“4 Year Anniversary” And now eligible to transfer to a UK Prison

April 21st 2007 marked 4 years in a Thai prison for me.

No! There wasn’t any anniversary celebrations, no cake! No candles to blow out!

But 4 years here was a major stepping stone, as 4 years is the minimum term on my 33 year 6 month sentence that I must remain here, before being eligible to be considered for transfer to an English prison to serve out my 33 year 6 moth sentence, under the terms of the Thailand-England transfer treaty.

In fact my transfer papers were sent to the Home Office (H.O.) London in March in anticipation of the snails pace these Bureaucrats work at, hopefully to approve my transfer to England for this month April, and avoid being in this shit hole any longer than possible. Well April came and went with no news from the British Embassy here in Bangkok, who visit British prisoners imprisoned here every 6 weeks.

Actually that’s bollocks! There was news from the Embassy staff and it wasn’t good1 they told me they had sent transfer papers off to the Home Office London, for 2 other Brits wanting a transfer home, way back in September 2006, and now 7 months later! The British Embassy Bangkok is still waiting on their paperwork to be returned from the Home Office.

Sod this! I thought, because even once the paperwork is back, it’s still a lengthy process here in Thailand, having to go before a Thai Government Official Committee for their approval and then yet again back to the Home Office London for their approval and arrangements to be made for the transfer.

I quickly got letters off to family and friends to contact people with some clout, to start chasing and putting some pressure on the Home Office. These people included one family member, a 2nd cousin who above everybody else has been tireless in her efforts to help me and see justice done. (A very remarkable young lady, with a heart of gold!)

Others included Leicestershire Local MP’s and a remarkable man I now consider a true friend Mr. Eric McGraw author and managing editor of Inside Time (www.insidetime.org) Thank you! For all your efforts in supporting me and to get me home as soon as possible.

So the wheels are in motion! Lets see if these snail pace bureaucrats at the Home Office can get their arses in gear, with a few influential people pushing from my corner.

Since my first few weeks of imprisonment I had been led to believe and convinced myself, that it was indeed possible to be transferred out of here on my 4 years anniversary, or very close to it.

That very belief has “Almost” kept me sane in my darkest times here.

Now that time is here!, yet I now know it’s possible!

But at least that Dream/Belief served me well over those years. Shit!, where would we all be with no Dreams/Beliefs/Goals? It’s been the longest 4 years of my life and also my family’s lives sure. There were many times especially in the first 6 months of my imprisonment, that this point in time, this stepping stone seemed like an illusion, an oasis on the Horizon which was an impossibility to ever reach.