“The dark side” of the holiday in Phuket, a British tourist had to find out. Edition The Tiger tells the story of the disaster of a 51-year-old Englishman – who first fell into the clutches of criminals, and then – the police. Which treated him even worse – they broke his ribs, arms, knocked out 4 teeth. As a result, the traveler accused the Thai police of torture
According to the tourist, it all started with the fact that local criminals drugged him and robbed him in Patong. The affected tourist, Carl from Birmingham, said he was “delirious” for at least two days after the drug was slipped into his drink. They stole everything from him, including credit cards, borrowing 6.8 thousand pounds from them.
However, the tourist's troubles were just beginning: when the tourist returned to his accommodation, the police were waiting for him there, “to intercept him and take him away.” According to Karl, they started beating him on the way to prison: four policemen beat him with metal sticks, and the police chief punched him in the face. As a result, according to him, even before he was taken to the site, he lost several teeth and received a bruise under his eye.
As it turned out, the tourist was detained on charges of cocaine use. “I immediately asked for a test to prove that I did not have cocaine in my body or with me. They refused and threw me into a tiny cell full of faeces and old waste. They also refused me water and left me in this cell for the whole night, ”says the tourist. He adds that the police only laughed at him when he asked them to contact the British Embassy to help him get medical help.
“Not knowing what to do, Carl grabbed a lighter and set fire to a pile of garbage, trying to get someone's attention outside the cell to come and help him. But the fire prompted seven officers to break into Karl's cell and put tight handcuffs on him that cut off blood circulation, and then beat him, ”the newspaper writes. The tourist claims that he was beaten for about five hours, after which he was left “shackled, bloodied and cut up.” “My feet were dipped in feces, which caused them to rot,” the tourist also claims, according to him, he was diagnosed with a “septic infection” in his legs.
As a result, as the tourist stated, such torture continued for seven days. The police then allowed Carl to call his sister in New Zealand “who sent him £800 so he could be released immediately”. As a result, friends helped the tourist by lending him clothes, after which “he boldly reported his seven days of hell to another police station” and went to the hospital. His sister then arranged for him to fly to the UK.
It is further reported that local doctors told Karl that he would take two months to recover – and that he would not be able to return to his job in the fire department until he recovered. As a result, the tourist is unemployed, which further exacerbates the physical and psychological problems after being tortured in Thailand. At the same time, the tourist has already appealed to the authorities and they have responded. A spokesman for the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said the investigation into the alleged torture was ongoing. The tourist, in turn, said that he wants to hold the Thai police accountable.
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