Special Report: Dongguan Prison Home to 500 Foreigners

Special Report: Dongguan Prison Home to 500 Foreigners
Aug 13, 2013 By eChinacities.com

Editor’s note: this article was translated and edited from Wenxuecity.com, and looks at a special report regarding a prison in Dongguan that has 500 foreign inmates. The article looks at the lives and backgrounds of the inmates in the prison, and gives a unique insight into how they have adjusted to life in a Chinese jail. Two particular characters are interviewed for the report, and each have their own interesting story and viewpoints on life in the Dongguan prison.

The prison located on Dongguan’s Xinzhou Island in the Shijie Village, is home to over 5,000 inmates; 500 of which are foreigners from 53 different countries. Most of the foreigners in the prison are there due to drug trafficking related crimes; some of the inmates who transported drugs into China by air were put straight into prison the minute they got off the plane. The nationality of some of the prisoners is a mystery, as a number of them had their passports ripped up once they were caught at customs. The prison received its first ever foreigner in 1996, a Nepalese drug trafficker. After China entered the World Trade Organization in 2002, many South East Asian prisoners ended up in the Dongguan jail and in 2007, the jail saw its first inmates from Africa and the Middle East.

Prison life

Regarding life in the prison, the hardest aspect of prison life that the foreign inmates have to acclimatize to is prison labor, as during their sentencing, there was no mention of the nature of the prison work or even if it was mandatory. In light of this, it was learned that many of the foreign inmates regularly take sick days in order to avoid the strenuous work, while others ask for time off when there’s an upcoming festival.

On the topic of prisoner behavior, prison guards gave a summary of what they think are the regional characteristics of the inmates. Europeans, Americans and Singaporeans reportedly often stand up for their rights a lot, though are generally very educated and polite. Southeast Asians are generally very obedient and don’t cause any trouble. The guards thought that Africans however were often very noisy when spoken to firmly, but generally obey prison rules. Inmates from the Middle East apparently had a very strong sense of pride, and caused problems if the guards were strict with them.

The “teacher”: Singaporean inmate makes use of his time in jail

On April 20, a Singaporean inmate identified only as Roman was released from prison after he was sentenced to 12 years for fraud. Roman began his time in jail in May 2007, though had his sentenced reduced four times thus granting him an early exit. Roman has various qualifications in fields such as mechanical engineering, business and hotel management, and speaks English and Chinese fluently – skills that have lead him to be called “the teacher” in the prison. One of Roman’s “students” is a Ugandan inmate identified by the name Kadasha. Now fluent in Chinese, Kadasha often likes to read Chinese copies of Chinese Geographical Science on a small bench outside the prison reading room.

During his time in jail, Roman embarked on another English education program, which is the reason why his sentence was reduced so many times. The prison encourages inmates to take part in high-level national self-study programs and exams. Currently, 297 inmates have signed up for 690 exams; 128 of which were accepted onto the billing division of the exams, which has an average pass rate of 34.8%.  

Looking back on his time in jail, Roman says, “Here, I’ve learnt how to judge many different types of people,” Roman told the reporter. He blames himself for being a poor judge of character and says the reason he ended up in jail was because he foolishly trusted a Chinese girlfriend. He promises himself that he will be more careful with his choices in the future. “There are two things which I’m now fussy over. One is choosing a wife, the other is food,” laughed the 52-year-old.

Russian inmate: can’t wait to get out to see his kid

One other interesting inmate is a Russian man named Mikhail, who studied at Saint Petersburg State University – the same school as Vladimir Putin. In July 2007, Mikhail was sentenced to ten years in prison for being involved in a fight outside a bar in Jiangmen, Guangdong, which led to the death of a man. Mikhail previously applied for help from various foreign affairs and judicial departments to return to Russia to serve his sentence, though to no avail. “What I really want to do is return to my country as an ordinary citizen,” said Mikhail, who estimates that he will be released around July or August next near. Not a stranger to politics, Mikhail likes to discuss the issues of Iraq and North Korea, and despite getting into heated discussions with his inmates, he assures that there are never any fights.  

A month before Mikhail was arrested, his wife back in Russia gave birth to a son, and the pair planned to spend time together in Guangzhou during the 2010 Asian Games. Each time he calls home, his kid often asks, “Where are you daddy?” to which Mikhail replies, “I’m in China for study.” There is actually some truth in that, as when he was first placed in the prison on Xinzhou Island, Mikhail didn’t speak a word of Chinese. Now, he can read and write the language. When he asked what his plans are after he is released, he replied with the old Confucian saying; “While you’re parents are alive, do not journey afar.”  

Source: Wenxuecity

Warning:The use of any news and articles published on eChinacities.com without written permission from eChinacities.com constitutes copyright infringement, and legal action can be taken.

Keywords: Dongguan prison foreigners in Dongguan prison

6 Comments

All comments are subject to moderation by eChinacities.com staff. Because we wish to encourage healthy and productive dialogue we ask that all comments remain polite, free of profanity or name calling, and relevant to the original post and subsequent discussion. Comments will not be deleted because of the viewpoints they express, only if the mode of expression itself is inappropriate.

Mateusz

A Russian involved in a fight? I'll bet he was caught viciously head butting the shoes of some locals, while in his fetal position attack stance.

Aug 17, 2013 04:09 Report Abuse

willie_nelson

Keep up the great reporting. Love to read it all when it comes around.

Aug 14, 2013 18:47 Report Abuse

lrosgen

Hey Willie, have you ever worked in China. Great place. I'm a displaced Cut N Shoot Texan. In Shanghai try Bubba's BBQ, the owner is from Austin and its pretty good BBQ. Beers cold, but no Lone Star

Sep 11, 2013 07:29 Report Abuse

willie_nelson

Yeah, been in China 3 years now. Moving a bit now with a new semester coming. Bugger thou, the new city I am moving to is yet another that doesn't allow motorbikes. WTF will I do with my lovely ride? Hmmm. Park it at a friends place on the outskirts of town for my w/e getaways. That'll maintain my sanity I reckon.

Jun 10, 2014 19:57 Report Abuse

rasklnik

Bet the Russian was self defense..don't you?

Aug 13, 2013 15:43 Report Abuse

JustinF

Of course. Only Westerners can't be 100% guilty of a crime.

Aug 14, 2013 02:46 Report Abuse