Visiting prisoners in Prey Sar.

[cambod]

.Why not,it is a cambodian prison.

Right on!

[Alex]

Well, I didn't really doubt it, I was just genuinely curious!

[erictheking]

Thats not funny but anyway....
I havent visited the womens prison but I assume the form is the same.You really need a khmer speaker to do the arrangements,take a passport,they will take your phone or camera and the goods you bring for the prisoner.You must know the prisoners full name.
Its open something like 9 to 12 and 2 until 4,pay the guards a couple of thousand riel to get through the boom gate,pay the guards in the pavilion with big visitors book maybe five dollars to visit the prisoner through the mesh or ten dollars in the open visiting area.The prisoner will then be called.
Pay the man in the booth outside the gate who checks you ID a dollar,wait to meet the victim,then pay the trustee a dollar to retrieve the goods for the prisoner.
You get about 30 minutes and then pay the lady $1 to get your phone,camera etc back.
Including the trip out there it all takes about half a day.
Good luck.

Thanks Ken, the stumbling block here is the Khmer speaker willing to come with me. I missed out on an opportunity on Saturday. Maybe I'll ask the same girl if she'll do it again and throw in a couple of bob for her.

[ken svay]

I dont know about the prison near snooky but the snooky prison is in town,off to the left on the way up the first hill towards victory hill.

[Danper]

I've visited a friend (male) in Prey Sar a total of about 5 times till about a month ago.

All I needed was a photocopy of my passport and I would write the name of the prisoner and the country they're from on it to make it a bit easier.

On my last visit I was quoted 2000 reil to see him on the phone (this is where you speak to him through a mess/plastic glass window with a phone like on the movies) or 10,000 reil face to face (this is where you can visit him in the garden outdoor area). This amount you pay at the office outside the prison in the waiting area where they do the paper work and you hand over the photocopy of your passport.

In addition I would have to pay another 2000 reil to the guard as I entered the prison.

I also brought him supplies such as medication and chocolates/food etc, I did not pay anything additional to hand this over, I also did not hand over anymore more cash to get my phone back either. If you have a moto its 3,000 to park it, I normally took my push bike and that's free, tuk tuk up and back from PP will cost you about $10 -/+ total.

I never went with a translator and managed to get by, I cannot speak khmer.

The first time you go it can be very duanting, every guard that walks past will ask you for money, the first time I went I was a walking atm machine and handed out more money than I care to admit, by my second visit I had enough and by my third I would only give money to the office and as I entered.

I have been quoted different prices to see him face to face, from memory $5 was the highest. And at one point the rules changed so that you needed a letter from the embassy of the prisoner to visit him, but this was no longer needed on my last visit.

Opening hours are 9-11 and 2-4 from memory, be sure to get there by 9am or 2pm.

Also, one time I was not allowed to enter because I had a blue shirt, which was the same colour as the prisoners, obviously I was not told about this until after I had handed over my cash and then they refused to let me in. So no blue shirts either.

[cambod]

I've visited a friend (male) in Prey Sar a total of about 5 times till about a month ago.

All I needed was a photocopy of my passport and I would write the name of the prisoner and the country they're from on it to make it a bit easier.

On my last visit I was quoted 2000 reil to see him on the phone (this is where you speak to him through a mess/plastic glass window with a phone like on the movies) or 10,000 reil face to face (this is where you can visit him in the garden outdoor area). This amount you pay at the office outside the prison in the waiting area where they do the paper work and you hand over the photocopy of your passport.

In addition I would have to pay another 2000 reil to the guard as I entered the prison.

I also brought him supplies such as medication and chocolates/food etc, I did not pay anything additional to hand this over, I also did not hand over anymore more cash to get my phone back either. If you have a moto its 3,000 to park it, I normally took my push bike and that's free, tuk tuk up and back from PP will cost you about $10 -/+ total.

I never went with a translator and managed to get by, I cannot speak khmer.

The first time you go it can be very duanting, every guard that walks past will ask you for money, the first time I went I was a walking atm machine and handed out more money than I care to admit, by my second visit I had enough and by my third I would only give money to the office and as I entered.

I have been quoted different prices to see him face to face, from memory $5 was the highest. And at one point the rules changed so that you needed a letter from the embassy of the prisoner to visit him, but this was no longer needed on my last visit.

Opening hours are 9-11 and 2-4 from memory, be sure to get there by 9am or 2pm.

Also, one time I was not allowed to enter because I had a blue shirt, which was the same colour as the prisoners, obviously I was not told about this until after I had handed over my cash and then they refused to let me in. So no blue shirts either.

Nice report. Thx!

[ken svay]

At least I never paid for parking.
I like the blue shirt story too.