Bangkwang
Encyclopedia
Bang Kwang Central Prison is a men's prison
in Nonthaburi Province
, Thailand
, located at the Chao Phraya River
about 7 miles north of Bangkok
.
, former prisoner and drug courier Warren Fellows
recounts that the prison was nicknamed "Big Tiger" by the Thais because it "prowled and ate". Fellows's associate Paul Hayward
also served part of his sentence here.
Prisoners receive one bowl of rice in vegetable soup each day. Other food must be purchased from the prison canteen. The prison works on a chit
system. Each prisoner has an account with the canteen. Poor prisoners do chores for wealthier prisoners and prison guards to earn money for food. Some British and Lebanese prisoners receive extra money per month from charities. The British Embassy also provides food and vitamins for their prisoners. Prisoners are provided with cooking facilities and gas for the stoves is provided by the prison.
Thai prisoners used to be served red rice, "Khao Daeng" foreign prisoners white rice. This has been abolished as it was seen as discrimination. All prisoners are now served white rice. (Source "Bangkok Post" 16 April 2007)
In 2004 there were nine British prisoners in Bangkwang, including Michael Connell, serving a 99 year sentence (commuted from the death sentence and later reduced to 30 years) for smugging 3,400 ecstacy tablets and Andrew Hawke, serving a 50-year sentence for smuggling heroin.
: Bangkok, as one of the jobs under the Criminal tier (Pay Off The Guards At Bangkwang Prison) where one has to choose between the Triad and the Yakuza
factions.
In the episode "Great Space Roaster
" from American Dad!
, Roger is placed by Stan in Bang Kwang. His prison cell is placed deep underwater and surrounded by mines. However, Roger eventually escapes on a raft made out of the guards.
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
in Nonthaburi Province
Nonthaburi Province
Nonthaburi is one of the central provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, Pathum Thani, Bangkok and Nakhon Pathom....
, Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, located at the Chao Phraya River
Chao Phraya River
The Chao Phraya is a major river in Thailand, with its low alluvial plain forming the centre of the country. It runs through Bangkok, the capital city, and then empties into the Gulf of Thailand.-Etymology:...
about 7 miles north of Bangkok
Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
.
History
The prison houses many foreign prisoners. It is a harsh prison which handles death row and long-sentence prisoners. All prisoners are required to wear leg irons for the first three months of their sentences. Death row inmates have their leg irons permanently welded on. In the book The Damage DoneThe Damage Done
The Damage Done is a book by Australian Warren Fellows. It portrays his time in the notorious Bangkwang prison, nicknamed "Big Tiger". Fellows was sententenced to life imprisonment in 1978, convicted of heroin trafficking between Bangkok, Thailand and Australia....
, former prisoner and drug courier Warren Fellows
Warren Fellows
Warren Fellows is a former Australian drug courier who was sentenced to life imprisonment in Thailand in 1978 for his role in a heroin trafficking operation that took place from Perth to Bangkok.-Early life:...
recounts that the prison was nicknamed "Big Tiger" by the Thais because it "prowled and ate". Fellows's associate Paul Hayward
Paul Hayward
Paul Hayward was a former professional rugby league player and boxer who played for the Newtown Jets between 1973 and 1978. Hayward had been selected to represent Australia as a boxer at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal...
also served part of his sentence here.
Prisoners receive one bowl of rice in vegetable soup each day. Other food must be purchased from the prison canteen. The prison works on a chit
Chit Fund
A Chit fund is a kind of savings scheme practiced in India. A Chit fund company means a company managing, conducting or supervising, as foremen, agent or in any other capacity, chits as defined in Section 2 of the Chit Funds Act, 1982...
system. Each prisoner has an account with the canteen. Poor prisoners do chores for wealthier prisoners and prison guards to earn money for food. Some British and Lebanese prisoners receive extra money per month from charities. The British Embassy also provides food and vitamins for their prisoners. Prisoners are provided with cooking facilities and gas for the stoves is provided by the prison.
Thai prisoners used to be served red rice, "Khao Daeng" foreign prisoners white rice. This has been abolished as it was seen as discrimination. All prisoners are now served white rice. (Source "Bangkok Post" 16 April 2007)
In 2004 there were nine British prisoners in Bangkwang, including Michael Connell, serving a 99 year sentence (commuted from the death sentence and later reduced to 30 years) for smugging 3,400 ecstacy tablets and Andrew Hawke, serving a 50-year sentence for smuggling heroin.
Popular culture
The prison is featured in the popular simulation game Mafia WarsMafia Wars
Mafia Wars is a multiplayer Social network game created by Zynga.In Mafia Wars the gamers play as gangsters building their own mafia. The players fight other players online and complete tasks to gain rewards and strength in the game. The game is a freemium game, meaning it is free to play normally...
: Bangkok, as one of the jobs under the Criminal tier (Pay Off The Guards At Bangkwang Prison) where one has to choose between the Triad and the Yakuza
Yakuza
, also known as , are members of traditional organized crime syndicates in Japan. The Japanese police, and media by request of the police, call them bōryokudan , literally "violence group", while the yakuza call themselves "ninkyō dantai" , "chivalrous organizations". The yakuza are notoriously...
factions.
In the episode "Great Space Roaster
Great Space Roaster
"Great Space Roaster" is the eighteenth episode and the season finale of the fifth season of American Dad!. It originally aired on May 16, 2010. It was written by Jonathan Fener and directed by Joe Daniello...
" from American Dad!
American Dad!
American Dad! is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane and owned by Underdog Productions and Fuzzy Door Productions. It is produced in association with 20th Century Fox Television...
, Roger is placed by Stan in Bang Kwang. His prison cell is placed deep underwater and surrounded by mines. However, Roger eventually escapes on a raft made out of the guards.
External links
- Short description at the Department of Corrections, Thailand
- Bangkwang.net, information about visiting Bangkwang prison
- Checking Into The Bangkok Hilton: article in The Observer on visiting foreign prisoners
- The Real Bangkok Hilton (BBC)
- The Angel of Bang Kwang Prison tells the true story of a woman who devotes her life to helping others, visiting prisoners who have nobody else to turn to.
- Bang Kwang Central Prison as a location in Mafia Wars