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| Dear Principal of Baha’i at |
| 25.7.1987 Xxxxxthany Xxxxx Or Thany Xxxxxx ROOM 4, I.D.C. Soi Suan Phlu P.O.Box 12.1088 Bangkok 12. Thailand Dear Principal of Baha’i at Hong Kong I did not write to you for many months because I have been busy studying your Baha’i correspondence course. After sending the answer sheets back to Malaysia, on 24.6.1987 I went to Bangkok hoping to meet Mr. Wong Fook Yee. But he was not in the Baha’i Center at Bangkok when I reached there on 25.6.1987. On 26.6.1987 I returned to my god father’s home with my full brothers. On 27.6.1987 night, I and my brothers were detained by immigration officers for the reason of illegal staying in Thailand. We were detented in police station of Bankmat for about 7 days. After that we were locked up in Buriram’s jail for about 24 days while waiting for a court trial. On 21st.7.1987 we were sentenced by a judge to 5 months imprisonment and 1000Bath each person for offending the law. Now we are at Suan Phlu Detention camp at Bangkok. I am very sad…… pity my brothers who are staying in the youth camp instead of going to school. Instead I and my brothers live in jail. Whether I live in the jail or in Suan Phlu detention camp are the same …no freedom….. I don’t throw away my Baha’i Books or Prayers of Baha’u’llah. Would you solve my problem, please? And you ought to help me to solve my case that involves my life and future. Would you help to give good advices to me please. Principal, members, teachers, students, my life in jail today are difficult but it is easy for those rich men. When they have money, they can do many things, buy cake or food for lunch. For me and my brothers never have enough to eat. Don’t know what is desert, don’t know what cake is. Prisoner’s life is very difficult, however I like to show my truth pursue that I don’t want to return to live in my country, I want to live in a third country. But I don’t know how to go about it. I ask for help from you. Because every day other Associations and Religious groups came to visit and help their own members. And I awaiting my Baha’is association to visit me, but don’t see any one come to meet me. So you ought to solve and help me too. Lastly, I evoke to Spirit of Baha’i to help me and provide me a good advice and living supply to me who live in jail that has no freedom. Hope you help me and provide to me some sundry. Oh. Excuse me please and correct me. And I have changed my name THANY KHOUN. Don’t wonder. Hope! Hope to receive your reply and your supply. From (signed) Xxxxxxthany Xxxxx Or Thany Xxxxx |
Thany’s original letter was written in Local English style which may not be easy to understand for outsider. I have rephrased his letter into the a Common English version we easier understand his situation in the detention camp in Bangkok.
A few background introductions to this letter. Is was 30 years ago……….:
1- Thany is a Cambodian young man I personally never met. I know him through correspondences he wrote directly to me from a refugee camp in north of Thailand. I was Refugee affair Co-coordinator in 1987. Perhaps I was the only outside help he could get hold of, he decided to “escape” from refugee camp at the North of Thailand border and took the risk of “illegally” entry to Thailand to venture south to Bangkok City to seek help from me on 25.6.1987. That particular afternoon, I was not in office. Two days later he was de-tended by immigration for “without passport”. This is his letter from the detention camp. After this letter there were a couple more letters from each others. After that his fate is unknown to me.
2- July 1987 I completed my work contract and left Thailand. By the time I hear from him again he was writing the following letter to NSA Hong Kong from Immigration Detention Camp in Bangkok. Because my name was mentioned in his letter, the Hong Kong office felt obligate to passed a photo copy to me. Just a photo copy of his letter with no remark, no verbal information on what the NSA has replied to him
3- What desperate help this Cambodian young man was seeking? This is his own words:
“……..…..I like to show my truth pursue that I don’t want to return to live in my country, I want to live in a third country……………… I evoke to Spirit of Baha’i to help me and provide me a good advice and living supply to me who live in jail that has no freedom”.
This cry for freedom voices 30 years ago in last century is still heard today among waves and waves of new refugees around the world.
This letter in 1987 I have Rephrased, summarized and Googledlized for precise Google Translation into other languages.
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