The Last Executioner

by Chavoret Jaruboon

  At 2.30pm prison officers at Klong Prem Prison were instructed to gather all their spare spotlights and torches and bring them to Bang Kwang. We had to prepare for the fact that the situation was going to continue into the night. Klong Prem was also hosting its Visiting Day and, like us, would have rented out a lot of electrical equipment for the occasion. Some of our officers were appointed official recorders of the proceedings. They were to take photos and film the riot scene. Then we heard a big commotion as a large group from Wing 5 tried to break into Wing 2 for some fresh recruits. One of the guards fired a warning shot from the 7-storey security tower, which sent the group running back to 5.

  At 3pm medical staff arrived at the prison. The Ministry of Interior had requested the hospital in Nonthaburi to send over doctors and nurses just in case. Hundreds of onlookers had now gathered at the prison gates to watch the scene unfold. Police had cleared and closed the roads around Bang Kwang for about 3km. The town had come to a stand still. The prisoners became more and more agitated when it seemed that they were not going to get to talk to any of the officials that they had requested meeting. They resumed their chanting of ‘No amnesty? We would rather die.’ It was hoped that they might start to get bored or realise the fruitlessness of their actions. Then at approximately 4.30pm the Vice-Director-General took a chance and got on the megaphone. He implored the prisoners to stop the riot and return to their cells. In response we heard the ring leaders tell the men to ignore the official request and continue on shouting their demands.

  However his words did achieve something. Inmates from Wings 1, 2 and 3 ceased trying to join the others and allowed themselves to be locked back into their cells. The inmates from 4, 5 and 6 were most definitely the reckless ones. They were not going to listen to reason any time soon and kept busy in their attempts to climb the adjoining walls between the three wings. Some of the shackled prisoners—those on death row or those who had broken house rules—were trying to get rid of their chains. They were using crow bars to crack them open. This was to be expected, as no man wants to be shackled—he can’t take off his shorts and it’s harder to complete his daily routine.

  At 4.50pm the Vice-Director-General thought to try his luck again. He had officers install amplifiers at the security tower and he climbed up on to the fort with his megaphone to beseech the rioters to calm down and stop destroying prison property. Again they ignored him, and merely countered his request with a demand for food and drink to be sent to Wing 6.

  ***

  Tew makes another appearance into the story at this point. A few of the women were asked to set up a food stall across the road from the prison to cater for the extra staff and the families who didn’t want to leave their loved ones behind until they were sure they were safe. She told me all about it later with great excitement and pride. I’m almost sure that I had to sit through many intricate details about the recipes and ingredients used, and the number of serving plates needed, before she would let me tell her my experiences of the day.

  ‘Some police and prison officers hadn’t had a chance to eat lunch so we were frantically cooking our butts off for literally hundreds of uniforms. We also had to feed the officers who were stationed on the security and watch towers. We placed the food in plastic bags and a rope was lowered down from the tower. The bag was tied to the rope and away it went. In the evening the Bang Kwang authorities asked the Por Tek Teung Foundation to give us a hand. They helped us cook rice and simple dishes, and distributed it to the officers and medical staff. We also cooked and packed up food for the prisoners.’

  Seven hours had passed now and there was no sign that the riot was subsiding. All day we just urged the prisoners to be calm and reasonable but as the hours passed their arrogance grew. It was very frustrating for the prison guards; we knew all the men and couldn’t understand why they were insisting on seeing this to a potentially bitter end. They didn’t seem to realise the seriousness of their actions. They booed any of the suits who tried to talk to them. First they would pretend to be listening and nodding in agreement and then some fools at the back would start making farting noises and that would be that. They also had a great laugh making fun of us prison guards. They entertained one another by imitating us giving orders, which cracked them up no end. They even had the neck to bum cigarettes off me when I was sending in their food, which I found exasperating.

  They had probably expected us to physically react hours earlier and perhaps they thought that if we hadn’t by now we were not going to storm the prison. They were given umpteen chances throughout the day to end their protest but they had refused each time. The Director of the Royal Thai Police was keeping the Prime Minister General Prem Tinsoolanon informed with regular updates. The bosses retired to have another meeting to discuss what to do next.

  I was on the seventh floor of the tower and had a perfect view of all the activity outside on the street, and I was starting to fret. There was a huge crowd milling around all abuzz with chat and gesture. I almost wished I could join the party; at least they could just sit back and watch without worry or responsibility.

  I could just make out Tew feverishly ladling rice on to plate after plate. She and her colleagues worked at break-neck speed as if they were on a mission. Their sweating faces looked grim but I knew they were probably enjoying every minute of it. The smell of fried food was rife in the air and making me hungry.

  Every Thai TV station must have sent out a crew to cover the event. Each team jostled with the crowd to get closest to the entrance, though how they could make themselves heard over the noise was beyond me. The prisoners continued with their megaphone-tirades against Bank Kwang, the prison officers and the politicians. This last one struck a particular chord with the crowd and I watched in horror as the hundreds of onlookers started to nod their heads in agreement and, worse than that, clap their hands in approval.

  What on earth was going to happen next? Had we left it too late—should we not have tried to break the riot this morning? If the general public decided to support rioting criminals then our problem had just got severely worse.

  It was starting to get dark. The Superintendent told the prison officers that we were not to leave Bang Kwang and asked us to be extra vigilant in case the prisoners attempted an escape under the cover of darkness. I briefly wondered how much this was going to cost the government for all our over-time but I didn’t really care if it ran into thousands of baht. It wasn’t really my concern. I just wanted it to end peacefully. If I was tired at 10 that morning, I was utterly exhausted now. My back and neck ached and I dreamt about taking a long hot bath. Tew would want one too, I thought to myself, so she’d better be done before I got home, whenever that would be. It had been a hot day and I felt grubby and smelly.

  More armed police and officers arrived to station themselves along the prison’s walls. An escape attempt appeared almost inevitable at this point; I mean, what else would they want to do? There couldn’t be much food left and if they weren’t afraid to die for their demands then they would surely think that they might as well try to get out. The biggest worry was that, just beyond the prison wall, were the homes of ordinary people who would be in great danger if any of the hardliners escaped.

  Certainly the journalists were getting bored of the status quo and hoped that something else would happen. Some press photographers had climbed into the coconut trees that lined the street. They perched on branches clutching the trunks of the trees and their cameras to their chest. Their chums stood on the ground asking them what they could see. Inmates waved their banners at the cameras and a few of them were trying to engage in dialogue through the windows. Other reporters had climbed onto the roofs of nearby buildings. The gates were covered by the TV cameras—how many people throughout the country were watching my place of work?

  At 5.40pm the suits’ meeting ended and General Narong Mahanon of the Royal Thai Police approached the pleading TV crews to give an int
erview. He looked relaxed and confidant.

  ‘The incident is under control. Some of the prisoners are still gathered in their groups. We are looking into their demands but of course a mass amnesty cannot be granted at any old time. It is up to the government and is especially dependent on His Majesty’s mercy.’

  One of the journalists asked about extra security measures undertaken by the prison. General Narong nodded his head as if to say ‘that’s a good question’, and replied:

  ‘We have a substantial force made up of police officers from the Crime Suppression Division and military police from the Air Force, along with the prison officers, so there are plenty of us’.

  Another journalist asked the General had he entered into any negotiations with the prisoners. He shook his head.

  ‘No I haven’t but I believe they want to meet the Minister of the Interior, which would be a waste of their time. They should know that he cannot speed up the process of mass amnesty any more than I can.’

  The first journalist asked what the plan was if the inmates refused to co-operate and return to their cells. The General smiled gravely.

  ‘That depends on a number of things. But we are prepared for any possible actuality.’

  The journalist persisted in his line of questioning, asking what would we do if the prisoners attempted to break out of the prison. The General paused and everyone waited.

  ‘Well, if that were to happen we would not have any choice but to react as firmly as possible for the safety of everyone here.’

  Another journalist asked the General if he had any idea how long the riot was going to be allowed to continue. Again the General tried to remain vague and answered simply.

  ‘That depends.’

  The journalist then asked if he could identify the ring leaders but the General refused to name the men just yet. He did, however, assure the TV cameras that he knew exactly who they were. When asked if he or the prison staff had had any inclination that a riot was planned he replied, ‘Maybe.’

  Still hoping for more specific information a journalist asked him if he expected the riot to get worse. The General looked unconcerned as he answered:

  ‘I cannot say if or when it is going to get any worse but what I will say is that we have enough men to suppress the protest. If the situation developed into something we couldn’t control—and I doubt that sincerely—we would receive immediate support from the army and the air force.’

  Someone else asked if he though that a political motive was behind the protest, to which the General replied with a definite ‘no’. To the question of whether the riot would affect future Visiting Days the General said that he hoped not, but that ultimately the decision rested with the Minister of Interior.

  ***

  At 6pm we were joined by dozens more armed police officers and commandos. The officers from the Crime Suppression Division dragged in big boxes of bullets with them. It felt a little like we were going to war.

  While this was going on the prisoners in Wing 6 had put up pictures of His and Her Majesty on the wall and gathered together to sing the national anthem. The national anthem is usually played twice a day on the radio throughout Thailand at 8 in the morning and 6 in the evening and everyone stops what they are doing to stand to attention. I assumed the prisoners wanted to prove their loyalty to the Royal Family and their patriotism, but perhaps the words of our anthem held a particular relevance for their situation.

  Thailand is the unity of Thai blood and body.

  The whole country belongs to the Thai people, maintaining thus far for the Thai.

  All Thais intend to unite together.

  Thais love peace, but do not fear to fight.

  They will never let anyone threaten their independence.

  They will sacrifice every drop of their blood to contribute to the nation; will serve their country with pride and prestige-full of victory.

  Later on Sanid Rujinarong, Director-General of the DOC, also gave an interview. The public had to acknowledge that we were doing our utmost for a peaceful outcome. Also, the prisoners had a TV in their wing so it was a prime opportunity to make a subtle appeal to them. Mr Rujinarong told the journalists:

  ‘I have met the prisoners’ elected representative. They want amnesty but I have explained that this demand cannot be immediately met. There are a lot of steps involved in an amnesty request. However I have passed on their request to the Minister of Interior so it is his decision to make.’

  When he was asked for more information about the riot he obliged, ‘There are over two thousand inmates partaking in this riot. We believe that over 80% of these have been pressured into joining it out of fear. Possible only 200 inmates are serious rioters and these would be probably the prison’s worst offenders.’

  He gave a press conference afterwards at the Visiting Day administrative centre which was opposite Klong Prem prison and stated that the protest and disobedience would only be tolerated until the following day. He was disappointed in the inmates’ behaviour and felt that they were not really in a position to be making demands. He also was not happy with their choice of representative. He continued by emphasising the tolerance shown by the authorities up to now, which nobody could argue against.

  ‘So far the media has witnessed how well the DOC has treated the inmates despite their inciting and pushing us to strike back. We have provided them with the chance to rehabilitate and clean up their act. They can better themselves through our distance education program with Sukhothai Thammathirat University in Nonthaburi and through our vocation training program. And this is how they repay us. They are fed and clothed and protected from themselves. Not everyone is lucky enough to get a second chance.’

  The man was visibly pissed off.

  Back at the prison we had cut off the electricity into the troubled wings. When it got dark, the inmates built small bonfires which they sat around and then sang songs to one another. It was if they thought they were out camping in the woods for a weekend. Did they really know what they were getting themselves into? Was any one of them stopping to wonder about the possible consequences of all of this? I suppose if they weren’t allowing themselves to look too far ahead, this would have been a welcome break in the tedium that is a prisoner’s lot in life. The rioters included the worst graded inmates and they did not share the same freedom as the others. Not only could they not receive visitors but they were not allowed to walk around Bang Kwang. Keeping angry men cooped up all day against their will creates a pressure point which is waiting to explode. Only the inmates at Wing 4 were permitted to leave their wing daily to work in the vocational training area.

  It was completely dark at 9pm; I couldn’t see my hand in front of my face. A large truck with spotlights was driven into the prison ground to help the officers’ visibility. About an hour later there was a black Mercedes at the prison gates—Veera Musikpong, the Deputy Minister of Interior had arrived. Another meeting with just the officials was called.

  On his way out of the prison he stopped to answer a few questions. He was very businesslike and told the cameras:

  ‘Everything is now under control. The protesters have scattered and are no longer making any trouble.’

  When he was asked how he thought the riot was going to end he replied that he had absolute confidence in the officers to handle the situation. There was no need for him to involve himself any further in personally addressing the prisoners. He echoed the other interviewees by saying that the amnesty process was a lengthy one so there was no point in creating all this trouble. He hoped that the situation would soon be resolved; however, he warned that if it wasn’t, the officers had a job to do, which meant ending the riot as quickly and definitely as possible. The prisoners were to take from his words—if they were watching—that this wouldn’t be the best option for them.

  We next turned off the water to Wings 4, 5 and 6. It di
dn’t seem to have any obvious effect. The inmates appeared to be having a big party and continued in their clambering across the adjoining walls, shouting and whooping like crazy people. They obviously were not as tired as I was. Frisking the relatives that morning seemed like an eternity ago. It was almost midnight and I was sure that it was just a matter of time before we made our move. I have to say that I wondered at the leniency shown to the rioters. I might not have tolerated them for this long had I been in charge, but then Tew has always accused me of being too hasty. I was angry now; these trouble-makers were preventing me from being at home with my family. The job was tough enough without this. The prisoners did not understand that they were not in a position to make demands of our government officials. This was not the way to promote healthy dialogue. Protesting for a mass amnesty was one thing; wantonly breaking house rules was another thing entirely. All it did was piss the superiors off, they would never achieve anything this way. They had refused to enter into proper negotiations with any of my superiors, so intent were they on seeing the Minister of Interior. Surely they knew that if we couldn’t talk to them we had only one other alternative. If I wasn’t so mad at them I might have felt sorry for them and their ignorance. I did truly hope that there wouldn’t be a bloody ending—but time was running out.