How Saving a Life in a Foreign Country Could Threaten Your Liberty

I gave first aid to a stranger in Thailand and nearly ended up in its most notorious jail

Photo by Rajesh Rajput on Unsplash

In my years of wandering the globe — perhaps seeking respite from the empathy business — I’ve discovered that a disproportionate number of my fellow travellers are nurses or care workers. Perhaps our mental health, more than other professional groups, relies on such sojourns. However unwelcome it may be, there have been numerous occasions on the road when my day job has come in useful. And at least on one occasion, my skills helped save a life. But it almost came at the cost of my liberty.

My partner and I were coming to the end of a long trip around Thailand. We’d returned to Bangkok and the gloriously seedy Khan San Road, staying in one of the plethora of dubious guest houses to prepare for our flight home later that day.

As we were preparing our bulging rucksacks — I’m far too uncool to travel light, and generally assume the gait of a crippled tortoise — we heard a staccato rapping on our door. A young woman with lank black hair stood on the threshold, eyes bursting with fear and speaking in rapid French.

We followed her to a room next door where she gestured towards the ensuite shower. The water was on…