455 M’sians in Thai prisons

BANGKOK: There are now 455 Malaysians in prisons in Thailand, with more than 90 per cent serving sentences related to drug offences.

Halmah Hassan, Second Secretary (Consular) in the Malaysian Embassy here, said a small number of these Malaysians were in the prisons for credit card-related offences.

“There are 196 Malaysians held in five prisons around Bangkok and seven other prisons in several provinces north of Bangkok, while 259 Malaysians are imprisoned in southern Thailand,” she told Bernama recently.

She added that the Malaysians in Thai prisons were serving various types of sentences including death, life imprisonment and jail for several years.

Although they had been sentenced to death, she said these sentences would be reduced to life imprisonment and this could be reduced further if the convict showed good behaviour, Halmah said.

She added that seven of the 196 were women, five at the Central Women’s Correctional Institute in Chatuchak and two at the Chiang Mai Women’s Correctional Institution.

Halmah said the embassy was monitoring the welfare of the 196 Malaysian inmates in the prisons in Bangkok and in the north.

She said that among the prisons in Bangkok where Malaysians are being held are the Bangkok Remand Prison (30 inmates), Bambat Piset (40), Klong Prem Prison (34) and the Bangkhwang Prison in Nonthaburi (51).

The Malaysian consulate in Songkla was monitoring the welfare of Malaysians imprisoned in southern Thailand, she said.

She added that the embassy officials made scheduled visits on all the Malaysian inmates to monitor their welfare.