Landed in maximum security prison because of visa overstay – Ajaci’s vaccination certificate

Date:
06.06.2017 until 09.06.2017

Day: 707 – 710

Country:
Cambodia

Location:
Phnom Penh

Latitude N:
11°34’03.4”

Longitude E:
104°55’52.1”

Total kilometers:
23,937 km

Maximum height:
10 m

Total altitude meters:
71.177 m

Sunrise:
05:35 h

Sunset:
6:22 pm

Temperature day max:
35°C

(Photos of the diary entry can be found at the end of the text).

LINK TO THE ITINERARY

“You won’t believe what I’ve experienced again today,” says Tanja as she comes into her room in the evening after another long day. “I’m curious,” I reply, close my laptop and listen. “Before I took a rickshaw this morning, I first walked along the Tonle Sap. They’ve built a beautiful promenade there, which is already very busy shortly after sunrise. Tomorrow you have to tear yourself away from your laptop and come along. People are jogging, walking, playing badminton and badminton. There are also whole groups of people dancing to loud music. I’m telling you, there’s a lot going on and it’s great to watch. In between all the activities, people sit on low plastic stools and eat. Others are selling flowers for the early temple or Royal Palace visitors, while many of the small stalls are being set up. Some owners of the simple stalls sleep right next to their stalls or under the wooden tables. Under one of the primitive tables lay brand new red high heels. It could be that the daughter helps out at the stall during the day and goes out at night. Imagine they don’t have a house or an apartment. Their home is the stall. When people need to go to the toilet, they go to the nearby park.” “Yes, there are many poor people in this country. Those who own a stall in the city center on the Tonle Sap are relatively well off. When I look at our penthouse apartment, we are among the super-rich on this planet,” I say thoughtfully. “Yes, that’s true. The world isn’t fair. I can’t help thinking about the Dutchman who approached me on the promenade this morning about Ajaci.” “A Dutchman?” “Yeah, he was about your age. He was really into Ajaci and wanted to know if I had bought it in Cambodia and lived here. I briefly told him about our trip, whereupon he told me his hair-raising story.” “Well, I’m curious,” I interrupt curiously. “He has lived in Thailand for many years, runs a bar there and is married to a Thai woman. A few months ago, he had a heart operation. Because his residence permit had expired, the police were called. As soon as he was released from hospital, eight police officers picked him up from his home.” “Eight at once? Wow, that’s more like a contingent to arrest a felon,” I interject. “Yes, he said that too. But the bad thing was that they immediately threw him into the maximum security prison, which is known as Bangkwang to the Thais and Bangkok Hilton to the Westerners. Anyone who ends up there has a very poor chance of getting out safely. The Thais also compare the prison to a ravenous tiger that eats people alive.” ‘I was thrown into a room without beds or furniture, where 100 prisoners lived. Women and men together,’ he said. ‘I’m telling you, that was a real nightmare. The worst in my life so far. The prison is completely overcrowded. In recent years, the number of inmates has tripled because the government is now taking action against drug trafficking. You have to imagine that. As far as I have heard, over 7,000 prisoners are crammed in there, although there is not even room for half that number. I was lying there on the floor next to mass murderers, rapists and other serious criminals, and all because I overstayed my visa. Normally that was never a problem. Until now, visa overstays could be settled with a relatively small penalty fee. Because of my heart condition, I simply missed extending my visa. God knows I had other problems. However, the regulations have changed since 2016. As I live in Thailand, I didn’t notice any of this and suddenly I was a prisoner in hell on earth.

I wasn’t even allowed to use the phone for the first two weeks. Do you understand what that means? It almost broke me mentally. I didn’t know whether I too would become a victim of the ravenous tiger. A European was lying next to me. He was already 82 years old and had been in Bangkwang for eight months. Because he had no more relatives, all of whom had already passed away, he will most likely die there. Someone has to help you, even if you haven’t done much wrong. Without outside support, you can’t buy yourself anything to eat and will simply starve to death in there.

For some years now, the penalties for drug offenses have been extreme. You get at least 25 years, many for life, many are executed. After the military government came to power, they broadcast the executions live on television. This is supposed to act as a deterrent. Hundreds are executed for drug offenses. No one in there gets a second chance. I heard about a young Englishman who was caught at the airport with a few hundred ecstasy tablets. He got 99 years. He was actually just trying to finance his vacation with the deal, and if the British government doesn’t get him out of there, he’s going to go down horribly. To a certain extent, I actually understand the government. The drug problem in Thailand is rampant and absolutely extreme. It is destroying families and if the authorities are not careful it will be dangerous for the country. But there is certainly no point in executing the small dealers. They are around like ants. The problem lies elsewhere. One of the reasons is the merciless corruption right up to the highest levels. You can’t get hold of drug barons or you don’t want to get hold of them. The business with drugs from Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos is a multi-million dollar business. There are other people behind it than a 20-year-old Englishman or an ordinary Thai. The punishments are comparable to the Middle Ages or worse. What is going on there is a disgrace to Thailand, an attack on humanity, a violation of human rights that will never win against the drug problem. And why they threw me into an absolutely overcrowded high-security prison for a ridiculous visa overstay was beyond me. Maybe someone had reported me for drugs, I wondered. That would have been absurd, but anything is possible in Thailand.

I had to spend 15 hours a day in the mass cell. When I had to go to the toilet, of which there were only four for every 100 prisoners, I was forced to step over all the bodies. It goes without saying that I kept touching people. Some of them became aggressive about it and threatened to beat me or even kill me. The prison guards are also tough. I saw with my own eyes how one of them rammed a pregnant woman in the stomach with a stun gun. I will never forget the guard’s evil grin.

The hard floor I had to sleep on caused me severe back pain. Sometimes I could only move slowly and in a bent position because of the pain. That was probably too slow for one of the guards, so he hit me with his stick. That cost me a tooth. Do you see the gap here? A souvenir from the Bangkok jail. Luckily I didn’t catch a nasty disease in there. I can still cope with the tooth, but tuberculosis? People were coughing everywhere. If one person gets really ill, they all do. Due to the lack of hygiene, tuberculosis, for example, is not uncommon. None of the prisoners are sent to hospital, and because they do not receive proper care, many of them die slowly and painfully.

Incidentally, the lights are not even switched off at night. You are in there under incessant torture. Most of the inmates have a skin off, which doesn’t surprise me given the terrible conditions, and without money you look particularly old. If you don’t have one, you are a slave to the other prisoners or the guards. Every inmate has a Bangkwang account. This money can be used to buy food and toiletries in the prison stores. With 30 to 40 euros a month, you are one of the rich. Fortunately, I was able to reach my wife after two weeks and after a few months I was out again. I had to leave the country immediately and am not allowed to enter for the next 10 years because of the visa overstay. My love and entire existence is in this country. In a few weeks, my wife will be visiting me in Cambodia. She would have to emigrate to be able to continue living with me. But she doesn’t want that because her two sons from her previous marriage live there. I understand that, but I’m sure you can imagine how desperate I am,’ he said. “An incredibly sad story. Even if drug dealers deserve their punishment, what the Dutchman told us puts Thailand in a completely different light. I hope for his sake that he gets his life back on track. In any case, this story shows us how dangerous it can be to overstay a visa. The real reason for your absence today was Ajaci’s vaccination certificate. Have you found a doctor who can confirm the European rabies vaccination so that we can enter Thailand with him without any problems?” “You won’t believe it, but I actually found a vet who is a bit more relaxed about the whole thing. I told her about our trip and she examined Ajaci. She also said that the vaccination certificate was completely in order, after which she stamped and signed the necessary exit document for us.” “Great! You’re a heroine. How you managed to do that again. Then we’ll pack our things and set off soon,” I say happily. “Angkor Wat here we come!” Tanja shouts with a laugh…

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