Bang wang

Post by **flipperman00001** » Mon Jul 07, 2008 3:14 pm

Can anyone tell me the location of the prison Bang Wang in Bangkok otherwise known as the Bangkok Hilton. I want to go there as a visitor not a lodger.
I have tried to find the info from various taxi drivers in the capital but they usually end up taking me to a massage parlor instead.

Post by **Roel** » Mon Jul 07, 2008 3:45 pm

Forget the taxi. Take the regular taxi boat over the river up to Nonthaburi.
Here is some info on how to get there and some do's and dont's:
http://www.khaosanroad.com/bangedup.htm

Post by **Jockey** » Mon Jul 07, 2008 3:47 pm

Very amusing! - I found this on the internet for you...

Getting there:
From Banglampoo Pier (Khao San) take the big whistling boat going upstream (to the right). It costs 6 Baht to Nonthaburi and takes 40 minutes. Nonthaburi is the last stop and you will recognize it by the white clock tower by the pier and the AMPM convenience store. Jump off the boat and walk straight on - ignore the touts! Take the 1st left and walk about 250 meters. You will see Bang Kwang prison on the right. You will need to go to the registration area on the left…

Dress:
Guys must wear long trousers. Dress respectfully, whatever your sex. It really pisses the guards off girls wearing tiny shorts and vest-tops. Please dress properly because there are rumors the prisoners' visits will stop because of backpackers. Make sure you know exactly who you will call out as well - it annoys the guards when people ask for names they don't know. If you want names you can call the relevant embassies: UK Embassy - 02 305 8333 - ask for Maureen, Kate or Anita. They will not give prisoners' names over the phone though so you will have to go down to the embassy in person to meet them. American Embassy and others may give names over the telephone - I'm not really sure.

Food:
If you bring food from outside put it in a large clear bag. You can buy bags at the registration area cafe for 2 Baht. Write the name of the prisoner you are visiting on the bag. After you have visited the prisoner, you have to hand the food in at the counter (where 100 people or so hang around!). You hand in the original form and your passport. Wait for your passport to come back (usually takes 10 minutes) and off you go.

Books, etc.:
If you want to bring mags, books or papers hand, them into the Foreign Affairs office on the right as you go into the prison area. Leave the prisoner's name and building number on the cover and they'll get them… Don't bring magazines with too many naked pictures in them though - they won't get through. Other info: Please be aware that the prisoners sometimes have family or friends visiting. Look in the registration book to see if someone has already called out the prisoner you are visiting. It's very frustrating for prisoners when they have people they know over and someone randomly chooses to visit them! Beware that in August and December this may occur more often because that's when contact visits take place and families come over… Be very careful at these times. Very few women get visitors and have to rely on missionaries.

To write to a prisoner:
Address an envelope as follows -

Name of prisoner
Bldg. No.
Bang Kwang Prison
Nonthaburi Road
Nonthaburi
11000

Final thoughts:
If you are not really up to this, don't go… time wasters won't help anyone. Be sensitive to the prisoners' situation - if you say you will do something for them, such as send an email for them or something, then please do it - imagine their frustration if you don't. It's also handy to take a pen and paper in. Just chat normally. If they want to tell you their story, they will. But they've probably told their story 1,000 times so they may want to talk about other stuff!

Footnote from KSR.com
For more information about this you can take a look at the Internet and find a number of sites. It's not our intention to link to any of these sites because some of them are critical and make what we regard as slanderous remarks about Thailand. We can't support those sorts of sites, but visit them if you want to. However, be aware of what you are reading - there are far fewer victims around than you might think! Most people know what they are getting into...

Here's one site we can link to http://www.correct.go.th/brief.htm

We offered an apology to the British Embassy for misinformation we

Post by **kendo** » Mon Jul 07, 2008 3:51 pm

Flipperman, Firstly the name is Bang Kwang also known as the Big Tiger, it's location is Northanburi.
If you have a look at this website SAVE A LIFE FOREIGN PRISONER SUPPORT SERVICE you will find lots of info here, on how to visit prisoners.
Can i suggest visiting Johnathon Wheeler he has been in there 15 years, he is from my home town, or Alan Kiernan from 2 miles away from my home town, he has been in there for about 3 years, i do know these lads, by face, i used to go to the same school as Alan.

Post by **Roel** » Mon Jul 07, 2008 3:51 pm

Beat you with 2 minutes Jockey!

Post by **buksida** » Mon Jul 07, 2008 4:20 pm

Went there a few years ago, a frightening place indeed, not for the feint hearted.

Post by **Georgy Porgy** » Mon Jul 07, 2008 4:43 pm

The web site is a bit out of date - as from 1 July you cannot take anything to the prison from outside and have to make purchases from the prison shops and deposit money at the prison bank for the inmate that you visit (only).
Take passport for ID and make photocopy there for 1 baht.
The prisoners that you mention are British, so perhaps call up Geoff Mitchell at the British Embassy to work out Visit Days and any new rules before you go.
River trip takes one hour exactly from Saphan Taxsin and the prison is really handy being 5 minutes walk from the ferry (walk first left from wharf). Good Luck.

Post by **flipperman00001** » Tue Jul 08, 2008 2:52 pm

Thanks for that guys that is a big help to me ,, i will study everything very carefully

I know now the spelling of Bang Kwang was wrong but didnt do very well in any spelling contests in skool