WHAT IF?
The air in the jail was hot, humid, and foul beyond words. You were separated from your friends and shoved in a cramped concrete holding cell. There were no beds or chairs. The space just had three rough walls, a low ceiling, a filthy floor, and a row of rusty bars bearing a locked door in the middle. There wasn’t even a toilet in the cell, just a hole in the floor near the back corner of the room. You thought this was likely to be the source of the stench that filled your nostrils, nearly making you retch; but this wasn’t the most worrisome thing in the room.
Three local men were also in the cell with you. The expressions on their faces were varied. One man looked at you with a vacant expression and another stared at you with utter contempt. The third man, however, was the most unsettling. He looked at you hungrily, as if his jailors had just provided him with a treat. He muttered something to the contemptuous-looking man in a language you didn’t understand. There was some nodding, as if an agreement had been made, and then they both started to move slowly toward you.
For this installment of RECOIL OFFGRID’s “What If?” column, we are taken out of our normal surroundings and thrust into a situation that’s beyond our control. It’s a place where almost everything is stacked against us, and it’s an unfamiliar landscape where our normal rights, protections, and freedoms do not apply. We’ll look at some of the precautionary measures you should take before you travel overseas. We’ll also look at some of the resources that are available to U.S. citizens abroad, and things to do at the first sign of trouble. Finally, we’ll talk about some ways to preserve your sanity in a situation that looks hopeless. You’re going to need a good lawyer … if you ever make it to a courtroom at all.
The Scenario:
SITUATION TYPE
Traveling for vacation
YOUR CREW
You and a few friends
LOCATION
Southeast Asia
SEASON
Fall
WEATHER
Humid; high 90 degrees F, low 63 degrees F
The Setup: You and a few friends take a trip to a Southeast-Asian country for some rest and relaxation. You plan to spend your days relaxing on the beach, enjoying the local bars and cuisine, fishing, and spending a few carefree days with your pals. There are a total of four of you, but you have only a marginal understanding of the local language, culture, laws, and key facilities such as the American embassy. Although this country is generally considered friendly toward Americans, you also know there’s a significant local criminal element that dabbles in everything from kidnapping to petty theft, as well as known terrorist groups who have a history of operating in the area. If something goes sideways, the ability to get help is questionable.
You head out one night to a
