Dragons & Butterflies

by Shani Krebs

  I filled out my transfer papers and, through one of my visitors, had them delivered to the Israeli embassy, who in turn forwarded them to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Israel. Everything was falling into place. Steve and the Dutchman were also in the process of transferring, so the three of us had something else in common now. I found it hard to focus on my book, and the writing was slow. The only thing I looked forward to was barking the dog, which I would do till the early hours of the morning. I slept very little and took naps in the afternoon instead. In the house next to Dani’s on the right was a Chinese. He was very loud and often woke me up. At first I couldn’t be bothered getting upset, but, as the weeks turned to months, he really started to get on my nerves.

  The guards in Building 6 carried out regular checks. The prison was flooded with mobile phones and drugs and this was a constant thorn in the side of the authorities. The favourite times for raids were straight after roll call in the afternoon or else early in the morning just before our cells were opened. Sometimes we were raided twice a week. They even came to our houses. I had barely been in Building 6 a month when, on a routine check headed by the Building Chief, the chief said to me, not once but twice, in English: ‘Pay money, no check.’ I was flabbergasted. In all my years in Bangkwang I had never come across a guard who openly asked for money. Normally they used prisoners to ask you. These prisoners were referred to as their looknong (boys). This man was greedy and he had a reputation for loving money.

  The year before, while I was still in Building 2, we’d heard about a serious incident that had occurred in Building 6. A Blue Shirt had informed on one of the Bad Boys for having a mobile. The guards bust the Bad Boy. After being threatened, the Blue Shirt ran into the office, thinking that he would be safe with the guards. About 30 Bad Boys followed him straight into the office. Some jumped over and through the counter while others pushed their way through the doors. They threatened the guards, who ran away, and then they assaulted and stabbed the Blue Shirt. Within minutes, 100 guards armed with batons and shields rushed into the building. The culprits, who numbered up to 35 prisoners, were rounded up and beaten. They were stripped, had their heads shaved and had their arms tied behind their backs. In their underwear, they were marched in single file out of Building 6 to the area where prisoners had shackles fitted. I was sitting right there at the time, waiting to collect a parcel. From there, they were taken to Building 8 and locked up in single cells. The ringleader, who had also been involved in other murders, was taken aside and beaten so badly that he died. I never saw any of those boys again.

  On 18 February 2011 an article about me appeared in the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth under the headline ‘Just Like a Mafia State’. My story had caused disagreement in Israel and had even triggered political tension in the cabinet. Apparently there was some anger in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs over the decision of the Minister of the Interior, Eli Yishay, to grant me Israeli citizenship:

  The aim of the process is to enable him to be transferred to a prison in Israel and his release here.

  In an unprecedented decision the Minister of the Interior Eli Yishay’s decided to grant Israeli citizenship to a South African citizen serving a twenty-four year term of imprisonment in a Thai jail for dealing in drugs. High-level officials in the foreign office were strongly against the decision but their objection was overruled. Recently the prisoner received his Israeli passport that will enable him to be transferred to an Israeli prison and lead to his release in a short time after arriving here. High-ranking officials in the foreign office argue that the issue of an Israeli passport to a South African drug dealer makes Israel look like a Mafia state.

  Shani Alexander Krebs, aged fifty-two, was arrested in 1994 in Thailand after he was caught smuggling a large amount of drugs. He was sentenced to life imprisonment but his sentence was later reduced to twenty-four years by the King. He has currently served seventeen of them and has seven years left to serve. This makes him the longest-serving foreign citizen imprisoned in a Thai jail. During the last two years, Krebs and his family, with the help of Chabad Thailand, have been campaigning to receive Israeli citizenship. According to the law, a Jew can only gain Israeli citizenship if he makes Aliyah and comes to live in Israel. Exceptions are made only in extreme circumstances or for humanitarian reasons. This is the first time that the Minister of the Interior has allowed a foreign prisoner to become an Israeli citizen while he sits in a foreign jail.

  Krebs approached Minister Eli Yishay and requested him to grant him citizenship in order to enable him to serve the remainder of his sentence in Israel. Rabbi of Chabad Bangkok, Nehemiah Wilhelm, awarded the Jewish prisoner patronage after he stated that he is in the process of ‘Chazarah be-tshuva’. Krebs showed remorse for his actions and stated that he had been completely rehabilitated. The Rabbi approached Minister Eli Yishay and brought to his attention the terrible conditions Krebs is living in. Minister Yishay was convinced and granted him citizenship. The professional level within the foreign office were dead against the decision and tried to overturn it but to no avail. Yishay also convinced the Minister of Internal Security, Yitzhak Aharonovitch, to agree to Krebs being transferred to serve time in Israel. The foreign office received orders to hand Krebs his passport. High-ranking officials in the foreign office voiced their objection to Minister of Foreign Affairs, Avigdor Lieberman, but were turned down.

  Recently the Consul in Bangkok visited Krebs in his Thai jail and informed him that he is now an Israeli citizen.

  Negotiations are underway with Thai authorities regarding his transfer to Israel. High-ranking officials in the foreign office said ‘Israel does not need to import drug dealers even if he is “chazarah be-tshuva” was the response from the Ministry of the Interior’. Minister Eli Yishay decided to grant citizenship to Krebs by the law of return, even though strong opposition exists, after representatives of the Ministry of the Interior vouched for Krebs and claimed that he is on the path to rehabilitation.’

  A couple of weeks later, while in Israel, Rabbi Nechemya was invited to appear on a radio talk show. There was growing controversy surrounding the issue of my citizenship.

  Meanwhile the lawyer working on my case advised my family to deactivate my Facebook page, as all eyes were on me.

  Because of the many limitations confinement imposed, my relationship with Elisabeth was often shaky. We argued a lot, mostly about ridiculous things, and every so often we would break up. It may sound ridiculous even to say that we were in relationship, but we were. It had been love at first sight for both of us, although that didn’t make it any easier.

  During one of our break-ups I had connected on Facebook with a girl, Jessica, who had been my junior at school. She had got married, had children and now lived in America. One thing led to the next and, in between making up with Elisabeth, Jessica and I also fell in love. It got so intense that we ended up having phone sex. I know it sounds crazy, but there I was – in love with two women, neither of whom I could touch. Elisabeth fulfilled more of my emotional needs and Jessica my fantasy physical needs.

  One day, when I had been up till the early hours of the morning having cyber-sex with Jessica, I woke up at 5am as usual, but having hardly slept at all. I fulfilled my customary morning rituals of vassing (hand washing) and davening, after which, knowing that the cells would be opened soon, I rolled up my bed, packed all my things, lay on the floor with my head resting on the bed, and went back to sleep. No sooner had I shut my eyes than I heard the bottom door being unbolted and the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs. The timing was odd, but I thought it was probaby nothing more than one of the sporadic checks we had grown accustomed to.

  This time there were about eight commodores, four of whom were in black combat uniform – and they had weapons. They all approached our cell and simultaneously called my name in Thai. Fuck, my heart dropped to my feet. I got up from the floor and made my way towards the bars.

  Then I heard the words: ‘Yai reun jam’ (Chan
ge prison).

  Two weeks earlier there had been a similar incident where the regular big drug dealers who were still involved in dealing from within the prison were extracted from different buildings. I was stunned. I wasn’t one of those guys. What was going on? The first thing that came to my mind was Elisabeth. It was our anniversary and she was due to visit me that morning.

  After being shackled, and carrying my bag over my shoulder, I shuffled my feet along. The restricting chains represented more than just punishment. They symbolised the inhumanity of imprisonment. As I passed Building 2, standing by the gate were three guys, also shackled and with their travel bags. One of them was Chen Ming; the other was Donald. The third guy I didn’t know. Things were getting interesting. Wherever we were going, my enemy and I were about to embark on the same journey. It was a little after 7am. There were about 24 of us on the bus. The guys looked half-asleep, their hair ruffled and with long faces. We had all been pulled out of bed, with not even the chance to brush our teeth, let alone eat something.

  The Thais knew our destination. We were being moved to the notorious Khao Bin prison, which is near the city of Ratchaburi. This would be my fourth prison in Thailand. I had hastily left a note for Dani, instructing him to ask Elisabeth to contact the South African embassy. It was 19 April, the first day of Pesach, so the Israeli embassy would be closed. I couldn’t believe that my departure from Bangkwang coincided with the exodus of the Jews from Egypt. The symbolism was uncanny. Although I was chained, I believed with all my heart that the powers above would work in my favour. Once the South African embassy learnt what had happened, I had no doubt I would be brought back to Bangkwang within the week.

  On the bus I sat next to a Nigerian by the name of Oteng Samuel, the only other foreigner. Chen Ming was sitting a few seats behind me. Six months had passed since our fight. I got up from my seat, shuffled in my chains back to where he was sitting and, at the same time as I greeted him, I extended my hand. He took it and we shook hands, understanding without having to speak that the matter was put to rest.

  The trip to Khao Bin took three hours.

  When I had been there for two days, I put my thoughts and experiences down in writing in my diary. I wrote the words with Jessica in my heart and my mind:

  ‘I can’t think of nothing else but you. I’m lying on the concrete floor in another prison with 24 other prisoners sleeping shoulder to shoulder, there is a lot of noise, the guys don’t stop smoking. Although alien to my new surroundings, prisons don’t differ insofar that I remain confined. Being comfortable is another matter entirely. Knowing how much you love me will give me the strength to overcome this ordeal. I remember you writing in one of your letters “Once in a lifetime you need someone special, a person who changes your way of thinking, who touches your heart and soul and makes each day seem a little more exciting than before.” It’s now Wednesday, my second day in Khao Bin prison and all that keeps me going are my thoughts of you. When we arrived here yesterday I was checked very thoroughly and my address book was confiscated with your contact details. There was also the incident where I was instructed to remove my gold earring. It was a difficult latch and I couldn’t get it out and this really pissed the guards off. So much so that they bought a pair of pliers and wanted to cut it out of my ear. I protested and eventually managed to get it out. While they were checking me, they found the charger for my mobile. It was the adaptor used for a CD player that had been modified. I just acted dumb and said it was for a CD player. After that we were marched to Building 4 where we were given an hour’s lecture by the Director. During this time, I kept dozing off, and really struggled to listen to the shit he was talking. He couldn’t stop looking at me and at the end of the talk, motioning with his forefinger, instructed me to cut my hair. And if I failed to do so, waving a baton, he threatened to have me beaten. I had no choice but to acquiesce. The blond curly locks cascaded down my shoulders. It never bothered me, as my mind was so preoccupied thinking of the two women I loved. My heart longs for one and my body longs for the tender touch of the other. I am missing you something terrible. I promised myself to write to you every day [in this diary], even if only a paragraph. Today I wrote a petition asking the Director to transfer eight of us back to Bangkok as we are innocent and have been unjustly accused of dealing drugs in the prison. All we can do now is wait for the embassy. The food isn’t great, I have a running stomach and my entire body is sore from sleeping on the concrete. I miss reading your letters and hearing you express your love. I was moved here with another foreigner, much younger than me, but quite the athlete. He is a Nigerian. We hooked up and decided to stick together. Our group has grown to six members and during the day we hang out in the dining room. There is no prison canteen and one cannot buy anything besides the regular plastic bags of food. I smuggled in 6 000 Thai baht but it is basically worthless. One of the main features of Khao Bin prison is the mobile phone signal jammers that operate around the clock. These jammers are to prevent inmates from doing drug deals from behind bars, a problem that became worse after many of the biggest drug dealers were moved from other prisons and relocated to Khao Bin. It’s really crazy as there is only one spot in the entire building where it is possible to get a signal. The owners of the dogs are generous enough to allow us a minute or two to speak to our families. It’s bizarre as some mornings there is a queue of about 30 prisoners waiting to call. I wish I could hear your voice, but I know a few seconds would only intensify our need and desire.

  ‘Today is Thursday 21st April. It’s really tough here. We are in the punishment building, we are approximately 160 inmates, supposedly all the big dealers from every prison in Bangkok. I have since learnt that it’s approximately only ten. The rest such as myself and many others were scapegoats. If all the big players were moved out of Bangkok it would cripple the prisons financially. (A lot of the dealers from Bangkwang had actually paid money to the guard in charge of transfers to keep them in Bangkwang, from where they can continue to sell drugs on the outside.) The battle continues and today I made my second petition asking the prison authorities to allow inmates to receive parcels. This has caused quite a stir among the guards. Around 2.45pm I was called over the loudspeaker, saying that I had a visit, and that it was a lawyer. Well you cannot imagine my excitement, I ran to the office thinking my nightmare was over, only to learn that my address book had been returned. Otherwise our days are very boring and the heat is unbearable. You are in my thoughts every waking moment and I keep thinking of what must be going through your head and if you miss me a fraction of how much I miss you, then you must be going out of your mind too. I still cannot believe how intense things got between us, and it just continues to grow. I imagine my sister called you to let you know that I was moved to another prison. In my cell we are now twenty-five Thais. I still don’t have a bed but managed to acquire a blanket which is very thin, but better than nothing. My time in the cells is very difficult and there is a constant murmur of convicts from different groups around the cell. It is fucking crazy, yet I’m not perturbed in the least. I know in my heart of hearts that Hashem has a reason for sending me to hell, hopefully I can make the difference and there is a lesson to be learnt. I’m praying that the embassy, be the SA or the Israeli, are doing something to have me transferred back to anywhere in Bangkok. It’s ridiculous that I was transferred out here; I hope Dani isn’t abusing my dog.

  ‘Today is Friday 22nd and as usual my head is filled with thoughts of you. My longing to hear your voice intensifies. Fridays are the only days that Building 4 in Ratchaburi Khao Bin are allowed visits. We were all hoping that at least one of us in the group would get a visit. After taking a shower, I tried to try to connect with Elisabeth. One of the Big Legs who had done time with me in Bangkwang allowed me to bark the dog. Liz never recognised my voice at first and when she did, she told me I was going to be moved to Klong Prem’s Lard Yao prison on Monday. I couldn’t contain my excitement and share the good news with some of my friends who half-he
artedly believed me.’

  Chapter 18

  Raining, Cats and Dogs

  Once you are moved to Khao Bin, it’s regarded as going to hell. Nobody gets out of there alive. I spent most of the morning of my fifth day there walking around collecting signatures for the parcel petition. This attracted a lot of attention from the commodores. It seemed to make them nervous. Around 12.30 I went to the office to complain that there was no water to shower with. The day before, the second chief had told me that since I’d arrived at Khao Bin, he’d had a permanent headache. ‘Likewise,’ I replied. When I left the office I decided to walk up and down the driveway, which was in a horseshoe shape. After I’d done about four laps I was called to the office and informed that I should gather my belongings. I was to be moved to Klong Prem. I wasn’t happy that my mates were going to have to suffer while I was going to a better prison, but all the same I was relieved. Actually, I didn’t quite believe it. I quickly ran to pack my things, said my farewells, and was then escorted out of the building and taken to be shackled.

  The drive to Klong Prem prison was a long one. I stood and stared out of the window, watching the flow of pedestrians and people in the cars and buses going by. It was a strange feeling, wondering what those people’s lives were like. Eventually we got to Klong Prem at about 4pm. I was subjected to a thorough search, and this time the good-luck R10 note that my sister Joan had sent me was confiscated. I was taken to Building 2, where I was thoroughly searched again and also questioned by the Building Chief and four other guards. One of them wanted to know if there was gambling going on in Khao Bin prison. I told him I wasn’t sure but that I personally had not seen any gambling in the short time I was there, which was a lie. They played Hi-Lo in Khao Bin, which is a game played with three dice. The stakes for one throw ran into millions of Thai baht. Some of the guys at Khao Bin were thought to be among the biggest drug dealers in Thailand, and their business continued behind its walls.