Corrections Department, 17 Aug – 30,597 prisoners benefit from this round of royal amnesty decrees. “Banyin” is eligible to have his sentence reduced from death to life imprisonment. Other big names, such as “Tharit”, “Sia Piang” and others in the rice pledging case, have had their sentences reduced. As for MPs who voted on behalf of others, they have not served a third of their sentences and are not eligible.

Mr. Sahakarn Petcharin, Director-General of the Department of Corrections, revealed that from the examination of the qualifications of prisoners who are eligible to benefit from the royal pardon decree this time, there are 30,597 people, including groups who have their sentences reduced, groups who have their sentences suspended, groups who have been imprisoned in lieu of fines, and groups who have been released. They will be gradually released and their sentences reduced according to the royal decree within 120 days. The prisoners who benefit from this royal decree must have served no less than 1/3 o
f their sentences or have been imprisoned for no less than 8 years, depending on the number of days of their sentences. After the royal decree is announced, the Department of Corrections must set up a committee to examine the list of qualifications to be correct. The group released from prison is the group that the Department of Corrections must submit to the court to request a release order first, including Mr. Thaksin Shinawatra, the former prime minister, who was originally scheduled to complete his sentence on August 31, 2024, but as a result of this royal decree, the number of days of his sentence will be reduced, which will result in his release sooner. Today, people are considered eligible to benefit from this royal pardon decree, but before they can be released from prison, they must first have a release order from the court.

Mr. Sahakarn added that the group of prisoners who benefited from their sentences and were released this time were mostly those who were imprisoned in lieu of fines, totaling 11
,271 people, who were a group that wanted to have a chance to leave prison. In addition, prisoners with other offenses must undergo training before their sentences are released, and the Department of Corrections has coordinated with relevant agencies, such as the Royal Thai Police, the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, and the Ministry of Labor, to jointly monitor their lives after their release to help them turn things around and start their lives. Therefore, he asked society not to worry.

In response to questions about big-name inmates in various cases, the Corrections Department Director-General said that there were also inmates in important cases who had benefits, including the rice-pledging case group, Mr. Apichart Chansakulporn or Sia Piang and his associates who were involved in the case, whose sentences had been reduced, while Mr. Tharit Pengdith, former DSI Director-General, had his sentences reduced. Mr. Banyin Tangpakorn, a prisoner in the murder of Sia Chu Wong and the kidnapping
and murder of a judge’s brother, had his sentence reduced from death to life imprisonment.

For the Bhumjaithai Party MPs who were convicted of voting on behalf of others, they are not eligible to benefit from this royal decree because they have not yet served one-third of their sentence.

Source: Thai News Agency