The work is smelly, dirty and involves getting covered in black sludge for six hours a day, six days a week. But it’s a dream job for many of the 4,416 prisoners of the Bangkok Remand Prison. For them, cleaning Bangkok’s sewers is the only quick route to freedom.
“It’s like you’re already half way home,” said 21-year-old Tae, who is serving two years in prison for theft. “It’s disgusting, and no one here would do this job if they weren’t in jail. But it helps you stay sane. No one wants to stay locked in a square room.”
Inmates have been cleaning city sewers since 1980 as a public service, and it is the only job that provides them “benefits”: the amount of days the inmates work outside can be exchanged for reduced sentences, with one working day equal to one less day in prison. Tae, who was originally scheduled to be released in December, will now go home in August.
The work begins with lifting open the 100x80cm concrete lids that cover the city’s clogged sewers. In teams, the men hook hammers into the lids’ holes, sliding off three at a time. What lies beneath the concrete is always different, and rarely pleasant.
At one intersection, dozens of cockroaches crawl out as the sewer lids come off. The sewer is so cluttered with solid objects and rubbish that no water can be seen. “Well, this is the real deal,” one prisoner said. Another inmate borrows a shirt and wraps it around his face to cover his mouth and nose. In nothing more than his uniform, sneakers, and gloves, he gets in and begins sifting through the knee-length water with a blue basket. Along with the sludge, he pulls up sweet wrappers, a ping pong ball, shoe soles, spoons, and a lighter.
The men say they are used to finding dead rats and monitor lizards. “Today’s episode of our nature documentary: Is this what you call a human being?” a prisoner announces sarcastically, eliciting several laughs.
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration contracts 50% of its sewer cleaning jobs to the Corrections Department, which then assigns 14 prisons nationwide to take up the job. The prisoners receive 80% of the profit, and many earn so much that they can easily start a new life after being released, said Damrong Wangsrikhun, who is in charge of all inmate activities outside the Bangkok Remand Prison.
Offenders sentenced for all types of crimes are eligible for the job, with the exception of crimes related to lese majeste, national security and drugs. They are also required to have fewer than two years of their sentence remaining, and must have a clean record and show excellent behaviour.
After dredging up the debris, the prisoners attach a steel bucket to a heavy rope and drop it into the water, stretching it several metres underground.
Six prisoners pull the rope on one end, two other prisoners on the other. Their white gloves turn black. They wear long-sleeved blue shirts, shorts and knee-length socks. Footwear varies: depending on their tasks for the day, some wear boots, others wear rubber slippers; some even opt to work barefoot.
“Stop!” one of the prisoners yells. The steel bucket is pulled up, and there is the sound of a splash, the black gunk spilling onto the ground. They use a steel pipe to knock the gunk out of the bucket. The waste is dumped into 200-litre oil tanks, which have been cut in half. When the sewers are cleared, the water flows once again.
Because the prisoners undergo a rigorous selection process, they are allowed relative freedom during the day. The wardens supervise their work, but do not stop the prisoners from buying fruit or playing football during their one-hour lunch break.
The lack of strict monitoring means that the inmates could escape, but Mr Damrong said he has not had any problems since taking over the job two years ago.
“We use a lot of psychological skills,” he said. “We are sometimes flexible, and sometimes strict.”
“We don’t put chains on them or anything because we know they have shown good behaviour,” said Suwan Khotphat, who was one of the 12 prison officers overseeing the 40 inmates. “They’re also so close to finishing their terms.”
Aek, 52, used to be a taxi driver before he stabbed two men in what he claimed was an act of self-defence. He was sentenced to two years in prison for attempted murder.
Getting their hands dirty: Inmates have been cleaning city sewers since 1980.
“Some prisoners don’t even know that this type of work exists, while some spread rumours to prevent others from accepting the job,” he said. “It all depends on the information you receive, and who you know.”
Aek has worked cleaning sewers since Jan 20. He will finally get to see his two children when he is released next month.
“It’s the job every inmate wants,” he said. “At least we get to see the world outside.”