Going to jail in Cambodia (and getting beat with a rubber hose)
According to sources close to the Cali Thais, prisions in Cambodia aren't as terrible as you might think. Bear's brother knows a fellow Khmer kickboxer buddy who is in jail for allegedly kicking the shit out of someone. The guy claims he didn't do it, but since he is known around Siem Reap as being the best kickboxer, accusations were taken as fact and he is locked up indefinitely. Apparently the vicitim had "holes" in three different parts of his head. So B's bro went to visit the guy in jail.
The good- the Cambodian jail system feeds, clothes, and provides shelter for all the inmates. The bad- it administers beating the inmates with a rubber hose every morning. That's right, a rubber hose. Why would they beat inmates? To give them discipline? Keep them in check? Is this a form of Cambodian capital punishment? Is this a cultural ritual, or some archaic common law similar to those in the Southern US states? No.... It's to remind the inmates that jail is worse than normal life. Leave the romanticized vision of the farmer picking rice in the fields for the children and the ignorant; life in rural villages is like permantly camping without an REI to buy high tech tents and wicking socks. Similar to Rousseau's notion of savage man before the passions took root (Hobbes had it all wrong).
But beatings aside, the real kicker is how fucked the justice system is. The alleged offense took place two months ago, and there is a preliminary trial set for six months from now. Despite the date of his trial, he already knows that he will be in jail for 6 years or until someone pays for his release. No, no, not bail. More like pay the fine and you go, no questions asked. The fine is set at $1000. This poor guy (quite literally) can't afford this, he is bound to spend the next six years waking up to the crack of rubber. So much for the Sixth Admendment, and it shows what six years of someone's life is worth in Cambodia.
Just a quick example of how corruption runs rampant, and the difficulty of progress in the country.
- Dubbers
The good- the Cambodian jail system feeds, clothes, and provides shelter for all the inmates. The bad- it administers beating the inmates with a rubber hose every morning. That's right, a rubber hose. Why would they beat inmates? To give them discipline? Keep them in check? Is this a form of Cambodian capital punishment? Is this a cultural ritual, or some archaic common law similar to those in the Southern US states? No.... It's to remind the inmates that jail is worse than normal life. Leave the romanticized vision of the farmer picking rice in the fields for the children and the ignorant; life in rural villages is like permantly camping without an REI to buy high tech tents and wicking socks. Similar to Rousseau's notion of savage man before the passions took root (Hobbes had it all wrong).
But beatings aside, the real kicker is how fucked the justice system is. The alleged offense took place two months ago, and there is a preliminary trial set for six months from now. Despite the date of his trial, he already knows that he will be in jail for 6 years or until someone pays for his release. No, no, not bail. More like pay the fine and you go, no questions asked. The fine is set at $1000. This poor guy (quite literally) can't afford this, he is bound to spend the next six years waking up to the crack of rubber. So much for the Sixth Admendment, and it shows what six years of someone's life is worth in Cambodia.
Just a quick example of how corruption runs rampant, and the difficulty of progress in the country.
- Dubbers
posted by Cali Thais at
5:02 AM
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