THAI TRIAL UPDATE

My first 12 days on the outside after getting bail were quiet enjoyable. I had three days to hang out with Niall before he took off to Laos, and met up with two other jokers from Korea as well, Cozzie and Alex. Got a day in kayaking on the river, which is harder than I thought it would be, and I ended up spending a good bit of time underwater-upsidedown kayaking. Fortunately, didn't scrape bottom or head butt any rocks.

Since then I've been fortunate to meet some great people here who have helped me out in every way. Katherine is a wonderful woman who works with foreigners in the prisons in Chiang Mai and Bangkok as well on occasion. She has helped me out from the start. Paul has been here for 20 years working through various churchs and organizations, and he has introduced me to others and kept me involved in things going on around here. I have been putting my new Thai cooking skills to work, and made up some green curry from scratch and chicken with cashew nut for a group of 5 at Paul's house this past Monday. I've got a few other cheffing appointments set up to round out my skills. Still looking for a football team to join up with, but getting back in shape by running and working out in the meantime. So I've kept productively busy, avoiding the endless hours of mind numbing thought that could come at a time like this. I've spent a good deal of time on the Internet, emailing, messing around, and chatting, and on the phone with my parents.

So, things got rolling again on Tuesday. I went to court expecting a formality type occasion with the prosecution requesting a 12 day delay. Much to our surprise they were ready to go forward with the case. So after getting this news around 415pm, we rushed upstairs for the appearance in front of the judge to enter a plea. Also in the room were some 10 others, some getting sentenced, some entering pleas, and others being told to wait 12 more days. And of course it was all in Thai, so I've no clue whats going on. When my turn came, I stood and said Not Guilty after the prompt from my lawyer. Basically this just buys us time to sort out our plan and defense. The next court date is 20 December. Now, if I maintain a Not Guilty plea, it will probably be a year or more until the case goes before a judge. During which I would have to remain in Thailand, providing my bail is honored by the court. If I go to Guilty, then I would receive a sentence the same day or shortly thereafter. The sentence could range from 2 years in prison to a suspended sentence that allows me to go home to deportation, effectively the same thing.

So there you have it. I have certainly learned a lot through all this, and I am sure this experience will someday be seen as a pivotal time in my life. I hope and pray that it will be a 2 month experience, and not a 2 year & 2 month experience. But thats out of my control, and I'll be trusting God either way. So I ask your continued prayers for me in this situation. And keep in touch on the email, always good to hear from everyone.

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