1 Pill = 28 Years

In May 2018, my Burmese lady friend 'Lwin' and I were busted for pandering. A month prior, I was asked by foreign ('farang' in Thai) undercover agents - to provide them with ladies for sex. When we met, the two agents said, 'we want young. Very young.' What they got was two working women, ages 18 and 25. The sting operation, consisting of 20 DSI agents (Thailand's FBI) flown up from Bangkok, wanted to bust me and Lwin for trafficking young women. They got neither trafficking
nor under-age. After investing 300,000 Baht ($10k) and dozens of hours for nothing, the undercover cops were disappointed, so they busted us on bogus charges. We both did a year in various Thai prisons. The book encompasses a lot more than just the unfair treatment of Lwin and I. While in prison, I was able to see corruption up close. For starters, tens of thousands of inmates are there for BS reasons, relating to victimless crimes. Thailand ranks fifth in the world re; % of citizens locked up. US's DEA is intrinsically entwined in the injustices. The book details how the DEA pays Thai authorities for each person they imprison - therefore it's incentive to lock up as many as possible, no matter if the majority are there on bogus charges. The book's title: 1 Pill = 28 Years, is taken from a true case where an old man got 28 years plus 3 months for having one speed pill in his pocket. He will die in prison, and his numerous grandkids will never know him. His tragedy is not an anomaly. There are thousands of similarly unfair stories, some of which are showcased in the book. Well over 90% of prisoners are hill tribers, and well over 90% are suffering very long sentences for having as little as a half speed pill. Overcrowding is severe. 6 sq.ft. on cold concrete, for 15 out of every 24 hours. Arms and legs draped over the people squeezed on either side. Christian NGO's add to the dilemma. Right wing Christian groups may intend to do good, but they wind up wrecking families almost as much as the DEA and corrupt Thai authorities.