Els van Wijlen regularly stayed with her husband 'de Kuuk' on Koh Phangan. Her son Robin has opened a coffee cafe on the island. Unfortunately, 'de Kuuk passed away after a short illness.
Our island paradise is full of temptations.
It's up to you to guard your own boundaries.
Usually it goes well
only sometimes …
One of our regular guests in the cafe says:
His good acquaintance was arrested in Thailand with drugs.
He is now stuck on Koh Samui and in bad shape.
The regular guest visited and was deeply touched
by the miserable conditions.
His good acquaintance is in shock.
He faces life imprisonment.
Of course, your own fault.
But how heartbreaking it is to see someone suddenly become trapped in another life.
From paradise to hell in Thailand.
The regular guest tells how it feels to see the desperation in the eyes of his good friend.
I see how this touches him and recognize the feeling.
I'm filling up.
My thoughts take a painful turn.
After diagnosis
I look deep into my Kuuk's eyes.
Dark eyes, full of despair and sadness.
Suddenly caught in another life.
He is silent, the silence is unbearable.
Surrounded by love,
seems to accept it
of a hopeless situation
a lonely journey though.
About this blogger
- My name is Els (1963) and since 2015 I live partly in the Netherlands and partly on Koh Phangan. I have a boyfriend in the Netherlands and I am a (reserve) mother for my children. I regularly work a few hours as a VA for the financial administration. On Koh Phangan my day starts with a nice breakfast and good coffee at Bubba's in Baantai, one of my son's coffee and brunch places. I love simple living, lazing in the hammock, colorful people, nature, scooter riding, swimming and dancing.
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Beautifully worded. Touching. Tears in my eyes.
Dear Els, I am reading a short account of cause and effect. I also read a lot of involvement from your side.
People are not perfect and make mistakes in life, in this case a disaster for the person involved.
Messing around with drugs also affects other people, who often succumb to temptation and addiction.
Not to mention the side effects of crime, etc.
The consequence for the person concerned a life sentence in a Thai prison is hell on earth. Can we desire that, from perhaps a good person, who could not resist the temptations. A human dimension must also be found in punishment and penance, otherwise we are jointly guilty. Your outpouring of compassion and involvement are a contribution to this….
With all due respect to all involved, but the detainee in shock because of the severe punishment that can now befall him; every sane person who walks around in Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, Japan, Malaysia, Indonesia knows that the (drug) punishments are life-threatening in this part of the South East hemisphere. I often see foreigners messing around with it…that's a choice. And extremely unwise.
Johan, I completely agree with you, but in our contemporary society it seems that the use of drugs is normal, and that is why people are apparently in shock if yes is caught.
Earning money quickly is usually at the expense of others, so those who burn their ass should sit on the blisters.
Sad, beautifully worded at the same time, but the reality…..
What a beautifully poignant piece by Els. My deepest condolences on the passing of your husband and father of Robin.
Wonderful
Yes, life can suddenly take a completely different turn.
Going to Thailand and taking all of Asia and drugs is irresponsible. I have never taken that in all my life and never will. But Thai? that is full of them and they buy out the police. If you walk along the coast or in the walking street, you are sometimes asked Mariuana? If all Thai drug dealers were imprisoned, I think that would be 10 to 20% of the population. Then prisons x 10. SO KEEP YOUR HANDS OUT and hope that Thais sometimes don't put drugs in your luggage. Think little chance, but you never know. Don't know how that would end with the police with an innocent foreigner ??? Think heavy pay and get rid of it.? The police themselves are involved in drug trafficking, especially in Pattaya, but apparently that is starting to decrease due to stricter control? So never take risks and if you have a suitcase from Cambodia to Thailand, have your suitcase packed in plastic foil to avoid any risks when crossing the border.
Boy, boy, what prejudices Luc.
Now that I'm reading this, I almost don't dare go out on the street anymore, although I
lived here for years.
Even through the Walking Street to see what changes are happening there,
other “entrepreneurs”, modifications of billboards and power lines
and flying drones as the council proposes again and again, but usually
represents nothing.
Just like the tiger shows: toothless, maybe drugged!!
The consolation of your good acquaintance will be that you can even get used to life in prison, which, of course, is not the same as liking it.
Human adaptability is great.
But with a life sentence you usually talk about larger amounts of drugs.
Not about a small side income from a few pills.
You can be lonely in a crowded prison.
So is the human being in the path of a hopeless situation, lonely and yet not alone.
Like the loving one left behind, strength.
Beautifully worded Els in the last sentences.
With such a beautiful open sky and beautiful sun as in the photo, the Kuuk sometimes looks down, he is not alone up there.
Sjaakie
There is a saying that you can measure the civility of a people by how they treat their captives and animals.
Sorry, but I think there's some truth to that.