Brit tourist tells of Thai prison terror after beaten inmate died in his arms

[essox essox]

9 hours ago, Scouse123 said:

 

Why would he need a Visa when boarding in the UK when British nationals get 30 days visa exemption when they arrive at Bangkok?

just what i thought....when I came I got 30 days on arrival....so the poster of the comment does NOT know what he is saying.....

[dallen52]

23 hours ago, 300sd said:

The question is what kind of a country treats people this way? 

 

 

Err. Thailand. 

The land of Smiles. 

 

This is the Thailand that some unfortunately get to see.

Drugs, crack pipes, prostitution, bribery, beatings. 

And that is inside the prison. 

 

Regardless of what he did.

He was a over stay violator. 

He didn't kill anyone. 

Mow down people with a car.

He overstayed, obviously wanted to be here.

Just not in the lock up. 

[tgw]

23 hours ago, KhaoTan said:

If IDC knows these gangsters are picking on certain citizens such as US citizens they need to at least hold them separately.  The guy who died in his arms after being denied water and bullied by the gangs was 41 years old.  Here is his obituary. RIP. Obituary of Rickey McDonald  He was a guy who was educated and was loved, have some respect. 

did you spot the comment on that page, made 2 months ago, by Kai Isaacs?

"

 

Kai isaacs

says

Hello. Did Rickey pass whilst in the IDC in Bangkok?

"

https://milwardfuneral.com/obituaries/321-rickey-rick-eric-mcdonald

[Moo 2]

Don't kid yourself, on the surface it looks OK but this country still is the "Wilde East".

[Dogmatix]

On 11/19/2019 at 9:07 AM, BritManToo said:

Guy looks like a criminal.

And how come they let him board the flight in the UK with no VISA and no return ticket?

 

Odd that. All airlines have been asking to see return tickets or long stay visas for flights to Thailand for many years now because they have a problem if Thai immigration finds someone trying to enter without either. Pity for Kai he wasn’t denied boarding or denied entry by immigration but immigration rarely ask as they assume the airlines have done their job.

[Dogmatix]

The British Embassy knows very well what is going to happen to these overstayers without money, if they are arrested in country, but they always seem to advise them to turn themselves in. The best advice would be to do whatever it takes to get someone to wire out enough cash to buy a ticket (or book one for then online) and to pay the overstay fine and then get to the airport with enough time to be processed, fined and blacklisted before flying home free. The embassy knows it will be much harder for them to raise the money from prison. Why they want to trick these people into going to prison is beyond me.

[brewsterbudgen]

17 hours ago, mikeymike100 said:

You sound like an ultra left Clinton supporter. Tommy Robinson is not hard core right wing, he only looks that way to certain lefties.

I think you mean Corbyn, not Clinton!  I think your view of Tommy Robinson is very much in the minority (he didn't get many votes when stood for the EU parliament ????).

[Dogmatix]

The article starts off by saying Kai Isaacs is a British dad. Surely that implies he has some family in the UK who might have been willing to wire him some funds to save him from months of prison?

 

If you going on holiday and your only have 2,000 quid to cover your return flight and god knows what else why would go to the trouble of going to some dodgy remittance agency to send it to Thailand for you instead of just putting it in your pocket. Immigration officers have been known to ask travelers to show them they have enough money on them for the trip (plus return ticket). Presumably he didn’t have credit or debit card either.

 

Sounds like a deadbeat dad. Don’t suppose his poor kids are going to get really nice Christmas presents from him this year. What was he doing flying of to Thailand with no money instead of looking for a decent job in the UK to support his children. I don’t suppose his “girlfriend” in Pattaya was too happy when she found she had hooked a cheap Charlie farang. A real loser all round.

[Dogmatix]

Even though Kai Isaacs is clearly an idiot who was responsible for his own misfortune with some help from the consular section at the British Embassy, the article highlights the appalling conditions in the IDC where innocent children are also banged up with their mothers in the filthy women’s cell. Thai prisons are bad enough but there is at least some push for prison reform, however feeble. No one in Thailand takes up the cause of the IDC prisoners and the government doesn’t have any concerns of domestic criticism because they are not mistreating Thai  citizens. 
 

Funnily enough the only complaint I recall made by Thais about the IDC was that there is a risk of disease spreading from it because it is in the city center and concerns for officers who have to work there. They would be happier if it were moved to a remote island. Nothing will improve there unless foreign governments protest about it. The British government will certainly do that. They are too busy groveling to try to get crumbs of arms deals and actually encouraging British citizens to get incarcerated there unnecessarily.

[spidermike007]

This is a rather shocking story, that this guy would be put into the general prison population, for overstaying his visa. Come on. How big a crime is this, really? When compared to the crimes his cellmates committed. Downright barbaric, if you ask me. Deportation yes. Imprisonment? There are literally thousands who deserve prison, many of whom serve in the government and the army. But, this guy?

[Just Weird]

5 hours ago, No1 said:

10 hours ago, Just Weird said:

Nonsense.  What I said is not incorrect, international law forbids any country from banning entry to that country to it's own citizens!  No country can "foist" it's own citizens on any other country.

Right. But they might not issue a passport or other  travel documents. It is quite a common practice.

I know it's right.   The subject was a citizens right to entry to his own country, not the issuing of passports.

[traveller101]

On 11/19/2019 at 10:06 AM, Matzzon said:

 

Sure, stupidity and ignorance is always included in a crazy choice like that. It also seems that he was a very responsible father who fixed such a nice holiday away from his child.

More stupid people than the foreigners that comes to Thailand and overstay is hard to find. They should just build a mental hospital between the borders of Laos and Thailand, and shuffle them all in forever.

There are quite a number of OP's who have no issues with people on overstay spend months in subhuman conditions that allow somebody get beaten to death. But your valued contribution of declaring every person on overstay as mentally deranged and worthy of being locked up forever well and truly takes the cake. Ever heard of the adage that punishment should fit the crime?

It is one of the basic tenets of a civilised society, that the punishment should be proportionate with the crime.

IMO - and yes this is personal - you above anybody else should undergo a mental examination.

[Matzzon]

22 minutes ago, traveller101 said:

It is one of the basic tenets of a civilised society

Ok, then you are just saying that Thailand is not a civilized society. I do believe that most of the worlds experts and educated persons would disagree with you.

 

23 minutes ago, traveller101 said:

IMO - and yes this is personal - you above anybody else should undergo a mental examination.

???????????????????????????????????? Thanks for the advice Dr. Phil

[brewsterbudgen]

1 hour ago, spidermike007 said:

This is a rather shocking story, that this guy would be put into the general prison population, for overstaying his visa. Come on. How big a crime is this, really? When compared to the crimes his cellmates committed. Downright barbaric, if you ask me. Deportation yes. Imprisonment? There are literally thousands who deserve prison, many of whom serve in the government and the army. But, this guy?

He wasn't in a general prison.  He was detained in the Immigration Detention Centre.

[DannyCarlton]

56 minutes ago, traveller101 said:

IMO - and yes this is personal - you above anybody else should undergo a mental examination.

I think that anyone who believes this obviously fake story should undergo a mental examination.

[tingtongtourist]

“It was the worst three months of my life"

 

Callous to say, but its not meant to be a 4 star holiday.

 

Yes the conditions is to harsh but part of me must think if western gaols is like this than many will try harder to stay away from them.

At least the one who been there will think again before re-offending.

 

[FarangULong]

23 hours ago, StevieAus said:

I don’t know about the UK but it’s been established that in Australia many were “ economic refugees “

Last year a number who had been granted temporary protection visas were found to have been visiting the country they had allegedly fled out of fear

 Not just this, but there are a <deleted> ton of North Africans (Maghrebs, Berbers, etc. who aren't even Arabs but speak ARabic) who pose as Syrians.

 

Hell in fact there was a verified news story of a native German Army officer, who wanted to prove how easy it was: He simply crossed the border, claiming he had no papers, claimed he was Arab, but spoke English only to the authorities. I guess they were glad they didn't need a translator involved, so took all his info at face value. Long story short, he was APPROVED for Syrian War Refugee status. And there have been confirmed stories of Immigration Center workers simply approving without checking the information of the applicant, to work off their pile, and some admitted to doing it out of "pity", even for economic migrants. It was two rather big scandals.

 

Only naive idiots think that huge wave in 2015 (and the many others before and since) were actual war refugees. And even some Syrians fled from areas where there a) hasn't been fighting in years b) never was any to begin with or c) simply to dodge mandatory military service ( I know one personally, but at least he is trying to get a real visa- he is still in Syria -, rather than just come here and scream "ASYLUM"). Yes, some of them were. But they should stop in the first safe country they reach, and then it is up to the rest to decide how to spread them out, not for them to pick and choose where they get the best <deleted>. We've had asylum homes vandalized and small riots, because they didn't have free w lan and <deleted> like that. More and more gang rapes of minors (just this week another article of a FOURTEEN year old girl gang raped, two days later one of a 20 something year old woman, not so long ago a case of a 15 year old getting gang raped and the whole thing filmed on mobile phones etc). Women as old as 70 were raped. It's almost like the Red ARmy has come back (age gap wise)....

 

Of course not all of them are like that, but htey have no right to pick and choose where to go, if they really are just fleeing war. And they should return, as soon as it is safe to do so where they are from, that is how we help them and their country best. Not by importing them all.

 

And there needs to be more balance, not just a <deleted> ton of military aged males with stone age views and ballsacks filled to the brim.

 

Seriously, some people are so far removed from what's happening, that they're walking through life with rose-coloured glasses on non stop...

[philba]

8 hours ago, Dogmatix said:

The British Embassy knows very well what is going to happen to these overstayers without money, if they are arrested in country, but they always seem to advise them to turn themselves in. The best advice would be to do whatever it takes to get someone to wire out enough cash to buy a ticket (or book one for then online) and to pay the overstay fine and then get to the airport with enough time to be processed, fined and blacklisted before flying home free. The embassy knows it will be much harder for them to raise the money from prison. Why they want to trick these people into going to prison is beyond me.

Handing yourself in is a "last resort" attempt to reduce the financial burden of getting out of the country, as the overstay fine is waived if you voluntarily surrender to IDC, so you just need the money for your flight.

 

[sniggie]

9 hours ago, essox essox said:

just what i thought....when I came I got 30 days on arrival....so the poster of the comment does NOT know what he is saying.....

Most (or many?) airlines operating out of London now check for a return flight or a visa. Without either you will have difficulty boarding.

[philba]

1 hour ago, sniggie said:

Most (or many?) airlines operating out of London now check for a return flight or a visa. Without either you will have difficulty boarding.

We went back to the UK in August to visit family and friends and when we checked in at the Sri Lankan desk at Heathrow, they asked for return tickets.

 

When we explained we lived in Bangkok, we were then asked for visas and had to point out our extension stamps and explain how it all worked.

 

The airlines are tightening up because THEY are the ones who have to return you to your home country at THEIR OWN expense, if you are refused entry into your destination country.

[overherebc]

1 hour ago, philba said:

Handing yourself in is a "last resort" attempt to reduce the financial burden of getting out of the country, as the overstay fine is waived if you voluntarily surrender to IDC, so you just need the money for your flight.

 

Don't go near IDC, worst advice ever.

Get to the airport with a ticket and 20,000 baht and you will pay the 20,000 and get on the plane with a blacklist stamp.

If someone wires you the cash you're good to go.

If you're a begpacker ask whoever sends/wires the cssh to add a thousand or two for a shower and clean underwear. You might have to sit beside someone on the plane.

[Dogmatix]

14 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

This is a rather shocking story, that this guy would be put into the general prison population, for overstaying his visa. Come on. How big a crime is this, really? When compared to the crimes his cellmates committed. Downright barbaric, if you ask me. Deportation yes. Imprisonment? There are literally thousands who deserve prison, many of whom serve in the government and the army. But, this guy?

Agreed. He was put in the general prison population in Pattaya for the crime of not being able to pay off his overstay fine. Then he was put into the IDC which not the general prison population because it is only for foreigners who have overstayed, although conditions are orobabaly a lot worse than in the general T Yai prison population.

[NoComment]

This guy has exaggerated his story for the sole purpose of making money from the newspaper.

If it was as bad as he is portraying there would be thousands of other stories and photos and books regarding IDC.

Imaging what this guy would be crying about had he been in the "Bangkok Hilton" or another of Thailands "real" jail!?

[0815]

On 11/19/2019 at 9:05 AM, sunnyboy2018 said:

Read the story https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2019/11/18/american-man-rickey-eric-mcdonald-death-thai-immigration-detention-facility-bangkok-fbi-uk-kai-isaacs/

Why did he come on a one way ticket ?
Why he didn't apply for a tourist visa before he left to Thailand ?
Was it his last money ?
Something wrong with his "story"?

[Speedhump]

On 11/19/2019 at 9:07 AM, BritManToo said:

Guy looks like a criminal.

And how come they let him board the flight in the UK with no VISA and no return ticket?

 

"Looks like a criminal". I can hardly believe I read that. 

[overherebc]

On 11/21/2019 at 1:15 AM, Dogmatix said:

Agreed. He was put in the general prison population in Pattaya for the crime of not being able to pay off his overstay fine. Then he was put into the IDC which not the general prison population because it is only for foreigners who have overstayed, although conditions are orobabaly a lot worse than in the general T Yai prison population.

Yes, they are worse.

[overherebc]

5 hours ago, overherebc said:

Yes, they are worse.

@ScotBkk

 

IDC is more over crowded and has the porential for more violence than Thai prisons.

[JackGats]

Isn't the IDC the Immigration Detention Center, not the International Detention Center? Conditions not worse than in a Thai "normal" prison for criminals for sure. To begin with visiting an inmate in a "normal" prison is much more of a hassle.

[Solinvictus]

On 11/19/2019 at 9:07 AM, BritManToo said:

Guy looks like a criminal.

And how come they let him board the flight in the UK with no VISA and no return ticket?

 

What if you took off the facial hair? Would that help him look 'pretty'? ????

[armadillo215]

On 11/19/2019 at 8:59 AM, Vacuum said:

Question is why did he do it? Ignorance, stupidity?

What difference does that make??? He is talking about what he saw...