Nordics a tiny minority among 16,000 foreign inmates in Thai prisons

[poweratradio]

I'm sure the prison visitor was shown what needed to be shown not the ' real ' prison conditions.

More nonsense, the photo in the report is very typical of the communal cells in Bangkok Remand Prison which are cleaned every morning by the prisoners and inspected before they are allowed out for the day. The mattresses shown are exactly what are issued to prisoners.

BEEN INSIDE HAVE YOU?

[lvr181]

Of the 149 from Europe I bet 130 of them are Brits

I take this as a racist comment & I am deeply offended....

Tough s**t. Since when were Brits a race?

[guzzi850m2]

I am from Denmark and the prisons there are pretty good compared to world standard from what I seen on the TV and read about (Not been inside one myself).

If you go in for a bank robbery you will have high status but if you go in on child sex abuse you are low life scum and one of them was badly wounded by another inmate.

I can relate to that, sort of.

I am shocked when I see documentary TV from US prisons, it looks like they split into groups depending on race and they fight for control. But okay this is max security prisons we are talking about, for some reasons they never show anything from open prisons.

A DK guy I know sat in Phuket prison for employing minors in his beer bar. When he sat there he found out the hard way who was his real friends and who wasn't. They bought him food and water almost for everyday for the duration (app 3 month), I visited only once as I didn't know him that well but we spoke via a glass wall and telephones. His father came from Denmark and started trowing money around though an expensive Bangkok lawyer and all charges was eventually dropped.

I think he runs a long termed leased a hotel in Patong now, well I don't live there anymore but heard it though another DK guy.

[Cat ji]

To be certain i don't want to go to prison. If i did have to go though I'm certain I'd prefer thai prisons over the usa....especially my state of louisiana....A white guy has to be very lucky to complete a prison sentence over there in one piece. Not rascist, just a fact.

Im sure youre right...I don't really know I've never been to a thai prison but the ones where I'm from are sub human...it's the other prisoners you have to be wary of.....the gangs run the whole thing...i imagine it's the same here in thailand but the racial issue and inability to move freely inside the prison that make for a living nightmare in the usa...

Same in S.Africa. + most likely you get raped + HIV+

Edited September 2, 2014 by Cat ji

[antic8]

"The inmate has already served one-third of the sentence. For example, for a sentence of 9 years, the inmate can apply for transfer after having served three years"

Well that's cleared that up then ..

[Maggusoil]

I am also surprised by the low number of Europeans and those from the western countries.. Since those numbers are from 2008, 2009 does anyone have more recent figures? It is amazing what the NGO's and politicians lead you to believe, specially the low number for sex related crimes... I guess there are issues near the Myanmar and Lao borders that the NGO's can help with but I often wonder why so many are in and around Pattaya...if I was a NGO sign me up for Pattaya duty..Lol..

Low crime rate in a category such as sex related may reflect enforcement priorities rather than actual crime rate.

What is against life category, I wonder.

[StefanBBK]

Sixteen Thousand foreign inmates seems a high number of people , although adds up to what I have thought for long time , lots come to Thailand to carry out activities they wouldn't dare do back in their home country for one reason or another, especially the sex trade side, they abuse Thailand's hospitality , thinking that because I am not at home I can do what I like, you can till like at home you get caught.

I really have to question that number of 16,000. here's the data from previous years. I can't believe that the foreign prison population has changed that much in 5 years.

Also, I see the NGO's have got into your head. Notice that only 1.34% of prisoners were there for sex offences?

FOREIGN NATIONALS IN THAI PRISONS

2003: 9,797

2004: 8,332 (7,094 male and 1,238 female)

2005: 9,592 (7,674 male and 1,918 female)

2006: 10,408 (8,377 male and 2.031 female)

2007: 7,258 (5,541 male and 1,717 female)

2008: 9, 372 (7,589 male and 1,783 female)

2009: 7,258 (5,541 male and 1,717 female) *

* The year 2009 is not complete

NATIONALITY OF FOREIGN PRISONERS in 2009

Asia: 8,528 (93.81%)

Africa: 274 (3.01%)

Europe: 149 (1.64%)

USA: 47 (12.52%)

Australia: 15 (12.16%)

Minority: 55 (0.6%)

Other: 23 (12.25%)

TOP 10 OF FOREIGN NATIONALS IN THAI PRISONS (2009)

1. Myanmar (3,787)

2. Lao (1,994)

3. Cambodia (1,445)

4. Malaysia (325)

5. China (252)

6. Singapore (115)

7. Nigeria (94)

8. Taiwan (91)

9. Vietnam (85)

10. Ghana (65)

FOREIGN PRISONERS CLASSIFIED BY TYPE OF OFFENSE (June 2009)

Offence Against Narcotics Law – 5,524 (60.76%)

Immigration – 1.423 (15.65%)

Offence Against Property – 681 (7.49%)

Forged documents – 406 (4.47%)

Offence Against Life – 589 (6.48%)

Firearms – 41 (12.45%)

Sex Offence – 122 (1.34%)

Other – 109 (1.2%)

Lies, damned lies and statistics! 41 for firearms offences equals 12.45% and yet 122 for sex offences is 1.34%!! Hence my comment.

Makes you wonder if any of the figures mentioned are correct.

The percentages are all wrong it seems.

[bangkokgabe]

Of the 149 from Europe I bet 130 of them are Brits

I take this as a racist comment & I am deeply offended....

British people are not a race...I'm just sayin'

[bangkokgabe]

To be certain i don't want to go to prison. If i did have to go though I'm certain I'd prefer thai prisons over the usa....especially my state of louisiana....A white guy has to be very lucky to complete a prison sentence over there in one piece. Not rascist, just a fact.

Oh yeah, what are your sources of information, please.

Ummmm, I'm from new orleans...i may know one or two folks who've been inside

[bangkokgabe]

To be certain i don't want to go to prison. If i did have to go though I'm certain I'd prefer thai prisons over the usa....especially my state of louisiana....A white guy has to be very lucky to complete a prison sentence over there in one piece. Not rascist, just a fact.

Oh yeah, what are your sources of information, please.

Which part is not a fact? The part where I think thai prison would be preferable to louisiana state prison? The part where I mention the inherent difficulties for white guys in minority dominated prison systems in the usa? Sadly this is not information gleaned from a movie....

The only part of this that is conjecture is the true state of prisoners within the thai system... i know very little aside from that which is available on the net about thai prisons....it looks absolutely terrible....As I mentioned I have a hankering for neither....i do, however, think it's important for those In the know to tell the world about the usa ' s prisons...it's bad

[bangkokgabe]

Im sure youre right...I don't really know I've never been to a thai prison but the ones where I'm from are sub human...it's the other prisoners you have to be wary of.....the gangs run the whole thing...i imagine it's the same here in thailand but the racial issue and inability to move freely inside the prison that make for a living nightmare in the usa...

And you know all this from movies and documentRIES i ASSUME

Yes, anything I know (or think I know) about thai prisons come from TV and documentaries. You are absolutely correct, thankfully.

My comments are really about the treachery that is the usa prison system, in particular the state of louisiana, and specifically Orleans Parish Prison and Angola. I don't need a documentary for insight into those places I'm afraid.

[bangkokgabe]

I have been to Bang Kwang prison about a year back (had some installation project there) and have seen a few farangs in leg irons there. We had fairly free movement within the compound (except for the area housing inmates sentenced for life) so I estimated the number to around 20+. It was quite scary experience being just 100m from buzling market yet locked there...

So far this guy seems to be the only person commenting here who's ever seen the inside of a thai prison....perhaps we should listen to him as per the conditions?

[maximillian]

So, how many foreigners are actually in Thai prisons and what countries do they come from?

I couldn't find any current numbers, but here are some statistics from 2009:

TOP 10 OF FOREIGN NATIONALS IN THAI PRISONS (2009)

1. Myanmar (3,787)

2. Lao (1,994)

3. Cambodia (1,445)

4. Malaysia (325)

5. China (252)

6. Singapore (115)

7. Nigeria (94)

8. Taiwan (91)

9. Vietnam (85)

10. Ghana (65)

Not many "Farangs" listed there. Here are the figures for the Farang Prisoners:

Europe: 149

USA: 47

Australia: 15

16 from Scandinavia and Island isn't such a small number then.

[nithisa78]

Of the 149 from Europe I bet 130 of them are Brits

I take this as a racist comment & I am deeply offended....

British people are not a race...I'm just sayin'

British people are native of UK. No disrespect, implied or intended. All Americans are not native of USA. Many never been to USA.

[ParadiseLost]

Sixteen Thousand foreign inmates seems a high number of people , although adds up to what I have thought for long time , lots come to Thailand to carry out activities they wouldn't dare do back in their home country for one reason or another, especially the sex trade side, they abuse Thailand's hospitality , thinking that because I am not at home I can do what I like, you can till like at home you get caught.

I really have to question that number of 16,000. here's the data from previous years. I can't believe that the foreign prison population has changed that much in 5 years.

Also, I see the NGO's have got into your head. Notice that only 1.34% of prisoners were there for sex offences?

FOREIGN NATIONALS IN THAI PRISONS

2003: 9,797

2004: 8,332 (7,094 male and 1,238 female)

2005: 9,592 (7,674 male and 1,918 female)

2006: 10,408 (8,377 male and 2.031 female)

2007: 7,258 (5,541 male and 1,717 female)

2008: 9, 372 (7,589 male and 1,783 female)

2009: 7,258 (5,541 male and 1,717 female) *

* The year 2009 is not complete

NATIONALITY OF FOREIGN PRISONERS in 2009

Asia: 8,528 (93.81%)

Africa: 274 (3.01%)

Europe: 149 (1.64%)

USA: 47 (12.52%)

Australia: 15 (12.16%)

Minority: 55 (0.6%)

Other: 23 (12.25%)

TOP 10 OF FOREIGN NATIONALS IN THAI PRISONS (2009)

1. Myanmar (3,787)

2. Lao (1,994)

3. Cambodia (1,445)

4. Malaysia (325)

5. China (252)

6. Singapore (115)

7. Nigeria (94)

8. Taiwan (91)

9. Vietnam (85)

10. Ghana (65)

FOREIGN PRISONERS CLASSIFIED BY TYPE OF OFFENSE (June 2009)

Offence Against Narcotics Law – 5,524 (60.76%)

Immigration – 1.423 (15.65%)

Offence Against Property – 681 (7.49%)

Forged documents – 406 (4.47%)

Offence Against Life – 589 (6.48%)

Firearms – 41 (12.45%)

Sex Offence – 122 (1.34%)

Other – 109 (1.2%)

Lies, damned lies and statistics! 41 for firearms offences equals 12.45% and yet 122 for sex offences is 1.34%!! Hence my comment.

Makes you wonder if any of the figures mentioned are correct.

The percentages are all wrong it seems.

The percentages could refer to the percent of foreigners incarcerated for each type of offense.

If so, then of all the sex offenders in prison, only 1.34% are foreign.

[ableguy]

Sixteen Thousand foreign inmates seems a high number of people , although adds up to what I have thought for long time , lots come to Thailand to carry out activities they wouldn't dare do back in their home country for one reason or another, especially the sex trade side, they abuse Thailand's hospitality , thinking that because I am not at home I can do what I like, you can till like at home you get caught.

Nobody said these foreign-inmates are western