“Spirit lifted”, family visit from UK 2007
For once readers!, luck was well and truly on our side. My 2nd cousin Carla is arriving to visit me on 3 consecutive days July 3rd, 4th and 5th. This surely is FATE readers, as the timing of Carla’s visit is purely coincidental and not only that, but Carla for the past 4 years has been my Legal Advisor, (almost a fully qualified solicitor now)
This truly remarkable young lady is surely destined to go all the way to the top in what ever field of Law she chooses to specialise in. The legal side of my imprisonment here and all English citizens held in Thai Prisons is a very complex issue which intricates and invalidates many of the UK Governments Laws and Policy in departments such as the Foreign Commonwealth office (F.C.O.) the Home office (H.O.) in areas such as the bilateral Prisoner Transfer Treaty the UK has with Thailand, the policy towards supporting clemency pleas made by British Nationals in Thailand, the way a returned British National’s sentence is administered once back in England.
All these UK Government Policies by the F.C.O. and H.O. are flawed and manifestly unjust and a serious breach of human rights.
Virtually single handed Carla has stood alone doing battle with the F.C.O. and H.O., corresponding, liasoning with countless organizations and people to “High Light” and bring about a change to the breach of human rights.
Carla has put in thousands of working hours, all of her own time and her own expense, so often putting aside her own personal life before the sake of others.
The burden she has lifted from mine and my parents and indeed my wife’s shoulders is immense!!, sure she’s my family and close friend, but her crusade is not for me and my family alone!
It’s for all the British Citizens held in Thai Prisons and all the families, and loved ones of those prisoners held here.
How Carla’s managed to do all this while holding down a full time Job at the Leicestershire solicitors firm and also attending University is just incredible really, as our cause alone is almost a full time Job in it self.
The impossible time frame they had served on us to lodge Lek’s appeal to her visa refusal last month (just 28 days from June 14th) was now possible with Carla’s arrival!.
It was impossible for me to post the necessary documents and statements needed from me with the snails pace the prison system works at! (Again as stated in April and May 2007 news letter)
So many visitors got out for me quick messages by phone, email and fax to Carla and my family all concerning Lek’s appeal, Gale Baily of the British Womans Group, a regular visitor and supporter to many British prisoners here helped immensely as she always does! An incredible lady in her own right, who’s time and generosity is virtually all taken up with various charities and so many worthy causes, and she still finds time for a laugh and a drink or 2? A great sense of humor has our Gale. Like Carla how she finds the time to do all the good she does is beyond me “Cheers Gale”!!.
Kate Dufall (Pro Consul) of the British Embassy also, went beyond the call of duty and did all she could possibly do with correspondence to my family and took the time to write numerous letters of explanation concerning my situation and proposed transfer Thank you kindly Kate! Most Appreciated!!
Jeff Mitchell and Tanada also of the British Embassy, thank you both for all your help now and in the past 4 years or more!!
“I aint a bad Lad really”!!
To everybody who helped and wished us well Thank you!!.
My mum was up and down like a yo yo getting this document and that from Banks, Lawyers, Employers etc. etc. typing this letter and that! Mum and Dad were both outstanding as always!, I have the best parents a son could ever dream of.
There’s many more people as well, who all helped and Thank You all!
Information concerning Lek’s ground for appeal was changing daily and very often by the hour, with information coming in from so many different people, it was chaotic! For Carla especially as she was constantly amending and coordinating it all, preparing the final appeal grounds to be submitted.
A massive team effort by all!, Shit!, I am so lucky to have so many genuine people as my friends, who can all be counted on times of crisis! Thank you all, with all my heart!
Carla I know your gonna read these news letters and think I am over the top calling you my guardian angel, but from where I sit now, you most definitely are, and have been for a long time, just that my guardian angel.
To conclude readers! Leks appeal is now all submitted, Carla tore to shreds all the refusal grounds, and an even bigger mountain of paperwork supporting Lek’s visa has all been submitted.
The appeal now goes back to the original Entry Clearance officer in
The officer has up until
Let’s hope it don’t come to that, as there is a huge back-log of appeals waiting to be heard there, and who knows how long that will take.
On Carla’s visit we went over the final details of the appeal and I was able to pass over to her the last of the documents and vice-versa. Readers! Keep your fingers crossed for us and a few prayers wouldn’t go a miss
Anybody with a voo-doo doll out there! “Stick pins in the doll copy of Mr. Entry Clearance officer”, to torture him into giving us this visa! Stick them where it hurts most readers!
June and July were very traumatic!, I’ve settled down quite a bit and I am sleeping a little more soundly, but with Lek’s visa still hanging in the balance, so much riding on this decision, days and nights are very long.
I am always waiting on something here, always in a state of worry over this or that. (Endless Limbo)
The hands of a clock sure! turn slower inside a prison than out!
The month’s page of a calendar seems to go un-turned for 2 months! Well!, what of Carla’s visit, you must be thinking!
Firstly Carla didn’t come alone!, Ollie her long term partner was with her. “Top bloke is Ollie” and the genuine article like Carla. Also there was Anthony. Carla’s younger brother, Shit!, I envied him only 16 years old and experiencing
Anthony if you didn’t manage to escape from the protective watchful eye of your older sister some nights to sample the true delights! of
Sorry Ollie!, you’re tied to Carla and I’ve too much respect for Carla, so you will have to stay home!
My parents had also, very generously booked and paid for Lek and Oak and my Mother in Law, all to stay at the same hotel in
Tues, Wed and Thursday were 3 incredible happy days of almost 2 hours every morning of visits. Just seeing them all together like that, was such an amazing feeling for me.
I could only talk to one person at a time over the phone, so it was all a bit chaotic jumping from one person to the next for 2 hours.
WOW! It was so good to see them all!, I can’t put into words the enormous lift a visit such as this doe’s for my spirit.
Young Anthony was so good with “The little Terrorist” (Oak), they really took to each other, playing and joking around, yet neither of them spoke a word of the same Language.
(Ollie was also just as good with Oak). Oak as always was his ever so hypo active self; he can’t sit for more than a few seconds. I had to laugh when he dumped a plastic bag containing 2 live land crabs he had caught some where in the visiting area, almost on Carla’s lap, “she didn’t half jump”!
Lek my wife looked happier than I had seen her in a long time, her and Carla really got on so well together, despite the obvious Language barriers.
My Mother in Law is always very shy around foreigners, having met none apart from the few times my family have visited. She’s a real traditional country lady, just visiting a city such as
But in all these years, she’s never been critical of me, only fully supportive and ever so attentive to Oaks every need. A dream Mother in Law if ever one existed.
All 5 people were kept busy running this way and that after Oak! Shit! He don’t half have some energy!!
Everything went just so smoothly!, Carla, Ollie, Anthony, you were all fantastic and I fully appreciate the sacrifice you all made by spending half your well earned holiday in the stinking heat and pollution of Bangkok, when you all could have been on the sandy beaches of the island, Koh Samui.
You all went out of your way so much for us all, and it went a long way in making Lek and her mum and of course Oak all feel truly part of our English side of the family, sincerely grateful to you all.
One day when I am on the other side of these bars, nothing would give me greater pleasure than repaying your kindness with my kindness.
After 3 beautiful days of visits you left me in higher spirits than I’ve ever been in the past 4 years plus.
There was more spirit lifting the week later, when Eric McGraw dropped into visit me on his return from
A true gentleman is Eric in every sense, a humanitarian fighting for injustice. We had a great visit together and he also left me in high spirits. With a promise once back in England he would push the F.C.O> London, to adopt the same policy as Australia and New Zealand who support their citizens clemency pleas to the King of Thailand, once that prisoner had served a term of imprisonment equal to that what he or she would have been given in their home country.
Indebted to you Eric!, and I hope to see you in
Always nice to finish on a high and some hope for better things to come!? Hey readers?
By the way, is anybody still reading these news letters since I took over? Drop me a line if there is anybody reading them, feel free to be as critical as you like, all comments good or bad welcome, new ideas, questions you want answering, I am your man!
Until next time! Enjoy everyday as if it’s your last! “Well Almost”!
Good night readers Steve Willcox
P.S. Don’t worry, where there’s a will, there’s a way and my will is stronger than ever to be re-united with my family
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Like all of us, my favourite time of year is holiday time and this year was no exception. Having spent the last few months counting down, finally we were on our way back to
After 12 hours on a plane, we finally arrive in
We had made plans to meet Lek and Oak at our hotel and before we knew it was Monday morning 8am. A knock at the door – Lek and Oak are here!
As always, Oak pretends to be all shy when you first meet him, but it doesn’t take him more than a few hours to be dragging us off to where he wants to go.
We decided not visit Bangkwang on Monday and instead spent the day at the zoo with Lek and Oak. Fortunately, the monkey capturer was not around that day, or else Oak may have not made it out! We had a fantastic day and everyone enjoyed it. Oak was a little upset when he couldn’t stop the zoo train and go to the children’s playground, although this must have been the only time that he didn’t get his own way! He soon forgot about it when he found some poor kitten to throw around (as you can see in the photo). Unfortunately that night Oak wouldn’t let his mum come out with us. Hold on Lek, who is in charge round here?
Tuesday morning 6am up bright and early for 3 days of prison visits. After finding a taxi driver that would allow 6 of us to travel in it and an hour drive, we are back again at Bangkwang. Despite the impersonal nature of the two panes off glass, one set of bars and the meter gap separating us and Steve, we can all see how happy Steve Lek and Oak are to see each other. Steve still managed to spoil Oak by giving him (via the guards of course) a cuddly toy Paddington bear. Oak spent the remainder of the visit trying to pull off poor Paddington’s clothes, despite them being sewn firmly on! Poor bear! Oak initially couldn’t keep still long enough to have a real conversation with is dad but this soon changes and there’s no stopping the little chatterbox. What Oak makes of this all (not speaking a word of English) I don’t know. We did teach him to say “monkey” – very appropriate!
When Oak wasn’t talking to his dad, he made his presence well known and even found two poor innocent crabs to torment and throw at us! And when he was tempted to miss-behave, his grandma soon showed him who was boss. One look at the stick she was carrying and he was knocked back into shape (don’t worry the stick wasn’t actually used)!
All our visits went well. Although I have to say I did become a little frustrated when I tried to take in a copy of Maxim (the August issue that Steve starred in). It was worth a try! What amazed me the most (although I am not sure why being in Thailand after all with their inconsistent rules) the guard took his time studying the magazine content and then told me I couldn’t take it in due to the photos. OK fine, but I am sure you could tell what was inside from the photo on the front! Oh well I just posted the part in that needed to get to Steve. It made it in the end.
Having tired Oak out on Tuesday we finally managed to take Lek out. I think she deserves a night out once in a while, although having been up at
Wednesday arrives too soon. It was our final full day with Lek and Oak. By now Oak has taken very well to my brother
After the visit we went into the prison shop to get Steve a few bits and bobs. In walks Oak scanning the shop and then grabs the item that he wants (or should I say doesn’t really want) but wants to buy. Although Lek does try to take the item off him, he clutches on for his life and Lek soon gives in. Oak gets his own way again!
On our final night with Lek and Oak, we try and take Lek out again. But just as we go to leave the hotel, Oak with Grandma in tow, comes down the hotel stairs in his pink PJs crying. He isn’t letting Lek go anywhere. So rather than make poor Lek stay in again, we take Oak and his Grandma with us for a night out in
Before we know it Thursday is here and our final visit with Steve is about to end. We all wave goodbye - sad times. And then its time for Lek and Oak to leave. Saying goodbye to Lek and Oak is always the saddest part of our holiday. We all had such a great time with them. There are always tears (although we save these for when they have left). We had hoped to bring Lek and Oak back with us this year, but the immigration authorities put a stop on that. As if Steve and Lek haven’t had enough bad luck. But soon we will all be reunited and we are all counting down the days. We don’t give up that easy!
Thanks Lek and Oak for another great few days in
Carla.
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