The Last Executioner (20 page)

***

Tew and I are together 40 years now, which was a lot of hard work on our part. She will say that she never experienced any difficulties when I was executing people. The neighbours all knew what I did and accepted it. In truth I don’t think she rushed to tell a stranger about what her husband did for a living. We have had a good life together and enjoy attending parties and socialising more than ever. Our biggest rows mostly took place when the kids were younger. Every couple’s relationship has an Achilles Heel. When I disciplined the kids Tew would sometimes want to throw in a few slaps where I felt a couple of stern words would suffice. Then the children would be forgotten as she went storming off in tears and I would be left feeling angry and guilty.

Unlike some of my friends I was lucky to have a wife who never attempted to assault me or call me names no matter how mad she got. I would not have liked a dragon for a wife; I do not see the attraction of hot-headed aggressive women. I just prefer a quiet life as much as possible. I think the secret to a good marriage lies in establishing a good friendship with your spouse. If a prisoner boasted to me about beating up his wife or insulting her in front of his mates I would ask him if he could treat a friend like that, and the answer was always, ‘No way!’

We are both immensely proud of our three children; we worked hard to ensure they received the best education that we could afford. I believe it is best to provide a child with as many choices as possible, and the sense to make an informed decision. And now we are grandparents and a new generation has begun again.

When I first started with the prison we were given a small one storey wooden house nearby that used to be a barber shop. It was handy for work but the neighbourhood wasn’t great. It was bearable for the first while but the older my kids got the unhappier I became. I guess it reminded me of where I grew up and I just wanted something better for my family. Many of the prison officers also lived in the area and they would drink heavily after work so there was a lot of drunkenness. Some of their wives were a common lot and they would sit around playing cards or talking inappropriately in front of the children. Teenage pregnancy was prevalent, as if there was nothing else to do. These people had given up hope and just lived the lives of their impoverished parents.

I didn’t want my kids picking up wanton habits like smoking, drinking and casual sex. They had to learn that there was a better way of living. I became determined that they get the best education that I could afford. It took a few years of hard saving for Tew and I but we eventually were able to move to another town house in the mid-1980s. We have been rewarded tenfold for our efforts; all my kids are doing really well and are completely independent of their parents, which means we have done our job properly.

I have always been interested in politics, have even considered going into local politics, and make sure I keep up with news and events. If I did get involved I would concentrate on crime prevention, especially regarding young people. Crime prevention should begin within the small communities, making sure that our young people are aware of all the pitfalls that can befall them. Thailand doesn’t only attract thousands of tourists, but also thousands of foreign criminals. Young people should be well educated against manipulation to sell or courier drugs, as well as taking them. The police receive a cash bonus when they bust a drug case so they go out looking for naïve people who are in need of money. If someone tells you that they know how you could make some easy money, it could be a police officer waiting to trap you. Anyway it is just something I am thinking about for the moment.

***

My mother is still alive. We have kept in touch more frequently since my father’s death. She is well into her 80s and has suffered a stroke and a bad fall. Tew and I visit her as much as we can but I think she is closer to my brother Oud. He has worked harder than me at building a relationship with her. Oud just retired recently from his job as prison officer at Kong Prem prison. We see each other pretty regularly. She enjoys my kids, especially my second son who knows how to charm her and make her laugh.

I no longer play the guitar for weddings or parties but I still play it to relax me and when I am coerced at family gatherings. My taste in music hasn’t changed much since the 60s. I still revere Elvis, Cliff Richard and The Beatles. Over the years I added the Bee Gees to my prolific music collection. Tew constantly moans about dusting my records, CDs and now MP3 CDs. My favourite song to perform on the guitar has to be The Beatles’ ‘Yesterday’. I enjoy going to the cinema twice a month with my daughter. It is nice to spend some time with her and keep abreast of the latest movies, even though I remain unconvinced that they are better than the likes of
Ben Hur
or
The Ten Commandments
. Charlton Heston was always a particular favourite of mine. Having said that, I have to confess to loving
Narnia
and the
Lord of The Rings
trilogy!

I have also developed a passion for history and when I can I love to settle into my favourite chair with a beer or a glass of wine and eat up political biographies from the likes of Gandhi and the Kennedy dynasty, as well as important Thais like Preedee Panomyong. I also enjoy reading about the key moments in the history of Thailand like why and how the special execution orders came about, and how Thailand moved from a monarchy to a democracy in 1932. Maybe I am a frustrated academic after all! I just want to keep my brain and mind active, there is always something new to learn.

I don’t fret about getting older and I am not afraid of dying. I don’t know if that has anything to do with my career path. Death is inevitable. If I have a terminal disease I wouldn’t bother with any doctors. I wouldn’t allow my kids to spend money on trying to prolong my life. I have seen stricken families take out loans and sell their properties in order to be able to spend more money on medical care for an obviously dying relative. That will not happen to me. The thing is to die happy and not to leave any trouble behind for your spouse or kids to deal with. I have everything sorted and ready—I am a practical man.

***

I am grateful to Bang Kwang for many things. It enabled me to educate my children and it changed the way that I looked at the world. I used to be the sort of person who sees an angry elephant instead of just a little ant but I have calmed down considerably. I have seen some terrible things which helped me to better appreciate the good things in my life, big and small. There is always light in darkness and none of us are here forever. This is my last personal duty to conclude, my own little book of which I am immensely proud. The years of keeping diaries and developing the practice of noting daily what I saw has finally paid off.

My name is Chavoret Jaruboon. I was born into a broken family. My home was a stone’s throw away from a brothel and the smell of opium was heavy in the air when I walked to school each morning. I could easily have become a drug addict or an alcoholic.

Instead, I learned how to play the guitar, listened to those wiser than me, and worked hard to give my family a better life. I could never have known, when I first took to the stage with my band, that I would be swept along with life’s changes and would become the figure I was at the ‘Bangkok Hilton’, that is, the man at Bang Kwang prison who would end the lives of 55 men and women; the last executioner.

I think my father spoilt me a little. I always had more toys than my friends, including my cowboy-style shooter. I got to use a very different type of gun years later.

My father, who gave me everything I could ask for. He was a teacher, and for a while I wanted to be one too, before I discovered the guitar.

My brother, Oud, on the left, and myself as young boys.

I didn’t have a sheltered upbringing. We lived between the wealthy and the poor, with the slum, brothels and opium dens at on end of the street and the big houses and gardens of the well-to-do at the other.

I had a great time playing with various bands and being paid for the first time. A lot of the time our audience was made up of American soldiers taking a break from the war in Vietnam, and with my good English I made a lot of friends.

Things were going really well when I started playing for the Mitra band at the Sorry About That Bar, a former skating rink. In the end my musical career was finished when I was called up to do my military service.

Posing for a photograph in my military uniform.

Three sites you should hope you never see in your life; the 7-storey security tower at Bang Kwang (First), a symbol of incarceration; the iron gates that close you in (Second), and the Execution Room (Thrid).

Taking aim through the gun used to carry out executions, the HK MP5 submachine gun. 15 bullets are required per person, but rarely are they all needed. Officials and guests can view the event from behind the glass partition.

Standing to attention beside my gun. It looks a little like a sewing machine, but there is no mistaking its purpose.