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Eanna O’Cochlain stuck abroad any update?

dvdman1

Has there been any update on Eanna O’Cochlain and Irish man stuck in the Philippines?
Our media seem to have a total blackout on this, the Peru 2 had unprecedented coverage and they were guilty..this guy looks totally innocent.
MAYBE Ibrahim Halawa can help raise the profile of this fellow irish man since he's free now?

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CurlySusie2018

I've been wondering the exact same thing and can't find any information about him. I imagine that means that he's not home with his family.

L1011

He's not young, female or with ridiculous hair so the press aren't interested.

Tangatagamadda Chaddabinga Bonga Bungo

L1011 wrote: »

He's not young, female or with ridiculous hair so the press aren't interested.

This. The whole story regarding him paints a realistic and fair representation of what public discourse has become here. Justice and fairness has given way to the flavour of the month.

If he came out as a trans activist you might see some media coverage and then in turn some political movement. But as long as there is no 'juice' to the story, he will continue to rot in a foreign jail.

What can you do?

finbar10

He's still trapped out there AFAIA. I get the impression he has despaired and given up. I know of someone who in recent months tried to contact him via social media to do a TnaG interview with him, but he didn't seem to be responding to his social media (probably no longer checks it). I don't blame him (he was plugging away trying to raise some publicity for the past few years but that seemed to get him basically nowhere).

Scoondal

finbar10 wrote: »

He's still trapped out there AFAIA. I get the impression he has despaired and given up. I know of someone who in recent months tried to contact him via social media to do a TnaG interview with him, but he didn't seem to be responding to his social media (probably no longer checks it). I don't blame him (he was plugging away trying to raise some publicity for the past few years but that seemed to get him basically nowhere).

Nothing to see here.

Scoondal

finbar10 wrote: »

He's still trapped out there AFAIA. I get the impression he has despaired and given up. I know of someone who in recent months tried to contact him via social media to do a TnaG interview with him, but he didn't seem to be responding to his social media (probably no longer checks it). I don't blame him (he was plugging away trying to raise some publicity for the past few years but that seemed to get him basically nowhere).

Things may be better now. But perhaps not. I don't know.
If he still needs help, someone connected to him can ask.
But if things are "Okay" now, the public should let him and the family / relatives have their privacy.

finbar10

Scoondal wrote: »

Things may be better now. But perhaps not. I don't know.
If he still needs help, someone connected to him can ask.
But if things are "Okay" now, the public should let him and the family / relatives have their privacy.

Last year (after 5 years trying) he seemed cheesed off with the media, politicians and the usefulness of online/social media in general. Maybe that explains the lack of news. However, his health was also relatively poor at the time. I don't know any more than that. I keep an occasional eye out for positive news (or just any news at all) and hope there will actually eventually be some.

finbar10

Recent development seems to be that the courts in the Philippines have upheld (March 21st 2019) his conviction, which he had appealed:
https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1065219
https://philippineslifestyle.com/irishman-supreme-court-marijuana/

patrickcoughlan

Look I’m his brother and he escaped illegally over a year ago ... he is extremely pissed off with everyone and is divorcing and forcing a sale of his London house ... he lives in Portugal now without any contact with anyone !

patrickcoughlan

We left boards because of TROLLS .... calling him guilty and making jokes !

Muahahaha

patrickcoughlan wrote: »

Look I’m his brother and he escaped illegally over a year ago ... he is extremely pissed off with everyone and is divorcing and forcing a sale of his London house ... he lives in Portugal now without any contact with anyone !

Thanks for the update and Im glad to hear he is gone from the hell hole that is Manila. Can i ask how he got out of the Phillipines?

patrickcoughlan

On small fishing boat but he had to cross into southern islands of Philippines which is at war with government and is a no go area for police and military as is Muslim controlled mainly still by Al Qaeda supposedly ... risky but it worked

patrickcoughlan

Muahahaha

ah I know the area, once got a ferry from Borneo to Zamboanga in the southern Philipinnes. When I was there that part of the Phillipines was highly miltarised due to localised terrorism, we were getting stopped by the army several times a day for passport checks.

He took some risk getting out that way but glad to hear he pulled it off. I had always thought his best chance was to do a bunk by sea because the legal system is clearly corrupt and they would have had him holed up for years, indeed he was really albeit house arrest.

Do you know what country the fishing boat went to, Im guessing either Indonesia or Malaysia on the island of Borneo. Did he have any hassle explaining on departure why he had no exit stamp for the Philipinnes on his passport?

patrickcoughlan

Yeah escape was to Indonesia I think and he got to consulate without coming across any checks ... had passport in days and flew home for a big fight with his phillipino wife ... then flew out off radar totally to Portugal and no one family has contact .. his mind is gone ! Will take him yers to recover but he’ll never work in his profesional capacity again .. he can teach diving tho ...

patrickcoughlan

In a week or so I’m gonna unfollow all the threads here and vanish me self .. thanks for your good interest in case on his behalf ! Appreciate it ...

wyndham

Would make a good episode of Banged Up Abroad.

patrickcoughlan

Yup

Muahahaha

patrickcoughlan wrote: »

Yeah escape was to Indonesia I think and he got to consulate without coming across any checks ... had passport in days and flew home for a big fight with his phillipino wife ... then flew out off radar totally to Portugal and no one family has contact .. his mind is gone ! Will take him yers to recover but he’ll never work in his profesional capacity again .. he can teach diving tho ...

Im not surprised his mind is gone and he probably feels like he cannot trust anyone after what he has been through, the whole experience of what he went through can only be psychologically damaging and hes likely going through some form of PTSD and has misplaced anger. Hopefully in time that will change and he makes contact with the family again. Im just glad to hear he managed to escape and at least now he can try to rebuild his life a free man. Again thanks for updating us, I had often wondered about him over the years.

wyndham wrote: »

Would make a good episode of Banged Up Abroad.

Either that or he should write a book, its some story and capped off by the escape at the end. Fair play to him, I would have done the exact same thing in his postion because he was never getting any kind of justice in the Phillipines,its a completely corrupt country. Had it myself there with a police man demanding a $50 bribe to stamp a visa extension. Went to another police station and they wanted $70 but said I could haggle :rolleyes: I wouldnt pay it and I left the country 2 days later, their loss if they dont want tourists dropping money into the economy without having to bribe the police.

feargale

patrickcoughlan wrote: »

We left boards because of TROLLS .... calling him guilty and making jokes !

I utterly fail to understand why boards.ie allows people to indulge thiemselves at the expense of people who are having these dreadful experiences. I am particularly appalled by the prejudicial comments by frustrated detectives who know f**kall about the cases in question. If you want to know what I mean look at the Madeleine McCann thread. What kind of people are so lacking in empathy?
Anyway I'm glad your brother got out and I'm sorry other matters haven't had an equally happy conclusion. Maybe time will heal.

finbar10

patrickcoughlan wrote: »

On small fishing boat but he had to cross into southern islands of Philippines which is at war with government and is a no go area for police and military as is Muslim controlled mainly still by Al Qaeda supposedly ... risky but it worked

Thanks for the update! I'm very glad to hear that! I think he was going to get feck all practical help from the Irish government (in spite of some noises at one point by Coveney). After things went quiet sometime back, I had assumed either he was dead or had somehow smuggled himself out on a boat and was perhaps keeping a low profile. Am glad it was more the later! I hope he can recover from his ordeal and find some peace of mind eventually.