I saw the FOX show last night, about the two American teenage girls who were used as “mules” to transport drugs, were caught, and wound up in a Thai prison. Sounds like an awful fate… I assume that your embassy would do something to help yopu…but after your funds are exhausted, and your local lawyer quits, is there anyway to get out of a thai prison? This movie reminded me a lot of the “MIDNIGHT EXPRESS” from the 1970’s-that instance was an american boy in a turkish prison.
Are there really thousands of American kids locked up for drug trafficking , in horrible places like Thailand? Does the state dept. do anything to help them?
And, are thai courts as corrupt as portrayed?
I recall seeing a documentary recently that suggested US and most European prisoners in Thai jails only serve a portion (2 years?) of their sentence there before returning to their home countries to serve the remainder.
Also, foreigners from Western countries appeared to receive regular deliveries of supplies from their embassies. The African prisoners had it much worse.
African prisoners? What African prisoners?
Apparently there are a substantial number of African (mostly Nigerian) prisoners in the “Bangkok Hilton”, arrested on drug trafficking charges.
Thailand has prisoner transfer treaties with Hong Kong, the USA, UK, and several other places. So you’d get repatriated after a while and serve your sentence at home. If you’re from a reasonably civilized place, your local embassy will send someone to see you every month or so - maybe help with sending messages home or bringing medicine or other supplies. There are charities that help people out, I think. There are surely worse places than Thailand to get into trouble (fancy Burma?), though many better ones too.
Something about it here,
http://www.correct.go.th/transfer.htm
Chicken Red Curry, no pineapples, eight stars and a salad with a water. Oh, and a spice tray please.
Thailand’s not a horrible place, but the jails/prisons there are fairly horrible. I’m sure it’s even worse to be a male in a Thai prison, although being a female is certain to be no picnic. A guy I know got thrown into a Thai jail for about a month on false accusations of his ex-business partners. He was German, not American, FWIW. His wife’s family was decent and I’d guess well connected as they were able to get him out after a month and the two ex-partners were in turn arrested. His description of the place did not make me want to check his facts in person. Small cell with 12 or more prisoners. Rice gruel with bugs once a day for food. Daily beatings for not responding quickly enough in Thai to his jailers. Luckily for him he’s a big strong guy.
There are hundreds of westerners locked up in Thai jails, usually for drugs offenses. In the cafés and guest houses of Chiang Mai there are lots of notices saying words to the effect of “please visit the western prisoners” - visit a random stranger, just to help quell their loneliness and sense of isolation.
Not all of them get repatriated, and in certain cases people are there for decades. Some get sentenced to death, and there are often celebrated cases where western leaders intervene to gain pardons.
One Australian of whom I know was deported for possession of marijuana. She was put in a deportation cell with 100+ other people - and only one toilet - while her embassy prepared the paperwork. It took a month. One problem seems to be that there are so many people being dumb and getting arrested, that consular staff are either swamped, or have given up trying to be expedient.
BTW, Thailand isn’t “horrible”. It’s lovely! The prisons are however, according to all sources, simply appalling, with punshiments including nasty stuff like standing neck-deep in the septic tank for hours on end.
The trick is, kick someone’s ass the first day, or become someone’s bitch. Then everything will be alright.
You’d be surprised how little sexual assault happens in prisons outside the US… not sure that is Thailand’s case though. The conditions sure are shitty.
Well at least these prisoners get to have contact and help from the outside world... different from some prisoners that aren't prisoners in an infamous US facility.You walk around the pillar in the opposite direction as the other prisoners.
There was a movie about a couple of American women imprisoned in Thailand. It was called “Brokedown Palace.” It sucked. It seemed to imply that conditions in Thai prisons were pretty durned good. It was probably based on the situation described in the OP but very loosely. And by very loosely we mean of course, almost not at all.
I’d call on Ben Affleck. Hey, if I ever wake up in a hotel room with a dead hooker, Ben is the first person I’d call on. And get hold of Kelly Ripa too. Oh, and that guy who takes care of dead bodies - what’s his phone number? Yeah, I know you gave it to me once, but’s in the wallet of the dead guy at the moment.
The Eraser? That would be Harvey Keitel. Who probably is also a good guy to have on your list of people to call in case you wake up in a hotel room next to a dead hooker. FWIW I’ve never heard of anyone in Bangkok waking up next to a dead hooker. Lots of other strange or scary stories, but never that one.
Nice use of this quote!
Also if you accidently shoot Marvin in the face.
Harvey Keitel in “Pulp Fiction” was The Wolf. “The Eraser” was a Schwarzenegger flick.
Aren’t Thais pretty much all small enough that you can kick their ass instead of becoming their bitches? As long as you get close enough that they can’t use those kick-boxing moves effectively, anyway.
Here is a cite indicating that the United States has recently executed some foreign nationals without having notified their consulates that they had been detained (a violation of international law and not something that you would want to happen to you.)
Go, us.
Here is a cite indicating that the United States has recently executed some foreign nationals without having notified their consulates that they had been detained (a violation of international law and not something that you would want to happen to you.)
Go, us.
They’re still alive?
Malasia and Thailand both have the death penalty for drug trafficing, IIRC. And they are not slow to utilize it.