HEMISPHERESMAGAZINE.COM
•
NOVEMBER 2013
79
I
t’s late summer in the emerald hills
of Thailand’s Nakhon Ratchasima
province, some 150miles northeast
of Bangkok. The sticky heat, com-
mon during this time of year, is
even more stifling in the cramped
courtyard of Klong Pai, one of the coun-
try’s largest high-security prisons, which
houses drug traffickers, thieves, murder-
ers and––as evidenced by the blows being
exchanged on the blood-stained canvas in
front of me—some of the best Muay Thai
boxers in the world.
As flea-bi en dogs roamthe court-
yard, darting between the legs of the
hundreds of inmates on hand for the
fight—whichmixes aspects ofmartial
arts and traditional boxing—Arran
Burton, a heavily ta ooed beanpole
from the hardscrabble English
city of Colchester, does battle with
Chalernpol Sawangsuk, a 26-year-old
currently serving time at Klong Pai
for trafficking crystal meth.
Though Burton, a free man, has
the advantages of training in proper
gyms, maintaining good nutrition
and being an established fighter on
the local Muay Thai circuit, his oppo-
nent, who is just 5-foot-7, has him off
balance. Sawangsuk ducks under a
hook, evades a jab and then counters
with a hard kick to the solar plexus
that sends Burton wobbling backward
into the ropes. The inmate spectators—no
doubt rooting for one of their own—give a
raucous cheer.
Sawangsuk, smiling through the rub-
ber of his mouth guard, has every reason
to be pleased. A win today wouldn’t just
bring him the admiration of his fellow
inmates—it would bring him one step
closer to freedom.
The Klong Pai fight is part of a program
set up in 2010 by the Thai government
that sanctions fights at dozens of correc-
tional facilities across the country. Only
prison officials, local politicians, inmates,
family members and the professional
fighters who began to participate this
year are allowed to a end. The events are
orchestrated inmuch the sameway as pro
tournaments: All fighters wear regulation
gloves and wraps, and every bout is over-
seen by a seasoned Muay Thai referee.
If an inmate wins a match, his case
is referred to the warden of his prison,
who then has the option of reducing
his sentence by months or even years.
After winning five straight bouts,
Sawangsuk, a former enforcer for a
Bangkok gambling ring, has already
shaved seven years off his 10-year
sentence. If he wins today, he could be
a free man within a fewmonths.
O
n the face of it, the program
seems ridiculous, like something
out of a Jean-Claude VanDamme
actionmovie. You could go as far as to say
there’s something vaguely sinister about
it: The most dangerous men in the cor-
rectional system are the ones awarded
their freedom.
There is also, though, a certain logic to
the program. Drugs and gang activity are
rampant inThai prisons, and there are pre-
cious few opportunities for rehabilitation
or education. Training for a match
helps center the contestants and
fills up their days with gym time. It
also makes work for scores of other
prisoners, who serve as coaches, cut-
men, sparringpartners andmasseurs.
These crewmendevelop strongbonds
with their boxers and each other, as
well as a sense of purpose. Between
rounds, they crowd into the corner of
the ring, whispering encouragement
to their fighters.
Most important, the contests
provide two commodities that are
in extremely short supply in Thai
prison life: a chance at redemption
and a source of pride.
“Muay Thai is a strong part of
Thai culture,” says Aree Chaloisuk,
the director of Klong Pai. “I think
the fighters are proud to participate
in the program. Fromwhat I have seen, it
can improve bad behavior and provides
an opportunity for a career for inmates
a er they leave prison—they can compete
instead of becoming criminals again.”
Seen in this way, the commutations
issued by the prison aren’t rewards for
violence; they’re rewards for pursuing
a vocation other than crime. In fact,
many American prisons run similar
AWINTODAY
WOULDN’T JUST
BRINGHIMTHE
ADMIRATION
OF HIS FELLOW
INMATES—IT
WOULD BRING
HIMCLOSER TO
FREEDOM.
READY TO
PUNCH OUT
Opposite page: Muay
Thai boxers at Klong
Pai prison
