Courtesy of Emilia SemrauThis name card was given to Emilia Semrau when she arrived at the prison in Mae Hong Son, Thailand. During her incarceration she placed the card on top of her bedding each morning to reserve her sleeping spot. The card states her crime (theft), her age (25) and the length of her sentence (6 months).

Emilia Semrau
2/4/2019

I spent the night at the police station in a filthy cell with two other women who had been arrested for allegedly smuggling methamphetamine over the Myanmar border.

"The police were called, along with all of the owner’s family and the owners of neighboring shops ― Thailand is big on community and so there were a lot of people present in the aftermath of my theft. I was brought to the nearest police station a few miles away where my mugshot and fingerprints were taken."

"The next morning I was taken to a small courtroom where I appeared without a lawyer and I was sentenced to six months in a prison in the nearby town of Mae Hong Son. After being sentenced, I was refused the right to a lawyer, a call to my family, or an opportunity to pay bail. "

", I was housed with 79 other non-violent women who were almost all there for crimes related to meth ― smoking it, dealing it or smuggling it. I sewed floral embroidery on shirts for nine hours every day ― a task required of all of the inmates. I ate the same meal of pork soup and rice every day. I showered with all of the other inmates every afternoon using a small plastic bowl I dipped in a long trench of water while wearing a self-stitched shower dress. I slept shoulder to shoulder with the other women while lying on a single folded blanket placed the hard concrete floor with harsh lighting blasting through my closed eyelids"

"I began to teach English to some of the other inmates in exchange for Thai massage lessons and I taught yoga on the weekends. I learned to speak Thai. I learned how damaging an excessive amount of greed and desire can be ― not just for myself, but for the people I had stolen from or hurt in other ways throughout my life ― and how unnecessary they are for true abundance."

"https://www.huffpost.com/entry/thai-pri ... 92c6dc9c81

Love happy endings like this, really sweet.

" I grew up stealing small things ― apples and single rolls of toilet paper ― as I came from a poor home and I was frequently hungry and forced to go without simple pleasures (or even necessities) as a child. The need to survive soon grew into a vice that continued into my adult years. I would take makeup from Walmart just out of habit, but this was first time I’d stolen from an independently owned shop."

" ... advised by the arresting police officer to plead guilty ― and I did ― since I was caught in the act "

" I was only allowed a local call"

" in Thailand the magnitude of a criminal’s punishment is based on the moral worth of the crime and in a Buddhist country, stealing is a big deal."

She justifies theft, admits guilt only because she was caught, complains about not getting an international phone call, believes theft is no big deal...
going to a Thai prison is probably the most beneficial thing she has ever done her life.

A series of studies suggest people who think of themselves as rich could be more likely to steal, cheat, and lie
https://www.businessinsider.com/rich-pe ... lie-2018-8

The card states her crime (theft), her age (25) and the length of her sentence (6 months).

So, in Thailand, "24" actually means 25?

It's kind of like that time when Paul was dead.