Burmese Prisoners Abroad

SUTHIP KOMPHA

2010-12-18T12:59:00.002+11:00

(31) Suthip Kompha

DOB/Age: 35yrs @ 2009 Sep 15th

From: Burma, Karen (living at Mon)

Sentence:

Status:

CAN BE EMAILED at:
bangkwang_bkprison@hotmail.com

Subject: Suthip Kompha - Bangkwang Building 3.
(the subject is important or he won't receive email please read more…)
Emailing a Prisoner Update - Please refer to this document for headers No Burmese Script allowed anymore.

Can be Contacted at:
Suthip Kompha
Bangkwang Central Prison
Building # 3
117 Nonthanburi Road
Nonthanburi 11000, Thailand

For Financial Support please email any of the volunteers

CARE PACKAGES:
A fully sealed package can be sent to Suthip Kompha addressed to the prison as above. Please refer to what can be sent.

CLOTHES:
Shirts – M
Shorts – 32
(NOTE: prisoners in Thailand can only wear shorts, only prison guards wear long trousers)
Shoes –
Socks -

SHORT STORY ABOUT

Needs an interpreter and also likes to talk long topics suck; kindness...
Loves motivational encouragement and likes helping others.

No family contact
No financial support
No embassy support.
Needs help to support his people without writing skills. (English books in grammar, dictionaries (English/Myanmar preferable)

SOM CHAI (Burma)

2010-12-18T12:42:00.000+11:00

(30) Som Chai (Burma

DOB/Age: 38 yeras old - 7 Sep'1972

From: Burma, Rakhine (Arakan)

Sentence: 25 years

Status:

CAN BE EMAILED at: NO

Can be Contacted at:
Som Chai (Burma)
Ayuttaya Central Prison
61 Moo-3 Asian Road
Huntra Ayuttaya 13000 - THAILAND

For Financial Support please email any of the volunteers

CARE PACKAGES: To be confirmed with prisoner

CLOTHES:
Shirts – M
Shorts – 32
(NOTE: prisoners in Thailand can only wear shorts, only prison guards wear long trousers)
Shoes –
Socks -

SHORT STORY ABOUT

Needs an interpreter and also likes to talk long topics suck; gardening, kindness...
Loves motivational encouragement and likes helping others.

No family contact
No financial support
No embassy support.

PRAPHOT PRAWONHAE (Burma)

2010-12-18T12:32:00.001+11:00

(29) Praphot Prawonhae (Burma)

DOB/Age:

From: Burma, Shan

Sentence:

Status:

CAN BE EMAILED at:
bangkwang_bkprison@hotmail.com

Subject: Praphot Prawonhae (Burma) - Bangkwang Building 6.
(the subject is important or he won't receive email please read more…)
Emailing a Prisoner Update - Please refer to this document for headers No Burmese Script allowed anymore.

Can be Contacted at: (writes Burmese. For English relies from translators if cooperation available)
Praphot Prawonhae (Burma)
Bangkwang Central Prison
Building # 6
117 Nonthanburi Road
Nonthanburi 11000, Thailand

For Financial Support please email any of the volunteers

CARE PACKAGES:
A fully sealed package can be sent to Praphot Prawonhae (Burma) addressed to the prison as above. Please refer to what can be sent.

CLOTHES:
Shirts – M
Shorts – 32
(NOTE: prisoners in Thailand can only wear shorts, only prison guards wear long trousers)
Shoes –
Socks -

SHORT STORY ABOUT

Needs an interpreter and also likes to talk long topics suck; kindness...
Loves motivational encouragement and likes helping others.

No family contact
No financial support
No embassy support.
Most of all he needs an interpreter to translate his interesting topics. :)

MAUNG PYONE

2010-12-18T12:25:00.001+11:00

(28) Maung Pyone

DOB/Age:

From: Burma, Kayan

Sentence: 25 yrs

Status:

CAN BE EMAILED at:
bangkwang_bkprison@hotmail.com

Subject: Maung Pyone - Bangkwang Building 6.
(the subject is important or he won't receive email please read more…)
Emailing a Prisoner Update - Please refer to this document for headers no Burmese Script allowed anymore.

Can be Contacted at:
Maung Pyone
Bangkwang Central Prison
Building # 6
117 Nonthanburi Road
Nonthanburi 11000, Thailand

For Financial Support please email any of the volunteers

CARE PACKAGES:
A fully sealed package can be sent to Maung Pyone addressed to the prison as above. Please refer to what can be sent.

CLOTHES:
Shirts – M
Shorts – 32
(NOTE: prisoners in Thailand can only wear shorts, only prison guards wear long trousers)
Shoes –
Socks -

SHORT STORY ABOUT

Needs an interpreter and also likes to talk long topics suck; kindness...
Loves motivational encouragement and likes helping others.

No family contact
No financial support
No embassy support.

LEE LWIN (Burmese)

2010-12-18T12:10:00.001+11:00

(27) Lee Lwin (Burmese)

DOB/Age:

From: Burma

Sentence:

Status:

CAN BE EMAILED at:
bangkwang_bkprison@hotmail.com

Subject: Lee Lwin (Burmese) - Bangkwang Building 6.
(the subject is important or he won't receive email please read more…)
Emailing a Prisoner Update - Please refer to this document for headers No Burmese Script allowed anymore.

Can be Contacted at: (writes in Burmese)
Lee Lwin (Burmese)
Bangkwang Central Prison
Building # 6
117 Nonthanburi Road
Nonthanburi 11000, THAILAND
(NOTE: was in Building 3 until August 2010)

For Financial Support please email any of the volunteers

CARE PACKAGES:
A fully sealed package can be sent to Lee Lwin (Burmese) to the prison. Please refer to what can be sent.

CLOTHES:
Shirts – M
Shorts – 32
(NOTE: prisoners in Thailand can only wear shorts, only prison guards wear long trousers)
Shoes –
Socks -

SHORT STORY ABOUT

Needs an interpreter and also likes to talk long topics suck; kindness...
Loves motivational encouragement and likes helping others.

No family contact
No financial support
No embassy support.

KYAW MOE BURMA

2010-12-18T11:56:00.001+11:00

(26) Kyaw Moe Burma

DOB/Age:

From: Burma

Sentence:

Status:

CAN BE EMAILED at: NO

Can be Contacted at: (writes only Burmese)
Kyaw Moe Burma
Ratchaburi Prison - Dan 7
94 Moo 6 T Nam Pou
A Muang
Ratchaburi 70000 - THAILAND

For Financial Support please email any of the volunteers

CARE PACKAGES: Need to confirm with prisoner

CLOTHES:
Shirts – M
Shorts – 32
(NOTE: prisoners in Thailand can only wear shorts, only prison guards wear long trousers)
Shoes –
Socks -

SHORT STORY ABOUT

Needs an interpreter and also likes to talk long topics suck; kindness...
Loves motivational encouragement and likes helping others.

No family contact
No financial support
No embassy support.
Most of all he needs an interpreter to translate his interesting topics. :)

JOE (Karen)

2010-12-18T11:48:00.002+11:00

(25) Joe (Karen)

DOB/Age:

From: Burma

Sentence:

Status:

CAN BE EMAILED at:
bangkwang_bkprison@hotmail.com

Subject: Joe (Karen) - Bangkwang Building 3.
(the subject is important or he won't receive email please read more…)
Emailing a Prisoner Update - Please refer to this document for headers no Burmese Script allowed anymore.

Can be Contacted at: (needs Burmese he relies on translators)
Joe (Karen)
Bangkwang Central Prison
Building # 3
117 Nonthanburi Road
Nonthanburi 11000, Thailand

For Financial Support please email any of the volunteers

CARE PACKAGES:
A fully sealed package can be sent to Joe (Karen) to the prison. Please refer to what can be sent.

CLOTHES:
Shirts – M
Shorts – 32
(NOTE: prisoners in Thailand can only wear shorts, only prison guards wear long trousers)
Shoes –
Socks -

SHORT STORY ABOUT

Needs an interpreter and
Loves motivational encouragement and likes helping others.

No family contact
No financial support
No embassy support.
Most of all he needs an interpreter to translate his interesting topics. :)

HLA KHIN

2010-12-18T11:36:00.002+11:00

(23) Hla Khin

DOB/Age: 36 years old as at August 2010

From: Burma from Arakan

Sentence:

Status:

CAN BE EMAILED at: NO

Can be Contacted at:
Hla Khin
Prisoner: 4951/51
D#5, Room5
Bombat Piset Klang
33/2 Ngam Wong Won Road
Lardyao, Chatuchak
Bangkok 10900 – THAILAND

For Financial Support please email any of the volunteers

CARE PACKAGES: Not allowed

SHORT STORY ABOUT

Needs an interpreter and also likes to talk long topics suck; Astrology, humanity, kindness...
Loves motivational encouragement and likes helping others.
Works in the prison factory without pay, sometimes he is given some food or milk not all the time.

No family contact
No financial support
No embassy support.
NEEDS FINANCIAL support as he cannot accept care packages

HTAY WIN

2010-12-18T11:35:00.002+11:00

(24) Htay Win

DOB/Age: 44yrs @ 2010

From: Burma - Mingaladone, Yangone

Sentence:

Status:

CAN BE EMAILED at:
bangkwang_bkprison@hotmail.com

Subject: Htay Win - Bangkwang Building 4.
(the subject is important or he won't receive email please read more…)
Emailing a Prisoner Update - Please refer to this document for headers No Burmese Script allowed anymore.

Can be Contacted at:
Htay Win
Bangkwang Central Prison
Building # 4
117 Nonthanburi Road
Nonthanburi 11000, Thailand

For Financial Support please email any of the volunteers

CARE PACKAGES:
A fully sealed package can be sent to Htay Win to the prison. Please refer to what can be sent.

CLOTHES:
Shirts – M
Shorts – 32
(NOTE: prisoners in Thailand can only wear shorts, only prison guards wear long trousers)
Shoes –
Socks -

SHORT STORY ABOUT

Needs an interpreter and also likes to talk long topics suck; kindness...
Loves motivational encouragement and likes helping others.

No family contact
No financial support
No embassy support.

CHI CHI (Burma)

2010-12-18T11:11:00.003+11:00

(22) Chi Chi (Burma)

DOB/Age: 30yrs @ Aug’10

From: Burma, Karen

Sentence:

Status:

CAN BE EMAILED at:
bangkwang_bkprison@hotmail.com

Subject: Chi Chi (Burma) - Bangkwang Building 3.
(the subject is important or he won't receive email please read more…)
Emailing a Prisoner Update - Please refer to this document for headers no Burmese Script allowed anymore.

Can be Contacted at:
Chi Chi (Burma)
Bangkwang Central Prison
Building # 3
117 Nonthanburi Road
Nonthanburi 11000, Thailand

For Financial Support please email any of the volunteers

CARE PACKAGES:
A fully sealed package can be sent to Chi Chi (Burma) to the prison. Please refer to what can be sent.

CLOTHES:
Shirts – M
Shorts – 32
(NOTE: prisoners in Thailand can only wear shorts, only prison guards wear long trousers)
Shoes –
Socks -

SHORT STORY ABOUT

Needs an interpreter and also likes to talk long topics suck; Astrology, humanity, kindness...
Loves motivational encouragement and likes helping others.

No family contact
No financial support
No embassy support.
Most of all he needs an interpreter to translate his interesting topics. :)

Win Naing (Burma)

2010-06-28T14:37:00.001+10:00

(21) Win Naing (Burma)

DOB/Age: 33 years old

From: Burma

Sentence: to Life in prison. Been in prison for 8 years now (as at 28 Jun'10)

Status:

CAN BE EMAILED at:
bangkwang_bkprison@hotmail.com

Subject:Win Naing (Burma) - Bangkwang Building 3.
(the subject is important or he won't receive email please read more…)
Emailing a Prisoner Update - Please refer to this document for headers no Burmese Script allowed anymore.

Can be Contacted at:
Win Naing (Burma)
Bangkwang Central Prison
Building # 3
117 Nonthanburi Road
Nonthanburi 11000, Thailand

For Financial Support please email any of the volunteers

CARE PACKAGES:
A fully sealed package can be sent to Win Naing (Burma) to the prison. Please refer to what can be sent.

CLOTHES:
Shirts –
Shorts –
(NOTE: prisoners in Thailand can only wear shorts, only prison guards wear long trousers)
Shoes –
Socks -

SHORT STORY ABOUT
Needs motivational support. Some legal support as well.

No family contact
No financial support
No embassy support

Tin Oo Lwin

2010-06-28T14:34:00.001+10:00

(20) Tin Oo Lwin

DOB/Age:

From: Burma

Sentence: to 30 years downgraded to 23.4 years, by High Court downgraded again to 14 years. Been in prison for 7 years now (as at 28 Jun'10)

Status:

CAN BE EMAILED at:
bangkwang_bkprison@hotmail.com

Subject:Tin Oo Lwin - Bangkwang Building 4.
(the subject is important or he won't receive email please read more…)
Emailing a Prisoner Update - Please refer to this document for headers no Burmese Script allowed anymore.

Can be Contacted at:
Tin Oo Lwin
Bangkwang Central Prison
Building # 4
117 Nonthanburi Road
Nonthanburi 11000, Thailand

For Financial Support please email any of the volunteers

CARE PACKAGES:
A fully sealed package can be sent to Tin Oo Lwin to the prison. Please refer to what can be sent.

CLOTHES:
Shirts –
Shorts –
(NOTE: prisoners in Thailand can only wear shorts, only prison guards wear long trousers)
Shoes –
Socks -

SHORT STORY ABOUT
Went to Thailand to follow medical studies, charged as accessory to a crime under torture.
Needs legal support to fight his freedom.
Needs motivational support.

Little family contact
No financial support
No embassy support

Loong Chai Kham

2010-06-28T14:14:00.000+10:00

(19) Loong Chai Kham

DOB/Age: 36 years old (as at 28 Jun'10)

From: Burma

Sentence: to 33 years still appealing. Been in prison for 10 years now (as at 28 Jun'10)

Status:

CAN BE EMAILED at:
bangkwang_bkprison@hotmail.com

Subject: Loong Chai Kham - Bangkwang Building 4.
(the subject is important or he won't receive email please read more…)
Emailing a Prisoner Update - Please refer to this document for headers no Burmese Script allowed anymore.

Can be Contacted at:
Loong Chai Kham
Bangkwang Central Prison
Building # 6
117 Nonthanburi Road
Nonthanburi 11000, Thailand

For Financial Support please email any of the volunteers

CARE PACKAGES:
A fully sealed package can be sent to Loong Chai Kham to the prison. Please refer to what can be sent.

CLOTHES:
Shirts –
Shorts –
(NOTE: prisoners in Thailand can only wear shorts, only prison guards wear long trousers)
Shoes –
Socks -

SHORT STORY ABOUT

No family contact
No financial support
No embassy support

Lao Ta Joyear

2010-06-28T14:06:00.001+10:00

(18) Lao Ta Joyear

DOB/Age: 15 October 1976

From: Shan State, Burma

Sentence: to 40 years (since 2000??) Has requested King's Pardon in 2009

Status: has 10 year old kid (as at 2010)

CAN BE EMAILED at:
bangkwang_bkprison@hotmail.com

Subject: Lao Ta Joyear - Bangkwang Building 4.
(the subject is important or he won't receive email please read more…)
Emailing a Prisoner Update - Please refer to this document for headers no Burmese Script allowed anymore.

Can be Contacted at:
Lao Ta Joyear
Bangkwang Central Prison
Building # 4
117 Nonthanburi Road
Nonthanburi 11000, Thailand

For Financial Support please email any of the volunteers

CARE PACKAGES:
A fully sealed package can be sent to Lao Ta Joyear to the prison. Please refer to what can be sent.

CLOTHES:
Shirts – S
Shorts – S
(NOTE: prisoners in Thailand can only wear shorts, only prison guards wear long trousers)
Shoes – 38
Socks -
Soap, toothpaste, writing material, pens, pencils.

SHORT STORY ABOUT
As he has a 10 old kid he is worried about his education and needs support to help his child with education.
(Kid is in Thailand)
Needs motivational support

Little family contact due to financials.
No financial support
No embassy support

Kyaw Kyaw Khine

2010-06-28T13:52:00.000+10:00

(17) Kyaw Kyaw Khine

DOB/Age:

From: Sittwe, Arakan, Burma

Sentence: to Death downgraded to 30 years. Been in prison for 14 years now (as at May'10)

Status: Married

CAN BE EMAILED at:
bangkwang_bkprison@hotmail.com

Subject: Kyaw Kyaw Khine - Bangkwang Building 6.
(the subject is important or he won't receive email please read more…)
Emailing a Prisoner Update - Please refer to this document for headers no Burmese Script allowed anymore.

Can be Contacted at:
Kyaw Kyaw Khine
Bangkwang Central Prison
Building # 6
117 Nonthanburi Road
Nonthanburi 11000, Thailand

For Financial Support please email any of the volunteers

CARE PACKAGES:
A fully sealed package can be sent to Kyaw Kyaw Khine to the prison. Please refer to what can be sent.

CLOTHES:
Shirts – M
Shorts – 32
(NOTE: prisoners in Thailand can only wear shorts, only prison guards wear long trousers)
Shoes –
Socks -

SHORT STORY ABOUT
He would love some pen pals.

Little family contact due to financials and politics in Burma
No financial support
No embassy support

Kyaw (Burma)

2010-06-28T13:15:00.000+10:00

(16) Kyaw (Burma)

DOB/Age:

From:Burma

Sentence:

Status:

CAN BE EMAILED at:
bangkwang_bkprison@hotmail.com

Subject: Kyaw (Burma) - Bangkwang Building 3.
(the subject is important or he won't receive email please read more…)
Emailing a Prisoner Update - Please refer to this document for headers no Burmese Script allowed anymore.

Can be Contacted at:
Kyaw (Burma)
Bangkwang Central Prison
Building # 3
117 Nonthanburi Road
Nonthanburi 11000, Thailand

For Financial Support please email any of the volunteers

CARE PACKAGES:
A fully sealed package can be sent to Kyaw (Burma) to the prison. Please refer to what can be sent.

CLOTHES:
Shirts – M
Shorts – 32
(NOTE: prisoners in Thailand can only wear shorts, only prison guards wear long trousers)
Shoes –
Socks -

SHORT STORY ABOUT

Well informed on local politics.

No family contact
No financial support
No embassy support

Billy (Burma)

2010-06-28T13:10:00.003+10:00

(15) Billy (Burma)

DOB/Age:

From: Burma

Sentence:

Status:

CAN BE EMAILED at:
bangkwang_bkprison@hotmail.com

Subject: Billy (Burma) - Bangkwang Building 3.
(the subject is important or he won't receive email please read more…)
Emailing a Prisoner Update - Please refer to this document for headers no Burmese Script allowed anymore.

Can be Contacted at:
Billy (Burma)
Bangkwang Central Prison
Building # 3
117 Nonthanburi Road
Nonthanburi 11000, Thailand

For Financial Support please email any of the volunteers

CARE PACKAGES:
A fully sealed package can be sent to Billy (Burma) to the prison. Please refer to what can be sent.

CLOTHES:
Shirts – M
Shorts – 32
(NOTE: prisoners in Thailand can only wear shorts, only prison guards wear long trousers)
Shoes –
Socks -

SHORT STORY ABOUT

Needs an interpreter and also likes to talk long topics suck; Astrology, humanity, kindness...
Loves motivational encouragement and likes helping others.

No family contact
No financial support
No embassy support.
Most of all he needs an interpreter to translate his interesting topics. :)

Aung Naing Rakhine

2010-06-28T12:52:00.004+10:00

(14) Aung Naing Rakhine

DOB/Age: 44 years old (as at Jan'10)

From:Rakhine, Arakan, Burma

Sentence: Since 2002 to 21 years, been in prison for 8 years now (as at Jan'10).

Status: Married/Divorced?

CAN BE EMAILED at:
bangkwang_bkprison@hotmail.com

Subject: AUNG NAING RAKHINE - Bangkwang Building 4.
(the subject is important or he won't receive email please read more…)
Emailing a Prisoner Update - Please refer to this document for headers no Burmese Script allowed anymore.

Can be Contacted at:
Aung Naing Rakhine
Bangkwang Central Prison
Building # 4
117 Nonthanburi Road
Nonthanburi 11000, Thailand

For Financial Support please email any of the volunteers

CARE PACKAGES:
A fully sealed package can be sent to Aung Naing Rakhine to the prison. Please refer to what can be sent.

CLOTHES:
Shirts – M
Shorts – 32
(NOTE: prisoners in Thailand can only wear shorts, only prison guards wear long trousers)
Shoes –
Socks -

SHORT STORY ABOUT

With basic education.
Loves motivational encouragement and likes helping others.

Lost family contact
No financial support
No embassy support.

Ar Lee

2009-12-15T14:08:00.004+11:00

(13) Ar Lee

DOB/Age: 13 June 1975 (34 as at 2009)

From: Kyin State, Burma

Sentence: Since 2004 to 25 years for possession of 2000 amphetamine tablets

Status: Married/Separated with a 7 years old daughter (as at 2009)

CAN BE EMAILED at:
bangkwang_bkprison@hotmail.com

Subject: AR LEE - Bangkwang Building 4.
(the subject is important or he won't receive email please read more…)
Emailing a Prisoner Update - Please refer to this document for headers no Burmese Script allowed anymore.

Can be Contacted at:
Ar Lee
Bangkwang Central Prison
Building # 4
117 Nonthanburi Road
Nonthanburi 11000, Thailand

For Financial Support please email any of the volunteers

CARE PACKAGES:
A fully sealed package can be sent to Ar Lee to the prison. Please refer to what can be sent.

CLOTHES:
Shirts – M
Shorts – 32
(NOTE: prisoners in Thailand can only wear shorts, only prison guards wear long trousers)
Shoes – 42
Socks - M

SHORT STORY ABOUT

Ar Lee comes from Kayin State. Buddhist background.

“At times” he helps himself by washing clothes of foreign prisoners. The money is little and hardly covers food, cooking supplies, writing materials, postal, clothes and other needs.

Due to his rural background his education is poor and he would like to do better.

Ar Lee is studying 1st grade Thai and English at the prison.
(Note: other prisoners do the teaching).

Ar lee is looking for someone to help him learn English, someone to talk to and establish a nice friendship.

Nong Thai Yai

2009-12-15T13:08:00.006+11:00

(12) Nong Thai Yai

DOB/Age: 7 August 1975 (34 as at 2009)

From: Shan State, Burma

Sentence: Since 2005 to 25 years for possession of 5000 amphetamine tablets

Status: Single

Can be Emailed at:
bangkwang_bkprison@hotmail.com

Subject: NONG THAI YAI - Bangkwang Building 4
(the subject is important or he won't receive email please read more…)

Emailing a Prisoner Update - Please refer to this document for headers no-Burmese script allowed anymore, communications must be in plain English or in Thai.

Can be Contacted at:
Nong Thai Yai
Bangkwang Central Prison
Building # 4
117 Nonthanburi Road
Nonthanburi 11000, Thailand

For Financial Support please email any of the volunteers

CARE PACKAGES:
A fully sealed package can be sent to Nong Thai Yai to the prison. Please refer to what can be sent.

CLOTHES:
Shirts – M
Shorts – 32
(NOTE: prisoners in Thailand can only wear shorts, only prison guards wear long trousers)
Shoes – 42
Socks – M
Magazines (Sport preferable)
Soap, toothpaste, toothbrush
Writing material
Drawing material

SHORT STORY ABOUT

Nong Thai Yai comes from Shan State. Buddhist background.

He is happy receiving letters in English, someone inside the prison could translate for him.

He would love pen pals, he would like to learn English. In prison he is learning Thai.

No family contact.
No embassy support.
No financial support from anybody.

Season's Wishes - 2009-2010

2009-11-30T09:22:00.008+11:00

Hello from my BPA Friends,

It’s time to celebrate Christmas again, in the west it means little to few, for others, it is the birth celebration of their Creator’s son, Jesus Christ one of the many Teachers our God sent to us with His unique Teachings that are preached all over the world in many “interpretations”.

Buddhists, Muslims, Orthodox and many other religions although do not celebrate this occasion, they unify with us with their wishes for the new coming year 2010.

Politically Burma is facing many challenges and I only pray that this time we are closer to a more humane freedom leading to much better opportunities back home.

Happy New Year
to

EVERYBODY

from

Crimson Armour
Nay Chiu
Thanda
Ko JJ
JMoe
Yvonne
and Jeg

Sydney, Australia, 2009

Nyunt Maung

2009-08-26T14:49:00.008+10:00

11) Nyunt Maung (Myanmar) (English)

DOB/Age: 38 years old (as at Aug 09)

From: Kyauk Taw Township in Rakhine (Arakan) State

Can be Contacted at:

Nyunt Maung (Myanmar)
Klong Prem Prison
Building # 4
33/2 Ngam Wong Wan Road
Chatuchak, Bangkok 10900, Thailand

For Financial Support please email any of the volunteers

CARE PACKAGES: no packages to Klong Prem permitted.

Books, magazines are permitted.

SHORT STORY ABOUT

From rural background. Poor education, would love to do better now that he has the time.

He has been incarcerated since 2003 after being sentenced to 25 years for a drug case. Has done 8 years.

No family contact.
No embassy support.
No financial support from anybody.

Updated: 28 June 2010

Achai Burma

2009-08-26T14:37:00.005+10:00

10) Achai Burma

DOB/Age: 20 August 1986

From: Karen State

Can be Emailed at:
bangkwang_bkprison@hotmail.com
Subject: ACHAI BURMA - Bangkwang Building 4.

(the subject is important or he won't receive email please read more…)
Emailing a Prisoner Update - Please refer to this document for headers and for Burmese Script.

Can be Contacted at:
Achai Burma
Bangkwang Central Prison
Building # 4
117 Nonthanburi Road
Nonthanburi 11000, Thailand

For Financial Support please email any of the volunteers

CLOTHES:
Shirts – M
Shorts – 32
(NOTE: prisoners in Thailand can only wear shorts, only prison guards wear long trousers)
Shoes – 39-40
Socks - M

SHORT STORY ABOUT
In prison since 2003.

Would love to correspond with other people. Interested in other countries’ cultures and languages. Hopes for visitors.

No family contact.
Little support from Jesuits group with basics once a month.
No embassy support.

Updated: 28 June'10

Burmese Migrant worker sentenced to life in Thai prison

2009-07-30T21:14:00.002+10:00

IMNA - On July 27th, a judge from the Lan Suan court sentenced a Burmese migrant worker to life in prison. The trail began in 2007 after the migrant worker was accused, with two other suspects, of murdering a father and his two daughters.

On February 17th, 2007, a Burmese family was assaulted and murdered in Lamae village in Lan Suan district. The father, a Burmese migrant worker, Nai Toi, was shot in front of his home, and his two daughters, 8 and 12 years old, were stabbed to death. Nai Toi’s wife, Daw Khine, was badly injured and sent to the Lamae village hospital. Nai Toi and his family had been working at the Lamae rubber plantation for 5 years.

The migrant worker sentenced to life, Nai Chai, 26 years-old, and two other workers, Nai Maug Thu, 23 years-old and Kyaw Thu Soe, 20 years-old, were working near the rubber plantation that employed Nai Toi and his family. The three were arrested on February 18th by the Chonphon police. They were accused of having committed the murders, and have been held at the Lamae police station since 2007. They are from Thanphyuzayar township in Mon state and had been working in Thailand without ID’s.

“The three Burmese migrant workers (Nai Chai, Mung Thu and Kyaw Thu Soe) families contacted us to help them petition the Lan Suan court,” said Tin Tun Aung, the secretary of migrant rights at the Federation of Trade Unions (FTUB). “There, we [FTUB] and the Law Council of Thailand [LCT], requested that the judges of the Lan Suan court review the case. If the legal team had not gotten involved in this case, the three Burmese migrant workers would possibly receive the death penalty.”

According to FTUB sources, all thee migrant workers were innocent of the crimes they are being accused of. The FTUB sources claim a local gang robbed and killed the three victims, and that the three men were badly beaten and toured by the police, so that they’d admit that they had killed the victims. However, Nai Toi wife, Daw Khine, stated in court that Nai Chai was involved in the case and killed her family. The Lamae police sent back Daw Khine back to Burma after her testimony before the court hearings were over.

“We requested that the court give compensation to Nai Maung Tun and Kyaw Thu Soe for their having lived in prison for 2 years, as Thai law states,” said Tin Tun Aung. “We also will try to request that the Lan Suan court review Nai Chai’s sentence of life in prison.”

According Nai Chai’s wife who is working in Thailand, her husband didn’t kill Nai Toi or his family. Her family and Nai Toi’s family had a very good relationship. She explained that her husband was drinking with his friend on the night Nai Toi was murdered. She also insisted there was no cause for the murder, “We were working at the Lamae village rubber plantation for 4 years, and we didn’t have conflict with anyone else.”

Posted by IMNA: Tue 28 Jul 2009

Than Oo

2009-07-28T16:24:00.003+10:00

(9) Than Oo (English)

DOB/Age: 20 March 1975

From: Yangon

Can be Emailed at:
bangkwang_bkprison@hotmail.com

Subject: Than Oo - Bangkwang Building 4.
(this information is important or he won't receive email please read more…)

Emailing a Prisoner Update - Please refer to this document for headers, for Burmese Script and no more than 15 lines including the header.

Can be Contacted at:

Than Oo
Bangkwang Central Prison
Building # 4
117 Nonthanburi Road
Nonthanburi 11000, Thailand

For Financial Support for the above please email any of the volunteers

SHORT STORY ABOUT

Sentenced to 43 years in prison in 2003.
Welcomes any contact with the outside world.
Little family contact due to the political situation in Burma and financials stress on the family.
No financial support.

Min Naing

2009-07-28T15:32:00.004+10:00

(8) Min Naing (Burmese Only)

DOB/Age: 9 December 1976

From: Kyaing Toon Township, Shan State

Can be Emailed at:
bangkwang_bkprison@hotmail.com

Subject: Min Naing - Bangkwang Building 3.
(this information is important or he won't receive email please read more…)

Emailing a Prisoner Update - Please refer to this document for headers, for Burmese Script and no more than 15 lines including the header.

Can be Contacted at:

Min Naing
Bangkwang Central Prison
Building # 3
117 Nonthanburi Road
Nonthanburi 11000, Thailand

For Financial Support for the above please email any of the volunteers

SHORT STORY ABOUT

Sentence: Life for (100,000 pills (ATS)

Born in Kyaing Toon townships, Shan State, Eastern Burma.

The first court charged me with dead penalty. The second court after two years downgraded the sentence to life in prison.

Now my case is in the Supreme court (as at 28 July'09)

No family contact.
No financial support.
No embassy support.
Updated: 28 June'10

Tun Win (Maung)

2009-07-28T15:13:00.008+10:00

(7) Tun Win (Maung) (English)

DOB/Age: 1975

From: Sittwe Township, Arakan State

Can be Emailed at:
bangkwang_bkprison@hotmail.com

Subject: Maung Tun Win - Bangkwang Building 4.
(this information is important or he won't receive email please read more…)

Emailing a Prisoner Update - Please refer to this document for headers, for Burmese Script and no more than 15 lines including the header.

Can be Contacted at:

Maung Tun Win
Bangkwang Central Prison
Building # 4
117 Nonthanburi Road
Nonthanburi 11000, Thailand

For Financial Support for the above please email any of the volunteers

SHORT STORY ABOUT

Sentence: 25 years for (ATS) 800 pills

The first court sentenced to 25 years. Waiting for the Appeal court. (as at 28 July'09)
3 years in prison to this date (as at 28Jul’09).

LIKES:

Burmese Politics and
I am quite interested to know about Mr Barrack Obama.

Wants to know about education and economics systems in other international countries, as well as the environmental studies and eco system control.

Loves to have communications either English or Burmese language.

The bookworm:
There is also some online library which is called www.books.live.com where you can download the ebooks ea$ily and then read. ( http://www.ebooks.com/ this is link is the one this blogger got close to it)

If someone can explain all these things to him, he'll be very grateful.

Little contact with family due to financials and political situation in Burma.
No financial support.
No embassy support.

Updated: 28Jun'10

Malaysia urged to stop caning immigrants

2009-07-03T15:20:00.002+10:00

(news.com.au) Kuala Lumpur - Agence France-Presse

HUMAN rights watchdog Amnesty has urged Malaysia to abolish caning, saying that tens of thousands of migrants have received the "inhuman and degrading" punishment in recent years.

Amnesty cited a statement in Malaysian parliament last week that said local authorities had caned at least 34,923 migrants between 2002 and 2008, 60 per cent of them from neighbouring Indonesia.

"Amnesty International urges the Malaysian government to rid the country of this cruel punishment," the London-based group said.

"Whipping someone with a cane is cruel, inhuman and degrading, and international standards make clear that such treatment constitutes torture."

Apart from Indonesians, those caned were also from Bangladesh, India, Burma, Nepal, the Philippines and Thailand.

Malaysia, Southeast Asia's third largest economy, has 2.2 million migrant workers in Malaysia, who are the mainstay of the plantation and manufacturing sectors.

The caning sentence was added to Malaysian immigration laws since 2002, amid concern over the ramifications of having a large migrant workforce. Under the laws, those staying in Malaysia illegally are subject to a mandatory whipping of up to six strokes of the cane, fines and up to five years in jail.

Caning is also carried out for serious offences including rape and drug trafficking.

"The practice is humiliating, and causes such pain that people have reportedly fainted. Those caned often carry scars, psychological as well as physical, for years," Amnesty said.

Burmese Injured in Malaysian Camp Riots

2009-07-02T15:24:00.001+10:00

By LAWI WENG
The Irrawaddy News

Eight Burmese detainees were wounded after a small riot broke out at the Semenyih Immigration camp near Kajang Township, in Malaysia on Wednesday.

Speaking to The Irrawaddy on Thursday, Aung Lwin Oo, one of the detainees involved in the riot at the camp, said the trouble started at 8pm after camp authorities beat 30 detainees who were refusing to board a truck that was to take them to another camp.

The detainees began breaking up the walls of their rooms and throwing plates at security officers, demanding prison authorities release the 30 people who had been loaded onto the truck.

The police used tear gas to break up the riot.

“We are very angry after we heard they had beaten and forced fellow prisoners to get on a truck and be moved another camp. When they came for them they said it was only to meet officials from the UNHCR [United Nations High Commissioner of Refugees],” he said.

Aung Lwin Oo was in hiding as he talked to The Irrawaddy by phone from the camp. Camp authorities ban the use of mobile phones.

“On Tuesday, two Burmese detainees were also seriously beaten when they went to the clinic to ask for medicine. One detainee was beaten around the eyes,” Lwin Oo reported.

“We don’t know if he will regain his vision because his eyes are filled with blood. At the moment he can’t see,” he said. “The other detainee suffered cigarette burns on his body and is in serious condition now.”

Yante Ismail, a spokesperson for the UNHCR based in Kuala Lumpur told The Irrawaddy, Thursday, that a group from UNHCR left for the camp that morning to investigate the riot.

She said that she was unable to provide any further details on what happened at the camp.

The Malaysian National News Agency announced on their Bernama website that no one was injured during the riot and that the situation was under control.

According to Burmese rights groups in Malaysia, there are about 700 Burmese detainees at the Semenyih Immigration camp. They are accusing camp authorities of keeping people who have already served sentences in detention.

Roi Mon, a member of the Mon Refugees Organization based in Malaysia, said that inmates do not have enough food and water, and the camp is crowded because the authorities have refused to release detainees.

Meanwhile, in its annual Trafficking in Persons Report 2009 released in June, the US State Department put Malaysia back on the Tier 3 blacklist for its record of abuse and exploitation of migrant workers. Malaysia joins 16 other countries including Burma, North Korea, Sudan and Zimbabwe on the blacklist.

The report accused Malaysia authorities of deporting Burmese detainees to the Thai-Malaysia border and selling them to human traffickers, who then demanded ransoms for their release.

If payments were not made, the victims would be forced to work as slave labor on fishing boats in Thailand and Indonesia, and women could be forced to work as prostitutes in brothels.

Malaysian authorities have disputed the report’s conclusions.

According to the Kuala Lumpur-based Burma Workers’ Rights Protection Committee, about 500,000 Burmese migrants work in Malaysia, legally and illegally.

happy birthday Aunty Suu Kyi

2009-06-26T14:43:00.004+10:00

By Tun Hein© 11 June'09

Watercolours
56cm x 38cm (22"x15")

Kyi Ka Ren

2009-05-20T20:39:00.008+10:00

6) Kyi (Ka Ren)

DOB/Age: 1 December
38 years old (as at 2008)
Buddhist

From: Kyar In Sape Gyi Township - Karen

Can be Emailed at:
bangkwang_bkprison@hotmail.com

Subject: Kyi- Bangkwang Building 6.
(this information is important or he won't receive email please read more…)

Emailing a Prisoner Update - Please refer to this document for headers and for Burmese Script.

Can be Contacted at:

Kyi Ka Ren
Bangkwang Central Prison
Building # 6
117 Nonthanburi Road
Nonthanburi 11000, Thailand

For Financial Support for the above please email any of the volunteers

SHORT STORY ABOUT

Kyi was sentenced to life in prison for Heroin and ATS.

I was born in a far country side village.
Lack of education. Buddhist background.

Sentenced to life in prison.

Hasn't applied for King’s pardon yet.

Now studying Thai and English. I want to be a successful businessman.

No family contact.
No financial support.
No embassy support.

Updated: 28 June 2010

Myo Tun - Irrawaddy

2009-05-20T20:00:00.008+10:00

5) Myo Tun (Little English likes someone to practice)

Nickname: Jack

DOB/Age: 21 October
32 years old (as at 2008)
Christian

From: Irrawaddy Division

Can be Emailed at:
bangkwang_bkprison@hotmail.com

Subject: Myo Tun - Bangkwang Building 4
(this information is important or he won't receive email please read more…)

Emailing a Prisoner Update - Please refer to this document for headers and for Burmese Script.

Can be Contacted at:

Myo Tun
Bangkwang Central Prison
Building # 4
117 Nonthanburi Road
Nonthanburi 11000, Thailand

For Financial Support please email any of the volunteers

SHORT STORY ABOUT

Born in a small town at Irrawaddy Division. From a Muslim father and Buddhist mother.

After two years in prison the court sentenced me to 51 years.
I requested a second court where my sentence was reduced to 46 years.
I will request the King’s Pardon as soon as my documents are ready. (as at 20 May 2009)
I like playing the guitar when I am free, I play the guitar every Sunday when I go to church.

No family support/contact.
No financial support.
No embassy support.

Updated: 8 June'10

Mae La - Karen

2009-05-20T19:16:00.009+10:00

4) Mae La - Karen (Burmese)

DOB/Age:
60 years old (as at 2008)
Buddhist

From:
Hlaing Poi Township – Karen

Can be Emailed at:
bangkwang_bkprison@hotmail.com

Subject: Mae La - Bangkwang Building 6.
(this information is important or he won't receive email please read more…)

Emailing a Prisoner Update - Please refer to this document for headers and for Burmese Script.

Can be Contacted at:

Mae La
Bangkwang Central Prison
Building # 6
117 Nonthanburi Road
Nonthanburi 11000, Thailand

For Financial Support for the above please email any of the volunteers

SHORT STORY ABOUT

Mae La was sentenced to 25 years for a drug case (ATS) in 2003.

Rural background. Basic education.

The first court charge was life sentence. The second court charge was reduced to 25 years.
I have already done 6 years in prison.

No family contact due to financial duress.
No financial support.
No embassy support.
Needs Translator.

Updated: 28 June 2010

Emailing a Prisoner - Updated 14 December 2009

2009-05-20T18:09:00.005+10:00

Strict Censorship

We are very fortunate to have this email system for our BPA prisoners at Bangkwang. It helps a lot at both ends, using the emailing system must also be courteous as all correspondence goes through censorship.

EMAILING

For writing or emailing in English there is not much to tell except for the "Subject" of the email to be sent out (quick pick below please).

BURMESE SCRIPT
Due to strict censorship emailing, the prison does not deliver scripted messages. All email in and out that has been scripted is rejected by the prison authority.

Your Penpal Can be Emailed at Bangkwang:

bangkwang_bkprison@hotmail.com
Subject: Prisoners Name known by the prison - Bangkwang Building No.
(the information on the subject is important to avoid discards)

Please note:
* A maximum of 15 rows/lines of text are allowed per email, avoid temptation it goes against the prisoner and your email will go into limbo.

* Also note that emails are delivered to the inmate not necessarily on the same day and viceverse.

* There are also restrictions on the message bulk received by the prisoner, emailing the prisoner constantly will block you and the prisoner.

* Graphics are erased or blackout, save yourself the grooming.

* Date your message, samples below.

Email Header Sample for English

(Remember you only have 15 lines as a maximum, including your signature)
Type directly, to save yourself a line date the message next to the name because when the officers receive the message they tend to cut the dates.. if you date it inside the body you are forcing it to go through, although it could be blacked out…

* There used to be a time when the prisoner could receive unlimited emails at Bangkwang, unfortunately that is not the case at the moment (20 May 2009), always check with the prisoner what you can send as rules and regulations change frequently.

* The prisoner is allowed ONE email OUT per week only.

* Use email wisely please as one of our boys email was restricted and he lost all the email sent to him.

* Relaying that the prisoner has received your email is unwise, please repeat your email in a follow-up letter to the prisoner.

* If your emails do not show dates, remind the prisoner about dating his communications to you.

Your Penpal CANNOT be emailed at Klong Prem
Due to strict restrictions ALL EMAIL TO Klong Prem has been canceled. There could be exceptions but your have to check with the prison. Once again, email is not a reliable messenger.

Updated: 14 Dec'09

BDR hands over 68 Burmese citizens to Nasaka

2009-04-29T18:32:00.002+10:00

Teknaf, Bangladesh (KPN): Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) handed over 68 Burmese citizens to the Burmese authority (Burmese border security force, or Nasaka), yesterday afternoon at the high level flag meeting between the BDR and Nasaka, held at a rest house of border town Teknaf, Bangladesh, according to our correspondent.

Lt. Colonel Abdul Kheleque, Commanding Officer,42 BDR Battalion, Teknaf, led the five-member team, while U Myint Khine, Deputy Director of Nasaka Headquarters, Maungdaw, led the six member Burmese delegation to the flag meeting, he said.

After the meeting, BDR handed over 68 Burmese prisoners, including two women and three army personnel to the Nasaka Deputy Director, he added.

The prisoners were arrested by BDR and the Bangladesh Police in different places such as Teknaf, Ukhiya of Cox’s Bazaar district and Nikkongchari of Banderban hill district for illegally entering Bangladesh, a few years ago, BDR officials said.

The BDR officials also said that the three army personnel had been arrested with their firearms, when they were trying to abduct four Bangladeshis from Gungdoum of Nikkongchari.

On the other side of the border, Sakdala , situated near pillar number 42, Rayzu Para , situated near pillar number 46 -47 and Laymoosawri, near pillar number 50 -51, also witnessed a company commander or field commander level flag meeting, yesterday. In the meetings they discussed about the fencing program, which the Bangladeshi authority had protested against. They had asked their Burmese counterparts not to erect any embankment, within 150 yards from the zero point, according to officials.

In these meetings, Banduhla and Aung Thapary commander led the Burmese side, while Sakdala, Rayzu and Laymoosawri Company Commander joined in the meeting.

When asked a Rohingya politician from Maungdaw said, there may be some policy behind this unexpected handing over of prisoners by Bangladesh, as the Burmese authorities always refused to accept prisoners from Bangladeshi jails.

“Maybe, the Burmese authority wants to show that they want to cooperate with the Bangladeshi authority after tension escalated due to the fencing, offshore oil and other army reinforcement on the border, or maybe for three army personnel they accepted the other prisoners,” he added.

Burma to accept Bangladesh prisoners

2009-04-29T18:13:00.002+10:00

(DVB)–Burma has agreed to take back 68 Burmese nationals who have been imprisoned in Bangladesh following a meeting between the Burmese government and a Bangladeshi paramilitary border force.

Officials from Burma’s Department of Border Trade and Bangladesh’s paramilitary border control, the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR), met yesterday in Cox’s Bazar district on the Bangladesh side of the border.

Bangladesh is now set to release 68 Burmese nationals, 65 civilians of which are and three of which are army deserters. The army deserters were detained by BDR troops in Bandarban, near the border, on 20 March this year.

A total of 133 Burmese nationals are due to be released from Bangladeshi prisons, although the Burmese junta are reluctant to accept them all.

Three other meetings between Burmese army officials BDR officials were held in Bandarban yesterday, during which Burmese officials made a promised to move the planned construction of the border fence 150 yards further inside Burma.

Bangladesh has voiced concern that the planned border fence, aimed at stemming the flow of illegal migrants into Burma, ran too close to the border.

Reporting by DVB

Pauk's Birthday in early May

2009-04-23T18:01:00.007+10:00

Would you like to send him a card or an email?

Can be Emailed to:
bangkwang_bkprison@hotmail.com
Subject: Pongsak Saeung - Bangkwang Building 6
(remember the subject is very important in order to have your message delivered to him)

Or post a card to:
Pongsak Saeung
Bangkwang Central Prison
Building # 6
117 Nonthanburi Road
Nonthanburi 11000
Thailand

Self-exiled Aussie dies in Bangkok

2009-04-23T10:36:00.001+10:00

What is left to return to?...

Lindsay Murdoch and Jim Pollard
SMH - April 23, 2009 - 7:48AM

A Melbourne man who preferred to live in a crowded Bangkok immigration cell rather than return to Australia has died.

Colin Hansch, 61, told Thai authorities he would rather stay in jail than return to Australia, even though he only slept on a mat and received a small serve of rice and soup each day.

"I've not been back to Australia for 30 years. I don't want to go back. I've got nothing to go back to," Mr Hansch said last year.

A spokesman for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed Mr Hansch's death in a police hospital in Bangkok.

The spokesman declined to reveal the cause of death.

People who visited him in the detention centre say he probably died from an overdose of prescription medicine.

Mr Hansch, a computer engineer who left Australia decades ago, refused offers by the Australian embassy in Bangkok to issue him a limited Australian travel document to allow him to return to Australia.

It is believed he wanted a passport so he could again leave Australia.

Mr Hansch had been detained at the Immigration Centre in Bangkok, near the Australian embassy, since September 2004.

He was transferred there, supposedly pending deportation, after serving two years in a Bangkok jail for assault causing bodily harm that related to a dispute with a bar girl in the tourist resort city of Pattaya.

There are about 25 Australians among thousands of foreigners being held in Thai jails, most of them for drug related offences.

Nicholas Zemlianski, another elderly prisoner from Melbourne, is believed to be unwell in a prison hospital in Bangkok.

Australia has an agreement with Thailand that allows prisoners there to be transferred to Australian jails but the process is intensely bureaucratic and there have been only a handful of exchanges.

အက်ဥ္းသမားမ်ား ထိုင္းဘုရင္ထံ လြတ္ၿငိမ္းခ်မ္းသာခြင့္ ေတာင္းခံျခင္း

2009-02-15T18:57:00.005+11:00

ထိုင္းႏိုင္ငံအက်ဥ္းေထာင္ထဲက ႏွစ္ရွည္အက်ဥ္းသမားေတြဟာ တစ္ႏွစ္တစ္ခါ ထိုင္းဘုရင္ဆီကို လြတ္ၿငိမ္းခ်မ္းသာခြင့္ ေတာင္းခံၾကပါတယ္။ အမႈနဲ႔ျပစ္ဒဏ္ေပၚမူတည္ၿပီး ဆံုးျဖတ္တာျဖစ္လို႔ အဲဒီလုပ္ငန္းစဥ္ဟာ အလြန္ၾကာျမင့္တတ္ပါတယ္။ ဘယ္လိုကိုင္တြယ္ရမလဲဆိုတာသိတဲ့ အေတြ႕အႀကံဳရွိေရွ႕ေနေတြက ေလွ်ာက္လႊာျဖည္႕ေပးဖို႕ လိုအပ္ပါတယ္။ မိသားစုနဲ႕သူငယ္ခ်င္းေတြရဲ႕ ဝိုင္းဝန္းေတာင္းဆိုမႈဟာလည္း အလြန္အေရးႀကီးပါတယ္။ ထိုင္းဘုရင္နဲ႕အျပန္အလွန္ေျပာဆိုႏိုင္တဲ့ ဘာသာစကားကၽြမ္းက်င္သူေတြလည္း လိုအပ္ပါတယ္။ ဒီလုပ္ငန္းစဥ္ေတြအားလုံးဟာ အေရးတႀကီးေထာက္ခံမႈေတြ လိုအပ္ပါတယ္။ ဒီအက်ဥ္းသားေတြဟာ သူတို႕ထိုက္နဲ႕သူတို႕ကံဆိုၿပီး အပစ္ခံထားရတာၾကာပါၿပီ။ ဒီတစ္ခါေတာ ့ဘုရင့္ဆီအသနားခံစာတင္သြင္းဖို႕ အားလံုးရဲ႕ေထာက္ခံမႈနဲ႕အကူအညီကို လိုအပ္ေနၾကပါတယ္။ ဒီလုပ္ငန္းစဥ္တစ္ခုလံုးနဲ႕အကၽြမ္းတဝင္ရွိၿပီး ကူညီခ်င္သူအားလံုးကို ႀကိဳဆိုပါတယ္။ ဘုရင့္ဆီကိုသူတို႕ကိုယ္စား လြတ္ၿငိမ္းခ်မ္းသာခြင့္တင္သြင္းဖို႕ အႀကံေကာင္းဥာဏ္ေကာင္းေတြလည္း လိုအပ္ေနပါတယ္။

Click here for English Version

Rogue Agent betrayed Burmese rebels - India

2009-02-12T19:25:00.001+11:00

By Salai Pi Pi
Wednesday, 11 February 2009 23:08

New Delhi (Mizzima)- India's leading Human Rights lawyer Nandita Haksar said there are more political motives than legal reasons for India to have detained 34 Burmese rebels, who are currently lodged in Kolkata's Presidency jail. They have been in Indian jails for the past 11 years.

Haksar, who have been advocating the case of the Burmese rebels, said, "I have tried to explore the politics of this case, I don't think that they are in jail for legal reasons but for political reasons."

Haksar's comment came in a form of a book, titled 'Rogue Agent', which details the case of the 34 Burmese rebels and the politics behind their arrest and accusations of India's betrayal to the rebels.

Speaking after the formal release of her book by Burmese exiled Member of Parliament, Dr. Tint Swe, Haksar said an Indian military intelligence officer had played a vital role in betraying the Burmese rebels, who were arrested by Indian authorities in February 11, 1998 at Landfall Island of the Andaman and Nicobar islands.

"It is India's military intelligence officer, who betrayed the Burmese freedom fighters," said Haksar adding that the rebels on Wednesday completed 11 years in detention without proper trial.

Gathered at New Delhi's Jantar Mantar Park near the Parliament, at least a hundred Burmese pro-democracy activists on Wednesday staged a protest demanding India provide a fair trial to the Burmese rebels and release them immediately.

Leech Operation
The rebels, belonging to Burma's Arakan and Karen ethnics, said they were betrayed by Indian Military Intelligence, who promised them a base at Landfall Island in Andaman and Nicobar.

According to the rebels, six of their key leaders were killed brutally by Indian Military Intelligence upon arriving at the landfall and the rest were arrested.

The Indian defence ministry later claimed that a huge consignment of arms and ammunition were seized during a joint operation codenamed 'Operation Leech' and charged the rebels with gun running.

The rebels were then kept at Port Blair without trial for eight years. But later in 2006 October, the Supreme Court of India, after the rebels' petition, ordered the rebels to be transferred to Kolkata and to conduct a day-to-day trial.

The Rogue Agent
Haksar, who has tirelessly followed the case of the 34 rebels, in her book – 'Rogue Agent' – reveals that an Indian Military Intelligence officer named Lt. Col V.S. Grewal as the man masterminding the plot to betray the Burmese rebels.

According to her Grewal had negotiated with the rebels, mainly the Arakanese resistant group, to allow them a base in an Island in Andaman and Nicobar Islands in return for monitoring Chinese naval bases in Coco Island.

But Grewal, who also had good relationship with the Burmese military regime, betrayed the rebels on their arrival at the Landfall Island and killed six of their leaders in cold blood and arrested the others.

According to the book, Lt. Col V. S Grewal, who is a resident of Chandigarh, is being spotted in Rangoon and is enjoying the military government's favour after the operation against the rebels.

Haksar, however, said with the Indian military establishment turning down requests to allow access to Grewal, he cannot be working alone in his plot to betray the Burmese rebels.

"If Grewal had been working alone why would the Indian Army want to protect him? Would it not be better to hand him over and put the blame on one rogue agent rather than get into this long-drawn controversy?" Haksar asked in her book.

Haksar in her book also details how India had switched its stand on Burma and abandoned its support to Burmese pro-democracy movement under its claimed 'National Interest'.

The Rebels
The 34 Burmese rebels, who are now on a trial in a court in Kolkata, reportedly went into a hunger strike on Wednesday to protest against 11 years of detention.

The trial, according to one of their lawyers Akshay Kumar Sharma, is nearing a close as the prosecution has several times failed to produce key witnesses as demanded by the court.

But with their case drawing to a close, the lawyer said the rebels will need a refugee status from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) or will likely be continued to be detained or face deportat

Publish Post

ion to Burma under India's Foreigners Act.

Earlier the Czech Republic and East Timor has in principle agreed to accept them in their country but that would still require the UNHCR's recommendation.

OLAT 77 Newsletter 2008 Overview - Ex-Angel of Bangkwang

2009-02-12T19:16:00.001+11:00

OLAT 77 Newsletter 2008 Overview

Publish at Scribd or explore others: Other Periodicals & Report burmese Thailand

Royal Pardon process - Urgent request

2009-01-29T14:13:00.005+11:00

Once a year prisoners with 'long stay' in Thailand prisons submit their petitions to the King requesting His Royal Highness pardon.

This is a long process and very legal as it involves summaries of the case and the sentence.

The forms are required to be filled by solicitors who know how to deliver the proper communication on the documentation.

Personal Petitions from friends, family and concerned public must be submitted following the Royal protocol as in "the way Royalty express themselves" in the language of the country.

Translators are required who are specialised in the field of language spoken by the King.

All these processes require urgent support. As we have already mentioned these prisoners have been left to their fate in those jails and I kindly would like to ask for your support towards the legalities the King's Pardon Submissions required.

Assistance from anybody who knows about this process is welcomed. Ideas on how to make the personal petitions to the King on behalf of the prisoners are welcomed.

I thought that perhaps creating an online petition and collecting the signatures and addresses of the personal petitioners would save on translations as it would be only one letter to be translated. The signatures with the other details will only be recorded.

Sensitive information can only go direct to the prisoner or via email to one of the supporters of this blog.

Please feel free to ask for more information about supporting BPA in Thailand.

Read Burmese Version Here Please

Bangladesh to release 20 more foreign prisoners

2009-01-05T20:08:00.001+11:00

Narinjara News

Bangladesh plans to release more than 20 foreign prisoners shortly. Six foreign prisoners were freed last month, said a report.

Six foreign prisoners â€“ four Burmese, one North Korean and one Tanzanian were released last one month after their jail term of more than 15 years came to an end.

The six prisoners were accepted by relatives and lawyers who agreed to provide them shelter in Bangladesh.

According to a prison source, in Bangladesh there are 878 foreign prisoners from 11 countries. Among them, 286 foreign nationals' jail terms expired long ago. The jail term of 30 prisoners expired 15 years ago while 80 others completed their jail term five years ago.

Sources said of the foreign prisoners, 515 are Burmese, 330 are Indians, 12 are Pakistanis, seven are Nepalese, five are Tanzanians, two are Kenyans, three are Malaysians and one each are from Saudi Arabia, Ghana, Liberia and Hungary.

In Cox's Bazaar prison, there are 105 Burmese prisoners who have been released and are waiting to return to Burma since 2006 but the Burmese authorities are refusing to accept them.

The concerned Bangladesh authorities could not collect information about the foreign prisoners â€“ mostly Indians and Burmese, who do not have any passports, the source said.

Released Burmese prisoners languish in Bangladesh prison

2009-01-02T13:46:00.001+11:00

Narinjara News
January 1, 2009

Cox's bazar: Burmese prisoners accounting for 105 people, though released have been languishing in Bangladesh prison since 2006 because the Burmese military government refuses to recognize them as Burmese citizens.

According to a prison report, 105 released Burmese prisoners were brought to Cox's Bazaar prison located near Burma's western border, from several prisons around Bangladesh in 2006 to be handed over to Burma.

However, the released Burmese prisoners could not be sent to Burma from Bangladesh as the Burmese authorities refused to accept them.

An immigration official Abu Kalan from Cox's Bazaar said that Burmese authorities told them whenever they request their transfer to Burma that they could not check whether the prisoners in Bangladesh are Burmese nationals or not.

According to prison sources, the Bangladesh government is not willing to keep the released Burmese prisoners in Bangladeshi prison anymore as the authorities have to spend additional funds for them.

At the same time, accommodation for Burmese prisoners is also another problem for Bangladesh because there are many prisoners staying in prison though there is not enough adequate accommodation in the prison.

In Cox's Bazaar prison, there are nearly 400 Burmese citizens and most of them are detained by Bangladesh authorities for illegally entering Bangladesh territory.

It is learnt that there are 1500 Burmese nationals in Bangladesh prison and the numbers have increased in recent years.

Season's Greetings from Somboon Jamburee

2008-12-23T15:20:00.005+11:00

Season's Greetings from Htun Hein

2008-12-23T15:00:00.008+11:00

To: Jeg and All involved

Greeting
Translated by JMoe

I reply with respects – I praise you all in good health and prosperous.
I have received the card on the 11 Dec, 2008. Thank you I was so glad to receive it.

I came to know from SOE PAING that, you have setup a website for prisoners; I am so glad to hear special news.

My name is HTUN HEIN one of the ARIKHINE ethnic, age 33 years old. I was sentenced to death for drug traffic acts; I've been living here in prison over seven years now. I've to serve another forty years more to go.

For the past seven years I lived in prison nobody visited, remits and no parcel except father OLIVER until today.

No one in my family or friends can support me financially. Occasionally, I can communicate by letter with them.

Presently, I am earning by washing other prisoners clothes little money to cover some of my daily expenses….

As for me, I can not write English fluently like others. I don't have contact from other source of foreigners or any organization.

Now I'm so special to communicate with you in written Burmese, that's made me so happy and I am amazed with the thought.

I would like to thank to those who participate and help us. I wish you all to be festive and that everything is completed as you expect in year 2009. Kindly forgive me if I've mistaken.

HTUN HEIN (aka Tun Hein Arakan)
15 Dec, 2008

Merry Christmas Everybody

2008-12-08T14:16:00.000+11:00

BIRTHDAY REMINDER... 21st November

2008-10-30T20:58:00.001+11:00

Will be Soepaing's Day

Wouldn't be nice to receive
few cards and or emails on that Special Day?
....

Send this eCard !

Somboon Jansuree - Shan

2008-10-26T16:07:00.016+11:00

3) Somboon Jansuree (English)

DOB/Age:
42 years old (as at 2008)

From:
Pa-Ot - Shan

Can be Emailed at:
bangkwang_bkprison@hotmail.com

Subject: Somboon Jansuree - Bangkwang Building 9
(this information is important or he won't receive email)

Emailing a Prisoner Update - Please refer to this document for headers and for Burmese Script.

Can be Contacted at:
Somboon Jansuree
Bangkwang Central Prison
Building # 9
117 Nonthanburi Road
Nonthanburi 11000, Thailand

For Financial Support please email any of the volunteers

SHORT STORY ABOUT Somboon - (from my letters)
He speaks and writes both Burmese and English, he is a jolly man...

Somboon is pa o indigenous from the mountains on the Southern Shan state (Taung Gyi town)

Nearly 15 years in prison (as at 2008).

His time is very disciplined but he loves and welcomes letters in both; Burmese preferable and also reads and writes English.

No family contact.
No financial support.
No embassy support.

Updated: 28 June'10

Tun Hein - Arkan

2008-10-26T15:58:00.016+11:00

2) Tun Hein Arakan
(Speaks and writes only in Burmese)

DOB/Age:
32 years old... (as at 2008)

From:
Arkan Rakhine

Can be Emailed at:
bangkwang_bkprison@hotmail.com

Subject: Tun Hein - Bangkwang Building No. 6
(this information is important otherwise the prisoner will not receive your email)

Emailing a Prisoner Update - Please refer to this document for headers and for Burmese Script.

Can be Contacted at:
Tun Hein Arakan
Bangkwang Central Prison
Building # 6
117 Nonthanburi Road
Nonthanburi 11000, Thailand

For Financial Support please email any of the volunteers

SHORT STORY -

Htun is from ARIKHINE.

In prison since 2001 on cases of narcotics. At first I was sentenced to death. Second appeal was also a death sentence and the remained third appeal downgraded to life in prison. Last year I received amnesty downgrading my sentence to 40 years more to go.

In prison over seven years now. I've to serve another forty years (as at 2008)
I intend to appeal to Thailand King’s Pardon and want to implement it this year.

I can not write English fluently like the others. I don't have contact from other sources of foreigners or any organization.

No family contact due to financial duress.
Only Father Olivier-Morin visited him once a month.
No embassy support.
Requires strong Burmese support.

Updated: 28 Jun'10

Pong Sak Saeung

2008-10-26T15:57:00.016+11:00

1) PONG SAK SAEUNG – Rangoon (English)

Nickname:
Pauk

DOB/Age:
7 May 1966
43 years (as at 2009) Buddhist

From:
Rangoon (Yangon)

Sentenced:
90 years on 2 drug charges (AST) in 2003, he has already spent 6 years in prison (as at 2008)

Writes in:
English, Pauk is very conscious of his writings, and loves cheerful letters.

Can be Emailed to:
bangkwang_bkprison@hotmail.com

Subject: Pongsak Saeung - Bangkwang Building 6.
(the subject is important or he won't receive email)

Emailing a Prisoner Update - Please refer to this document for headers and for Burmese Script.

Can be Contacted at
Pongsak Saeung
Bangkwang Central Prison
Building # 6
117 Nonthanburi Road
Nonthanburi 11000, Thailand

For Financial Support please email any of the volunteers for more information

SHORT STORY

Pauk started trafficking in 1998 living a very dangerous existence.
Pauk practices meditation and supports his Burmese inmates as best as possible.
Wants to continue improving his English. (any suggestions how to improve his English from prison?)

Some distant family contact.
No financial support.
No embassy support.

Updated: 28 June'10

THAILAND - Widespread abuses in the administration of justice

2008-09-22T21:30:00.003+10:00

AI-Document - Thailand: Widespread abuses in the administration of justice

THAILAND
Widespread abuses in the administration of justice

I. INTRODUCTION

The practice of torture, and the existence of conditions amounting to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment have persisted in Thai detention centres and prisons for many years. Torture has been used by the police as a means to extract confessions from criminal suspects during pre-trial detention in both police stations and in other places after arrest. Torture of convicted criminals by prison guards and ''trusties''(1) also occurs, particularly of prisoners from Myanmar or Africa, although Thai nationals are also at risk. Punishment for infraction of prison rules appears to be the main reason for these incidents of torture in prisons.

In addition continuous shackling in heavy leg irons, particularly of those prisoners on death row in Bang Kwang Maximum Security Prison, is routine, although it is not permitted under Thai law. Other problems relating to conditions of imprisonment include extreme over-crowding and lack of adequate food, sanitation, and medical care. The Royal Thai Government does not provide sufficient funding to the prison system, which contributes to poor conditions.

Torture and ill-treatment during and shortly after arrest are ongoing concerns to Amnesty International. Abuses take place in various locations, including police stations, at the site of the arrest, and in unofficial detention centres. Criminal suspects who are poor or members of ethnic minorities appear to be most at risk. Refugees who are outside of camps and migrant workers arrested for ''illegal immigration'' are equally vulnerable. Agents of such practices include the police and the army.

The police, prison guards, and the army all appear to enjoy a degree of impunity in regard to their treatment of people in custody, including people who have just been arrested, those in pre-trial detention, and those in the prison system. Treatment in police lockups and prisons is largely unmonitored and unreported by either local or international organizations, which also contributes to a climate of impunity. Nevertheless Amnesty International has collected recent and consistent information about torture and ill-treatment from a variety of reliable sources.

Several weaknesses in the Thai criminal justice system exacerbate both the persistence of torture and poor prison conditions. Prison officials are paid very low salaries, which discourages people from taking jobs in the prison system, causing prisons to be chronically understaffed. Low salaries also contribute to bribery of prison guards by prisoners and the abuse of power by a demotivated staff. The use of ''trusties'', which contravenes international human rights standards, also permits abuses of prisoners to occur. Trusties are allowed, even sometimes encouraged, to beat prisoners as a punishment for breaking prison rules. Finally, there appears to be a weak chain of command in the prison system, so that the chief of a prison block or building is not in practice accountable to the prison governor.

Currently the Corrections Department is under the control of the Ministry of the Interior, although the government plans to shift it to the Ministry of Justice. The prison system is administered by the Corrections Department. The Royal Thai Police was moved several years ago from the Ministry of the Interior to the Prime Minister's Office. Thailand is somewhat unusual in having a highly centralized national police department rather than provincial and city police forces. Immigration Detention Centres, where illegal immigrants, including asylum-seekers,(2) are routinely detained, are under the control of the Royal Thai Police.

Amnesty International has raised these issues on several occasions with the Royal Thai Government, most recently during a visit to the Kingdom during February and March 2002. The organization has also documented the practice of torture and ill-treatment, particularly in the report Thailand: A human rights review based on the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (AI Index ASA 39/01/99), which was published in January 1999. During visits to the country Amnesty International delegates have discussed problems of torture, overcrowding and shackling with the Corrections Department, who have stated that budgetary problems are a contributing factor, while reiterating that shackling is against Thai law. Nevertheless continuous shackling of prisoners still occurs, in spite of prohibitions in international human rights standards.

On 14 February 2002 high ranking Corrections Department officials escorted an Amnesty International delegation on a visit to Lard Yao Women's Prison, Nonthaburi Province, on the outskirts of Bangkok. On that day the Director of the Corrections Department opened a childcare centre for female inmates' children on the prison grounds. Officials reported that 83% of the 6,056 women incarcerated there were convicted of drugs offences. Only 218 guards worked at this prison, which is a ratio of 27 prisoners to one guard. Corrections officials acknowledged problems of overcrowding and the dangerously high prisoner to guard ratio. As is the case with most prisons in the Kingdom, severe overcrowding is due to a very high level of arrest and imprisonment of drug users and traffickers.

The delegation toured the prison kitchens, a creche, workplaces, bathrooms, clinics, classrooms, and cells, which were clean and neat. In the face of severe budgetary restrictions, prison staff, including a respected female governor, and the Corrections Department are doing what they can to improve conditions. Amnesty International welcomes their efforts, and urges the Royal Thai Government to ensure that adequate funds reach prisons in order to make much needed improvements in conditions there.

II. TORTURE AND ILL-TREATMENT IN CUSTODY

Detainees in police or military custody are sometimes subjected to torture and ill-treatment, usually in the form of kicks and punches or beatings with batons. Poor Thai people, migrants from neighbouring countries, members of ethnic minorities, all whom are marginalised in Thailand, are particularly vulnerable. Some of these people, who have been arrested on criminal charges, are tortured to extract a confession, but others have been tortured or ill-treated as a punishment for alleged drugs possession or simply because they were in the country illegally.

Amnesty International is concerned about torture and ill-treatment by the police and the army in various forms of detention, including shortly after arrest, during transport, and in military drug treatment camps. It calls on both the Royal Thai Police, including immigration police, and the Royal Thai Army to give clear instructions to all police and army personnel not to ill-treat or torture persons in their custody. Both organizations should also initiate immediate and impartial investigations into reports of such treatment by their personnel.

Tribal people

In the last year there have been increased reports of ill-treatment and killings by the authorities of tribal people, who live mostly in northern Thailand. So-called hill tribe people, numbering slightly less than one million, live in the mountains of Thailand and include the Akha, Lahu, Lisu, and Karen groups. Many of them do not have Thai citizenship and face discrimination with regard to education, health care, and other basic rights. At the same time they are exploited as a tourist attraction while often being accused by the authorities and others of destroying the environment(3) and using opium and other illegal drugs.

On 7 December 2001, two Akha tribesmen, Ateh Amoh, aged 34, and Ajuuh Cheh Cuuh Gooh, aged 42, were forcibly taken by soldiers from their village of Ban Mae Moh, Mae Fah Luang district, Chiang Rai Province, to the 11th Cavalry military camp in order to be treated in a opium detoxification program. According to Ateh Amoh, they were pushed into a small hole in the ground where three other Akha men were already detained. Soldiers then poured water, coal and ashes on the five men and left them there until the evening when they were blindfolded and taken separately for questioning. Mr. Ateh said:

''The soldiers never talked about the opium detoxification programme. They tried to force me to admit the drug charges by electric shocks to my ears, kicking my face and body, punching me hard in the body and hitting me with a gun handle on my head and chest several times...When they felt that I could no longer stand it because my body was soaked with blood, they took me back to the hole and left me there for a night and a day.''(4)

One man escaped, and as a punishment Ateh Amoh and Ajuuh Cheh Cuuh Gooh were severely beaten again. Ajuuh Che Cuuh Gooh died from the beatings on 9 December and Ateh Amoh spent six days in the hospital being treated for a ruptured lung and other injuries.

Army Commander-in-Chief General Sarayud Chulanont acknowledged that some soldiers used ''violent means'', including detaining drug addicts in pits, in treating tribal people alleged to be drug users or traffickers in the Thai-Myanmar border area. He said that investigations would be conducted and those found guilty would be transferred and punished.(5) Other army officers claimed that Ajuuh Cheh Cuuh Gooh died from the effects of opium addiction. In provinces bordering Myanmar there are a higher number of army units deployed as well as immigration police and Border Patrol Police. Constant drug trafficking and occasional skirmishes between various armed opposition groups and the Myanmar army affect these border provinces, some of whom are quite rural, on a regular basis.

In another case Apha Wurh Zur, a 56-year-old Ahka man from Ban Mae Sam Lep village, Mae Fah Luang district, Chiang Rai Province, was reportedly beaten to death by police on 17 May 2001 after being accused of drugs trafficking. He was believed to have been killed by a blow to the back of his head. On 24 January 2002 Police Major General Wut Withitanont, Chiang Rai provincial police chief, promised to investigate the incident. He urged the families of the victims to file complaints and said that those found responsible would face criminal and disciplinary charges.(6)

A man belonging to the Karen ethnic minority was tortured by the Thai police during interrogation for the murder of a foreigner. After Kirsty Jones, a young British national, was found murdered in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand, in August 2000, a Thai tour guide from the Karen ethnic minority was arrested. He had taken a group of tourists, including Kirsty Jones, on a mountain trek that month. On 17 August he was arrested by police on the outskirts of Chiang Mai and taken to an unknown location which he thought to be a hotel room. He stated that he was then blindfolded and stripped naked, and beaten by police, who also stood on his stomach. They demanded that he confess to the murder while threatening to kill him. He refused to do so, and was eventually driven back to Chiang Mai and dumped on the side of the road. He later said that ''They [the police] picked on me because as a Karen I am a second class citizen.''(7)

Both Thai and international observers have stated that many murders in Thailand are solved by confession, which are sometimes extracted through the use of torture. Thai police generally receive very little training in professional investigation skills. Forced confessions are prohibited under Article 243 of the 1997 Thai Constitution, which states, inter alia: ''Testimonies of an individual which is caused by persuasion, promise, intimidation, deception, torture, force or misconduct shall not be considered evidence.''

Refugees

Refugees are also vulnerable to torture, which includes acts of rape, and to other ill-treatment. Over 125,000 members of the Karen and Karenni ethnic minorities live in Thai camps along the Myanmar border and over 100,000 Shan refugees are also in Thailand, but are not permitted to establish camps. The Royal Thai Government is not a state party to the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, nor to its 1967 Protocol, and there is no legal mechanism for someone to seek asylum. Nevertheless over the last five decades the government has permitted hundreds of thousands of refugees from neighbouring countries to seek refuge in Thailand as a country of first asylum.

However refugees have sometimes faced abuse by members of the Royal Thai Police and Royal Thai Army. According to reports, on 17 March 2002 four Karenni female refugees from Camp 2 near Mae Hong Son, northern Thailand, left their camp in order to gather vegetables. They encountered a group of Thai soldiers, three of whom attempted to seize them. Two of the soldiers seized a 20-year-old woman and a 15-year-old girl. One of them took the women's vegetable knife, threatened to cut the 20-year-old's throat with it and then raped her twice. She and the other two women, who had fled into the forest, eventually managed to escape and return to their camp after unsuccessfully searching for the 15-year-old girl. The latter refugee was raped by two of the soldiers, but finally made her way back to the camp.

The three soldiers were transferred shortly after the incident, but it is not known if an investigation is taking place or whether the soldiers will be brought to justice. Amnesty International urges the Thai Government to initiate a prompt, effective, impartial, and independent investigation and to bring those found responsible to justice. Members of the police and security forces who have been found to have committed human rights violations are sometimes transferred to inactive posts, but rarely, if ever, do they stand trial.

Migrant workers

The Royal Thai police frequently arrests migrant workers from Myanmar, who number in the hundreds of thousands, for ''illegal immigration''. They are detained in immigration detention centres, also run by the immigration police, and then sent to the Thai-Myanmar border.(8) Although conditions at the main Immigration Detention Centre (IDC) in Bangkok have markedly improved in the last two years, conditions in IDC's in some other areas, particularly Chonburi province, remain poor.

On 31 August 2000 some 1,000 Burmese migrant workers were reportedly arrested after the police raided a factory in Mae Sot, a town on the Myanmar border in Thailand's Tak Province, and were taken to Mae Tao Immigration Detention Centre. Upon arrest several of the men were beaten by police, and two of them sustained serious injuries for which they were receiving medical treatment after their release. On 2 September 24 others were sent in a boat across the Moei River, which marks the boundary with Myanmar. After some of them shouted at the authorities in protest, they were beaten by the immigration police. Kyaw Min, a 24-year-old man from Dagon satellite town near Yangon, Myanmar, was kicked and hit in the head. As a result he fell into the river and drowned. According to reports, his body was found by the Myanmar authorities and he was given a funeral service. The family has received no compensation for his death from the Thai Government, nor was any investigation known to have taken place.

At the same factory in Mae Sot some 2000 Burmese workers were dismissed in December 2000 after a pay dispute with the new management. On 4 January 2001 approximately 100 police and immigration authorities surrounded areas where the dismissed workers continued to hide after being forced off factory property where they had been living. According to reports, police shot into the air and arrested some 120 workers who were then taken to the local police station. Those who could not pay bribes were detained, some of whom were then sent to a detention centre where they were randomly beaten before being repatriated to Myanmar.

Torture of an ethnic Thai man during pre-trial detention

Amnesty International raised another case of torture at the hands of the police in a letter to the then Director General of the Royal Thai Police on 28 June 2000; however the organization has never received a reply. According to detailed confidential reports, Chamlong Khamsunthorn, alias Ai Keng, aged 30, was tortured to death in January 2000. Chamlong Khamsunthorn was arrested on 28 January 2000 in Ayuthaya, allegedly because he was suspected of having robbed a local jewellery store and murdering its owner Mrs. Chintana Techawattanawanna the previous day. He lived at House Number 38/5, village 5, Tambon Samphaolom Phranakhorn Sri Ayuthaya. After his arrest he was allegedly beaten and given electric shocks, and was in very poor condition at the local police station. He was reportedly tortured during six days of interrogation during which time he had no legal representation.

Chamlong was removed from his cell on 2 February by two police officers and taken to search for the stolen gold in a field in Moo 3, Tambon Tha Mai. According to reports, police claimed that Chamlong had died after he had seized a policeman's gun and attempted to fire the weapon at the policeman, who then shot him dead in self-defence. However according to information received by Amnesty International, Chamlong was shot after he had been tortured to death. Chamlong allegedly died between 10 and 11pm on the evening of 2 February, and was taken to Ayuthaya General Hospital from the police station in the early hours of 3 February. Subsequently his body was transferred to the police hospital in Bangkok and an autopsy was performed.

Amnesty International has also received reports that Chamlong's family filed a complaint at the Ayuthaya Police Precinct. An investigation was then initiated at the local level. However it is not known to Amnesty International whether the investigation was completed or if the results were ever made public. Amnesty International is further concerned that an investigation was launched by the local Ayuthaya police rather than by an independent and impartial body.

III. TORTURE AND ILL-TREATMENT OF CONVICTED PRISONERS

Torture and ill-treatment in prisons after people are tried and sentenced for criminal offences(9) also occur in some cell blocks of prisons, which are under the control of the Corrections Department. Beatings and kicks are generally the form of punishment given to inmates on suspicion of breaking prison regulations. ''Trusties'', who are selected by prison officials for special privileges, are often the agents of such practices. Reports of ''trusties'' (also known as ''blue shirts'') beating prisoners with impunity are common. Such treatment occurred frequently in Building 2 of Lard Yao Men's Prison, Nonthaburi Province, on the outskirts of Bangkok. According to informed sources, Building Chiefs in prisons have almost complete power and in practice are not held accountable to the Prison Governor. Some of them are reported to be conscientious, but others permit torture and ill-treatment of inmates by prison guards and ''trusties''. Some also reportedly collect bribes on a regular basis from the prisoners for privileges, including sleeping space in a cell.

On 12 November 2001 ''trusties'' in Building 2, Lard Yao Men's Prison were patrolling the building and apprehended an African inmate(10) whom they accused of possessing drugs. They began to beat him with wooden batons, and when another inmate attempted to help the prisoner, he was kicked and beaten severely with batons all over his body by Thai ''trusties''. Both of the inmates were given medical attention for their injuries, but the same trusties remained in their positions, and no investigation was known to have been carried out.

Barnabas Danquan, an African prisoner in Building 4, Lard Yao Men's Prison, was severely beaten with wooden batons and kicked by 10 Thai ''trusties'' after prison guards claimed to have found him in possession of drugs on 4 August 2001. After his beating he was bleeding profusely and could not walk without assistance. He was sent to the prison hospital but turned away because there was no doctor on duty, and was then sent to Building 5 and placed in solitary confinement. The beating occurred on a weekend when the Building Chief was not on duty and there was a shortage of guards. Weekends are said to be a dangerous period in Thai prisons.

On 5 August Barnabas Danquan was admitted to the hospital and died on 7 August. He reportedly died of an overdose after swallowing heroin out of fear of further punishment. At the time of writing, no investigation is known to have taken place and the same guards and ''trusties'' involved in the incident remain at Building 4. He had been arrested in December 1991 for drugs trafficking and sentenced to 20 years' imprisonment. He was also reportedly trafficking in drugs in prison.

Sinachai Saslee, a Thai prisoner in his mid-30's was beaten to death on 17 May 2001, apparently for attempting to nail a water bottle to his cell wall in Building 2, Lard Yao Prison. He and a guard began arguing about this infraction and then three or four guards began beating him with batons, and kicking and punching him. Eventually he lost consciousness at which point guards attempted to revive him, without success.

On 27 September 2000 in Building 2, Lard Yao Prison, another African prisoner was tortured. He had complained about his mail being interfered with by another prisoner to one of the officials. He was then beaten severely by three prison guards in the groin where he had been suffering from a painful hernia. He was punched and kicked continuously after he had already fallen to the floor. Although he did receive medical treatment, in October he was placed under solitary confinement in Building 5.

Amnesty International received a detailed report about torture in the same prison a month earlier. On 21 August 2000 three African prisoners, one Australian, and one Thai prisoner were beaten severely in Building 2, Lard Yao Prison in Bangkok. One of the Africans was handcuffed, kicked in the head and groin, and beaten in the kidneys for several hours. The Thai prisoner allegedly suffered severe mental trauma after the beatings.

Attempts by prisoners to escape from prison are not uncommon, often resulting in deaths of prisoners. On 13 April 2001 five prison inmates were killed when they attempted to break out of Bombat Piset Drug Remand Prison, in Nonthaburi Province on the outskirts of Bangkok. (11) According to reports, the five were beaten to death with clubs by ''trusties'' and other inmates after they had attacked two prison officials and attempted to take them hostage. They were then believed to have been shot by prison guards. The five men are: Worapot Amkham, Krong sae Nam, Pramote Nuangsuwan, Wissarut Lamti, all Thai nationals; and Newin or Kaew, a Myanmar national. Amnesty International is concerned that prison officials used excessive force in subduing the prisoners, and calls on the Ministry of the Interior to launch a prompt, effective, impartial and independent inquiry into the incident.

In order to eliminate such abusive practices, the Corrections Department must give clear instructions to all prison staff that beatings and other forms of cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment are not acceptable. They should eliminate the use of ''trusties'' in prisons. Article 28 (1) of the UN Standard Minimum Rules in the Treatment of Prisoners states inter alia: ''No prisoner shall be employed, in the service of the institution, in any disciplinary activity.'' The Corrections Department should also initiate impartial and immediate investigations into any allegations of such treatment. Furthermore, they should establish a prison visiting system, whereby officially-designated bodies, including non-governmental organizations and other members of Thai civil society, regularly visit prisons and are given complete access to all facilities and private interviews with prisoners.(12)

IV. PRISON CONDITIONS AMOUNTING TO CRUEL, INHUMAN OR DEGRADING TREATMENT

The topic of overcrowding has been discussed by Thai government officials for several years; however, little has yet been done to actually reduce the prison population. 173,902 inmates(13) are held in 15 prisons with a capacity of reportedly only 90,000 people. Prisoners awaiting trial are often held in the same facilities as those who have already been sentenced. Article 85 of the UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners states: ''(1) Untried prisoners shall be kept separate from convicted prisoners.'' Lard Yao Women's Prison in Nonthaburi Province is particularly overcrowded, and in some parts of the prison are divided horizontally into two floors so that prisoners must live in cells with very low ceilings.

Many of those convicted of drugs offences have been found guilty of possession of small amounts of illegal drugs. In the last five to 10 years the enormous growth in smuggling of methamphetamines, locally known as ''ya ba'', from factories in Myanmar into Thailand, has affected many Thais, most worryingly young people. As a result successive governments have attempted to combat the problem with a policy of interdiction at the Thai-Myanmar border and the arrest and imprisonment of anyone found in possession of illegal drugs.

It appears that the prison system has not been given a proportionally larger budget to deal with this influx of convicted drug offenders. Severe overcrowding persists, although it is unclear as to how much this is due to lack of money and how much to lack of political will on the part of the Royal Thai Government. Poor prison conditions are exacerbated by reliable reports of corruption, including the practice of prisoners and their families bribing guards for privileges. In addition drug trafficking and consumption are believed to occur in the prison system, with reported complicity of some prison officials.

Nevertheless reformist elements in the government, most notably in the Ministry of Justice and the Department of Corrections, are attempting to address the issue of drug addiction through a new rehabilitation program which is due to begin in August 2002 and focuses on treatment rather than punishment of offenders. Approximately 80,000 people arrested on drugs charges will receive care in treatment facilities rather than be incarcerated in prisons. Amnesty International welcomes these initiatives as they would potentially reduce the prison population, thus in principle improving conditions there.

In another effort to address the drugs problem, the Interior Ministry began a new program of treatment for convicted drugs offenders in October 2001. That month the first group of prisoners were transferred to army camps for rehabilitation and vocational training. As of mid January 2002, the army had treated 2,583 drugs offenders at 25 army camps around the country.(14) Only those prisoners who have less than three months of their term to serve and who have a good record are being sent to these centres.

Prisons in Thailand have a high rate of deaths in custody from diseases such as AIDS and tuberculosis. Many prisoners with a wide variety of diseases, some of them life-threatening and contagious, receive no treatment. Although the Central prison hospital staff are very dedicated, they are extremely underfunded. The hospital medical director reported that the hospital only receives 200 Thai baht(15) per year per patient.(16) Reliable reports indicate that there is on average one death per week in Bang Kwang Maximum Security Prison, Nonthaburi Province. If inmates become seriously ill at night, no prison official responds to calls for help from fellow prisoners. Some of them die in their cells but the bodies are not removed until the following morning. One Chinese male inmate was reported to have died after having an epileptic fit in Building 2, Lard Yao Prison, in July 2001.

Juvenile justice system

Conditions in juvenile detention centres are also poor, sometimes culminating in riots, hostage-taking of prison officials, and escape attempts. On 14 January 2002 some 250 juveniles held at Surat Thani Juvenile Centre smashed property, set off Molotov cocktails, and burned down one dormitory in protest at harsh conditions.(17) On 17 January two National Human Rights Commissioners visited the facility, and reported that inmates were hit for no reason with a urine-soaked stick, fed substandard food, and kept in overcrowded conditions. On 21 January 2002 the Minister of Justice announced that his ministry, five other government agencies, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the Human Development Foundation would launch rehabilitation programs for juvenile inmates.(18) Amnesty International welcomes such a cooperative effort to improve conditions for juvenile inmates, and urges these plans to be implemented as soon as possible.

V. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Amnesty International remains concerned by the long-term problems of torture and ill-treatment, and by prison conditions amounting to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment in Thailand. In this regard, the Royal Thai Government does not comply with international human rights standards, particularly Articles 7 and 10 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which Thailand ratified in 1997. Article 7 states inter alia: ''No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment...''. Article 10 states:''All persons deprived of their liberty shall be treated with humanity and with respect for the inherent dignity of the human person.'' Article 31 of the 1997 Thai constitution also outlaws the practice:

''Individuals have rights and liberties in their lives and in body. Arrest, detention or personal search that violates this principle is prohibited unless it is done lawfully.
Torture or any kind of cruel or inhumane punishment is prohibited.''

In order to improve the situation of people in custody, Amnesty International makes the following recommendations to the Royal Thai Government:

1. The government should issue clear instructions to all officials, including the Royal Thai Police, the Royal Thai Army and prison guards, not to torture or ill-treat prisoners or others who are deprived of their liberty. All reports of torture should be promptly, effectively, impartially and independently investigated, and those found responsible brought to justice.

2. The government should take immediate steps to improve prison conditions, which amount to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, bringing them up to the level required by international standards. These include abolishing in practice the use of prolonged shackling; providing adequate space for prisoners; and providing adequate food and medical care for all prisoners.

3. The Corrections Department should ensure that the ''trustie'' system in Thai prisons is no longer used, as it leads to abuse of power given to the trusties. Article 28 (1) of the UN Standard Minimum Rules in the Treatment of Prisoners states inter alia: ''No prisoner shall be employed, in the service of the institution, in any disciplinary activity.''

4. The prison system should employ an effective chain of command to ensure that all prison officials are accountable to the prison governor.

5. The Royal Thai Government should ratify and fully implement the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. The Convention provides a comprehensive set of obligations regarding torture to assist the Royal Thai Government in eradicating the practice.

6. All law enforcement officials should receive training in international human rights standards. The use of force, even when addressing potential escapees from prisons, should only be used according to the UN Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Offices.

7. With regard to prison medical care, prisoners should receive the same care as is generally available in Thailand. Principle 9 of the UN Basic Principles for the Treatment of Prisoners states: ''Prisoners shall have access to the health services available in the country without discrimination on the grounds of their legal situation.''

****

(1) Trusties are prisoners who are given privileges by prison guards and are sometimes instructed to beat or otherwise ill-treat fellow prisoners.
(2) Asylum-seekers outside of refugee camps are considered by the Thai Government to be illegal immigrants and are at risk of arrest and detention.
(3) Tourists in northern Thailand are often taken to tribal areas to visit villagers, who have been exploited while their privacy is invaded. Some tribal people have traditionally practiced swidden agriculture which officials claim destroys the forest and ground cover.
(4) Bangkok Post, 21 January 2002.
(5) Bangkok Post, 23 January 2002.
(6) Bangkok Post, 24 January 2002.
(7) Bangkok Post, Andrew Drummond, 8 October 2000.
(8) In August 2001 the Thai Government began to register migrant workers from Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia; some 560,000 migrants registered, although it is believed that tens of thousands of others did not do so. Those possessing registration cards are in principle not liable to arrest.
(9) There are almost no political prisoners in Thailand with the exception of Sok Yoeun (m), a prisoner of conscience and Cambodian refugee, and a few Muslims who were arrested in January 1998 and whose trials are ongoing. The latter have been accused of violent activities related to the issue of separatism for the four southernmost provinces.
(10) For security reasons Amnesty International does not name most of the individual prisoners whose cases are documented in this report.
(11) Bangkok Post, 14 April 2001.
(12) Please see Report of the Special Rapporteur on the question of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, United Nations General Assembly 3 July 2001, A56/156.
(13) Corrections Department website, 5 April 2002.
(14) Bangkok Post, 18 January 2002.
(16)
(15) Approximately 43 Thai baht equals one US dollar. Bangkok Post, 26 March 2002.
(17) Bangkok Post, 15 January 2002.
(18) Bangkok Post, 22 January 2002.

Amnesty International, International Secretariat, 1 Easton Street, WC1X 0DW, London, United Kingdom

Writing to Prisoners

2008-09-22T20:07:00.005+10:00

Why write?

I have always written to let the prisoner know that he or she is not forgotten, that somebody on the outside cares about what is happening to them. Most of Prisoners Abroad’s clients rarely get visitors, and you only have to have been in hospital to know what it feels like when the ward is full of visitors but you don’t have anyone. It’s a terrible feeling.

It’s the same with mail. Lots of prisons read out a list of names of people who have mail each morning. Imagine what it feels like if your name never gets read out. If you are writing to a prisoner, you don’t just have to send letters. Send postcards or greetings cards as well; any excuse to give the prisoner the pleasure of receiving something through the post. All it needs is “I saw this and thought of you” to give a prisoner a lift when he hears his name called out. Look out for funny or relevant newspaper or magazine articles. Whilst some prisons don’t allow prisoners to receive anything other than letters, the mail-room usually accepts flat pieces of paper stapled to your letter.

However, the original idea of the pen-pal scheme was to inform those who have been away from the UK for a long time, what it is like now. Work into your letters descriptions of everyday life in modern Britain.

Always try to remember how difficult it can be for a prisoner to write a letter to you. Even if, prior to imprisonment, they were well educated, they might well be going through a traumatic time when they can hardly think straight, let alone write a sensible letter.

Even if that is not a problem, then the conditions in which they find themselves might make writing difficult. Most likely your reply will be written while the prisoner is sitting on his bunk in a noisy shared cell, balancing the writing paper on a bit of stiff cardboard.

Practical advice

Don’t use air-mail envelopes, the ones where you write on the inside of the envelope before folding it.

When letters are opened in the prison mail room they are often cut open along the top, sometimes by a slitting machine (especially in the USA). This can remove a section of the envelope, so if you’ve written on the inside your words will be lost.

Although it can be slightly more expensive, it’s definitely worth writing on separate paper, making sure you fold it to ensure that it’s not right up against the edge of the envelope where it could be damaged by a slitting machine.

If you can, I find it’s best to type letters on a computer. There are several reasons for this.

Firstly, it will help the prisoner read the letter. Some prisoners have poor eyesight, or they may have difficulty reading your handwriting. Also, people with dyslexia often find it easier to read typewritten words.

Secondly, incoming mail is periodically vetted in prisons. If they cannot easily read your handwriting, they may delay the letter. Using a computer makes it easy to read.

I would also advise that you number your letters. This will help the prisoner know if a letter has gone astray – otherwise he might be confused about something you have written, especially if you are having an ongoing conversation in your letters. Numbering letters is much easier if you write them on a computer.

If you have a letter set up on your computer you can add little bits to it in the times between writing. A funny thing that happened to you, something to make the prisoner smile, items of interest, little things you would forget if you just sat down to write a long letter in one sitting.

When it comes to actually writing the letter, you should consider writing across just half the page.

This allows the prisoner to write on the other half and send it back as a reply. Just remember that you will need to I would also advise that you number your letters. This will help the prisoner know if a letter has gone astray – otherwise he might be confused about something you have written, especially if you are having an ongoing conversation in your letters. Numbering letters is much easier if you write them on a computer.

If you have a letter set up on your computer you can add little bits to it in the times between writing. A funny thing that happened to you, something to make the prisoner smile, items of interest, little things you would forget if you just sat down to write a long letter in one sitting.

When it comes to actually writing the letter, you should consider writing across just half the page. This allows the prisoner to write on the other half and send it back as a reply. Just remember that you will need to You should also consider the size of the font you are using. Is it big enough for the prisoner to read? If the prisoner has a problem with his eyes he might not want to tell you about it. Spectacles are difficult to obtain in many countries, so it is best to always use a font size of at least 12, and you may want to use 14 if the prisoner is advanced in years or has problems with his eyes.

What to write about

The most important piece of advice I can offer is always, from the very first letter, try to write as if the prisoner was already a friend, and use the same words and language as you would during speech.

Write about subjects that interest the prisoner. If the prisoner is interested in a subject about which you know nothing, then try to learn. Being a penpal is a two-way process; both sides can learn from each other.
Be prepared to seek information on the prisoner’s behalf, and to tell him the truth. Prisoners may ask about prison transfers, life in the UK, or even subjects like their old school.
Ask the prisoner to describe his daily routine and his cellmate (if he has one).
Be honest with the prisoner and, if they arise, don’t be afraid to tackle difficult issues.
But don’t forget to write about yourself! By sharing yourself with the prisoner, as you would with a friend, you can only enhance the relationship, and you will receive more interesting letters in return.

TOP TIPS
Write friendly and open letters, from the very first
Write in short paragraphs
Number your letters
Make sure you address the envelope correctly!
Write the prisoners number where available to help distribution of the letters

From an article by Betty Costello who has been a pen-pal with Prisoners Abroad since the early nineties. Here she gives some practical advice on writing to prisoners.

This shows me that I need to be more careful with my letters as many times to squeeze as much as possible I used to reduced the font size...
In certain prisons the prisoners are only allowed a number of pages in or out, the letters must not exceed a number allocated.

Prison is a Place

2008-09-22T20:07:00.003+10:00

Prison is a place where the first person you see looks like a British College boy and you are surprised. Later you are disgusted because people on the outside still have the same prejudices about prisoners that you used to have.

Prison is a place where you write letters and can’t think of anything to say. Where you gradually write fewer and fewer letters and finally stops writing altogether.

Prison is a place where hope springs eternal; where each parole board appearance means a chance to get out, even if the odds are hopelessly against you.

Prison is a place where the flame in every man burns low. For some it goes out, but for most it flickers weakly, sometimes flashes brightly, but never seems to burn as bright as it once did.

Prison is a place where you find grey hairs in your head, or where you find your hair starting to disappear. It’s a place where you get false teeth, stronger glasses and aches and pains you never felt before. It’s a place where you grow old and worry about.

Prison is a place where you hate through clenched teeth, where you want to beat, kick and scratch and you wonder if the psychologists know what they’re talking about when they say you actually hate yourself.

Prison is a place where you learn nobody needs you, that the outside world goes on without you.

Prison is a place where you can go for years without feeling the touch of a human hand, where you can go for months without hearing a kind word.

It’s a place where your friendships are shallow and you know it.

Prison is a place where you hear about a friend’s divorce, and you didn’t even know he was married.

It’s a place where you hear about a neighbour’s kid’s graduation from school... and you thought they hadn’t started yet.

Prison is a place where you feel sorry for yourself. Then you get disgusted with yourself for feeling that way, then you get mad for feeling that way and then try to mentally change the subject.

Prison is a place where you wait for a promised visit. When it doesn’t come, you worry about a car accident. Then you find out the reason your visitors didn’t come you’re glad because it wasn’t serious... and disappointed because such a little thing could keep them from coming to see you.

Prison is a place where a letter from home or from a friend or lawyer can be like a telegram from the war department.

When you see it in the mail box or lying on your bed, you’re afraid to open it. But you do it anyway and you usually end up disappointed or angry.

Prison is a place where you see men you do not admire and you wonder if you are like them.
It is a place where you strive to remain civilized, but where you lose yourself and know it.

Prison is a place where if you are married, you watch your marriage die. It is a place where you learn that absence does not make the heart grow fonder, and where you stop blaming your wife for wanting a real-live man, instead of a fading memory of one.

Prison is a place where you go to bed before you’re tired, where you pull the blanket over your head when you’re not cold. It is a place where you escape... by reading, by playing cards, by watching TV, by dreaming, or by going mad. Prison is a place where you fool yourself, where you promise yourself you’ll live a better life when you leave. Sometimes you do, but more often you don’t.

Prison is a place where you get out some day. When you do you wonder how everyone else can be so calm when you’re so excited. When the bus driver goes over twenty-five miles an hour you want to tell him to slow down, but you don’t because you know you just want to get as far away from prison as you can.

Prison is a place where life becomes a revolving door. A place where you hear men’s screams at night. A place where you do not want to ever come to.

MB, USA

Burmese detainees face abuses in Bangladeshi jails

2008-09-20T12:50:00.002+10:00

Sep 18, 2008 (DVB)–Burmese nationals detained in prisons along the Bangladeshi border have faced human right abuses and had no assistance from Burmese diplomatic representatives, two Burmese organisations reported.

The United Ethnic Nationalities and the All-Burmese Monks Representatives yesterday called for assistance to Burmese nationals held in prisons along the border for entering the country illegally, overstaying their visas or committing a crime.

ABMR member U Htarwara said exiled political activists and former child soldiers who had deserted the Burmese government army were among the immigration detainees.

U Htarwara said the Burmese prisoners, from Rangoon, Irrawaddy, Mandalay and Tenasserim divisions and Kachin, Mon and Chin states, were facing a lot of difficulties inside the prison and had received no assistance from the Burmese embassy in Dhaka.

"The prisoners contacted the Burmese embassy and asked for help but they did not give them any assistance," said U Htarwara.

"Normally if you were caught with no documents or an expired visa in Bangladesh, you would go to jail for three months," he said.

"But there are over 800 Burmese nationals who have been kept locked up in the prisons even after their term was up."

Some prisoners who protested against the Bangladeshi authorities for continuing to hold them remained in prison were beaten up guards, U Htarwara said.

Around 2100 Burmese nationals are reportedly being detained in seven Bangladeshi prisons along the border, including in the Cox’s Bazaar, Teknaf and Chittagong areas.

About 700 of them are said to be Arakanese, 300 are Rohingyas, about 150 are ethnic Mon and four are ethnic Pa-Laung from Shan state.

Reporting by Nan Kham Kaew

On Friendship

2008-08-28T21:17:00.002+10:00

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Friendship - Upload a Document to Scribd

Care Packages

2008-07-19T19:06:00.004+10:00

BANGKWANG

Basics such as:
toothpaste
toothbrush
shampoos

Vitamins manufacture-sealed and with proper nomenclature
(vitamins to help them overcome depression and as a supplement to their diet)
Medication with prescription support
soups in satchels
dry milk
oats in packs
magazines
books (all literature is censored)
writing material
drawing material (B&W, colour pencils, paper for drawing - NO sprays)
blank cards to post to their fan mail
anything that the prison shops do not sell/stock.

CLOTHES
Due to lack of space and because of heavy rainy periods, prisoners need to replace their damaged clothes frequently.
They only keep 2-3 changes, wash and wear.
Clothes have to be easy to dry.

Prisoners wear shorts only
Sandals or flip flops or they might ask what they want

WINTER - Oct-Jan
Jumpers specially the fleecy type that are light and warm.
Longjones are ideal

OTHER SEASONS
They live in T-shirts and flip flops

Towels, light in texture are also needed
Pillow case with a zipper. Prisoners stuff their belongings (clothes) inside the pillow case and use it as a pillow, their best way to keep their stuff together as it gets "lost".

KLONG PREM
To send clothes to a prisoner, he has to place a written request of what he is going to be sent, the prison officer authorises it, that form is sent to the sender who attaches the form to the parcel. It takes some weeks to get the form authorised.

No other care packages are allowed, check with the prison/prisoner if any changes.

Updated: 14 Dec'09

VISITING BANGKWANG, KLONG PREM and other prisons

2008-07-18T20:18:00.002+10:00

Source: Bangkwang Net

It is usually possible to go and visit a prisoner without prior notice.
These visits allow the visitor to have a conversation with only a fence,
( or two fences as at Bangkwang ) between yourself the prisoner.

Message boards around Bangkok invite the casual traveler to visit anytime.
SCHEDULES :
Bangkwang
Klong Prem
Lard Yao
Women's Prison

A typical story ... Another story (from the Bangkok Post - December 3, 2001)

It is also possible to go inside the prison to have a "contact" visit with a prisoner.
These visits must be arranged in advance. Here are the visit rules
Contact your friend's embassy about one month ahead of time.
Give them : 1) your friend's name and building number
2) approximate date(s) of visit.
3) your passport-name and passport number

The embassy can also arrange for regular ( frequent ) visiting schedules.

Check with the Department of corrections to be sure the visit permit has been granted.
BANGKWANG : (662)(02 525 0484) KLONG PREM/LARD-YAO : Mrs. Tithiporn :(662)(02-588-3283)

Some things you ARE PERMITTED to bring to your friend.

Some things you ARE NOT PERMITTED to bring to your friend.

Prisoners are usually limited to one, one-hour, visit per day.
Visitors may visit more than one prisoner, in any one day.
It helps to have your airplane ticket ... to show that you are NOT a local Thai person.

BANGKWANG Visit Days: (Klong Prem Schedule)

Building 1, 2 and 3 : Monday and Wednesdays
4, 5 and 6 : Tuesday and Thursday
7,8,9,10 and 12 : Friday ( 10 is solitary Confinement, get permission first )
hospital : Friday

No visits allowed during Weekends ( Saturday & Sunday ) or on National Holidays.
( NOTE : exceptions may be allowed during the annual contact visit at Bangkwang )

BANGKWANG Visit Times: (Klong Prem Visit Times)
morning :: from 09.30 - 11.30
afternoon :: from 13.30 - 14.30.

It is best to arrive at the registration office least a half hour early.
There is often a large crowd of local Thai people wanting to see their family.

Early visitors enjoy more time to visit and be there when it is not so noisy.

GETTING TO BANGKWANG:

Instructions from Khao-San-Road.com

BY RIVER-BOAT:
The Chao Praya River runs through most of downtown Bangkok.
Take the Chao Prayo Express boat upstream to Nonthaburi (about 10 baht from downtown).
Do NOT get in the TOURIST BOAT It does not go far enough.
Do not get on the Boat-Bus as it only crosses the river.

Get off at Nonthaburi ( it is the last stop for most boats ).
When you leave the boat terminal, go straight up the road.
Take the first left.
Walk about 100 yards up the road to the prison.

BY PUBLIC BUS:
It will wind through Bangkok to Nonthaburi.

BY PUBLIC TAXI:
Tell the driver to take you directly to Nonthaburi or Bangkwang.
You may have to insist that the driver goes directly.
Otherwise he/she may try to stop at some "special discount" jewelry shop.

AFTER ARRIVING AT THE FRONT GATE
Go into the Visitor Center ( across road from the main prison gate ).
Sign in with your passport.
Wait until the visit time is announced
Cross the road (follow the crowd), (pass the Foreign Affairs Office )
Sign in : (leave your cameras or other prohibited items at the desk.
Pass through the metal detectors and various steel doors.
Then pass by ther prison store ( get a bottle of water now !)

Finally, you will see the visitor gallery.
Your friend will sit across from you ... separated by double fencing.

Be prepared for a shouting match, as there may be other visitors seated near to you, each one trying to communicate as quickly and loudly as possible.

At the end of the visit you are allowed to leave any gifts for your friend at the desk in the visitors area. Otherwise, folow the crowd, back to the entrance gate.

The description, above, was for a non contact visit.

There are also one or two "contact" visits each year.
At this time, you can get inside the prison area for up to 1½ hours.
It is possible to make two of these visits in one day.
You must apply, through your friend's embassy, to the department of corrections.
Be sure to contact the prison to confirm that the visit has been approved,

There are several western missionaries and christian groups who have a visitation service.
Some of these will also deposit money to prisoner acounts.

Many prisoners and their relatives have made small posters that they place in guest-houses around Banglampoo or Khao San Road districts in Bangkok.

Some foreigners make a visit to Bangkwang, a part of their stay in Bangkok.

Organisations:
If you need more professional advice or help, refer to the British Orginazation .... PRISONERS ABROAD. They take care (medically and financaly) of british citizens imprisoned abroad and know quite a bit about Thailand and the general condition of prisoners.

It is no use to try to get in touch with either Amnesty International or Human Rights Watch, unless there is really serious trouble for your friend. They only get involved in very serious cases of torture and neglect. Hopefully this will never be the case for your friend.

As a relative (wife, brother and parents) you are allowed to visit twice a year (usually August and Christmas) where there are the so called "open periods", or "contact" visits, meaning that you can get two visits (two hours long) without the bars inbetween.

Friends are also allowed "contact" visits, but it requires some preparation.
Contact your friend's embassy, several months in advance of the visit.
Ask them to prepare the necessary permission papers.
Follow up with them and follow up with the prison office.
Be sure you have the correct paperwork completed, well before the visit !!

Writing to Prisoners - Emails

2008-07-18T20:11:00.004+10:00

E-MAIL TO PRISONERS offered through the prison web-site. (See below this post please)
The e-mail is "free", but it is also extremely unreliable.
Use the postal mail as a back-up!

- All incoming and outgoing mail is censored.
- Censoring causes delays, sometimes short, sometimes long.
- Never send any form of money directly to the prisoner.
(money must be send through friends or the banking system).

Depending on the prisoner and the state of alert at the prison, some things may be "hot buttons" for the guards.

After you read "4000 Days" and read the other links in this site, you will be prepared to write a nice letter without endangering your friend.

SOME GOOD TOPICS:
About your life and their life.
Positive influences for their spirit and education
Sports, nature, games, international events
Ask what they are interested in.

WHAT ELSE TO INCLUDE:
They are pleased to accept International postal coupons.
Buy a coupon at your local Postal Office.
They will use it to pay for postage for return mailing.

How about a photo of yourself or your town ?

AVOID these topics:
Discussion of prison escapes, explosives and violence.

Mention of prison escape films and books :
such as : Midnight Express, Darkness at Noon ... and others.

Some religious topics and images are prohibited.
Ask your friend first .. before causing a problem.

NEVER, NEVER criticize the King of Thailand.
This MUST NEVER be done !!!!

A TYPICAL MAILING ADDRESS:

[[ prisoner's name ]]
Bangkwang Central Prison + [[building number]]
1 Nonthaburi Road
Nonthaburi 11000
Thailand

Sending E-Mail

This was taken from the prison Question and answer Bulletin Board "BBS",

Date : 13 of September 2001.

Question 1. How often are foreign prisoners allowed to receive e-mail?
2. Will they be able to reply to these messages through the prison's
e-mail facility?
3. Is there any costs involved for the prisoner who receives e-mail?
Name: Coreen Date: 12 September 01

Answer 1. At the time being, there are not a lot of emails sent to the inmates.
The prisons do not have problems printing out the emails.
There is no limit.
But we can not be assure of the situation in the future in case there
are too many mails coming in. There may be some following regulations.
2. The inmates do not get access to the internet.
So, they can not reply the emails. They may have to write letters.
3. The prisons pay the cost of e-mail as part of welfare scheme.

Prison's English Home page see "e-mail to prisoners".

bangkwang = kwang_bang@hotmail.com
klomg prem = klong_prem@hotmail.com
bang khen = women_khen@hotmail.com

Please see the prison page for the full list.

Bangkwang Central Prison

2008-07-18T20:01:00.003+10:00

Source: Scott's Bangkwang Time

Bangkwang Central Prison is a male maximum security prison built on the outskirts of Bangkok, Thailand in the 1930's. It was built to hold 3,500 prisoners but currently holds in the region of 8,000. It is known as "The Bangkok Hilton" in the West and in Thailand as "The Big Tiger" as it eats men alive.

The inmate population is made up of prisoners whose appeals are pending in the Appeal Court and Supreme Court, convicted prisoners whose terms of sentences range from twenty-five years to life imprisonment and prisoners who have been sentenced to the death sentence and are awaiting execution.

Until October 2003 execution was carried out by the firing squad, lethal injection is now used.

The prison compound covers an area of eighty acres which is divided up into thirteen sections. Within this compound are twenty-five workshops, an auditorium and a hospital. The outer walls rise to a height of six meters with a further one meter being underground and are equipped with high voltage wire. Inside there are additional walls around each section which are six meters high with barbed wire.

Prisoners spend fourteen hours a day locked up in their cells - from 4pm to 6am. Each cell measures six meters by four meters and has an Asian style open toilet in the corner. All night, every night, your body is in contact with those either side of you, movement is severely restricted. A bare electric light bulb burns through the night.

The prisoners do not have the luxury of fresh hot or cold running water. Washing is carried out by using water pumped from the local river into troughs. Drinking water can be purchased if you have the funds. Once a day the prison provides a meal of red rice with a thin watery soup which occasionally contains some vegetable matter and the odd fish head or tail.

There is no proper sewerage system, the prison has an open sewerage system which carries human excrement to concrete vaults. The toxic fumes which are omitted from the open sewer also have an effect on the health of inmates.

The overcrowding, poor quality and insufficient diet leads to malnutrition. It is also the cause of many easily transferable diseases, many of which if left untreated are life threatening.

The consequences of the conditions in Bangkwang mean that there are many prisoners suffering from illness and disease. TB and HIV are rife. The most common illnesses/diseases are skin and fungal infections, heatstroke, dehydration, bedbugs, lice, diarrhoea, scabies, dysentery, typhoid fever, hepatitis A, B & C, malaria, cholera and diphtheria. Although the staff at the prison try their best they are extremely under funded.

Dental care is carried out by unqualified prisoners who provide a tooth extraction service.

Source: Bangkwang Net
Some nations, such as America, have special treaty arrangements to bring their nationals "home" to their own prison systems. A few are making slow progress toward a treaty. Still others have no arrangements whatsoever.

Some nations provide a minimal financial support. Others simply abandon their nationals to their own individual fates. With no external support, this means a dull intellectual existance, uncertain health circumstances and a minimal diet. Many inmates work long hours at a prison shop to pay for their minimal necesities of life ( ie : tooth brush and soap ).

You can discover your nation's policy by contacting your nation's Consulate, Embassy or Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Please consider writing to one or more of your imprisoned countrymen.
Your letters and a small amount of money can provide hope to a grateful soul.
Better yet, why not visit someone during your next trip through Bangkok or Kathamndu?

( NOTE : There are often delays to the "contact visit" schedule. Be "flexible" with travel plans. )
KLONG PREM "contact visits" were in January.
BANGKWANG "contact visits" are possible every FRIDAY. Get permission from prisoner's embassy.

It is NOT necessary to already know someone in the prison.
Prisoners names can be easily obtained at the prison's main office building or from other web-sites.

Your nation's embassy may be willing to supply the names of your countrymen by phone, mail or e-mail. More often, you will need to visit the embassy in-person.

updated October 20, 2007

The Real Bangkok Hilton

2008-07-18T19:21:00.002+10:00

BBC - 19 July, 2004

Dubbed the "Bangkok Hilton" by the West, Thailand's Bangkwang jail is one of the most notorious prisons in the world.

Until now, the reality of life in Bangkwang has remained a secret. But after two years of negotiations between the BBC and Thai officials - and for the first time ever - television cameras were allowed inside.

Photo: Drug offenders are only allowed to see one visitor per weekThe film tells the human stories of prisoners struggling to stay sane in the jail's cramped conditions, and the Thai staff struggling to cope with the ever-increasing number of inmates.

Two of the nine British prisoners in Bangkwang are Michael Connell and Andrew Hawke.

Michael, 19, a thin and frail supermarket worker from Manchester, was the first Briton to be arrested under new, harsher drug laws introduced by the Thai Government in 2003. He is the only foreigner in a dormitory of 1,000 and teaches his fellow inmates English to pass the time.

Andrew, who has served nearly six years of a 50-year sentence, talks freely of his foolish decision to smuggle heroin after an offer from a stranger in Amsterdam. "I really didn't want to do it" he says. "Everything screamed against me not to do it... but I went ahead and did it anyway."

The jail's transvestites share quarters. One smuggled drugs to pay for a breast augmentation and she now works for the prison television station BKP TV as a make-up artist.

Photo: Executed bodies pass through the "ghost gate" to the last rites monk

Last rites monk
Executed bodies pass through the "ghost gate" to the last rites monk

In the prison hospital, patients are shackled to their beds. One stares vacantly into the camera as the doctor explains how Thai society is reluctant to donate medicine because it thinks the inmates deserve the suffering.

And then there are those on death row - the men just waiting to die. Each of them will get only two hours notice before they are executed by lethal injection.

The head executioner demonstrates his routine on an execution day for the crew, and the monk who administers the last rites - also on site - talks about why he thinks the condemned are "lucky" because they can prepare for death.

But luck is not a word usually associated with Bangkwang - for the prisoners or the guards.

In the last few years the prison's population has trebled to 7,000 - each inmate serving a sentence of more than 25 years - and the guards are out-numbered 50-1.

To try and ease this situation, some tough prisoners become "blue shirts" and are given the task of assisting the guards. But this simply creates more tension.

"Thai prisons are tough," says Director of Prisons Khun Nattee as a warning to tourists... "you don't want to be in Bangkwang."

The Real Bangkok Hilton was broadcast on Thursday, 22 July, 2004 at 2100 BST on BBC Two in the UK.

Curiosity killed the cat ...

2008-07-18T18:49:00.006+10:00

... But this cat must remain alive and kicking

Writing to a friend is easy, writing a story could be easy at times, writing to a prisoner in full control of your emotional state is a huge challenge that we could make it successful or simply fail it. The choice is only ours.

I choose to help out as I feel I must return something back to my community... my community is broad; local and international. My social responsibilities are color blind and broad minded. All human beings are part of my community.

Our role is to provide encouragement, a bit of moral support and yes that tiny piece of paper brings a bit of reassurance to a human being, "yes mate you still belong..."

Our role is to stay away from intruding into "why they are in prison" eventually they will volunteer the information to fill someone's curiosity... but please refrain from asking the why's...

Our role is to stay away from critising their behaviour or mentality...

Letters and or communications are to be polite as they are censored both ways, in and out.

Correspondence or printed material in relation to religion, politics and offensive expressions towards Thai or any country's judicial system, kingdom or officials will block our mission.

Let's do the wiser thing

Stop... Ask before you Act

Life in prison has many rules and they change with the change of management as well, it is wise to ask before visiting or sending care-packages.

Money money money... must not be attached inside the envelopes... please ask before acting as the money could be confiscated.

Burmese Prisoners Abroad (BPA) - About Us

2008-07-18T15:39:00.010+10:00

18 July 2008

Prisoners fall into many categories but the ones we need to keep an eye for this project are the chronic type and the unfortunate that for many reasons usually scarcity forced many persons to commit a crime.

THE COMPULSIVE CHRONIC
Are the croonies and their likes, we prefer to stay away from them but we need to recognise them.

THE UNFORTUNATE
Inside the Country
We are all familiar with the injustices enforced inside Burma by the government during the past 46 years. Many of our brothers and sisters have become "prisoners" for the crime of seeking freedom. Instead, their beliefs of freedom put them in jail under unjustified crimes. These are prisoners inside Burma.

Abroad
The junta has caused a lot of damage to the Burmese society during the past decades, forcing many people to migrate to the neighboring borders seeking work to support their families, seeking for a better life and in desperation they felt trapped into vicious crimes.

In majority they became drug-mules (Thailand, Cambodia, Singapore etc), hoping for the one-time job that would set them free... seeking that precious freedom they committed crimes that have changed their lives and restricted them to live under chains in foreign countries where respect for human life is still on the drawing board.

EMPTY PROMISES
Naivety is the main culprit utilised by the "brokers" (the ones offering the job) convincing the innocent nature of the one in need to commit a crime under the pretense that "it is an easy job", "nothing into it", "a child could do it", "it is not dangerous", and that it will reward them generously. Unfortunately the 'broker' won't do it but the "fool" in need who is desperate for money to survive or support their love ones.

WHY BPA HAS BEEN CREATED

To help out those placed in jails abroad away from their families who in majority do not know where their relations are right now therefore cannot write them to the prison where they are presently.
Because the relations are too poor they cannot post them a letter or send them a care-pak.
To help them survive and
To let them know that we care about them and we understand their situation.
To provide them encouragement and a kind word travels a long way

We all fall into mistakes during our lives in this life time and the last thing we want is someone hammering us on the head parroting the experiences we fell into in the past.

We need to move forward, we need to bring these people together with a simple letter. No much into the contents of the letter, they are simple, ordinary people who love football, writing, poetry, drawing etc they are surviving under the most difficult situations.

For example:
There are about 200 crowded jails in Thailand and a large percentage of prisoners come from "Myanmar", Burmese are considered the low-minority foreigners therefore the prison officers play very tough rules with our brothers and sisters.

Ok they made a mistake but that does not mean they are not humans, our Burmese deserve a bit of respect and dignity. The other foreigners have their embassies checking on them, there is someone looking what is happening to the prisoners but our Burmese lack interest from the community and from the MM Embassy in Thailand.

The food provided by the prison is the lowest quality and no-nutritional, they are forced to hard labour without pay and if they get paid it is not enough to buy their own food.

Medical attention is a priviledge, and if they or we complain about their inhuman conditions it goes against them.

Currently in Bangkok there is a dear French Catholic priest,
Fr. Olivier-Morin who pays them a visit, he said many of the prisoners in Thailand are from Karen, Mon, Shan and they keep their own language. Very few speak English

Postal stamps for these poor prisoners is a luxury... how are we going to send those stamps to get a reply letter from a Burmese brother or sister?...

:))) please feel free to email to find out how...
let's get the ball rolling... shall we?
I appreciate and highly value your time in reading this post
Thanks for stopping by...

Jeg

Do it with your eyes open

2008-07-18T15:31:00.004+10:00

Open mailbox to the whole world with pen pals

By GLENNA WILSON
Kansas Senior Press Service
Bnet

Here's a hobby that can bring the world to your mail box --- and I don't mean more catalogs. Add pen pals to your life.

Mavis Bestvater, 77, of Peabody, thoroughly enjoys this hobby. "A pen pal's letter is an invitation into someone's else's life," she says. Every day she's eager for the mail, because letters come from near and far.

Bestvater writes more than 900 letters a year. She currently has 150 to 200 pen pals. She writes to people in nearly every state of the union and in several foreign countries.

One source of potential pals is the American Pen Pal Society, 3 Cedar St., Fair Haven, VT, 05743. For an overseas pen pal, write to International Pen Friends, F, 5 Appian Way, Allston, MA 02134.

Bestvater writes to people in Belgium, Thailand, Romania, Australia, Israel and Canada.

"You are never lonely when you have a pen friend waiting to visit with you in your mailbox," she says. "You don't have to feed them, entertain, do last-minute cleaning, or put up with their children. After a few months, my pen pals are like members of my own family."

She has written to pen pals for 15 years, and she says the new has never worn off. In 1985, Chuck Colson asked on TV for volunteers to write to prisoners. She accepted the challenge and asked for five names.

Some offensive letters came, but she wrote back, telling the prisoners that she was old enough to be their mother or grandmother - -- and that she is a Christian and doesn't appreciate vulgar language. "Not many of them wrote back, but others did." Sometimes prisoners send their mothers' names to her, and she writes to them, too.

Prisoner pen pals is its own special category, not at all like writing to an ordinary person in another state or country. Having a pen pal certainly may benefit an incarcerated person. "It's important for prisoners to remain connected to the outside world, and so pen pals can be helpful to them," says Bill Rich, a law professor at Washburn University. "But if you do this, do it with your eyes open," he says.

Rich cites possible abuses. Some of those in prison have a history of distortion or fraud and may prey on people for money or favors. But he adds, "considering the value to the prisoner of a contact with the outside world, a cautious relationship may be appropriate."

Bestvater has found prisoners to be a fulfilling mission for her, but doesn't recommend it for everyone. She does make a final suggestion for someone writing to non-prisoners: Write to people similar in age to yourself, she says. "We oldsters get along better in our own age group. A shepherd in Arkansas and a couple of others are the only pen pals I have who are older than I am, but every one is priceless to me."

If anyone has questions or would like names and addresses from her, she says to send mail to Mavis Bestvater, Peabody, 66866. You'll get an answer.

- Sources:
American Pen Pal Society
3 Cedar St., Fair Haven, VT, 05743
International Pen Friends
F, 5 Appian Way, Allston, MA 02134
See PEN PALS, page 3
Pen pals
Peabody woman shares lives from Thailand to Romania.

Running away from the junta's prison to become a forgotten number abroad

2008-07-15T21:15:00.001+10:00

By Vidimus Dominum

'You are bigger than the crime you have committed'

BANGKOK (UCAN) When people think of "social work" in Thailand, some of the things that come to mind are street children, prostitutes and battered women. However, many foreigners from poor neighboring countries languish in Thai prisons without family or friends to visit them or provide for basic needs.

This led Jesuit Father Olivier Morin to start his prison ministry. The 69-year-old French missioner heads a six-member team that regularly visits more than 1,600 foreign prisoners in eight prisons in and outside Bangkok, including a women's prison. He also visits mostly Thai prisoners at a prison hospital in Bangkok. During the visits, which range from daily to monthly, the team usually brings shampoo, soap, toothpaste, T-shirts, underwear, writing materials and other items the prisoners need. Father Morin mostly divides his time between the prisons and his office, where he replies to the tens of letters he receives daily from prisoners, corresponds with prison authorities and writes prisoners' family overseas. He also goes to wholesale markets to shop for items to bring the prisoners.

Around December, Father Morin and his team hold a Christmas celebration in each prison at which they give each prisoner on their visiting list a gift bag with items worth around 700 baht (US$24). He, meanwhile, receives hundreds of Christmas cards from inmates and former prisoners, many of them hand-made.

Father Morin was born in 1938 in Nantes, western France. He was ordained a Jesuit priest in 1971 and served in parishes in France for 14 years. He then applied to work with Jesuit Refugee Service and went first to Pulau Bidong, a small island off the eastern coast of peninsular Malaysia, where he served Vietnamese "boat people" for a year. After that he was assigned to camps in Thailand that housed refugees from Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.

With the closure of the camps in the early 1990s, he started work at the Immigration Detention Center in Bangkok, where thousands of foreigners are detained for illegally staying in Thailand. Around that time he also started work with imprisoned foreigners. Since 2003 he has given this prison ministry his full attention.

In June 2006, a car hit a motorcycle on which he was riding. Doctors tried for four months to save his injured left leg it before finally amputating it. Ten days later, Father Morin was back visiting prisons. He maintains his full-time ministry despite needing a prosthetic limb or wheelchair to move around. UCA News spoke with the priest on Dec. 29 in his office at the Jesuits' residence in Bangkok. The interview follows:

UCANEWS: Why did you choose prison ministry?

Father Morin : Prison is a desert. Sometimes [a prisoner] doesn't have any friends. What is important is to show the man that someone can love him. If you are a foreigner, you don't know a lot of people in Thailand. How can you get toothpaste, or soap, or stamps to write to your family? When you are sick and get a prescription, how are you going to buy the medicine? Once in a prison I visited a Chinese man who told me, "I have been in jail for six years and you are my first visitor." He was absolutely amazed because suddenly someone knew his name and called him. What is very important for me is to talk with these people. No one can survive without love. You need to know that someone loves you, and that you are able to love. They are criminals, but I told them many times, "You are bigger, greater than your mistake." We have to take what is good in a man and tell him, "You can start again." Who has never done wrong? This is the sense of Christian forgiveness. Forgiveness is not to forget. It is to give a new chance for one to show his good side.

Can you give an example of prisoners' 'good side'?
Two days ago, I was in Khao Bin prison [in Ratchaburi province, about 50 kilometers west of Bangkok] for a Christmas celebration. They [those on the visit list] told me, "We will share what you bring for us with the poorest in the prison." I didn't ask them to do this. I gave them the [gift] bags, and each one gave some items from his own bag. They told me they wanted to share with those who didn't get something for Christmas. These people are not selfish.

Do you consider your work evangelization?
Yes. The Lord told us, "I was in jail and you visited me." Normally people who visit the prisons come to teach the Bible. I come to care for them. The Lord didn't say, "I was in jail and you taught me the Bible." But if the people speak about spirituality or religion, I am not afraid. To act with compassion, to care for my neighbor, to help people in distress, is to follow the teaching of my Lord. Many times I got this question from Buddhists, Muslims and Hindus: "

How is it that those organizations that help us are mainly from Christian roots?
" What is the most difficult aspect of your prison ministry? I visit people who are condemned to death, people who are sentenced to life. Normally people at first don't realize what is the meaning of 25 years of condemnation. Usually it is after a few months or years that suddenly they realize their life seems hopeless. I have a man, around 35 years old, that I visit. One day he sat down, and we were separated by a barrier, like a normal visit. Without saying one word this man started to cry -- not sobbing -- big tears rolling on his cheeks. He was absolutely the image of the distressed. He was in a state of mind of suddenly realizing his whole life was broken. Both of us were silent. I was touching the extreme pain of someone. Finally he left, saying nothing. When I came back to my office, I sent a note telling him: "I would like to thank you for your confidence. I want you to know I am still with you. And I pray for you." Later this man, an African Muslim, told me how important this letter was for him.

Have prisoners tried to take advantage of you?
Yes, I've had some problems with people who take advantage of our friendship. But the prisoners themselves told them: "You shouldn't do this. With what Father has done for you, how can you behave like that!" I don't have to protest. They protest for me. [He points to a box.] Look at all these Christmas cards they made for me from the prison. Some of them are so artistic. My team and I create a deep relationship [with the prisoners].

Who else is on your team?
We are six -- three male and three female. I have two Thais and three Burmese. One is a Burmese Chinese woman. They work very hard. I told them: "You have to become a friend with the one you visit. You must know his name and his face. Don't call him by his number."

How do you choose whom to visit?
I don't visit the farang [common Thai word for Westerners], because often their embassies care for them or they have some groups of expats who visit them. There are also associations for the Thai prisoners. I give priority to those who truly don't have any visitors or who are very poor. I visit mainly Laotians and Burmese. I also have Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, Indonesians, Indians, Nepalese -- 46 nationalities altogether.

What do you do in a regular visit?
This depends on the regulations of each prison. When I go to Khao Bin, for example, I am allowed to go inside the prison. We give them some news. After that I take the Christians for meditation and teaching on the Gospel. I ask a Buddhist team member to do the same with the Buddhists. After that we distribute the things we bring. We sing a lot. For Klong Pai [in Nakhon Ratchasima province, 140 kilometers northeast of Bangkok] and Khao Bin, I go once a month, because they are far away. For Bang Kwang, Lad Yao and Klong Prem prisons [in Bangkok], we can go every day. We see them individually, usually between 10 and 15 minutes each -- and have normal conversation like with friends. Sometimes they ask me to be in contact with their embassies or their families. Sometimes I pray with them.

How do people react to your work?
One day I was visiting the prison hospital and television people were there. They told me: "Why do you waste your time with criminals! You cannot care for street children, or something like that?" I told them you will find several organizations caring for the street children or the prostitutes or the women who are beaten. But for prisoners, you don't have a lot who care for them. I have taken a job that people don't want. Criminals are still children of God.

Where do you get funds for this ministry?
I have to look for the money. It is mainly from the Jesuits around the world, and from friends and associations. I create a network of people who agree to send me some money. But don't believe people give me big amounts! Sometimes I get US$15, or 1,000 baht, or something like that. It is a lot of work. The five people working with me need to have a salary. But I am a very small organization. I use the resources of the Jesuits' house, so the "administrative expenses" are very light.

What were the most memorable moments in your prison ministry?
I will never forget the way they showed me their love when I came back after my accident. These people are wonderful. This is what I want to do -- to show them that they are still great. I keep memories of some wonderful prison officers. Well, we have violence like in all prisons. Some officers are brutes and it's hopeless with them. But we also have men who really try to give the best of themselves to make things better.

Courtesy: Vidimus Dominium

Professional Smugglers?

2008-07-15T19:19:00.002+10:00

Steve's Life in Bagkwang Prison
Source: Letters from the Inside

Most foreign Prisoners in Bangkwang Prison are here for trying to smuggle drugs through the airport.

Most of these people are not professional smugglers!

So why did they do it?

Prisons around the world are filled with stupid tourists who thought they could pay of their holiday or put down a deposit on an apartment or house back home by doing just one run.

You’re an idiot if you traffic drugs, anyway, unless you’re prepared to face up to the consequences:

“Most People aren’t”

if you’re going to take the risk, then you might as well organise the whole thing yourself. That way, no one can set you up and you get to take all the profits yourself. Statistically most mules (smugglers) do get through. BUT what if you are the unlucky one who gets – BUSTED?

There are no credit points for having been law- abiding citizen your whole life up until that moment.

Especially in Thailand, you get thrown in with the rest of them.

So if you’re ever thinking of doing a drug run!, before making your final decision you should visit the local prison where you’ll be living if you get caught!

Lots of Mules here at Bangkwang visit them!

(BTW, Steve has already been transferred to UK...)

Copyright Steve Willcox 2005 - All Rights Reserved

Letters are gold treasures

2008-07-15T19:17:00.000+10:00

Source: Steve's Life in Bangkwang Prison

Receiving a letter plays a major part in relieving stress, depression and anxiety felt almost daily here and really can make the difference of getting through another day.

Magazines and Books hardback or paperback can also be sent. Cards and Postcards are not a problem.

Sending a parcel from England is expensive!! All parcels are opened and inspected in front of the prisoner, and only rarely go astray.

Being in prison in Thailand you have to pay for absolutely everything. The prison food is inedible and does not provide enough nourishment or vitamins essential to maintain basic health.

Prisoners recommend the following items to send:
(to be confirmed yet)

Vitamins, dry food like biscuits, dried fruit and nuts, cereals, fish and fruit, sweets.

Toiletries, detergent, soap, shampoo, toothpaste and brush, basic medicines, skin creams, plasters, multivitamins, iron tablets calcium tablets, vitamin C and E, dettol.

ALL COMMUNICATION’S WILL BE GRATEFULLY RECEIVED!!

Although the above advice sounds good as it comes from a personal experience, it is wise to be discreet when tempting waters the first times as there is no guarantee our letters could have the same treatment.

Birthdays in 2008

2008-07-15T18:53:00.005+10:00

NOVEMBER

21 Nov - Soe Paing Tin Soe - (38yrso)

Imagine

2008-07-15T15:39:00.000+10:00

Imagine

Imagine if you can, waking each day
Wondering if it would be better to be dead
Imagine if you can, trying to sleep
In something of a coffin, for this is my bed

Imagine if you can, eating a putrid swill
That provides little sustenance for you to exist
Imagine if you can, being abused each day
For the smallest things, just for trying to resist

Imagine if you can, that’s oh so close to hell
Imagine if you can, the waste of all it is
This is my life, Bangkok Hilton a place I know so well

By Peter
Source: Steve Willcox's blog