A New Beginning

by Mark David Abbott

  Hassan’s body had been taken deep into the jungle and buried where hopefully, it would never be found. The Glock had been wiped clean of fingerprints and wrapped in a cloth for disposal later, and the Toyota John had hidden in the jungle was retrieved.

  While all this was going on, Adriana stayed behind in the camp, documenting everyone’s stories and backgrounds.

  On the morning of the second day, a white Landcruiser pulled into the camp, followed by two lorries, the letters UNHCR stenciled in big letters on their sides. John stood up and approached the vehicles as four people climbed out and looked around. A middle-aged Thai lady, in trekking boots and cargos, her hair tied in a practical bun, spotted John and walked toward him. She dipped her head in a slight bow.

  “Mr. Hayes?”

  John held out his hand and smiled. “Please, call me John.”

  “Hello, John. I’m Malee. My office told me about you. I’m sorry I couldn’t come earlier. There was some red tape involved and supplies to obtain.”

  “It’s okay. You’re here now, that’s what’s important.” John turned to look at the camp. “There are many people in a bad way here, Malee, weak and malnourished. They have been tortured and starved.”

  “Unfortunately, John, it’s not unusual,” Malee shrugged. “This is the third camp I’ve seen this year. We’ll do what we can. I’ve brought food, medicines, and a doctor.” She turned to her three colleagues and issued instructions in Thai. As they fanned out and started attending to the refugees, she spotted the police pickup.

  “Are the local police helping you?”

  John’s lip curled, “No.”

  He turned to study Malee’s face. She would have been pretty when she was younger but now looked jaded, her eyes filled with sorrow as if she had seen too many things she would rather forget.

  “The police are involved in this, Malee. The pickup belonged to two local police who were helping the traffickers.” He pointed toward the men’s hut. “We’ve got them locked in that hut over there with the traffickers.”

  Malee nodded slowly.

  John noticed her absence of reaction. “You don’t seem surprised.”

  “I wish I was, John, but I’m not,” Malee sighed. “Sadly, it won't just be the police. It will be local officials and even senior government officials,” she frowned. “I’ve seen it all before.”

  John chewed his lip and looked out over the camp at the people sitting in the shade, leaning against the huts, the children playing with their new toys.

  “So, what do we do? What will happen to these people?”

  “It won't be easy, John, but I do have contacts in the police who can be trusted. I’ll get in touch with them. They’ll handle the traffickers. Perhaps they can find out who is involved higher up the chain.” She shrugged, “But the rot is deep. This business wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for high-level collusion and corruption.”

  “Hmmm. And these people?”

  “We’ll clean them up, feed them, bring them back to health. Unfortunately, Thailand is not bound by the International Refugee Conventions, so there’s not a lot we can do. I’m sad to say many of them will spend the next few years here in detention centers. All we can do is apply pressure and make sure this incident gains a lot of publicity. Who knows, if there is enough public outcry, they might do something.”

  John glanced over at Adriana sitting under a tree, her notebook in her lap, surrounded by the women and children of the camp.

  “Come with me, Malee. There is someone who I think will be able to generate the publicity you need.”

  By the end of the day, John and Adriana were confident enough to leave the camp in the hands of the UNHCR. Malee’s police contacts had been informed, the graves behind the camp photographed, and the accounts of torture and ill-treatment by the traffickers and the police recorded.

  John and Adriana prepared to say goodbye, surrounded by the men, women, and children who had become their friends. Abdul stood, supported by Shakeel and reached out for John’s hand.

  “Mr. John, I want to thank you for everything you have done. We are free again because of you.”

  John took Abdul’s hand in both of his, gripped it tight and smiled warmly.

  “I couldn’t have done it without you, Abdul.” John looked at the men gathered around him. “Without you and everyone else here. We did it together. You should be proud of yourselves.” He swallowed and looked down at his feet, searching for the right words. Looking up he continued, “I’m sorry I can’t promise everything will be fine from now on… but Khun Malee and her team will do everything they can for you.” He glanced at Adriana. “And Adriana will make sure your stories are told.”

  The men and women nodded, and one by one, they came forward to shake his hand, the women, many of them openly weeping, embracing Adriana who herself struggled to keep from bursting into tears.

  John opened the door of the Toyota, and before he sat down, he took one more look at the camp and its occupants. What the future held for them, he didn’t know. Perhaps, they would get a second chance. He hoped so. At least they would be fed and not beaten and tortured.

  He sat in the driver’s seat and started the engine, waiting for Adriana to sit down. She turned to him, wiping tears from her face,

  “Let’s go.”

  With a wave from the side window, John turned the car and drove out the gate, a train of waving children running behind in their wake.

  79

  John drove through the night, Adriana dozing beside him, her hand resting on his leg.

  Entering Bangkok as the sun made its appearance, John gently woke Adriana so she could give him directions to William’s safehouse. Traffic was still light, the rush hour yet to commence, and they made good time. John pulled up outside the building, switched off the engine, and rubbed his face. He was exhausted after the long drive and the strain of the last few days.

  But there was one last thing he had to look after before he could relax. He turned sideways in his seat, leaning against the door, and glanced over at Adriana.

  “Hey, what do you say, when all this is done, we go on a trip together? Just you and me. We can relax, spend time together.”

  “That’s a great idea,” Adriana smiled, reaching over and squeezed his thigh. “Where shall we go? Vietnam, Laos?”

  “I think I want a break from Asia for a while. I was thinking further afield. Europe, Africa, the Middle East?”

  Adriana nodded thoughtfully.

  “Anyway, we don’t have to decide now.” John straightened and opened his door. “Come, let’s go and see Amira.”

  Climbing out of the car, they crossed the footpath, and Adriana led John by the hand up the stairs to William’s apartment, knocking on the door.

  A shadow passed across the peephole as someone looked out, and the door opened a crack, secured by the safety chain.

  “Password,” asked a male voice.

  John grinned. “Iced Coffee.”

  He heard a chuckle from inside as the safety chain was removed, and the door opened wide.

  Amira jumped up from the sofa, a gleeful cry, replaced by a wince as her cracked rib complained, and threw her arms around Adriana.

  “It’s good to see you, my friend.” John shook William’s hand. “I owe you big time.”

  “I’m relieved to see you back in one piece, John,” William grinned. “Mr. Yu would have made life a misery for me if anything had happened to you.” He frowned and looked closer at John’s face. “Although it looks like you have gone a few rounds in a Muay Thai ring.”

  “You should see the other guy.”

  Amira let go of Adriana and approached John shyly. John smiled and held out his arms. Amira grinned and gave him a hug.

  “Amira, you have nothing to fear now. Hassan will never bother you again.”

  “Thank you, Sir… I mean John.” She turned to Adriana, “Thank you.”

  “It’s okay, Amira. We’ll have you home with your family soon.” John
turned to William and raised both his eyebrows questioningly.

  “It’s all arranged for tomorrow night, John.”

  “Excellent. Thank you. Now, I need a hot bath and a long sleep.”

  80

  Thapa checked his watch. Almost midnight. Anytime now. He looked up at the sky but couldn’t see anything. The sky was clear and cloudless, a blanket of stars stretching from horizon to horizon. A cool breeze blew across the fields, and in the distance, a dog barked.

  Thapa looked over at the car parked beside the airstrip. Nazir, Parveen, and Zaara dozed inside, their excitement finally giving way to tiredness after the full day’s drive from Dhaka to Chittagong.

  Thapa squatted down and felt the surface of the airstrip with his fingers. It had been built during World War II but abandoned for years and was rough, rutted in places, overgrown in others. It would take a skilled pilot to land on it, but it was the one John’s contact had chosen, so they must know what they were doing.

  He was glad he had done his bit to help Amira’s family. They were good-hearted people and deserved much more than the cards life had dealt them. Relocating to Chittagong, away from the reach of Karim Abdul, was a good idea. With John’s help, they would get a second chance at building a new life—an education for the girls and a comfortable but modest home away from the slums. Thapa stood back up and shook the cramp out of his thighs. He too was looking forward to getting home. He missed his own family, and the events in the past week had helped him realize he needed to make an effort to spend more time with his own parents.

  A faint drone could be heard, and he looked up, scanning the sky. Was it the plane or just a distant vehicle? He stared in the direction the plane would come from. The sound grew louder, then he saw it, appearing just above the horizon, the small dark shape of a light aircraft flying without lights. He jumped up and ran to the car.

  “She’s here, she’s here!” He banged on the side of the car and turned to look back at the sky. Behind him, the doors opened, Amira’s family climbed out, and stood beside him, watching the plane approach. The aircraft appeared, just skimming the treetops at the end of the airstrip and touched down, bouncing once or twice on the rough surface, then slowed rapidly before taxiing to a stop near the car. A door behind the wing opened, and a slight figure climbed down. Immediately, the plane started moving again and taxied toward the end of the airstrip as the figure turned toward them.

  “Didi!” Zaara exclaimed and ran toward her. She hugged her and pulled her toward the car as the plane roared up the airstrip and lifted off behind them. Parveen clung to Nazir’s arm as their daughter approached, but then could wait no longer and rushed forward, grabbing hold of Amira, bursting into tears. Thapa glanced over at Nazir, who stood quietly, tears running freely down his face. He smiled, pulled out his phone, and sent a text.

  ‘It’s done.’

  81

  Two months later.

  John opened the door with his key card and walked into the hotel room, kicking off his running shoes at the door.

  “I’m back.”

  Adriana looked up from the study desk where she was working away on her laptop.

  “How was it?”

  “Good. I ran on the treadmill in the gym. Dubai is way too hot this time of the year to run outside.” John walked over and kissed her on the forehead.

  “Hey, you’re all sweaty!”

  “Yeah, I’ll have a shower once I’ve cooled down.” John walked over to the kitchenette, opened the fridge, and removed a bottle of chilled water. Twisting the cap, he gulped down half the bottle, then leaned back against the kitchenette counter.

  “What are you working on?”

  “Have you seen the news? Look at this.” Adriana swiveled the screen around.

  “One sec.” John grabbed a hand towel from the bathroom, wiped the sweat from his face, and walked over, bending down to look at the screen.

  “Today’s Bangkok Post. Look.”

  John read the headline:

  Senior Police Officer arrested in ongoing refugee camp probe.

  He turned his head and smiled at Adriana. “At last.”

  Police General Paween Thawonsiri was arrested yesterday for his role in the illegal trafficking of Rohingya Muslim refugees and economic migrants. General Thawornsiri is the latest in a number of high profile arrests, including four administration officials, seven local politicians, and five policemen, since the discovery of the detention camp in the jungle in Satun Province.

  The probe into the detention camps on the Thai-Malaysian border has taken on increased urgency after a series of articles by investigative journalist Adriana D’Silva….

  “Well done,” John grinned and hugged Adriana.

  …exposed the plight of refugees in Thailand and their exploitation by traffickers and a network of corrupt police and government officials. Pressure from foreign governments and intense lobbying by the UN High Commission for Refugees, together with the threat by the US State Department to downgrade Thailand from Tier 2 to Tier 3 in their annual Trafficking in Person’s report has spurred officials into action and resulted in the latest arrests.

  John straightened up, turned and rested his butt on the study desk, looking down at Adriana with pride and smiled.

  “You did good.”

  “No,” Adriana shook her head. “It was both of us.”

  John nodded slowly. “Unfortunately, it probably won’t stop completely. People are cruel and greedy, but I think we have made it much more difficult for them.”

  “I hope so.” Adriana reached forward and gave his hand a squeeze. “Hey, that’s not all. I got an email from Amira. Look.” She switched windows on the laptop, and John turned to have a look.

  “See, she and Zaara have enrolled in a school in Chittagong. Look, she’s sent photos. Here they are in front of their new house.”

  He felt warm inside and smiled. “They look happy.”

  “Yes, and it’s all because of you.” Adriana put an arm around his legs and hugged him. “You are a good man, John Hayes.”

  John didn’t answer, placing his hand on her shoulder, gave it a squeeze, and moved away.

  Adriana, a puzzled look on her face, watched him walk toward the bathroom, wondering what she had said wrong.

  A moment later, John popped his head out of the bathroom and gave her a half smile.

  “I’m going to take a shower, then let’s go celebrate.”

  82

  He drummed his fingers impatiently on the countertop. It was always like this. What was the point of having Diamond status if they never got his requests right?

  “My staff emailed you to say I was arriving this morning and needed an early check-in. I don’t understand why I have to wait.”

  The Filipina receptionist smiled nervously. “Yes, Sir, sorry, Sir. We are checking the system now.”

  He sighed and turned his back on the staff and surveyed the lobby. The flight from Bangalore to Dubai wasn’t long, just over four hours, but it left early in the morning, and he was tired, and his stomach was complaining. All he wanted was to get to his room, sit on a clean toilet, take a shower, and catch an hour’s sleep before his afternoon meeting.

  The lift doors opened, and he watched as a couple stepped out. It was the woman who caught his eye—tall and slim, jet black hair that bounced when she walked, her skin smooth and tanned. She was a looker, and he wasn’t the only one who thought so as heads turned and conversations paused.

  He looked back over his shoulder. “Have you found my room yet?”

  “One second, Sir,”

  “Idiots,” he muttered and went back to watching the woman walk through the hotel lobby, glancing at her companion. “Lucky man,” he mumbled, but as the man came closer, he frowned. There was something familiar about him as if he had seen him before. He narrowed his eyes, searching back in his memory. He definitely knew him from somewhere, but where?

  “Excuse me, Sir?”

  He looked over his shoulder
at the Filipina who was smiling at him, a room keycard in her outstretched hand.

  “Your room is ready now, Mr. Patil.”

  No Escape: John Hayes #4 - Available now!

  Glossary

  The foreign language terms below are listed in the order in which they appear in the book.

  Takraw (Thai) - or Kick volleyball, a South East Asian sport using a small rattan ball and only allowing players to use their feet, knee, chest and head to touch the ball.

  Soi (Thai) - a side street branching off a major street

  Sawasdee Krup/Kup/Ka (Thai) - Thai greeting. Men always say Krup or Kup. Women always say Ka. Krup/kup and Ka are often used to finish sentences, even when speaking English

  Krup/Kup/Ka (Thai) - Yes

  Khun (Thai) - Mr, Mrs, or Miss

  Mai mee (Thai) - Don’t have

  Shalwar Kameez ( Urdu, Hindi, Bengali) - A traditional outfit worn by women in South and Central Asia. Shalwar refers to loose baggy pyjama like trousers. Kameez refers to the long shirt worn over the top.

  Chai - Tea

  Chai patti - Tea leaves

  Wai ( Thai ) - traditional Thai greeting consisting of a slight bow, with the palms pressed together in a prayer-like fashion. Similar to an Indian Namaste

  Rubjang (Thai) - Motorcycle taxi rider

  Motor-cy (Thai) - Motorcycle Taxi

  Garuda - a bird like creature in Hindu and Buddhist mythology. Also the national symbol of Thailand. Is often featured on the gable ends of roofs.

  Kop khun krup/kup/ka (Thai) - Thank you