The claim by a 57-yr-old Ukrainian engineer that he had been held prisoner in a Pathum Thani gas factory seems to have provoked the emergence of a number of similar cases.

In the first case to make the news, Anatoliy Vdovychenko claimed to have been hired by Navanakhon Gas (2500) in April 1996 to install oxygen equipment. After 3 months, he says his passport was confiscated by his employer who stopped paying his salary after he was injured in an accident. He was confined to the factory compound, he says, until released by Ukrainian consular staff. They had been contacted by the engineer’s family, who were alerted by a letter from a Burmese co-worker informing them of the situation.

The case was thought to have a sufficiently high profile to be taken up by the Department of Special Investigation. Their special investigations have cast doubt on some of the man’s claims. It appears his passport was in fact confiscated and he was paid only 1,000 to 2,000 baht a month, but police found no evidence that he was forcibly detained. He stayed in the factory dormitory and could have left at any time.

The DSI may now be regretting their interest in this case, since a flood of similar cases threaten to swamp their office. They were already busy with investigating the April-May red shirt incidents, the extradition of former PM Thaksin Shinawatra, every unexplained bombing over the past 5 years, the Saudi gems case, the enforced disappearance of human rights lawyer Somchai Neelapaijit, etc., etc., none of which has been brought to a satisfactory conclusion.

One case involves a British university teacher who claims to have been detained in an unnamed noodle shop in a small soi off Phaholyothin Road. Police became aware of the case when the shop-owner, known only by her nickname of Jum, called the local police station to restrain the teacher.

‘He has 5 or 6 Leos every afternoon’, said Jum, ‘but with Tui’s motorbike being broken and the other lad forgetting, we ran out and served him a Chang instead.’ He then reportedly became extremely tired and emotional, prompting the call for police assistance.

When confronted by police, Mr Richard Head claimed that he had been held against his will for the past 23 years, during which time he had been teaching Industrial English at the nearby Suttisan Higher Institute of Technology and forced daily to consume debilitating quantities of alcohol.

Investigation at the Institute, however, revealed a different story. Mr Head had been employed on contract, renewed every two years, and was at liberty to leave at any time and to use his free time as he wished. When questioned about his drinking habits, the Director said that he was an alcoholic only in the afternoons, so as long as his classes were scheduled in the morning, there was no problem. His familiarity with Thai (he had a working vocabulary of about 25 words) made it worthwhile to renew his contract and his classes were popular. Students reported that everyone wanted to take his classes since he used the same exam every term, so an A was guaranteed.

When asked to comment on the Institute’s version of events, Mr Head said he was stuck in S.H.I.T. and knew he would probably never get out of S.H.I.T., but since Jum’s shop had now got a fresh supply of Leo, he was prepared to drop charges.

Hua Hin police reported the case of a German who claimed to have been confined to an apartment by two ferocious Alsatian dogs for the past 5 years. He said he had retired to Thailand and met a nice young Thai lady who he had married, setting up house in Hua Hin. After a while, his wife complained of being lonely, and they had bought the dogs for company.

5 years ago his wife had left him and he had found it impossible to control the dogs, who had come to dominate his life. He had been able to leave his apartment only with one of the dogs on a leash in order to go shopping, mostly for dog food.

The investigating officers, who had been given a friendly welcome by the tail-wagging Alsatians, thought his story lacked credibility. Examining his passport, they discovered that he was last in contact with Immigration some 6 years ago and suspect that he is trying to escape a charge of overstaying his visa.

The DSI has also received a call from a Newcastle United supporter who complains that he is being held against his will in a political coalition that he cannot escape from. Speaking unaccented English, he alleges that his character is being assassinated by association with known political hoodlums. A DSI officer believes that this case too is a hoax and hasn’t bothered to return the call.