Hong Kong Bartender Reflects on 26 Years in Philippine Prison After Being Framed

On his 29th birthday, Hong Kong bartender Tang Lung-wai boarded a flight to the Philippines for a holiday that would change his life.

He ended up spending 26 years in jail in the country.

Now 55, Tang spent years fighting his drug-related charges, insisting that he had been framed. But he told the South China Morning Post that he did not view those lost decades solely through the lens of bitterness.

“At first, I felt a lot of resentment about being framed like that. But in the end, it’s no use holding onto so much resentment. Since you’re already in jail and since you cannot change what has already happened, you just have to change yourself to adapt to this environment,” he said.