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The Poison River: A shocking true story of betrayal and redemption by Steve Raymond, with Mal Karman New Amsterdam Press, New York, 1994 The true story of an American businessman arrested in Thailand, falsely accused of running an international sex tour ring, and imprisoned for two years at the request of the US government. "As compelling as 'Midnight Express'... As disturbing as 'In the Name of the Father'... More wrenching than 'Kiss of the Spider Woman'..." — Dean Goodhill, editor of the Harrison Ford thriller, "The Fugitive" The poison River A shocking account of the imprisonment of a gay American in Thailand: respected businessman one day, accused mastermind of an international child sex ring the next! Steve Raymond was president of the Society for Incentive Travel Executives in Bangkok when his once-blissful world suddenly collapsed from under him. Raymond's true story sounds a shrill alarm to American citizens and to gay people everywhere that their governments may not only turn their backs on them, but may actively work to circumvent their rights. "Steve Raymond performs a valuable service to those working for the reform of prison conditions in Thailand, and to those seeking accountability within the embassy system..." — Amnesty International "A high-gear run through a remarkable two-year recitation of the official abuse of Steve Raymond. . . Mai Karman, his co-writer, manages to build the narrative to an intensity reminiscent of 'Midnight Express'. He leaves intact Raymond's obviously scratchy personality, yet paints him as a sometimes lovely human being, bunkered in anger and confusion." — David Hamilton, Newsday "Truly a magnificent book. I suffered with Steve Raymond, but I suffered more for our system of justice. I read this can't-put-it-down story with fascination and with anger against our government. Must reading for anyone who has ever left the borders of the U.S.!" — Neil Carrey, Los Angeles trial attorney "A courageous battle against a behemoth of evil. A terrifying roller coaster ride through Kafka-Land. This true story could have come from the minds of Salvador Dali and Robert Ludlum." — Larry Grobel, author of "Conversations with Capote" and "The Hustons" ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Steve Raymond is the sales and marketing director for the Renoir Hotel in San Francisco. He is the fourth of five children and the son of parents committed to social causes. His father, a Methodist minister, was a pacifist and did anti-war counseling. His mother has worked continuously in community and regional organizations to end racial inequality and social injustice. Following a stint in the Air Force and graduation from Sonoma State University, Raymond became a tour escort for an incentive travel company in San Francisco, where he also became an activist in the Harvey Milk Democratic Club. A few years later, he founded his own company, Destination Tour Services, and, following its success, opened an office in the Pacific Rim in Bangkok. After several seasons of modest growth, he was abruptly arrested and spent two years in a Thai prison, where he began a detailed diary that would form the basis of "The Poison River". CONTENTS: Foreword i Prologue 1 The Eye of the Storm 6 Mysterious Clouds 19 Justice Perverted, Virtue Condemned 43 More Trouble In Paradise 66 Bangkok Special Prison 81 Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dum 106 A Glimpse of Freedom 119 Liars and Lawyers 128 The Face of the Monster 156 I.D.C. 195 At Knifepoint 214 Discovery 225 A Visit From Home 247 The Golden Gate 272 A New Reality 311 Epilogue 321 Index 325 Footnotes 331 FOREWORD: "In his book "The Poison River", Steve Raymond performs a valuable service to those working for the reform of prison conditions in Thailand, and to those seeking accountability within the embassy system, by bearing witness to the abuse of inmates in Thai prisons, detention centers and police lock-ups. Amnesty International has been concerned for years that prison conditions in Thailand do not meet minimum international standards for the treatment of prisoners. In 1989, part of the period of Steve Raymond's detention, Amnesty International received a number of reports of the mistreatment of Thai prisoners, including beatings and 30 suspicious deaths while in custody. Earlier this year, Amnesty International conducted interviews with refugees and asylum-seekers who had been subject to ill treatment and detention by Thai authorities, and in some cases forced to return to the country from which they fled to face serious risk of human rights violations. Many had been detained in the Bangkok Immigration Detention Center (IDC), where Steve Raymond spent considerable time. Amnesty International once again expressed concern that "conditions of detention at the IDC fall far short of basic international minimum standards and in some cases amount to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment." According to the Amnesty International report, "Thailand: Burmese and Other Asylum-Seekers at Risk", released September 8, 1994, "There is often chronic overcrowding in Bangkok IDC, to the point where inmates cannot lie down at the same time. At times, certain detainees have had to sit with their knees bent for several months at a time, and when they were finally released, they were unable to walk. There is no provision for exercise at all. Overcrowding leads to health problems, particularly fungal infections of the skin, which occur frequently. Detainees are fed twice a day, but the rations are inadequate. Children detained with their mothers do not qualify for food, as there are no charges against them. Mothers are forced to share their own scant rations, and malnutrition is the result. Nor do children under five years get fresh air or exercise. Amnesty International also received reports of beatings at the IDC... One prisoner said, 'I was beaten because I had no money'. Lack of money is a major problem for detainees. Anyone without a passport, who is convicted of 'illegal immigration' must pay the cost of travel outside the country; those without money may stay long beyond the period of sentencing. Amnesty International welcomes reports that a new leadership team in charge of the Bangkok IDC is eager to improve the conditions of detention, but the organization remains gravely concerned over the practice of indefinite detention in very harsh conditions. A number of recommendations have been made to the Thai authorities including, 'Ensure that ill-treatment of detainees in the Bangkok IDC, police lock-ups and all other places of detention ceases, and that independent inquiries are held into allegations of illtreatment. The results of such inquiries should be made public and any police or other authorities found responsible for ill-treatment should be brought to justice'." —Southeast Asia Coordination Group Amnesty International, USA PROLOGUE: "It was the second day of the hot season, nearly 100 degrees with suffocating humidity, a typical sweltering afternoon in March that made the city into an inferno baking with exotic smells and the fumes of cars, buses, trucks and tuk tuks. Traffic was twisted in a Gordian knot and I was in the middle of it, sopping wet with perspiration, my clothes matted to my body which leaked from every pore. It felt as if there were no oxygen in the air. The Toyota crawled through congested Bangkok streets for 25 minutes, and finally pulled to the curb on Sri Ayudhaya Road. I was ordered out of the car, quickly marched into police headquarters and down a long open hallway to an auditorium. Having just experienced the most surreal 24 hours of my life, I was not prepared for more — but evidently I had very little say in the matter. "In there!" a police officer said sharply. "In there!" I peered through the doorway. Television equipment was lined up and down an area in front of a stage and dozens of people anxiously milled around. "Reporters!" I shrieked, starting to bolt away. Two officers grabbed me and propelled me into the hall. Suddenly I was face-to-face with still cameras, video cameras, microphones, photographers, newsmen — and I was dumbstruck. My mind was thrown into overdrive, trying to understand what was happening. Nothing was logical. Nothing made sense. At the front of the auditorium were three tables and I was ordered to sit at one. Dozens of photographs of naked babies and young children were spread out before me. I glanced at them in disbelief, then leapt up at the English-speaking officer who had brought me from Din Daeng Police Station and demanded to know what was going on and why I was there. "You know why," he said, gesturing at the photographs. "What do these have to do with me?" I cried. "I've never seen these pictures in my life!" My heart was racing so feverishly I could feel my pulse pounding in my temples like a jackhammer. I turned to the reporters and repeated myself in Thai. "Mai koei hen ni!" I shouted again and again.[...]" Until the U.S. got involved, nobody in Asian countries cared about men going with boys, etc. You can thank the feminazi lesbians for making BoyLove a mountain out of a molehill... M. Thanks, Eric, for the "heads up" -- I had forgotten all about this book! DOWNLOAD HERE: https://annas-archive.org/md5/bb0de89f38fd0e1144c60b65b2e97d07 |