Free at last

I received a letter a few days ago from my pen pal Amadou Diallo Sadio, who is living in a Thai prison...

"Dearest Mike, I would like to first write and share this good news with you that finally they have told me the date I will leave this prison to see my home country Nigeria. Please, before I begin, let me say a huge thanks...

"Mike here is my last letter from Thailand."

"Yours truly, Amamdou."

After nearly 10 years, the Thai Government (The King) pardoned him for his crimes. He was originally sentenced for life - so this comes a relief to everyone who wrote him letters and kept his spirits up. So thanks to everyone who helped out. He is suffering from health problems and his journey is not over yet. But he is looking forward to seeing his mother again - who until this day has never known what happened to her son and why he disappeared almost 10 years ago.

Below is my original post about Amadou if you are interested in knowing more about this story:

In the winter of 2003, I traveled alone to Thailand for what was supposed to be a 3-month vacation. In the end, I remained in South East Asia for 6-months and traveled to 6 different countries.

When I first arrived in Bangkok, I noticed a small piece of paper tacked to a notice board in my ramshackle guesthouse. On it were names of men who were incarcerated in Thai prisons. A stranger pleaded with us tourists and backpackers to take the time out of our vacation to pay a visit to foreign nationals behind bars who did not have the benefit of having family or friends to support them.

Since I had a few days to spare, I jotted down the name of a certain Amadou Diallo Sadio and the directions to Bangkwang Prison. The next day I boarded a riverboat and meandered north of the city. There I found out that Bangkwang is a maximum security prison, a notorious hell-hole that bears a resemblance to medieval dungeons.

I handed over my passport, went through the security checks, and made my way to a courtyard. As I waited for Amadou, someone I never met, I heard the sound of chains dragging on the ground. I later learned that prisoners wear shackles at all times until they have been there for 3 years. A daily meal consists of a bowl of rice, maybe soup. There is chronic overcrowding, people people sleep on the floor toe-to-toe. AIDS, TB are constant problems. There is minimal healthcare, minimal care.

Amadou finally appeared in the courtyard behind a fenced off wall. Our eyes met, and I called out, "Amadou?" He smiled and sat down. We began chatting for an hour. He was from Nigeria, he was 24. He was serving a life sentence for smuggling drugs into Thailand. He was caught when he was 19. Although drug smuggling deserves punishment, he told me that he was poor, needed money to survive and local slickers offered him top dollar to do one run to Thailand.... his dreams would come true. But they didn't. Now he faces a life behind bars. A life sentence in Thailand usually means life.

Here is how I see it: Sure, drug smuggling is wrong. Prison is a fair sentence. But life in prision is a bit extreme, not to mention execution (if you are not lucky). But, he a human being. He needs someone to talk to. If you put someone in prison they don't need luxury, but they don't deserve unhuman conditions.

Since our first visit we have been in regular correspondence. He loves football and talking about politics. But he has asked me to ask people to write to him, to share their stories with him so he can feel connected to the world.

If you have time, if you can spare 15 minutes to write a letter, please do. What do you say in your letter? Simple. Just introduce yourself, who are you, what do you do? What do you think about. Get an envelope and write this address on it:

Amadou Diallo Sadio
Bangkwang Building #3
Nonthaburi Road
Nonthaburi
THAILAND
11000

If you are in Thailand, please pay him a visit. The directions are here: Directions