Dream holiday turns to hell in prison

His month-long ordeal ended when he was finally reunited with his family in Johannesburg. The nightmare for the family began on the last day of the holiday to Phuket when Sequeira went to exchange $1 000 at the bank across the road from the hotel so that he could settle his bill.

Police arrested him and charged him with being in possession of fake bills that he had exchanged at Rennies Travel in Bedfordview before leaving for Thailand. His passport and the rest of his dollars were confiscated and he was placed in police holding cells.

He was then given a statement written in Thai and he refused to sign it because he couldn't understand what it said. However, a New Zealander came to his aid and told him it was safe to sign. The statement was an admission of guilt.

He was released on R75 000 bail but his passport was kept. His family was allowed to return to South Africa. Sequeira says he had to buy his freedom, which cost R200 000.

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