17 year old Swede four days in jail without visit from the Swedish Embassy

Five kilometers outside Sa Kaeo a 17 year old frightened Swedish boy from Norrköbing is kept prisoner, accused of murder. It’s not a jail. It’s an institution for juvenile observation and protection, but when you get inside it’s difficult to tell the difference.

After two days persistent attempt to get permission to visit this young boy, which was denied by the institution, the court today gave ScandAsia permission to visit the boy, under the condition, that we do not mention his name or publish his picture. The minor Swede is accused of killing his girlfriend’s Thai-friend. The Swede claims selfdefense.

When he enters the room, it is obvious, that he is both scared and confused. I ask him if he prefers to speak Swedish or English. He prefers Swedish. I start telling him why I am here, and that we only got 10 minutes (a limitation from the institution, not the court), so I ask him to consider, what is most important for him to tell, to the outside world. As soon as he starts speaking, telling me that he doesn’t think he is being treated right, we are interrupted by the staff. We are not allowed to speak Swedish.

I continue in English. The boy tries as well, but he speaks only very limited English, so the rest of the conversation is in half English half Swedish, with repeated disruptions from the staff.

“They don’t believe me. And the Hotel has no CCTV. A hotel without surveillance.” He shake his  head in disbelieve.

He knew that his girlfriend and her Thai-friend was coming. They had an appointment to go to market together. His was taken totally by surprise when the Thai-friend entered the room and attacked him. He says the Thai-friend almost succeeded in cutting his left arm, and his next attack only missed his throat with an inch before the knife went in to the wall behind him.

The young Swede went to Thailand three weeks ago together with his Thai born girlfriend. They planned to stay a month and five days. Before coming to Sa Kaeo they had already spent two weeks in Pattaya, and three or four days in Bangkok. When everything went terribly wrong Friday afternoon, they were more than half way through their holiday.

When speaking of the girlfriend his troubled face lightens up. He is obviously very found of her. I ask him if he knows, where she is now. His face darkens again. No. He doesn’t know. Maybe back in Pattaya, he guesses. The only contact with the outside world that he has been permitted was a telephone to his mother in Sweden, and now this brief visit from a Dane he has never seen before.

When asked about he and his girlfriend’s relationship, he tells me that they have been together for 6 months and was engaged. He said, they loved each other.

Time is up. The Staff is getting impatient. I ask him if there is anybody, he wants me to contact. Both the staff, he and I have risen. He starts to write the address of his family in Nörkoping, but now the two persons from the Staff are out of patience. He apologizes that he has no time to write the contact details for me and they lead him out of the room before we can say goodbye.

On my way out, I ask when I can visit the boy again.

“Never,” is the answer from the male staff, who certainly did not appreciated my visit. I promised him to come back.

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Read also:
Teenage Love Triangle Ended with Murder – 18 Year Old Swede Arrested.

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