Recent clarifications from the Department of Corrections in Bangkok have indicated that a new regulation is not designed to offer former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra the option to serve his sentence outside of prison, should he return to Thailand. Thaksin, who has been living in self-imposed exile in Dubai since 2008, has repeatedly stated his intentions to return to Thailand and enter the legal process.
Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam, the government’s legal expert, confirmed on Thursday that the regulation in question does not give authority to the director-general of the Department of Corrections to transfer convicts out of prisons to other detention facilities. In response to his comments, Thaksin, who has been sentenced in absentia to a total of 12 years in jail for four corruption cases by the Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Holders of Political Positions, has suggested he may return to Thailand as early as next month.
The new regulation, published in the Royal Gazette, primarily focuses on outlining procedures for certain prisoners who have completed their sentences and are nearing release. According to Sithi Sutheewong, the deputy director-general of the Department of Corrections, the regulation permits further detainment of these individuals if the courts deem that they are likely to commit the same crimes again.
Issued under Section 5 of the Detention Procedures Code and based on Sections 40, 41, and 42 of the Criminal Code, the regulation has been subject to widespread misinterpretation. Mr. Sitthi urged the public not to succumb to rumors and falsified information, but rather to seek accurate information from the Department of Corrections’ public relations page.
Currently, the department has 57 individuals — 51 men and six women — who might be affected by the new regulation. The majority of these individuals are homeless and have a history of repeatedly committing petty theft. The Department of Corrections oversees a total of 261,919 incarcerated individuals as of December 2022, although the actual capacity of the system is capped at 232,165, as per the International Federation for Human Rights.
Be First to Comment