Visiting Prisoners In Bangkok

[mamastar]

I understand this topic was covered a while ago, but would like to open it up again with my own experience visiting.

I realize that I may very well get a bashing with this topic, but would like my opinion to be fully read before I do.

Perhaps most of them are guilty of the crimes, some aren't. Those who are, I am not fully sure if the sentence matches the crime. Some repent, some go crazy, some turn to religion in order to deal with life on the inside. I would like to vaguely quote, in case of any issues saying this, that it has been said that food, bedding and hygiene are inadequate. They are barely provided with food, and must cover all other expenses themselves.

There are quite a few missionaries who visit the prisons daily, and I can but commend their efforts in trying to help those who would appreciate a kind word. I myself visit one particular inmate, but have visited others as well with the missionaries. (I might point out that I am not Christian, nor any other religion in particular.) I have received thanks from inmates, who were just happy to see a friendly face, to know that they were not completely forgotten.

The inmate I have befriended in Bangkok, I will call him "M", has been in jail for well over a decade for drug trafficking charges. He says it was a "stupid mistake", and accepts the consequences for his crime. The first time I met him, I saw a caged-animal look, desperation mixed with occasional hope. After a few visits, I have noticed that he is much calmer and is gradually losing that look. I consider M a friend, and will continue to visit him while I am living in Bangkok.

I apologize for the long post. My point is that although many are incarcerated for crimes they shouldn't have committed, it makes them no less human and in need of a kind word or a smile. Some are there despite lack of evidence of their crime, some are there for a lifetime for a crime that would elsewhere mean 10 years. And whatever their crime and punishment may be, people have the fundamental right to a certain basic standard of living, which I fear that some of the prisons may lack.

I am unable to post a link due to lack of computer literacy, and request that anyone with any interest in visiting inmates of any of the prisons in Thailand, to Google "Foreign Prisoners Support Service" (FPSS). Or if interested in an inmate of a specific nationality, to contact the embassy in question. Details of visiting hours and building numbers may be more accurate on the FPSS website. Letters are also appreciated.

Thank you.

[Jersey_UK]

The link you need is http://www.foreignprisoners.com/

As you seem to know a little bit about Thai prisons I have a question.

I understand that the usual manner of visiting is like this:-

Minus the BBC crew of course!

However I have been told that once a year / on special occasions that Prisoners are allowed to meet with Visitors face to face (in person!) - any idea if this is true?

[chutai]

Nice post. I'll certainly think about visiting someone although - being naturally soft spoken - I think that I'd find the distance between him/her and myself something of a strain. Thanks for posting this anyway.

[mamastar]

Jersey -

Thanks for the link - just wasn't sure if I was allowed to post a link outright, and suggested the Google instead.

The picture you posted is not of the prison I visit, so perhaps Bangkwang? I visit Klong Prem, and there is one less set of bars between visitors and inmates. There is a metal mesh-like partition to talk through, and above it is glass with metal bars. There are also phones you can use to talk to inmates as well.

Should you want a contact visit, you would want to go through the embassy. From what I hear, they are special, but most likely to be granted in December, as it's the month of the King's birthday.

To both Chutai and Jersey -

Should you want further information other than on the website, feel free to contact them. I came across them searching the web, and have been given advice on how to visit the prisons, how to find prisoners to visit, etc. I am not affiliated with the organization in anyway, but respect what they are doing. The website owner was incarcerated in Laos, and is now an activist for human rights for foreign prisoners.

I was told that at Bangkwang (which I have yet to visit) you have to yell alot to talk, at Klong Prem at least, I have had difficulty hearing occasionally, but otherwise haven't needed to really yell. But the gratitude and look of relief on their faces kind of makes it worth it, though sometimes difficult if they don't speak English very well.

Should you ever get around to going, and if you are actually available on a weekday during the day, go at 8:30-9:00am, and just approach someone who is filling out a stack of visitation papers. Chances are they are missionaries, and have been doing this everyday for years.

Even letters to inmates are helpful, as will cheer them up and give them something to do. Again, on the website there are a list of inmates in Bangkok, as well as all over the world, who could do with a letter or a visit, and more if you can afford it. The website also gives people an idea of the conditions of the prisons themselves, although visitors will not get to see this, only the airy visitation areas.

Not all inmates are lovely, obviously, some will be very unhappy, some depressed, some extremely religious - being the only way to deal with the ordeal, some beg for money. I was lucky enough to have sort of "adopted" one inmate who I was introduced to by the organization, and he thanks me each time I visit, and refused any offer of money. I promptly sent him a food parcel, which arrived in time for his birthday. Not all are like that, many are just in need of human contact.

Sorry for the long posts - for those interested, please go to the website, and feel free to contact me with anything. I am not an expert, and have yet to go to any other prisons other than Klong Prem, but can either find out information, or pass you on to someone who definitely does know.

[meemiathai]

Thanks for the posts.

I don't live in Thailand. If I ever get the chance I will try to do something.

[Jersey_UK]

At the risk of sounding selfish, I will admit that my prison visting and bailing out days are over. Hopefully. And if I ever feel the need to visit anyone in a Thai prison, then the "missus" has a long list of relatives that could fill my time .

I have seen the website before and I did think about dropping a Farang a letter - but have never got around to it............maybe cos' I know that I am not going to be keeping up a 50 / 150 year correspondence??

Having said that I do know about being up sh#t creek in Thailand and when trouble comes you ain't got many freinds, if any, to fall back on - so that any support including "just" the fact that you are on someone's radar can sometimes be greatly appreciated.

Of course being stuck in Thai clink having cold hard cash helps

[chutai]

Thanks my friend. A well laid out website too. Although when I clicked on to a fellow Brits name on remand in Chiang Mai it didn't provide any detail just the names of prisons. I figure on writing to someone like hin in the first instance, but would like to know a little more background really if possible?

[fanciman]

Please visit.

Talking with somebody doing 30 years inside a Thai jail is a unique experience. You come away a better person.

The prisoners are so grateful you visit and that somebody cares. Many have no relatives / friends in Thailand, and their families are too poor to leave their country.

I talked to one, who had completed 8 and was doing 30, who had nobody except a person from the embassy and missionary come at al,l till i met her by chance.

They really appreciate it if you make a deposit of some money for them, even a small one. There is a shop for items there too. If you get cosmetics or other things, perhaps delivery via their embassy is the best way.

[toptuan]

There is an EXCELLENT series on visiting Thai prisons being written right now at www[dot]thai[hyphen]blogs[dot]com Check it out. A lot of practical advice.

[Barney_the_Dinosaur]

If you do go.

Take something.

Don't go along empty handed just because you fancy a chat (unless you're a lawyer - prisoners love to talk about their case)

I took a copy of 'Bridget Jones' Diary' to a convicted drug smuggler who quite happily to admitted his guilt. He was looking forward to the arrival of a Danish paedo that week, as the lads were gonna beat him up.

"Talking with somebody doing 30 years inside a Thai jail is a unique experience. You come away a better person. "

Certainly with a sense of relief that I wasn't doing 30 years of porridge.

Edited November 27, 2006 by Barney_the_Dinosaur

[toptuan]

If you do go. Take something.

Be cautious about this advice. Some prisons do not allow any direct exchanges between visitors and prisoners--even through prison staff. Some prisons allow visitors only to put money on an account at the prison store for the prisoners' use. Again, the website I mentioned above covers this.

[chatette]

I visited a friend in Klong Prem for years who was convicted of heroin smuggling and sentenced to 40 yrs when she was in her mid 20s. I didn't know her particularly well before the event but made a point of keeping in touch because all her `friends' dropped her like a hotcake. Poor woman went from being suicidal in the early days to becoming a crusader for prison reform not long before she was eventually transfered to her home country under an exchange program. Altho I visited regularly, I would also write letters. They really brightened up her life. Her letters back were an extraordinary insight into the grimness of life spent in a Thai prison, especially for the children of Thai and foreign inmates who are taken from their mother after a certain age. What I found most striking in the (about 8) years I visited my friend was how quickly she aged. Her teeth visibly rotted in her gums, her hair was grey before she turned 30. She was unable to have medical treatment for a benign tumor because it wasn't life threatening at that point. It wasn't a question of money. There was plenty of that available for necessities: her father held a senior government/diplomatic position - it's just the way things are. I never asked her about guilt or innocence. I don't condone drug smuggling but people are people. I never heard from her again after she transfered home. I assume she's changed her name and, understandably, wants to break any ties with that period in her life.

Typically, I found the prison authorities not particularly helpful or friendly in facilitating these visits, whether they were yell-thru-the-bars variety or the periodic contact visits within the compound so you do have to be a bit commited.

[jingjoe]

I'm into my 17th year of working in a max prison in Australia. I think it's admirable for those who are inclined to share some humanity with the poor bastards doing hard laggin'.

I however, will not be visiting, I save my humanity for those children and animals who have no control or fault for the poor situation they find themselves in.

Still, for those that want to visit, I reckon more power to ya.

[mamastar]

toptuan -

you're right, some don't allow visitors to bring things, only to buy at the prison shop. Sorry, I only know Klong Prem, but you can a) buy at the prison shop and leave for them, leave money in their prison account, or c) EMS parcels in. Some things may be confiscated, canned goods, illegal material, cigarettes and some OTC medication. (My canned baked beans and Tylenol didn't get in.)

Jersey -

I don't think you sound selfish at all - it's not for everyone. After seeing missionaries and other Christians visit the prisons daily, I felt such respect for them, and felt almost selfish in saying that I could only go once a week. Any more and I would feel drained, and it would affect my life too much and eventually become a burden. I am not selfless enough to visit different people all the time. The missionaries and non-profit groups are armed with lists of hundreds of inmates, many from other SE Asia or African nations, and rotate visiting them so that each get a turn once in a while. I tried but had a hard time visiting say a Burmese man who spoke no English and who was thoroughly miserable. I had sympathy - this man could not afford the cataract surgery that he so badly needed, had no support or visits from outside and couldn't afford food or basic supplies necesssary to survive inside. But I am not selfless enough to be able to keep visiting such people all the time, as that visit left me very depressed and took much courage to go back again. So I am selfish as well, as it's in our nature to want to protect our lifestyle, and to only give as long as there is not too much sacrifice. That balance is completely up to the individual.

Chutai -

I don't know the British man in question. You could try contacting FPSS and the British Embassy. I don't know if the latter will give out information other than visiting hours and building number, but you could always try. Kay at FPSS will surely try to get you what information she can.

I received a PM from someone saying that they deserve whatever they get. I understand why people think this, and being a fairly law-abiding citizen (I get traffic tickets like you wouldn't believe - for not being in the left lane, for being in the left lane when it's a bus lane, for being on a car-only road, along with a million other motorcycles....) I have in the past believed the "do the crime, do the time". But having visited, and can only imagine the conditions in such places, where they must purchase a lot of their own food, supplies, clean water, cooking utensils, medical attention.... A doctor will not see them unless they have money in their account.

From where I am from, as a human being, people have certain rights guaranteed by the constitution. Right to basic necessities, such as food, and most of the above. People die in prisons from ailments and sicknesses that people just don't die from in the first world. And to say that they deserve this, is something I can't believe. Incarceration should not just be about punishment but also about rehabilitation. You kick a dog enough, starve it enough, how is it supposed to function properly once it is set free?

There are many in prison in Thailand for drug trafficking. The word "trafficking" makes me shudder, but I believe many were caught as mules on a plane or crossing a border. Not ringleaders or crime syndicates or dealers, but backpackers travelling, and agreeing to do a stupid thing to help pay for their travels. And for this stupid, stupid action, they are doing a life sentence. I cannot deny that they are at fault and deserve punishment for the crime, but whether they deserve a life sentence (which may end up being 20 years after amnesty) in the above conditions, I cannot say.

I know I sound like an advocate, maybe I am turning into one. One thing I can say for sure, is that I will never forget the look in my friend's eyes when I first met him. Such a confusion of emotions, desperation, fear, borderline insanity, yet some hope. Never have I so wanted to reach out and hold someone's hand before, but unable to because of the bars. Now when I see him, I see a cheerful, resigned, somewhat beaten down man who still has hope. And if my half hour visits each week will give this man something that will give him cheer and hope, then I will keep going back as long as I can.

Inmates will appreciate anything, a letter, a gift, a smile. Whether one has the time or the inclination, is up to the individual. I only hope that my posts will encourage people to reach out to them, or to anyone incarcerated in any prison.

(Sorry this may not comment on more recent posts, as my computer froze and am posting one I wrote earlier this afternoon. )

[Slated]

I'm afraid I'd rather spend my spare time visiting and gifting under priviledged children in poor area of Bangkok and surrounding areas

[Jersey_UK]

"I enjoy quite walks on deserted beaches, bad comedy and I am an Aquarius looking to meet similar minded people who are into romantic interludes with prisoners or spanking. I am quite open minded and will try most anything that does not involve midgets or Elvis impersonators. "

An Aussie bloke in BANGKWANG CENTRAL - obviously not without a sense of humour.............Maybe I should post it in the Ladies in Thailand section? ...........or does someone from here want to write to him.........and correct his spelling?

[chutai]

mamastar

having learned to navigate the site better I find that there's probably all the infomation that I'll probaly need for now. As I won't be returning to the LOS until January then I'll send a card , letter with some money to one of them. As the old Zen parable goes : There was a man speeding by on a galloping horse and when asked by someone sitting by the roadside where he was going he replied "I don't know ask the horse". We've all been like headless chickens pulled along by our desires ,greed and ignorance at some time or another. It's basically the same inner darkness that finds these people in the situation that they're in now. Those that are actually guilty of committing the crime anyway. I just find it difficult to condemn another human without giving them the support and encouragement which may lead to an inner transformation. Befriending those in need is the best means by which to move any human being.

My Buddhist bit over

[mamastar]

Slated -

I hope you do visit underprivileged children on the streets of Bangkok, I am sure there are many in need of help, and if you are willing to reach out to them, I say go for it.

Jersey -

I read that one, and thought it was pretty bad too. Everyone has a right to hope of meeting the person of their dreams I guess, and perhaps in their position, it is mostly hope. However, I find it difficult to criticize their spelling, as I do make mistakes as well, and plenty of people in this forum too make worse spelling mistakes than that. They also have little access to reading material, which makes further education inside rather difficult. At some level, I do end up judging by literacy, spelling and grammar, but over the years try not to, as it does not reflect the person they are inside.

Chutai -

Thanks for the Buddhist bit - you are right, it is some inner greed or something that led them to do what they did. They too need rehabilitation as well as punishment, and unless shown the means to strive for better, I think perhaps they will not be able to go back into society once more. I do think also, that perhaps circumstances in their life may have caused them to do what they do, and they did not have the strength to do better. I do not justify the crimes, but do wonder how much circumstances may affect one's judgment. I happen to have been brought up in a rather conservative family, with a father who abides by a strict moral code and is so law-abiding that I have never seen him drive over the speed limit. I am thankful for this, as I do wonder how I would have turned out if I had been born into a different family, perhaps one that might look down on authority, or born to a drug addict mother even. Given that I too am a weak person, just as many others are, I may have ended up doing something that perhaps would have landed me in a prison too.

I just cannot help but wonder, had I been brought up in different circumstances, hung out with different people, would I too have ended up committing a crime? I am unable to say confidently that I as a person would have been strong enough to ignore such temptations, as the person I am today is partly due to my background.

I would like to thank everyone for their input - I just wanted to remind people of the inmates' existence, and that sympathy and kindness would be appreciated. I understand the opinion that there are more deserving people out there, and I completely agree. There is much poverty and violence in this world, that it does sicken me too.

My interest in the inmates would probably stem from the thought that "That could be me or a friend of mine." If I had been brought up differently, if I had hung out with the wrong crowd, if someone had put a packet into my luggage at the airport when I wasn't looking. I have friends who might smoke or snort something that I do not approve of, and that could have been them. It could be any of us, I believe that many in this forum might have some point or another tried something, be it recently or in their youth. And that scary thought that it could be anyone in there, that makes me go back.

[jingjoe]

I just cannot help but wonder, had I been brought up in different circumstances, hung out with different people, would I too have ended up committing a crime?

A mentor, vietnam veteran, a screw through the dark days of Aussie Prisons, and a good old fella to boot would often chant at me the mantra...

"there but for the grace of god go I"