? ) should click on: Steve Willcox for more of an insight.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Just had a quick look at his site..............maybe its just me but these guys who deal in drugs illicit no sympathy from me.

At the end of the day they know the score.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

No, it is not just you thaiflyer1, I totally agree.

These people know the consequences well in advance but take the chance anyway.

As soon as they are caught, they squeal like stuck pigs as to how unfair it all is.

On the quoted case in question, do a Google (if you can be bothered ) and you will find a lot more of the background and most likely conclude it was a 'fair cop'.

True, the conditions described are harsh indeed if factual, but that should have been taken in to the risk/reward calculation.

In such cases I am reminded that sympathy sits between shit and syphilis in the dictionary...

[lv2play]

I dont recall the 3 guys who were there in the late 70 s as i was only a kid but one was apparently a famous sydney footballer.

Isn,t that one of the characters in the book ""damage done""?

[dereklev]

I read damage done and after give to some friend.

A very good read and it will prevent you to even think of smuggling drugs.

Alex

Why the &lt;deleted&gt; do you need to read a book to prevent you from smuggling drugs? ?

No brain, AlexLah?????

[Noel]

I dont recall the 3 guys who were there in the late 70 s as i was only a kid but one was apparently a famous sydney footballer.

Isn,t that one of the characters in the book ""damage done""?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Warren fellows was arrested in 1977 and sentenced in 1978 along with Paul Hayward and William Sinclair. I have no idea as to whether either of them were footballers or 'famous', until they were arrested of course.

I read the book some years ago and understand it was republished with a new title in 2000.

The original book was written by a Ghost Writer, poorly at that.

Whilst I am sure the main content was accurate to a large extent, some of it came across as questionable. Quotes such as prison guards laughing at Fellows as they mocked him by saying he was going to the 'Monkey House' when he was being transferred from a major prison to another were implausible. Also, the claim that he was made to stand for hours in a cess pool up to his neck in raw human sewage hardly rang true.

I saw a documentary on him some time later depicting him as being less than bright in the first place and, following his King's pardon and return to Australia, in a sorry mental state.

Well, it seems that he and/or others are still making money out of his experience.

Edited December 27, 2005 by Noel

[bannork]

Having read the Steve Willcox link my heart goes out to him in that the suffocating boredom and discomfort in the slammer could easily lead one to conclude death is better.

I've been on enough third class train journeys across Thailand in my youth to know about lack of space, humidity, feeling cramped with bones aching; but of course that all ends in a few hours.

But where he doesn't get it is revealed in his story of his arrest. He says life was hunky dory selling real estate on Koh Samui with a newly pregnant wife, been there 2 years, doing well.

But you're not doing well if you've got a smack habit with a family to take care of!

You're living on borrowed time. He can't say he didn't know the laws, he'd been here some time.

He was either incredibly foolish or arrogant, thinking he could buy his way out of any problem.

[Patsycat]

Forget You Have A Daughter is really well written. I found Damage Done was the sort of book that you can read in a couple of hours.

[Neeranam]

One question: Where do you think they got the money for the nice cars on a salary that's less than 10,000 Baht a month????? 

They don't have nice cars, well most of them. There is a bar in Nontaburi near the clock tower that only sells beer Chang that they all drink in. I used to drink there every day and heard a lot of stories about the farangs inside. Some of them get a hard time but most are pretty well off due to the money that their families give the guards to spend in that chang beer bar.