Prisons Chief Vows Crackdown After Inmate Has Photo Posted On Facebook

[Bluespunk]

he looks pretty happy in prison, maybe this will be evidence to keep him in there longer now.. Mr Mawin Sompanwong now has many more friend requests..

Scumbag does look fairly pleased with himself.

[Ajaan]

Another fine statement using one of the regular stock phrases of " vows crackdown " but it could be one of many. Funny how much illegal activity goes on in prison, other they are all convicted criminals, but how many of the staff are complicit ? Bit of a stupid question I know.

Not really.

How did he get the chains no one else had them on.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but it's my understanding that only murderers have to wear leg chains in Thai prisons...

[timewilltell]

Just ridiculous. Facebook and YouTube gradually changing the world. Wait for updated google glasses that are impossible to tell apart from normal ones and maybe democracy will be served by outing these corrupt bastards. I am sure the powers that be will stop it sogh

[stoli]

Now they are "vowing" another crackdown. They were promising, ensuring, and enforcing. Now they just vowing. Boy Oh boy these Thais. When will the newspaper stop publishing this tripe and start investigating the corrupt prison officials and calling them out? When a few prison officials are hauled off in chains and tried in a public court and jailed if guilty, then we can expect change in illegal contraband phones in prison. It falls to the press to push it.

Why make this a Thai problem? In the US prisons they do searches all the time and find cell phones, knives, guns, what have you. Every country has this problem.

[Nisa]

Wonder how he changes his shorts.

[Dr Wanchai]

Next thing they will be "vowing" to ban all undesirable parasitic farangs into the country, and that will be the time when the fun really starts.

[hawker9000]

Really. 'Time to compile a list of synonyms & euphamisms for "crackdown" for distribution to all bureaucrats (and their translators). ...to the ones being tasked to prepare press statements anyway. LOS is becoming LOL.

[winstonc]

if he was a runner or sprinter he wouldnt have got caught,,,,,,,i was led to believe that the chains were for court appearances or lifers,mind you he does look like one of lifes winners,

[Hunter88]

Now they are "vowing" another crackdown. They were promising, ensuring, and enforcing. Now they just vowing. Boy Oh boy these Thais. When will the newspaper stop publishing this tripe and start investigating the corrupt prison officials and calling them out? When a few prison officials are hauled off in chains and tried in a public court and jailed if guilty, then we can expect change in illegal contraband phones in prison. It falls to the press to push it.

When pigs fly.

[Pimay1]

and the cell-phone signal-scrambling device there only worked occasionally, he said.

Only when the switch is in the "on" position.

[Fgis]

I am not a big Facebook person, but how did they manage to get the page taken down? It might be against the rules of the prison, but it wouldn't be against the regulations for Facebook, would it?

Facebook is like Google and all the rats having online business that they don't want government blocks. They are suxxer and as soon they get a request they take down everything just like cowards that they are...

[PoodMaiDai]

So does this mean he won't be allowed to smoke yaa or ice this week?

[technologybytes]

Yet in the photo he is wearing a chain attached to his legs.. my understanding is that the chains are only worn in the first month or two of ones sentence..

Can anyone confirm or deny this?

The can be put in chains for making problems or disobeying the guards or even if found with things like cellphones, drugs, etc. this thing with the cellphones will never stop, the guards make too much money with it. For example, a simple Nokia phone will cost anything from 60,000 baht, a phone with a web browser costs around 200,000 baht, iPhone 4 is sold in the prisons for 350,000 - 400,000 baht + !! With these kind of figures, how could it stop? It's just impossible. This is not the only thing that goes on that makes the guards money of course, there is the private rooms in bang Kwan, offered to the prisoners @ 10,000 baht a week and, believe it or not, you are allowed to have (buy) anything you want to go in there, sofa, chairs, plasma tv and DVD player, cooker, etc. it sounds unbelievable but it is genuinely available if you are able to pay. I know someone in there (bang Kwan) who calls me occasionally from his private cell who tells me that, as everyone, he was scared of the thai prison system before he went in but now he's seen how it really is, he has I fear of it so will do anything he wants if/when he gets out. Luckily (for him) he is from Sweden so, although he got life (commuted from death sentence) he will be sent back to Sweden, through the bi-lateral agreement after 8 years to serve the rest of his sentence there (he will serve only an extra 6 months in Sweden before being released). As he says, as long as you have money, thai prisons are better than the European ones As everything is available (except your freedom of course!) I would rather be clean and not have any problem here but everyone to their own I suppose.

Thank you for that insight into Thai prisons, I do believe that it's true.

It's true the world over that prison is only feared by those who have never been there. Once a prisoner knows how to play the system, and has some friends inside together with some sort of reputation, it becomes more of an inconvenience than a true punishment.

[Nisa]

and the cell-phone signal-scrambling device there only worked occasionally, he said.

Only when the switch is in the "on" position.

I don't know the technology well enough but I'm guessing the problem might be when they are on that the guards and warden can't make any calls either.