Thai Prison Reform in Progress

BANGKOK, Thailand -- In a fashion reminiscent of Zucker Abraham & Zucker, Thailand's notorious Lad Yao prison put on a variety show for delegates from the United Nations. With it's reputation as the "Bangkok Hilton" (a play on the torture chambers of the Vietnam "Hanoi Hilton"), it must have been an odd sight to see transvestite prisoners in pink tutus running around with colorful acrobats.

"What a crock of horsey doo-doo", said one prisoner. "They didn't even want us to talk to anybody for fear we'd rat them out." With the prison being known for it's excessively long and cruel sentences, the performance was understood by many to be merely window-dressing.

"We're doing our best," said an unnamed spokesman for Lad Yao's PR firm. "We got a 1-year contract to try and make these idiots look like they didn't just come out of some medieval dungeon. We haven't got a lot to work with here... By the way, will you be sticking around for the magic show?"