A p p e a r a n c e s
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Kay Danes Diary Dates
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Sunday Mail Article November 2010
CHARITY HIGH TEA
At Conrad Jupiter’s Hotel in Aid of the charity - Peace for the Children – helping innocent victims of war, encouraging peace-building in Afghanistan
Tuesday, 26 October 2010 at 4pm
Gold Coast’s Golden Girl *Tania Zaetta* is MC
Proudly presenting the launch of;
Beneath the Pale Blue Burqa
One Woman's Journey through the Taliban Strongholds
By bestselling author Kay Danes
$10 non-refundable booking fee
RSVP: 8 October 2010
Contact Kay Danes at kay.danes@gmail.com
Click Here for full PDF Flyer of the event
7pm Project tonight. Kay Danes appearing to discuss Australian prisoners overseas!
29th July 2010 - Click Here to view the interview
Aussie Author goes beyond Survival
April 24, 2010 from 2pm to 4pm – CWA Hall XI Zeta Chapter Beta Sigma Phi QLD Invites you to a Charity 'Literary Afternoon Tea' Guest Speaker will be International Author - Kay Danes, the bestselling author of Families Behind Bars (2008), an… Organized by Ronnie James
Event Details: Click Here
Meet author and humanitarian Kay Danes
May 22, 2010 from 2pm to 4pm – Cleveland Library, QLD Cleveland Library Author Meet Kay Danes is the bestselling author of Families Behind Bars (2008), and her own inspiring survival story - Standing Ground (2009). In December 2000, Kay and her husban… Organized by Leah Hockey
Event Details: Click Here
Kay Danes speaks at Rotary Redcliffe
June 1, 2010 -
7pm to 7:30pm
Location: Belvedere Hotel at Woody Point.
Street: Cnr Woodcliffe Cr & Oxley Avenue
City/Town: Woody Point, QLD Australia
Website or Map: http://www.belvederehotel.com
Phone: 0408 721 103
Event Type: rotary, dinner -
Organized By: Stephen Pronk
Click Here for more information
Kay Danes Speaks at Health Seminar
September 11, 2010 from 10am to 11:45am – QCCC Brookfield, Healthy Slimmers Fellowship Support Group has invited Kay Danes to be their guest speaker on this day to support their Healthy Slimmers Seminar. This is a three day event and a copy of the program c… Organized by Jan Lember
Click Here for more information
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Advancing the Status of -
Women World Wide
Wonder Women Saving The World - Thursday - April 1, 2010
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Featuring a line-up of inspirational women who are working to change the world.
Thursday - April 1, 2010
This breakfast will be at the Medusa Ballroom, Palazzo Versace, Main Beach. Gold Coast
Time: 7:00am - 9:00am
Book your table early - Limited Seating!
Don't miss this incredible event!
RSVP by Tuesday 2pm, March 30th 2010
Phone 07 3849 7122
(SIDS and Kids Queensland)
More about the speakers - click here
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Kay Danes -- freedom fighter
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Kay Danes spent almost 11 months detained in a prision in the Lao capital of Vientiane
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IN the cramped confines of the 3m x 3m cell she shared with five other inmates for almost 11 months is a sewage tank stamped with Kay Danes' footprints.
Day after day, week after week, month after month, and despite the foul vapours it emitted, this grubby tank was Kay's form of escape.
"God, did it stink?" she recalls, this time speaking from the more expansive surroundings of her and husband Kerry's Wellington Point home. The living room is tastefully decorated with artwork from Thailand, Laos and Afghanistan, the centrepiece a glorious rug once the property of an Afghan warlord.
"I'd jump on the tank for an hour every morning and another hour in the afternoon and I'd run on the spot, always visualising myself in another place," she continues. "I could tell you exactly the journey I was running, the people and the places I could see along the way.
"We knew we were innocent and the Australian Government knew we were innocent. That's why foreign minister Alexander Downer sent a task force over to negotiate our release, the first time an entire government had been activated in such a high-level way to get its citizens home.
"Yet for all that there was no concealing how dismal the situation was. Both Kerry and I had been unlawfully arrested and detained, then wrongfully convicted and sentenced to seven years in that place ... in that place.
"So I ran on the spot on that sewage tank to maintain my sanity and to build up my physical fitness because, if our government couldn't get us out, couldn't find a way around the Lao government's need to save face, there was no way Kerry and I were staying there.
Click Here to Read Full Story
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Zonta Club of Southern Gold Coast Tweed
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From our initial email right through to our Zonta International Women’s Day Breakfast, Kay Danes would have to have been the most willing and helpful guest speaker that we have ever had the pleasure to organize.
Kay helped contributed enormously to the breakfast by contacting many media avenues such as newspapers and radio stations – not to mention her connections with Rotary and other notable charities. These actions, on her behalf, certainly boosted our guest numbers on the day.
Kay spoke both personally and professionally and was a natural at captivating her audience.
After the breakfast Kay remained to talk with guests and personally sign books for them, for which they were ever so grateful.
We can confidently recommend Kay as a key note speaker for any such occasion.
On behalf of ZONTA Club of Southern Gold Coast Tweed Inc
Carolyn Gilmore 0416637771
Click here for full story and photos
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Aussie to face execution in Kabul?
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2UE | 27 January, 2010
Former Australian soldier Robert Langdon has been sentenced to death in Kabul for murdering an Afghan security guard.
Human Rights activist Kay Danes talks to Steve Liebmann on the chance of an act of grace release.
AUDIO: Aussie to face execution in Kabul? interview with Kay Danes
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Secret Prisons in Laos Hold Hakit Yang and Other American, U.K. Prisoners
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Kay Danes of Australia, with the Foreign Prisoner Support Service, speaking at a April 2009 National Policy Conference on Laos held at the National Press Club in Washngton, D.C. She is flanked by panelists and speakers Mrs. Sheng Xiong (right) a Hmong-American from St. Paul, Minnesota and Mr. Philip Smith (left), Executive Director of the Center for Public Policy Analysis. Photo credit: Courtesy Center for Public Policy Analysis (CPPA).
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12.08.2009 18:39:51 ‘I would like to raise my continued growing concerns for the three U.S. Citizens that went missing in Laos August 25th, 2007, following arrest,” said Kay Danes, Advocate, with the Foreign Prisoner Support Service. “These men have not returned to the United States, to their families.”
(live-PR.com) - St. Paul, Minnesota, Canberra, Australia and Washington, D.C., August 12, 2009
Australian Kay Danes, an author and human rights advocate, has issued an appeal regarding her concerns about prisoners still jailed in harsh conditions in the Lao Peoples Democratic Republic (LPDR), including three St. Paul, Minnesota Americans. The three, including Hakit Yang, are United States’ citizens of Lao Hmong descent.
Danes has also raised concerns about the case of United Kingdom (U.K.) citizen John Watson who was moved to an unknown prison in Laos recent for allegedly helping fellow-prisoner Samantha Orobator, also a U.K. citizen.
Mr. Hakit Yang, Congshineng Yang, and Trillion Yunhaison, all Hmong-American citizens from the Twin Cities in Minnesota, were arrested and imprisoned by Lao Peoples Democratic Republic (LPDR) military and security forces in August of 2007 after traveling from St. Paul as tourists seeking potential business investment opportunities in Laos.
Ms. Orobator was recently released from horrific prison conditions in Laos, from Laos’ notorious Phonthong Prison in Vientiane, after a major diplomatic effort was undertaken by the U.K. government to help negotiate her release.
click here
‘I would like to raise my continued growing concerns for the three U.S. Citizens that went missing in Laos August 25th, 2007, following arrest,” said Kay Danes, Advocate, with the Foreign Prisoner Support Service. “These men have not returned to the United States, to their families.”
Click Here for complete story
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Kay Danes Childlight Foundation DVD 2009
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If you have a few moments please view my amazing trip to Afghanistan as a team member of the Childlight Foundation for Afghan Children. See the incredible things we are achieving through our registered Charity called the Childlight Foundation, and the wonderful people we have met along the way.
Your support is most welcome as we continue to help thousands who would otherwise struggle!
Cheers,
Kay Danes
Australian Liaison
Childlight Foundation for Afghan Children
www.childlightfoundation.org
Click Here for Video Part 1 - Click Here for Video Part 2
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Kay Danes on Radio National - 20 July 2009
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Kay Danes, survivor of a Laos prison
20 July 2009
In 2001 Kay and her husband Kerry were jailed in Laos accused of
embezzlement. They have alleged that they were abused, tortured, threatened
and attempts were made to extort them into confessing. Kay Danes has just
written an account of their saga in a book: "Standing Ground". She told Phil
Kafcaloudes that the process of telling the story has been emotionally mixed
for her.
Listen to the Show - Download the MP3
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Kay,s Media Appearances May 2009:
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Monday 4th May 2009 - 11:30am [EST] on ABC's Mornings with Leon Compton in 'The Guestroom' click here
Tuesday May 5th - on 2st Radio Nowra at 10am with Murray " Musty " Peters Mornings On The Coast 10am - 2pm - click here
Thursday, 7 May 2009 at 9pm (LIVE) with Steve Austin on popular Brisbane radio 612 ABC click here
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"Join Patsy Rowe at
Gather the girls for an afternoon of delicate bites, fashion by
EEV / VEE, Imelda's on Quay & Annabelle Jewellers,
and the compelling story of Kay Danes!
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When:Thursday 18 June, 2pm - 4pm
Where:The Grange, Hyatt Regency Sanctuary Cove
Tickets:
$25 per person.
Includes afternoon tea, a glass of sparkling wine on arrival and prizes to be won!
Bookings and prepayment essential.
Call Brenda Bezanson on 07 5501 9821.
Click Here for PDF Flyer
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Kay Danes, Sheng Xiong to Speak About Laos, Hmong Human Rights Issues
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"The current plight of the Laotian and Hmong people, both in Thailand and Laos, continues to alarm many in the international community," said Philip Smith, Executive Director of the CPPA in Washington, D.C. "Kay Danes new book "Standing Ground' and her visit to Washington, D.C. and the United States to address U.S. policymakers about current issues in Laos comes at a very important and pivotal time," continued Smith.
(Media-Newswire.com) - Washington, D.C., April 16, 2009 - The Center for Public Policy Analysis ( CPPA ) will sponsor a National Policy Conference and Press Conference from 8:30 A.M.-11:00 A.M., on Thursday, April 16, 2009, at the Zenger Room of the National Press Club ( 529 14th Street N.W., Washington, DC 20045 ).
The National Policy Conference and Press Conference will be organized in a panel discussion format and is entitled: "Laos, Hmong Crisis: Refugees, Political Prisoners and Human Rights Violations in Thailand and Laos."
"The current plight of the Laotian and Hmong people, both in Thailand and Laos, continues to alarm many in the international community," said Philip Smith, Executive Director of the CPPA in Washington, D.C. "Kay Danes new book ‘Standing Ground' and her visit to Washington, D.C. and the United States to address U.S. policymakers about current issues in Laos comes at a very important and pivotal time," continued Smith.
"The health and well being of Hakit Yang, and the two other Hmong-American citizens from St. Paul Minnesota that he was traveling with in 2007 when they were arrested by Lao military and security forces, continues to remain an issue to their families and many in the Lao Hmong-American community," Smith stated. "Like Kay Danes, they were jailed and tortured in the notorious Phongtong Prison in Vientiane, Laos, by the Lao government while the outside world ignored their terrible fate."
Click Here for full story
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61st Conference on World Affairs (Boulder, Colorado)
Australia’s Kay Danes will be participating in 8 sessions at the 61st Conference on World Affairs
and 1 Concurrent Event sponsored by the Law Club.
(Panelists are generally placed on sessions according to their expertise but there are also a couple of sessions where they may be placed outside their field of expertise.)
An Australian First; Aussie Author to speak at US Conference on World Affairs
Australian author of the best selling work 'Families Behind Bars', Kay Danes, has officially been invited to be a panelist at the 61st Conference on World Affairs in Boulder, Colorado USA. The event runs over five days from April 5 - 10, 2009 and attracts audiences of more than 75,000. Previous guest speakers have included Eleanor Roosevelt and current Vice-President elect Joe Biden.
Recognised as one of Australia's Top Social Justice Ambassadors', Kay Danes will be sharing her own inspirational survival story as a former prisoner.
Coinciding with her appearance at the US Conference on World Affairs is the US release of her own true story, 'Standing Ground' - an Imprisoned Couple's struggle for justice against a Communist Regime.
It details the incredible journey that began in December 2000, while working as security managers in Laos, Kay and her husband were abducted by secret police. They endured mock executions, torture, and arbitrary detention in one of the world’s most secretive communist prison systems. If not for their government’s immediate intervention and intense lobbying, the Danes would not have survived their year long ordeal. They returned home to Australia on 9 November 2001 and were reunited with their three young children.
'We were so lucky to have had our Government's unfailing support' says Kay, from her home in Brisbane's affluent bayside suburb of Wellington Point. 'We would not have endured without it!'
Only a select few are invited each year to speak at the US Conference on World Affairs that was founded in 1948 as a forum encompassing the arts, media, science, diplomacy, politics, business, human rights, and so on. Roger Ebert, who has participated in the CWA for thirty-eight consecutive years, refers to the CWA as “the Conference on Everything Conceivable.”
Kay Danes will be the first Australian to have attended this prestigious event. Her descriptive and skilful articulation of her experiences give her audience a "fly-on-the-wall" perspective of third-world political processes and prisons. Her personal survival story is inspirational. Her continued motivation to help others endure their own struggles is moving. Her diplomatic and volunteer efforts have earned her the respect, and the ear of, some of the world's most prominent individuals and government figures.
Australians can be proud of this courageous young woman who continues to try and make the world a better place.
Footnote: The CWA owes its existence to a vast network of volunteers. Although many of the panelists ordinarily command large speaking or performance fees, CWA participants attend at their own expense, finding reward in a fascinating and diverse group of people from around the globe. If anyone would like to help sponsor Kay Danes' trip, please contact her on the email below.
Contact:Kay Danes ...click here
About the CWA: ...click here -
Past Participants: ...click here
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Tonight at 8:30PM [Sydney Time] or 7:30pm Brisbane time.....
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Sunday 30, November 2008
Kay Danes will be appearing on Australian radio - 2GB (873) programme 'Sunday Nights with Rev Bill Crew'. Talking about the plight of families behind bars and the challenges they face when there is seemingly little hope in an otherwise desperate situation.
The programme has consistently been the highest-rating Sunday night radio show in the Sydney market, with an audience of 100,000 listeners.
click here
The programme will be available on podcast for those who are unable to listen live:
click here
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Best Selling Author Kay Danes will present an informative look into the hardships thousands of ordinary families face throughout the world.
Imagine having a loved one detained in a foreign prison, or a family member who vanishes without a trace while holidaying overseas. Imagine your teenage daughter says she's going for a sleep over at a friend's house but is arrested in a place where she doesn't even speak the language. How would you cope?
"Families Behind Bars" - Stories of Injustice, Endurance and Hope
It's a powerful presentation not to be missed.
Add these events to your diary...
The Rotary Club of South Brisbane
Invites you to join with our Members and Friends at a
Special Dinner Meeting featuring Guest Speaker: Kay Danes
In 2000, Kay and her husband Kerry Danes
were wrongfully imprisoned in Laos. While
trapped in the squalid prison, waiting for the
Australian government to secure their freedom,
Kay promised her fellow inmates that – if she
ever escaped that hellhole – she would help raise
awareness about the appalling conditions they
faced.
The unimaginable suffering their families
endured, often forgotten or shunned by society,
was also on her list.
The descriptions of some of the prisons on our
planet are horrifying, and the re-telling of the
stories of the many people – often ordinary people
just like you and me - young and old – imprisoned
waiting trial or death penalty – should be known
by all those Australians who travel or reside in
other countries.
We look forward to welcoming you on
Monday, 6th October, 2008 6pm for 6.15pm
Venue: Yeronga Services Club, cnr Fairfield Rd. & Kadumba St., Yeronga.
Subscription: $22.
(As this a Dinner Meeting Bookings and numbers are required)
RSVP September 30 to Margaret 3397 0112 or Libby on 0412 023 193
18 SEPTEMBER 2008
Redland Museum Inc
2.00pm
Redland Museum Inc.
60 Smith Street, Cleveland Q 4163
Ph. (07) 3286 3494
Did you know that 5 million Australians travel overseas each year? Hundreds are detained.
20 SEPTEMBER 2008
Borders Books Instore Signing
12 noon
Borders Mt Gravatt
Westfield Garden City
Shop 1007
Cnr Logan & Kessels Roads
Upper Mt Gravatt,QLD,4122
PH: 07 3343 5544 or 0402 783 564
Fax: 07 3343 4722
wewin3@bordersstores.com
Bad things Do Happen to Good People
23 SEPTEMBER 2008 - DINNER
The View Club
(Voice, Interests, and Education of Women)
Redlands Indigiscapes Centre,
17 Runnymede RD Capalaba.
A 6.30pm seating for 7.00pm start
The cost is $22.00 for 2 course dinner. BYO
To ensure a place please book early as seating will be limited.
R.S.V.P and payment by 17/09/2008
PHONE no later than Wednesday 17/09/2008.
Carole Short on 32072429 or mob 0409557210
Or Narelle Brown on 32063030
VIEW Clubs of Australia support the Learning for Life programme and is a valued part of the Smith Family.
Travel Safe and Travel Smart. Register with www.dfat.gov.au before you travel - Be Prepared!
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Redlands Evening
VIEW Club
We are pleased to have as our guest speaker for the September 23rd dinner meeting KAY DANES who with her husband was abducted and jailed in Laos for nearly a year
and is now a best-selling author and humanitarian with a distinguished international speaker portfolio. Kay has been awarded a certificate of congratulations by the Australia Day council. In October Kay will embark on another humanitarian mission to Afghanistan, as the Australian Consultant for the Child Light Foundation making a difference in the lives of women and children in Afghanistan.
LADIES, join us at the
Redlands Indigiscapes Centre,
17 Runnymede RD Capalaba.
A 6.30pm seating for 7.00pm start for our short meeting and learn what we are about in View Club. Followed by dinner and then to hear Kay tell of her experiences.
The cost is $22.00 for 2 course dinner. BYO
To ensure a place please book early as seating will be limited.
R.S.V.P and payment by 17/09/2008
PHONE no later than Wednesday 17/09/2008.
Carole Short on 32072429 or mob 0409557210
Or Narelle Brown on 32063030
VIEW Clubs of Australia support the Learning for Life programme and is a valued part of the Smith Family.
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Kay Danes Speaks at the Villa Club
Patsy Rowe invites you to join her on friday 22nd August 6:45am at The Villa Women's breakfast.
The guest speaker will be Kay Danes, who with her husband Kerry, was arrested and thrown into a filthy, rat-infested Laos prison where she languished until the Australian government negotiated her release.
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KAY DANES INTERVIEW
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Date Tuesday, June 24, 2008 at 10:36PM
We catch-up with Kay Danes ...who was working as a security advisor in Laos in 2000 when her husband was abducted from his office by secret police. She fled with her two youngest children to the border but was intercepted by the same police, separated from her children and sent to an undisclosed location.
Held hostage for 10 months, Kay and her husband endured torture and ill treatment, and witnessed unspeakable human rights violations. Kay drew on the strength of her husband Kerry (held in a cell only metres away), and the spirit of her fellow political prisoners, in order to survive while the Australian government tried desperately to have them freed.
On November 9, 2001, Kay and Kerry returned home to their children. It’s a miracle they survived. ..
Why and how were you and your husband arrested in Laos in the first place?
In December 2000, in defiance of international law, my husband Kerry, the Managing Director of a British security company based in Laos, was abducted from his office by secret police. He was taken to an undisclosed location where interrogators tried, unsuccessfully, to make him sign a false statement against one of his clients, to support their legal nationalisation of Gem Mining Laos, a US$2 billion sapphire mining company.
When all attempts failed, I was detained. The Laos police thought this would coerce my husband into signing. Little did they know Kerry had spent the last 20 years in the Australian Special Forces, the elite Special Air Service Regiment (SAS).
The Lao police told the media that we were detained for 'investigation over missing gems' but this was merely a smokescreen to buy them more time to nationalise Gem Mining Lao. No gems were ever missing and in fact, the 1.7 tonne of saphires our company directed, by the Lao government to safeguard during its investigation of our client, was handed over to authorities three weeks prior to our unlawful detainment.
Nothing was missing. Nothing was stolen. Our reputations were ruined because the media didn't know what was going on and their headlines perpetuated a lie put out by the Lao secret police. Thankfull the Australian Government knew the truth, which at the time was all that mattered to us anyway!
How old were your children when you were captured in 2000?
Sahra 11, Nathan 7 and Jessica 14?
What happened to your children when you were detained?
They returned home to Australia to my parents [Ernie and Noela Stewart of Birkdale Qld]. The Australian Embassy secretly evacuated them from Laos on Christmas day.. my mum’s birthday. I was taken to the prison that afternoon when the Laos police learned that the children were gone.
How did you deal with the separation from your children, and were you able to see or communicate with them during that time?
I was completely cut off from my children for three whole months. It was at a consular access meeting that we [Kerry and I] were taken from the prison to meet the Australian Ambassador Jonathan Thwaites. Jonathan smiled and handed me his phone. ‘They’ve given you permission … but only five minutes,’ he responded. My God, had it really been three months since I waved goodbye to them that day? Where had the time gone? And yet it felt to me as if a lifetime had passed as I endured each day without ever knowing if our kids were okay, truly okay. My hand shook as I took the phone from Louise. My heart pounded in my chest. My world spun as I heard our eldest daughter’s voice for the first time in months.
I listened to the heartbreak in my children’s’ voices as they took turns to tell me how they were. I listened and I cried because they cried. I wanted to tell my family everything I’d seen and endured. I wanted them to know that they locked us in cages, mocking us through the bars. I wanted to tell them that the blue sky shone above me when they let me outside my cell, but the birds that flew overhead only reminded me of how much I longed to be free. My seven-year-old son wailed my name in anguish when I spoke to him that very first time. I couldn’t reach out to comfort him. I wanted to tell him it had all just been a bad dream. But that was impossible. My son was thousands of miles away.
You ran an International Bodyguard business for expatriots when you were captured in Laos? Did this background work for or against you during your imprisonment?
It didn’t matter because the Lao police knew who we were and what we did. I think having a security background helped because I was conditioned to stay calm in difficult situations, even when terrified.
Have you ever feared for your life, either while imprisoned or throughout your working life?
Of course the security industry is a dangerous business and there were often times when I operated in very high risk environments but I have always been confident in my ability and the capabilities of my associates. Certainly in the prison I thought that I would be killed during interrogations and at other times feared for my life when the interrogators became frustrated that they could not force us to sign false statements against our client. I feared that there would be a fire too in our cell block and we would all burn alive. I feared that the mosquitoes riddled with dengue fever would infect me and I would die just like Mr. Kylie died [Sri Lankan], who was jailed because his friend skipped on a $200 dollar phone bill and the landlord paid police to put Mr. Kylie in jail. He died right in front of me when I was trying to save his life.
How have you managed to instill a sense of security, trust and freedom within your family since your return (from prison?)
We have all come through this ordeal tremendously. My children are of course our greatest inspiration. They never gave up and they always kept remarkable spirits.
How did your experience in Laos prepare you for your second book, Families Behind Bars?
As a recognised International Humanitarian and Author I am fortunate to have many opportunities that enable me to share my views on social justice and human rights worldwide, to make a difference to other people’s lives. I receive emails everyday from families all over the world; many of them have experienced the trauma of having a loved one detained in a foreign prison. I wanted to give them a voice, to share their real life accounts that are uniquely inspirational, shockingly heartbreaking and will make others appreciate how fragile our lives really are. We may, without any warning, be plunged into a rollercoaster of despair, at no fault of our own. I never gave much thought to the importance of our human and civil rights until ours were completely violated when my husband and I were subjected to unlawful detainment and torture. I strongly believe as a consequence, that we cannot assume that we are immune from human rights violations. We cannot afford to think that bad things happen only to bad people. After all, maybe one day something quite tragic, completely unexpected or unavoidable may happen to someone we love, as it did to my family.
I hope Families Behind Bars will encourage others to think outside their comfort zone and to think about the choices they make. A split-second decision or failure to really think about the consequences can change their lives forever. But I also hope to raise the level of empathy we have towards each other, in our communities, so that we truly grasp that humans inevitably make mistakes and the majority of us can and do learn from them. We can also learn to put our troubles aside for a moment and extend a helping hand to someone who is down on their luck or in way over their head. It makes the world not as cold and harsh as it sometimes seems. This book is about the resilience of families who endure despite the odds. I hope that these stories will help give courage to others so that they endure whatever struggles they too might be facing.
Today, Kay is an advocate for human rights and the Foreign Prisoner Support Service. She has written two books: ‘Nightmare in Laos’ (about her ordeal) and ‘Families Behind Bars’ (examining the trauma of families all over the world with a loved one on a foreign prison).
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Brian Straker and Kay Danes - Redland Probus
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Kay Danes, Andrew Laming MP and Olesja Laming Angus & Roberston Book store signing
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Kay crusades for families behind bars
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ON A MISSION: Families Behind Bars author Kay Danes.
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STORIES of families experiencing the trauma of having loved ones detained in foreign prisons are explored in Wellington Point resident Kay Danes’ new book Families Behind Bars.
The book aims to raise awareness that tragedy can strike a family at any time, which is what happened to Kay’s family when she and her husband Kerry were wrongfully imprisoned in Laos in 2000.
After accepting positions as managers of an international security firm, Kay and Kerry, with their three children, then aged 7, 11 and 14, left to work in Laos.
There they provided security for 75 international clients, one of which was a gem mining company accused of sapphire smuggling.
This accusation was the reason for Kay and Kerry’s detainment in Phonthong Prison for 10 months.
Caught in a dispute between the client and the Laotian Government, Kay and Kerry’s nightmare began on December 23, 2000, after which their children were evacuated from the country and cared for by Kay’s parents at Birkdale.
Kay and Kerry were interrogated, beaten and tortured.
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Book Launch with Author
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'Families Behind Bars' - Stories of Injustice, Endurance and Hope.
When: 21 June 2008 [Saturday]
Where: Angus & Robertson Bookstore, Capalaba - 07 3390 3382
Shop 96 Capalaba Park S/C
Cnr Redland Bay & Mt Cotton Roads Capalaba , QLD 4157
Time: 10:30 am - 1 pm
FAMILIES BEHIND BARS – KAY DANES
Over 200 Australians are locked up in overseas gaols. Kay Danes has personal experience of this, having been wrongly imprisoned in Laos during 2000 and 2001 as a hostage. She actively campaigns for families and gives practical advice on foreign internment. Her work is respected and recognised internationally
Latest Release
Now Available Online
New Holland Publishers
www.newholland.com.au
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Another Australia Day Award nomination for a Redlands resident
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Meeting finally comes six years after their ordeal
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Kay Danes thanks Foreign Minister Alexander Downer (right) for bringing them home. She is pictured with her children (background) and Federal MP Andrew Laming (left).
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IN an interview with the Bayside Weekly, Ms Danes said she was completely ‘overjoyed’ to finally meet Mr Downer.
"This is the first time I have met him face to face," she said."I have been waiting six years to meet him."
The meeting took place at the Icon Bar in Cleveland, where Mr Downer was meeting with Redlands residents as part of
current Federal Member Andrew Laming’s re-election campaign.
When introduced, Ms Danes said she asked Mr Downer if he knew who she was.
"I was just overjoyed, it was very emotional, and I was extremely nervous," she said."
I told him I wanted to thank him from the bottom of my heart and he said e was so glad to be able to bring us back home."
While at the Icon Bar, Mr Downer addressed the crowd and said "Kay and Kerry Danes were completely innocent."
"I just could not believe it," said Ms Danes.
"For him to get up and say that and put it into words meant so much."
While in the Redlands with Andrew Laming, Mr Downer met with the media and local residents at Capalaba Park Shopping Centre.
He said it would be a ‘tough’ battle to hold onto the current Liberal seat of Bowman, and said it was not
considered a ‘safe’ seat.
Bayside Weekly Magazine.
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International Author and Human Rights Advocate Kay Danes presents awards to the winners of the 2007 'Most Outstanding Woman Making a Difference Award'.
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Two of the Event's Award Winners
Nominee Carolyn Santagiuliana [Left], Kay Danes [centre] and Category Winner Cassandra Steer [Right]
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As the 2006 Inaugural winner of the Women Making a Difference Award and Category winner for Social Justice and Human Rights, it gives me great pleasure to congratulate all of the nominees for the 2007 Awards. The Redlands has a wealth of incredibly talented women who have an amazing ability of working harmoniously together for the betterment of our community and themselves. This is a valuable resource that we should all hold in the highest regard.
These women may be an executive sharing management skills with a community group, a retiree becoming a surrogate grandmother to local children who don't have grandparents living nearby, a mother who champions the cause of adoption, a wild life warrior, or a woman with no previous experience in running her own business but finds success with hard work and persistence.
I am honoured to stand alongside other women in the Redlands who genuinely hope to make our community a better place to live. Their success stories are incredibly inspiring and prove to us all that we can overcome the seemingly impossible tasks in everyday life.
Kay Danes
International Human Rights Advocate & Author
2006 WMAD Overall Award Winner
2006 WMAD Category Winner Social Justice/Human Rights
www.kaydanes.com
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WeR1 Multicultural Social Group
'Bad things do happen to Good People' - we cannot take our freedoms for granted.
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At our next meeting, 17th August 2007, Kay Danes will be talking about her experiences in Laos. Kay Danes is known throughout the world as an international humanitarian and best selling author of Nightmare in Laos, a novel based on Kay's own real life experiences as a woman unlawfully detained in a communist prison. Kay has appeared prominently throughout the world on numerous television and radio programs, media and magazine publications. Kay was twice a guest speaker at US Congressional Forums and has a distinguished public speaking portfolio. Her personal courage to survive adversity and injustice has given hope to many. Her journey will make you believe that you can achieve the seemingly impossible and overcome many of life's obstacles you encounter.
If you're interested in meeting people from different backgrounds and cultures then come along to WeR1. Supported by the Redland Community Centre, we welcome everyone - whether migrant or not. Our aims are to promote multicultural friendship and understanding and help newcomers.
WeR1 meet at the Redlands Community Centre, 29 Loraine Street, Capalaba each Friday at 10 am to noon. Light refreshments served.
The group also holds evening and weekend events, so if you are unable to come to the Friday morning meetings, but would like to be informed about other activities, please call Karen on 3286 4514 or Bernie or Ling on 3821 6117, or email bernie@writeon.com.au to receive the email newsletter.
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Redlands Sunrise Rotary Club Breakfast ...
with Maverick House Best Selling Author - Kay Danes
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From left to right: Alison Blomkamp [Rotary President], Kay Danes [Author], Jim Bernard [Rotary Sunrise Club Sergeant]
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Rotary Club President Alison Blomkamp invited Author and International Humanitarian -
Kay Danes, to attend the Sunrise Club as guest speaker - 04 July 2007.
The Sunrise Rotary Club is locally based in the Redlands and is part of Rotary International, a worldwide organization
of business and professional leaders that provides humanitarian service, encourages high ethical standards in all vocations,
and helps build goodwill and peace in the world.
Kay shared various aspects of her life as a former prisoner detained unlawfully by a communist state and the path
that her life has taken her since writing Nightmare in Laos - A true story of a woman detained in a communist gulag.
[www.maverickhouse.com]
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Kay Danes Appearance on Chanel 10 Morning Program
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Network Ten's morning program, 9am with David & Kim hosted by David Reyne and Kim Watkins.
International Human Rights Advocate, Kay Danes, will be appearing on the morning program with the father of an Australian teenager who rang her mother to say she was sleeping over at a friend's house when in actual fact, she was bound for Hong Kong. Rachel ended up in a nightmare that now finds her serving a prison sentence for drug trafficking. At her a trial, she pleaded guilty but there was evidence she'd got cold feet and wasn't going to swallow the 114 packages of heroin worth AUD$200 each. She was sentenced by the Hong Kong judge; 10 years, eight months.
Tune in Monday, 25 June 2007
Video download here
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Kay Danes to speak at Life in Australia Seminars
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Est. France - 1973, U3A is a world wide educational institute.
Presenting a rivetting presentation
'Nightmare in Laos'
Come along to John Butter's 'Life in Australia Seminars' to hear Kay Danes, a famous Australian woman falsely captured
and imprisoned in SE Asia, speaking on human rights and life.
When: 18th June 9:30am
Event will be held at the Donald Simpson Centre, Cleveland.
Includes morning tea.
E-Mail: info@redlandsu3a.com.au
Web: http://www.redlandsu3a.com.au/contacts.html
Contact John Butters
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Annual International Women's Day March 8, 2007
Sponsored by Crest Club of Bayside (Inc) with Soroptimist International Bayside.
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Crest Club of Bayside Inc is a women's community service organisation committed to serving the local community &
promoting personal development to providing means of expressing the needs & opinions of women. Soroptimist International
is a worldwide organisation for women in management and the professions, working through service projects to advance human
rights and the status of women.
Opening remarks by Kay Danes:
"International Women's Day is an occasion for looking back on past struggles and accomplishments. For us to look ahead - to find our 'invincible selves - to tap into our untapped potential and seek out the opportunities that await us in the future.
Click Here for More of Kay's speech & Photo Gallery of the event.
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Redlands Women's Expo
"Celebrating Women's Lives" 28 April 2007.
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The Governor of Queensland, Ms Quentin Bryce officially opened the RWIN Expo which was attended by over 400 local residents and guests including; Minister for Women, Hon Margaret Keech, Redlands Mayor Don Secombe and a number of Redland Shire Councillors, Members of Parliament including; Michael Choi, Andrew Laming, and Phil Weightman.
Author and International Human Rights Advocate, Kay Danes, attended as 2006 RWIN Award Winner 'Women Making a Difference' and representative for the plight of Political Prisoners in Laos.
Photo Left = RWIN Expo Governor and Kay
Governor of Queensland, Ms Quentin Bryce with 2006 Award Winner 'Women Making a Difference' - Kay Danes. [Background Mayor Don Secombe]
Photo Right = RWIN Expo Author Stand
Kay Danes representing the plight of the Political People in Laos
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Kay Danes on Australia Talksback
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Tuesday 20 March 2007 -
Prisoner Repatriation Treaty
Indonesia and Australia are on the verge of sealing a prisoner repatriation treaty - but do 'high-profile' Australian prisoners like Schapelle Corby actually want to return to an Australian jail? Will there be implications for other Australians serving prison sentences overseas?
Australia Talks Back is a daily national talkback program. It's a forum for the discussion of a specific topic with the involvement of expert guests, Radio National specialists and listeners, who can call on the toll-free number 1300 22 55 76 (1300 CALL RN) .
Listen Online -
Click Here
Introduction begins with an Interview between Paul Barclay and Author of 'You'll Never Walk Alone' - Debbie Singh. The journey to bring her brother home from a Thai prison under the country's first Prisoner Transfer Agreement.
Expert Panel
Dr. Adrian Vickers
University of Sydney
Professor Tim Lindsay
Director, Asian Law Centre
University of Melbourne
Kay Danes
Former Prisoner in Laos, now a family advocate at the Foreign Prisoners Support Service & Author of Nightmare in Laos.
Brisbane
Presenter
Paul Barclay - Walkley-award winning broadcaster and journalist
Australia Talks Back is a daily national talkback program.
- click here
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Maverick House Best Selling Authors attract large crowd at Perth International Writer's Festival [Feb 2007] - Australia.
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For the very first time, two International Authors from Maverick House Publishers [UK], Kay Danes and Debbie Singh, attended as guest speakers to the prestigious Perth International Arts Writer's festival on 25 February 2007 Words and Ideas Program.
ABC Presenter Bernadette Young [720 ABC Perth] acted as panel host to an emotionally charged session called 'Life Interrupted' - the remarkable real life stories of Kay Danes and Debbie Singh.
Kay Danes, an International Human Rights Advocate and author of Nightmare in Laos - shared her amazing story about her own personal survival and how she managed to endure the daily horrors of inhuman imprisonment in a communist prison. The audience were silently captivated as Kay relived aspects of a journey that few could ever imagine surviving. Clearly the audience was deeply affected, some were in tears, others shocked and many were left inspired by her courage.
Debbie Singh, the author of the memoir You'll Never Walk Alone, told the audience about her courageous struggle to have her ailing brother released from the notorious 'Bangkok Hilton' prison in Thailand. Debbie's quiet strength and obvious determination shone throughout her presentation and caused the audience to wonder if they could have endured similar against such insurmountable odds.
Following a bombardment of questions and answers from the audience afterwards, the authors were given a rousing burst of applause before finally heading downstairs to the scheduled book signing.
It was noted by all as an event well worth attending!
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Kay Danes on Perth Radio
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Interview...
Kay Danes will be appearing on Perth Radio - Wednesday, 01 November 2006 to launch her latest book 'Nightmare in Laos' - a true story of a woman imprisoned in a communist gulag.
Tune into the Howard Sattler program 882 6PR at 5.35pm Perth Time. [7:35pm Brisbane]
Or Listen online Click Here
SOUTHERN CROSS BROADCASTING is one of Australia's leading media companies with the
ability to reach a potential 94% of Australia's population through a diverse range of media businesses.
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Sunshine Coast TAFE proudly presents Kay Danes
Sunshine Coast TAFE proudly presents
KAY DANES
From political prisoner in Laos to international human
rights activist and author.
A powerful and passionate story that will invigorate your
community work practice!
Kay (pictured top left) survived unlawful incarceration in a
communist prison, overcoming the horrors endured and
coping with the resulting Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
and depression. She has single-handedly pursued her
goals both in Australia and at the United Nations to alert
the world to the genocide in Laos, the plight of its people
and political prisoners, and the violations of international
law and United Nations mandates. Kay has appeared
on television and radio programs and was twice a guest
speaker at US Congress.
Her personal courage has given hope to many people.
Venue: Mooloolaba campus
Lecture theatre
Day: Wednesday 15 November
(9:00am—12:00 noon)
Cost: $5
(SCT Community Services students exempt)
Seating is limited
Register now to secure your seat!
RSVP 10 November – (07) 5459 3428
Women in Business: A Sobering Affair
22 August 2006 - The Women in Business Luncheon is held every three months and never falls short of being a great opportunity for women to connect and promote their businesses surrounded by friendly faces, splendid food and gorgeous settings such as the Shangri La Gardens, Wynnum Road, Wynnum West. Equally important, is the guaranteed opportunity to laugh amongst friends.
Last Tuesday, 22nd August however, was a sobering affair as the women listened, captivated, to hear the words of what truly was an inspirational and emotional speech. Guest speaker, Wynnum born, Kay Danes, revealed herself to be a woman of amazing strength and courage having suffered and lived through the nightmare of one of Laos's secret gulags. When police pulled up late one night Kay and her husband knew something was wrong, but in that moment they could never have imagined the cruel twist of fate that was to have them flung into a world of corruption and pain. In slow motion, her heart pounding in her ears, Kay was told by, husband and successful businessman, Kerry Danes to, "get the kids and go, I'll sort it out." But she was not to see him for a long time afterwards. He had been kidnapped by the corrupt Communist Laos government. Gathering her two youngest children she fled towards Thailand only to be intercepted at the border by the same ruthless and corrupt police. Wrenched from her children, Kay was then told she was to join to her husband.
"I'd never been to prison before, there was blood on the floor, I couldn't process anything. My children had been secretly taken out of the country and I had no idea where my husband was. I tried to find a reason for all this but there was none." She was left clinging to the words of her father spoken years ago, "If you've done nothing wrong, you've got nothing to fear." In a world of justice and truth this would be so, but the Laos government that held her captive was callous and corrupt.
Click here to read full story
Kay Danes story 'Nightmare in Laos' will feature in UK's REAL MAGAZINE - July 7, 2006.
Exclusive
Synopsis:
When Australian businessman Kerry Danes was suddenly arrested by the Communist Laos
government, his wife Kay gathered her two youngest children and fled towards Thailand,
only to be intercepted by the same ruthless and corrupt police. Forced into a nightmare
of epic proportions, Kay was wrenched from her children and told she was going to join
her husband, she knew not where. It was then that the real nightmare began.
Held hostage in a gulag at the mercy of a paranoid Communist regime, Kay saw unspeakable
human rights violations acted out each day in a place where the outside world can't hear
the cries for help. She tells of the journey that brought her face to face with the torture,
the struggle for survival and the spirit of those who endure the horrors of inhuman
imprisonment every day.
REAL MAGAZINE : Published fortnightly by Burda Media and is available for £1 from most bookstores and newsagents in the UK. REAL is unlike any other title in the UK magazine market. It is a magazine that is beautiful to look at yet relevant to women's lives. REAL deals with issues closest to women's hearts and events that could change their lives.
Kay Danes Website - http://www.kaydanes.com
On Fri 6 April 2006, I was guest speaker to the Financial Planning Association [FPA] at the 'Chifley at Lennons' in Brisbane [Australia]. The FPA is the peak professional body for Australia's financial planners, representing approximately 12,000 individuals and businesses.
The topic - 'One woman's courage to survive against the odds'.
I really enjoyed presenting at this prestigious event. We shared some laughs and some tears as I took them on a journey back in time, when my life had been completely turned upside down. I shared the stories of those who gave me the courage to survive. Ultimately, my story of survival is a testament to those still struggling in Laos.
Click Here For Website
A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do
On Wed 5 April 2006, I was guest speaker to the Working Network Australia [WNA] business luncheon at the Hotel Grand Chancellor [Brisbane City].
The topic was A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do -
This was an amazing event where I met many wonderful women who are empowered through the WNA to reach their full potential in business. I was grateful to Lynette Palmen AM for allowing me the opportunity to share my story.
At times I wonder how on earth I did survive the journey through the communist death camp. However, I know that in each and every one of us, there lies a will stronger than fear. We can overcome the seemingly impossible if we focus on where we want to be, in my case free, and then believe that we can achieve it.
I have since become a member of the Working Network Australia and encourage you to become a member as well.
Click Here For Website
Gold FM Radio Interview
On 25 Jan 2006, I was invited to appear on one of Australia's newest talk back programs on regional radio, hosted by Jonelle McKenzie.
"International speaker for Human Rights and author of Nightmare in Laos, Kay Danes, will speak about her horrific experiences as a prisoner in a communist prison where she endured torture and ill-treatment as Laotian authorities sought to extract a false confession."
It was a wonderful opportunity and I've been grateful to Jonelle for since inviting me back on other occasions.
Somerset Celebration of Literature March 8 - 11 2006
I had a most wonderful time presenting at the Somerset College Celebration of Literature. This event is seen as one of the most significant writer's festivals in Australia.
At the conclusion of my presentation, a woman approached me and revealed that her son Leon had too been a prisoner of Laos. I remembered his case well. It was when my husband and I were still under house arrest at the Australian Embassy in Laos. I was so glad to hear that he survived his own terrible ordeal and was reunited with his mother.
It never ceases to amaze me how intrinsically our lives are often connected.
Cultureshocks Interview with Barry Lynn
Kay Danes, speaking on behalf of the Foreign Prisoner Support Service in an Interview with American Radio Presenter, Barry Lynn on US Program 'Cultureshocks'.
Topics include; execution of Californian Stanley Tookie Williams, nominee for Nobel Peace Prize, unlawful foreign investment nationalization of Gem Mining Laos, the Danes own death camp experience, Australian detained in Indonesia Schapelle Corby, execution of Tuong Van Nguyen in Singapore.
On Their Honour
"They said are you not afraid to die and I said of course I'm afraid to die but how can I sign a lie because for all I knew they were going to kill me anyway." - Kay Danes
"If Kerry with all his SAS training is ever going to break ... it's going to be because he doesn't feel he can restore his good name and he has somehow been judged by his own people to be guilty of something that he absolutely didn't do." - Jonathan Thwaites, Australian ambassador to Laos
Australian Story on March 18 has the exclusive "story behind the story" of Kerry and Kay Danes, the Australian business couple arrested and jailed in Laos and released at the end of last year [2001] after Federal Government intervention.
http://www.abc.net.au/austory/transcripts/s496503.htm
Forum Comments [On Their Honour]
http://www2b.abc.net.au/austory/200203/
The message Kay Danes took to US Congress from the Political Prisoners in Laos.
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PRESS RELEASE:
Statement of Ms. Kay Danes
Former Political Prisoner 2000-01
Presented at the U.S. Congressional Forum on Laos
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, D.C.
October 1, 2002
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"When we are beaten in the darkroom, left to die … we think the world will never know our suffering
but now we have a voice … you! We have hope.
When the screams are torn from our lips because we cannot keep inside the agony we must endure …
we have hope, that we may live another day to see freedom. When our body lays broken and bleeding
on a cold, dirty concrete floor … we pray that you will somehow know that we are cold, afraid and dying.
When our spirit has left this hell … we have hope … that in a short time passing …
you may find someone who knew our name and our fate … so that we might be remembered."
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Below you will find a list of some of the many appearances that Kay Danes has made
| Networking Business Luncheon Apr 2006 | The World Today ABC Radio - Apr 2006 |
| Nelly At Night Gold Coast Radio Jan 2006 | ABC Radio Current Affairs - 2006 |
| Barry Lynn Show [United States] 2005 | Good Morning Australia - 2005 |
| US Congress Washington DC [2002, 2004] | International Human Rights Day 2003 |
| International Women's Day 2003 | International Foreign Affairs Forum 2003 |
| SE Asia Human Rights Forum 2002, 2003 | Rotary International Inc. 2004 |
| The Lions Club Inc. 2004 | Miss Personality Quest [Qld] 2004 |
| Victims of Violence & Sexual Abuse 2004 | Redlands Human Rights Forum 2003, 2005 |
| Boystown 2004 | Operation Care [Australia] 2003 |
| Universities 2003-2004 | Schools 2003-2004 |
| Corporate Conferences - 2003, 2006 | New Idea Magazine 2001 - 2006 |
| Woman's Day Magazine 2004, 2005, 2006 | Good Weekend Magazine 2004 |
| Time Magazine 2001, 2002, 2003 | The Bulletin 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005 |
| Sydney Morning Herald 2001-2005 | New Castle Herald 2006 |
| The Age [Melbourne] 2001-2005 | Far East Asian Economic Review 2001- 03 |
| 7:30 Report ABC Television 2001 - 2005 | Australian Story ABC TV 2001, 2002 |
| Kerri-Ann Show 10 Television 2002 | Sunrise 7 Network Television 2002 - 2005 |
| A Current Affair - 9 Television 2002, 2006 | SBS Television 2002, 2005, 2006 |
| BCC 2001, 2002, 2002, 2003 | CNN 2001, 2002, 2002, 2003, 2004 |
| National Radio Programs - 2002 - 2006 | Radio Free Asia - 2001, 2002, 2002, 2003 |
| Voice of America - 2001, 2002, 2003 | ABC Radio Programs - 2001 - 2006 |
| B105 Brisbane Radio -2002 | Gold Coast FM Radio - 2006 |
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