A 'tale' from the Gulf Daily News; far fetched ?

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Bangkokney
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A 'tale' from the Gulf Daily News; far fetched ?

Post by Bangkokney »

The great escape...
By MOHAMMED ASLAM


A BAHRAINI businessman who claimed he bribed his way out of Thailand to escape mafia-style hitmen has been cleared of re-entering Bahrain illegally.

The 36-year-old swam ashore near Alba after a nightmare journey that began with bribing his way out of a Thai jail, the Lower Criminal Court heard.

He then had to bribe a corrupt policeman to help him get out of Thailand and a shadowy Moroccan, who got him onto to flight to Qatar.

He was smuggled out of Qatar by boat and dropped off the coast of Bahrain, where he had to swim to shore, the court heard.

Once on dry land he hitched to his home in Malkiya, where he collapsed into his family's arms.

The businessman told police that his troubles began when he flew to Thailand in June 2001 to meet with a Thai couple, with whom he had been trying to do business importing flowers.

They had promised to deal exclusively with him in Bahrain but broke their word, costing him BD33,000, he said.

His lawyer told the court that once in Thailand he was falsely imprisoned and his life threatened.

He was forced to escape by the only means he could find to save his life and was therefore not guilty of any crime, said the lawyer.

The court acquitted the defendant of entering Bahrain illegally without his passport and through a point not officially designated an entry point.

"My client had faced torture and death threats from the Thai mafia who were after him to silence him," said the lawyer.

The defendant said he travelled to Thailand and contacted his business partners, looking to get his money back after they cancelled the partnership.

"They came to my hotel the same evening and brought a plainclothes policeman, who arrested me and put me in jail, after kicking me and pushing me," he said.

"My partners kept laughing all the time and said: 'Do you think that you are in Bahrain, we will teach you a lesson here'.

"I asked the officer why are you doing this to me and he said that I was charged with business cheating.

"I remained in the prison for two days without food or water.

"It was a mixed prison for men and women together and all sorts of immoral sexual acts were being committed in the prison in front of me.

"They took my passport, travel ticket, CPR, credit card, documents and wallet."

But he said he sill had some Thai currency and paid an officer to let him make a phone call.

"I called my brother in Bahrain and told him that I was in prison and asked him to come and bring some money.

"I also asked him to contact our Foreign Ministry and tell them about my case.

"When my brother came to Thailand he was with his wife and then we gave money to the officer, who told us that the charge was that I promised to import eight tonnes of flowers and I did not keep my promise.

"I told them that the company was still not operating and the shop was still being prepared.

"The officer told me that my partners were one of the top mafia groups in Thailand and had paid huge amount of money to throw me in the prison.

"He told me I should leave Thailand because there was a chance that the mafia would kill me.

"He said it was very easy for the mafia to hire a professional killer for just BD90 to finish me."

The businessman said he paid the officer BD1,500 for a paper saying that he had lost his passport, so he could get out of the country.

He then sent his brother and his wife home, so they would be out of danger and while in Thailand kept changing his address, so the mafia could not find him.

"Once I fainted and a Moroccan man helped me and I told him my story and he said he could help me but I have to give him $4,000 (BD1,512) and I agreed and gave him $2,000 at first.

"After a few days the Moroccan made arrangements for my departure with some Thai security officer and on the day of the departure he accompanied me to the airport and waited there for the officer.

"I was scared to death. Soon the officer arrived and took us inside the airport and I gave him $2,000. He then put us on the plane to Qatar.

"When we landed in Qatar the Moroccan took me out of the airport to a waiting car and we drove to a seaside area.

There a boat was waiting for us. The Moroccan asked me to get into the boat and said this will take me near the Bahrain shore from where I can reach my country and he left in the car.

"The boatman asked me to hide myself in a blanket in the boat and after one and a half hours he asked me to jump into the sea and swim ashore.

"It was night and I jumped into the sea and swam towards the shore and after five minutes my feet touched the ground and I walked slowly towards the shore.

"Soon I reached it and collapsed on the sand relieved and exhausted."

He said he realised he was near Alba and walked to a road, where he got a lift on a lorry which dropped him near the Bahrain University roundabout.

From there a car driver gave him a lift to Malkiya.

"When I reached my house I knocked on the door and my family opened the door and I saw them and fainted," he said. "Then I wrote a letter to the Foreign Minister of Bahrain and told him how I entered Bahrain."
FORM IS TEMPORARY | CLASS IS PERMANENT
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dr dave soul monsta
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Post by dr dave soul monsta »

IS THIS THE 80's BBC AT 25 TO FIVE
jackanory
when's john cravens news round on?
proberbly fully processed poppy flowers
"I don't often agree with the RSPCA as i believe it is an animals duty to be on my plate at supper time"
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