The Corrections Department is considering shutting down Thailand’s only prison for political prisoners, in Bangkok’s Lak Si area, two years after its highly publicised opening.

The proposal to close the Lak Si temporary detention centre was mooted by prison chief Sorasith Chongcharoen and is now in the hands of newly appointed department director-general Witthaya Suriyawong.

Mr Witthaya did not throw out the plan and said he would make the decision after settling other matters.

The department refurbished a building of what was once the Bang Khen private police school and turned it into the prison for political offenders.

It was opened on Jan 16, 2012, amid criticism that the then Yingluck Shinawatra government wanted to favour red-shirt members fighting charges relating to the 2010 violent rallies by the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship.

An official at the Lak Si temporary prison said it had only 22 inmates now, down from 47 when it opened in a ceremony presided over by then justice minister Pracha Promnok.

Each prisoner is serving a jail term of at least 20 years, including those found guilty by the court of burning the provincial halls in Ubon Ratchathani and Udon Thani after the army cracked down on the rallies in Bangkok on May 19, 2010.

The department deploys 10 prison staff and 15 police officers to safeguard the place, which requires several million baht to run, added the official, who requested anonymity.

All prisoners will serve their remaining sentences in their home provinces after it is shut, the official added.

The priority of the department is on the appropriate shuffling of officials.

Justice permanent secretary Chanchao Chaiyanukit on Wednesday signed an order to transfer 13 senior officials at the department and some prison chiefs to new positions.

Mr Witthaya signed another order to transfer 46 mid-level officials at prisoners across the country to new positions.

A drone equipped with a video camera and two mobile phones were intercepted by guards at Khao Bin prison, widely known to have the best security protection system of all prisons in Thailand.

Danai Supsin, director of the Prisoner Counsel and Development Division, said on Tuesday that prison staff earlier received a tip-off about people trying to smuggle prohibited items into Khao Bin prison.

During last night’s surveillance, the guards found the video camera-equipped drone on a tree branch inside the prison compound. Two Nokia cell phones, four SIM cards, two Bluetooth devices, an integrated circuit and a pair of earphones were strapped to the unmanned aerial vehicle.

“If the two phones reached the hands of inmates, they would cost several millions of baht,” Mr Danai said.

He said the drone controller had escaped after accidentally getting the vehicle in the tree.

Police will check with drone sellers to search for potential suspects who know how to use drones, he added.

A disabled man claims he was beaten bloody by Thai prison guards after he was left starving and penniless on a beach.

Brain-damaged William Crook says he was flung in jail alongside murderers and terrorists after overstaying his visa.

He had been sleeping rough and living out of his suitcase for months after a cash machine swallowed his bank card and he lost his plane ticket home.

The Foreign Office are to investigate the Glasgow man’s claim he was beaten with sticks by his captors.

William – who was left with paralysis after an attack 15 years ago – said: “I had heard about Thai prisons being ruthless but this was awful. There was nowhere to sleep and it was very hostile.

“I’m paralysed down one side but we had to lie curled up on the floor. I tried to tell them I was disabled but they didn’t do anything.

“I made a friend who told me to stay away from certain people – he said people die there all the time.

“One day, I didn’t want to get my hair cut because I don’t like people seeing my scars from my injury. I was dragged out by two guards and beaten with sticks. They burst my head open.

“I was made to feel like the worst criminal but I had only overstayed by about 10 days and that wasn’t my fault.

“I didn’t know if anyone was going to help me.”

William, 43, is now back home in Shawlands after his mum Margaret, 61, paid for his flight.

He had lived in Thailand for four years and had flown back to see his girlfriend at New Year.

The British Consulate first tried to help William after he was found burnt and dehydrated on Pattaya beach six weeks ago.

But when he went to the police to admit his visa had expired, they kept him in custody in various police stations before moving him to prison 30 miles away.

He stayed there until he was sent to a detention centre in Bangkok for deportation and flown home with a minder.

He is struggling to come to terms with his ordeal. He said: “Every time I close my eyes, my brain is back on that beach. I can’t sleep properly.”

A Foreign Office spokesman said: “We take allegations of mistreatment in detention very seriously and will assist British nationals by raising any allegations with relevant authorities, providing we have the consent of the British national involved.”

Prisons in Thailand stage Muay Thai (a form of kickboxing) matches between inmates and foreign fighters to entertain prisoners and to promote good health. The fighters can also reduce their their sentences, and perhaps even win freedom, by doing well in bouts.

Getty Images photographer Borja Sanchez-Trillo visited Klong Pai prison in Nakhon Ratchasima to document the event known as “Prison Fight”

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Nigeria’s ambassador to Thailand, Mr. Chudi Okafor, has revealed that over 500 Nigerians are in Thai prisons for drug trafficking.

This came to the fore when the diplomat paid a private courtesy visit to Anambra State Governor, Willie Obiano, at the Governor’s lodge, in Amawbia.

Issues concerning agriculture and the challenges of drug trafficking amongst Nigerian youths, who are serving various jail terms in Asian countries, were discussed.

Relaying the outcome of the meeting with the Ambassador to the press, the Governor said that agricultural intervention in the areas of rice, cassava and maize production will come from Thailand through the diplomat’s assistance.

Also, on the issue of mitigating the challenge of Nigerians in Thai prisons, he revealed that there is an ongoing process termed Prisoner Transfer Arrangement, whereby prisoners who must have served certain number of years in jail will be transferred from the foreign prison to their homelands.

Thailand, is the first country to start the process as they do not execute drug traffickers unlike other Asian countries.

Mr. Okafor stressed that drug offense is not a minor offense and advised parents to always be critical of the activities of their children, especially those abroad, to ensure that their conduct does not destroy them or shame to their fatherland.

The Institute for Population and Social Research (IPSR) yesterday called on authorities to improve living conditions for female inmates in overcrowded prisons.

The call was made during a meeting with the National Human Rights Commission and the Justice Ministry.

“We found most prisons hosting female inmates, especially resting shelters, are holding prisoners in numbers between two and six times over-capacity,” said Kulapa Vajanasara, an IPSR researcher.

The IPSR sent staff to visit more than 10 prisons last year as part of a study pushing for reform in the female prison system, said Kritaya Archavanitkul, one of the study team’s members.

A Corrections Department regulation says each prisoner is entitled to a living space of at least 2.25 square metres, but the IPSR found available space was far smaller, she said.

In June there were 44,204 female inmates in jails across the country in female-only prisons, correctional institutions for drug addicts and mixed prisons.

The IPSR visited a prison in the South and found as many as 45 female inmates packed into single rooms.

A resting shelter where prisoners spent 14 hours a day was similarly overcrowded.

In some prisons, extra floors were added inside cells.

IPSR officials found during a visit to a northern prison that 150 female inmates were forced to share one toilet.

“Long police investigations and court procedures have led to overcrowding in prisons as facilities are used to detain people awaiting trial,” Ms Kulapa said.

Chanchao Chaiyanukit, acting permanent secretary for justice, conceded that overcrowding was a serious issue.

He said 78% of the female inmates were jailed for drug-related offences. The state’s policy on narcotics crimes has led to large numbers of offenders being sent to prison, exacerbating problems of overcrowding, he added.

The IPSR proposed the Justice Ministry and the Corrections Department introduce a “ticket-to-leave” policy.

Under the scheme, prisoners could be set free after serving three-quarters or two-thirds of their jail terms for good or excellent behaviour.

The IPSR estimated some 50,000 prisoners would be eligible for this privilege if the policy was adopted.

Other ideas to ease overcrowding include putting prisoners convicted for petty crimes on probation; assigning them to community service; and putting them under house arrest.

A suggestion by the National Health Security Office to use prisons only for detaining dangerous criminals is another option, the IPSR said.

According to the IPSR study published in June, the United States has the world’s highest number of females behind bars (201,200), followed by China (84,600), Russia (59,200), Thailand (44,204) and Brazil (35,596).

In terms of population, Thailand comes first with 68.2 female inmates in every 100,000 people.

The Corrections Department has transferred the commanders of six major prisons after a large number of mobile phones and other prohibited items were discovered during prison raids.

Department chief Witthaya Suriyawong said yesterday he signed an order on Monday to transfer the six prison chiefs.

They are Phitsanulok Central Prison commander Chartpol Arpasat, who has been moved to assist work at the department as inspector-general, Ayutthaya Central Prison commander Thawatchai Chaiwat, who will become chief of Phitsanulok Central Prison, and Ayutthtaya Provincial Prison chief Pakdi Tangtham, who will take up the commander post at Ayutthaya Central Prison.

Inspector-general Narong Yongnarongdetkul has been made commander of Ayutthaya Prison, Bangkok Remand Prison chief Sorasit Chongcharoen will become chief of Bang Kwang Central Prison and Bang Kwang Central Prison chief Ayut Sinthopphan will become chief of Bangkok Remand Prison.

The officials have been ordered to assume the new posts within seven days.

Mr Witthaya said the rotation of senior officials was designed to plug loopholes in some prisons which had failed to stop prohibited items, particularly mobile phones, from being smuggled inside their compounds.

He cited the many smuggled mobile phones found in a raid on Phitsanulok Central Prison as an example.

An earlier transfer of prison chiefs saw Pathikhom Wongsuwan, a younger brother of National Council for Peace and Order adviser Gen Prawit Wongsuwan, become chief of the Khlong Prem Central Prison, a source said.

Mr Pathikhom was chief of Ayutthaya Central Prison before replacing the commander of Khlong Prem Central Prison.

Despite an early morning search of Phuket Provincial Prison turning up a slew of contraband items and one inmate testing positive for drugs, the facility’s “White Prison” certification remains intact.

“We have come out of many searches like this empty-handed. This is just one during which we found contraband items and only one inmate tested positive for drugs,” said Phuket Prison Chief Rapin Nichanon.

“One search like doesn’t take away our ‘White Prison’ status.”

Chief Rapin led more than 75 officers from the prison and the Phuket Provincial Health Office on the 5:30am search.

“We tested 200 of the 2,890 inmates we have here, both male and female, for drug use,” said Chief Rapin.

“The inmate who tested positive was incarcerated on August 4. He confessed to officers that he had used ya ice [crystal methamphetamine] before he was brought to prison. We will not press additional charges against him.”

Officers found several banned items during the raid, which included a search of personal lockers, sleeping quarters, the infirmary and other areas where they believed contraband could be hidden.

“In our search we found two box cutters, one pair of scissors and one small knife. We also found 10 belts,” said Chief Rapin. “We seized all of the contraband items.”

No charges have been added for the prisoners found in possession of banned items.

“We just warned the prisoners this time, but they will be punished if they are caught again,” said Chief Rapin.

Chief Rapin said guards will carry out more mass inspections to prevent drug use and contraband among the inmates.

“We want to maintain our ‘White Prison’ status, so we will step up our searches to once or twice per month to make sure that the facility is free of drugs and contraband,” he said.

“Of course, every search will be conducted at random.”

Officers have been patrolling the grounds every day to prevent contraband from being thrown over the walls into the prison, added Chief Rapin.

“Our guards patrol the grounds 24 hours a day. Guards walk the perimeter every day before inmates leave their sleeping quarters to make sure that nothing was thrown into the prison, like mobile phones,” he said.

“We also make it clear to visitors that they could face criminal charges if they are caught sneaking in banned items for an inmate.

“We are happy to report that we have had no issues with any relatives or visitors who have come to the prison.” – See more at: http://www.phuketgazette.net/phuket-news/Phuket-prison-raid-turns-box-cutters-inmate/32484#ad-image-0

Army chief Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha told the Corrections Department Tuesday to stop collecting money earned from the sale of prison-made goods and, instead, allow the prisoners who make them to keep all of it.

National Council for Peace and Order spokesperson Pattamaporn Rattanadilok na Phuket said Gen Prayuth said he believed inmates should earn from products they make and sell at the department’s annual trade fair.

In addition to being told to reduce the number of overall inmates from the current 290,000, the Corrections Department was directed to figure out ways to produce food by itself.

Food expenses have sent the Corrections Department into the red for four consecutive years.

Miss Pattamaporn said that the NCPO on Tuesday allocated 3.42 billion baht to pay down food-related debts in 2013 and 2014. It also authorised borrowing of 890 million baht to cover ongoing food expenses.

The borrowing will be in addition to the department’s regular 2015 budget.

There are a small number of citizens of Nordic countries among some 16,000 foreign inmates in Thai prisons, according to Thailand’s Department of Corrections. As of August 2014, nine Swedes, four Danes, three Icelanders, three Norwegians and two Finns were being incarcerated pending trials or serving their sentences, said Manuch Sroypetch of Foreign Affairs sub-bureau, Department of Corrections.

“Generally speaking, inmates from Scandinavia and Finland are well behaved,” Manuch said.

Most of the Nordic citizens in Thai prisons were accused of or convicted for criminal offences, including possession of illicit drugs and credit card frauds. A few are standing trial for violent crimes, such as murder or sexual assault.

According to the Corrections Department’s latest statistics, there are about 300,000 inmates in 143 prisons throughout the country. Overcrowding is among problems that the Corrections Department has been struggling to contain.

Thai prisons use group confinement, no beds, inmates have access to mattress and not much space per person.

Lenient rules for family visits

Foreign inmates are treated no differently from their Thai counterparts.

“But for humanitarian reasons, foreign inmates may be allowed more generous family visitation as their families have to travel a long way at great expenses to see them,” Manuch said. In most cases, the family will be allowed to see the inmates in a private room that can receive 10 relatives under supervision of corrections officials.

“Family members may be allowed to see the inmate everyday during their stay in Thailand. Normally Thai inmates are allowed family visit once or twice a week.”

Inmates have access to library services, taped TV news – not up-to-date programming for security reasons. Letters are censored by prison officials. But inmates have the right to lodge complaints which must be sealed if those complaints are addressed to relevant authorities, such as Office of the Ombudsman or National Human Rights Commission of Thailand.

Transfer back home

Manuch Sroypetch explained that Nordic prisoners, like other foreign inmates, can look forward to being transferred back to their respective home countries after having served a minimum of one-third of their sentences in Thailand, or four years – whichever is the shorter.

Embassy officials from Nordic countries are in regular contact with Thai authorities in ensuring general wellbeing of their citizens and in safeguarding their rights to apply for transfer back to their home countries.

At present, there are no pending transfer requests from Nordic citizens in Thai prisons. Thailand’s Department of Corrections is keen on prisoner transfer because of language barrier that makes communication difficult. Besides, skill training on offer used as rehabilitative measure may not be relevant when inmates leave prison and go back to their home country.

Thailand has signed bilateral prisoner transfer treaties with Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland, along with 31 other countries. To date, 15 Swedes, three Danes, and one Norwegian have been repatriated to serve the remainder of their sentences in their countries of origin thanks to the prisoner transfer treaties.

Under the arrangement, a foreign inmate who qualifies for prisoner transfer has to first give consent, then the relevant authorities in the receiving country will be asked to decide whether to take the prisoner. Next, applications and supporting documents will be submitted to Thailand’s Committee for Consideration of the Transfer of Prisoners, chaired by the Permanent Secretary for Justice, which will decide whether to grant the prisoner transfer request.

In case in which a foreign prisoner is required to pay a fine, make restitution of property, or pay compensation for the cost of damages according to a Court’s judgement in a criminal case or according to the order of a competent authority, then the foreign prisoner shall be required to make full payment of the fine, restitution of the property, or compensation for the damages before the Committee shall issue the order approving the transfer.

Depending on the provisions of the governing treaty, prisoners who are convicted of certain types of crimes (an offense against the person of the Monarch, the Queen, or the Monarch’s son or daughter, an offense against national security from within the Kingdom or outside the Kingdom; or an offense against the laws governing national art treasures) or who have less than a year of time remaining on their sentences – are not eligible for transfer.

Requirement for prisoner transfer

The inmate has already served one-third of the sentence. For example, for a sentence of 9 years, the inmate can apply for transfer after having served three years.

But if the inmate was sentenced to 20 years in prison, he or she will be eligible for transfer request after having served 4 years. That is because the Legislation Procedure for Cooperation Between States in the Execution of Penal Sentences Act B.E. 2527 (1984) says the foreign prisoner must have served a minimum of one-third of period of imprisonment, or four years, whichever is the shorter.

The inmate must have more than one year left to serve in order to qualify.

The Corrections Department under the leadership of Witthaya Suriyawong is undergoing an internal revamp, hoping raises and new leaders will fix the country’s broken prison system.

Public confidence in the department has lately taken a battering after revelations that inmates had access to contraband mobile phones and were even running drugs rings while under lock and key.

In response, Mr Witthaya has introduced a raft of new measures to combat internal corruption.

Under Mr Witthaya’s reform plan, department officials, prison commanders and correctional staff will get a pay rise to deter them from accepting bribes, which he believes are compromising prison administration.

The department is seeking updates to the Penitentiary Act, enforced since 1936, from the new government.

And drug offenders will be separated from other convicts as part of a new treatment scheme.

When that plan is ready, drug offenders will be sent to maximum security facilities at Khlong Phai in Nakhon Ratchasima, Khao Bin in Ratchaburi, Phitsanulok, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Khlong Prem in Bangkok, Chiang Rai and Bang Khwang in Nonthaburi. Mr Witthaya has placed these facilities under new management.

Mobile phones, which are prohibited items in prisons, have found their way to the inmates.

So the department is installing a system to control, manage and jam unauthorised mobile phone signals.

On the financial side, the department plans to create a business to market products, such as furniture and household ornaments, which the inmates manufacture as part of their vocational training.

Business experts will be hired to run the enterprises, with revenue shared between the inmates and the department.

Inmates released from jail will also be offered jobs in the enterprise to keep them from re-offending, Mr Witthaya said.

The department is also planning a new education programme, including vocational training, to help prepare inmates for their return to society.

Prison overcrowding is also a pressing issue, Mr Witthaya said.

“The overcrowding environment has long been a problem that the department tries to address. But due to the political instability since 2006, criminal justice policy is never assessed and no concerted efforts are made to handle the problems,” he said.

The department holds about 310,000 inmates nationwide, exceeding the capacity of the facilities, which employ about 10,000 staffers across the country.

About 70% of inmates are doing time for drug-related offences. Most were drug abusers who also traded drugs in small quantities.

The department has also proposed amending its regulations to allow the early release of prisoners for good behaviour.

They would be sorted into classes to identify their privileges, including eligibility for a pardon and suspended jail sentences.

Those eligible for early release will be screened by committees at the department and ministry level. The focus is to make sure the inmates will not pose a threat to public safety. Authorities would monitor their behaviour after they leave.

The Department of Probation is responsible for examining background checks of inmates to be released.

They will talk to the victims of the inmates’ crimes as well as the inmates’ own families when considering an early release.

Between October last year and June, 13,510 inmates were released on probation while 18,147 inmates had their stays in prison shortened with the result they will walk free sooner.

Mr Witthaya said that to qualify for early release, an offender must have served no less than one-third of his or her sentence and be at least in the so-called “good” class.

Also, the time left to serve must not exceed five years, and he or she must be a first-time offender.

Early releases of drug offenders take into account extra conditions, such as the amount of drugs seized: The amount must not be more than 5g of heroin, 50g of opium, 10kg of fresh marijuana, 1kg of dried marijuana, and 200 methamphetamine pills.

Those rules are there to protect the public and maintain their confidence in the criminal justice system, Mr Witthaya said.

The Department of Corrections has dismissed 13 prison officers on charges relating to smuggling drugs and mobile phones into prisons, the department chief said yesterday.

The 13 fired consisted of both senior and junior officers, said Witthaya Suriyawong, director-general of the department.

Three of them have been arrested and charged for possession of drugs, while 10 others are being investigated for smuggling drugs and phones into prisons, he said.

Another officer was sacked after he abandoned his work for more than 15 days, Mr Witthaya said.

The officers lost their jobs after disciplinary probes into their alleged misconduct found them guilty, he said, adding that seven also face charges for alleged involvement in prison drug rings.

Over the past six months, nine prison officers have been dismissed after they were either proved to have been involved with drugs or arrested by police in drug cases, Mr Witthaya said.

Seven other prison officers were fired for abandoning their duties, while 51 have been transferred to other prisons because they were suspected of involvement in drug-related misconduct.

The department is accelerating its disciplinary probes against the officials so that punitive action can be taken, Mr Witthaya said.

The department’s resolution to dismiss the 14 officers was a clear message to other civil servants that the department had begun to get tough on those involved with drugs, he said.

Aside from implementing tough measures against prison officers involved with drugs, the department was overhauling its eight maximum security prisons to adjust the proportion of those convicted for serious crimes to ease the prisons’ workload, Mr Witthaya said.

A little girl in a blue dress and her playmate in yellow were seen behind the wire at Phuket Prison when authorities conducted a raid before dawn today.

Five children – two boys and three girls – are allowed to spend nights with their mothers at the jail, which is now overcrowded to bursting to the point where officials for the first time today restricted media access in case of trouble.

The numbers contained tightly in a facility built for 750 are shocking. According to latest figures, the 110-year old prison now contains 2914 inmates and at nights, the five children.

Tomorrow there will be a little relief when 50 prisoners are sent north to alternative cells in a jail closer to their homes in the Isarn provinces of Thailand.

Most of the 2453 male prisoners on Phuket are being held awaiting trial or serving terms related to drugs. Those awaiting trial mix with those who have been convicted.

Among the prisoners are 45 foreign men and three foreign women, along with 113 Burmese.

Another 58 inmates are held in the less secure facility at Bang Jo in central Phuket, where the new, modern facility is to be built, a day that cannot come fast enough for prisoners who now struggle for every square centimetre of sleeping space.

Phuket Governor Maitree Intrusud led today’s raid and appeared to have an engaging conversation with Hungarian Moshe David, who is awaiting trial for allegedly murdering two fellow Hungarians, one on Phuket and the other on Samui.

Today’s raid involved 85 police, 20 Navy personnel, six Army personnel and 22 staff from Phuket Province. Public Health nurses performed random drugs tests on prisoners.

Dawn raids take place at least twice a year, and sometimes more frequently. Today’s raid followed one less than a month ago.

The 1150 million baht budget for the new Phuket Prison to hold 5000 inmates has been approved. Once a contractor has been appointed, construction will take three years.

The overcrowded Phuket Provincial Prison maintained it’s unblemished White Prison status despite dirty magazines, as well as other contraband, being turned up in a pre-dawn raid this morning.

“We searched all possible places that inmates could be hiding contraband and found three adult-content magazines, two pairs of box cutters and a leather belt,” said Phuket Prison Chief Rapin Nichanon.

All the items – including the adult magazines – were confiscated, Mr Rapin said.

No charges were brought against those prisoners found in possession of the contraband.

As part of the inspection, 340 inmates – 250 males and 90 females – were selected at random to be tested for drugs.

“None of them tested positive,” Mr Rapin said. – See more at: http://www.phuketgazette.net/phuket-news/Phukets-White-Prison-status-untainted-porn-cache/34783#ad-image-0

The Corrections Department has come up with an idea to turn its prisons into centres for inmate learning and skills training.

Department chief Witthaya Suriyawong yesterday said the training programmes at the department’s 143 prisons nationwide need to be revamped based on their strong points in particular learning fields.

Thon Buri Remand Prison was known for its outstanding traditional art skills which were applied in making crafts such as classical dance head attire, while Maha Sarakham Prison could become an education-focused prison with inmates taking part in long-distance learning classes offered via satellite by Wang Klai Kangwon School in Prachuap Khiri Khan’s Hua Hin district, said Mr Witthaya.

That school has been operating its long-distance learning programme since 1996.

Inmates from the nearby northeastern provinces of Khon Kaen and Kalasin would be transferred to the Maha Sarakham prison to attend the long-distance learning classes, as those prisons are not equipped to handle distance-learning classes.

Inmates would take part as students from a remote location and be graded on assignments set by the school, with teachers and prison staff aiding the teaching process.

However, inmates wanting to enroll in the course must sit an exam before they are admitted, he said.

Any prison able to offer activities such as sports could join the scheme, Mr Witthaya said.

Kanok Karunamit, director of Thon Buri Remand Prison, said it houses 6,000 inmates and had 200 wardens. Most inmates were serving time for illicit drugs.

The prison holds activities for inmates including boxing, cooking, shoemaking and traditional arts training.

Inmates have produced 10 different traditional handicrafts and elaborate art items for which the prison is famous.

The products have been put on sale and earn more than 500,000 baht a year for the prison, said Mr Kanok. Some 100 inmates have received the crafts training.

Mr Witthaya said the number of prisoners nationwide sits at 350,000. Prisons across the country only have room for about 200,000 inmates.

Mr Witthaya said inconsistent government policies were partly to blame for overcrowded prisons as crime rates have increased and offenders end up in jail.

The rising inmate numbers have also led to increased smuggling of prohibited items into prisons, particularly mobile phones that have been used by inmates to make drug trades behind bars.

Authorities have imposed a jail term of up to five years on inmates or wardens found smuggling banned items into the prisons.

However, mobile phones and other prohibited items were still being smuggled in.

In the past three months, attempts had been made to smuggle a total of 1,322 mobile phones into the prisons and officials intercepted 278 of those mobile phones, Mr Witthaya said.

During the same period, a total of 9,956 methamphetamine pills had been seized as they were being sent into prisons.

The department has moved 800 out of 1,000 major drug inmates to eight maximum security prisons, he said.

It also has sought 340 million baht from the government to expand prisons to handle rising inmate numbers.

The Justice Ministry yesterday ordered a major reshuffle of the 23 chiefs of major prisons across the country on October 1.

Acting Justice Minister Charnchao Chaiyanukij signed the ministerial order for the reshuffle.

Sorasit Chongcharoen, chief of Bangkok Remand Prison, will become the head of Bang Kwang Central Prison, swapping roles with Ayut Sinthapapan.

There will also be a change of leadership at Min Buri Special Prison.

Prisons in the following provinces will also see leadership changes – Ubon Ratchathani, Nakhon Sawan, Nakhon Phanom, Nakhon Ratchasima, Kalasin, Surin, Lop Buri, Ayutthaya, Phitsanulok, Chon Buri, Phrae, Kamphaeng Phet, Suphan Buri, Pathum Thani, Samut Sakhon, Ratchaburi, Suphan Buri, Phatthalung and Songkhla.

Meanwhile, Corrections Department director-general Witthaya Suriyawongse has signed an order to reshuffle five provincial prison chiefs.

Nassathi Thongpralard, the head of Chai Badan District Prison, has been named Nong Bua Lamphu provincial prison chief while Somsak Tiangtrakulthong, of Lang Suan District Prison, has been appointed Krabi provincial prison chief.

Prisons in Nan, Maha Sarakham and Uttaradit will also see changes.

Witthaya also appointed 47 acting district prison chiefs to replace the current prison bosses.

In another development, Interior Minister General Anupong Paochinda said the ministry would promote deputy provincial governors and deputy director-generals of departments to become governors in 18 provinces within 40 days. Four people will also be promoted to become inspectors.

The move follows the pending retirement of current officials retire at the end of the month and transfers in the previous reshuffle by the ministry.

Anupong started working at the Interior Ministry last Monday and the following day the proposed reshuffle of C10-level officials was presented for Cabinet to consider.

The Cabinet approved the transfers of 37 C-10 officials the same day. The moves affected Phirasak Hinmueangkao, who had been set to become director general of the Lands Department.

Phirasak has been appointed Nakhon Si Thammarat governor.

Soon individuals who were wrongly imprisoned or victims of serious crimes will be able to lodge a police complaint and simultaneously file for compensation with the Rights and Liberties Protection Department.

Department chief Pol Colonel Narat Sawetnan said he would meet Police chief General Somyos Phumphanmuang on October 1 and ask him to help set up “one-stop service” centres at all police stations.

The move follows previous news that the fund to pay damages to individuals in criminal cases, set at Bt200 million this year, had run low and required replenishing. In a recent interview with The Nation, Narat put that scenario in a positive light, saying this meant the agency provided better coverage for victims.

Under the fund, victims in serious crimes such as rape or murder would be compensated Bt30,000 and Bt100,000 respectively, while those wrongly imprisoned will be granted Bt400 for each day spent behind bars as well as up to Bt30,000 in medical bills.

Narat said between 2008 and 2012, only 18 per cent of eligible victims had sought compensation.

However, after then-deputy police chief General Ake Angsananont issued a memo in November 2012 asking all police investigators to inform damaged persons about the fund, and the department’s proactive measures, the number of compensation requests rose to 38 per cent in 2013, Narat said.

So far this year, the agency has received 65-68 per cent requests and has already paid out Bt254 million in compensations, while another Bt84 million is pending for other eligible victims, he said.

The police and the military arrested a drug trafficker and seized about 20 mobile phones, drugs knives and other sharpened objects in a raid of Klong Prem central prison today (Wednesday).

The raid followed the recent arrest of two drug addicts, Natthakarn Poonsap and Mrs Nareerat Supanya who allegedly confessed to getting their drug supplies from Nattahwut Homchuen, aka Tao, who has been serving a life imprisonment in Klong Prem prison on drug trafficking charges. The arrest of the couple also led to a police sting operation which succeeding in capturing Damrong Kongsamnuan and the seizure of 2,596 methamphetamine tablets and 271 grammes of Ice worth altogether 870,000 baht.

Information extracted from the three led the police and the military to carry out a raid of Klong Prem prison where Tao is serving his life term. Extensive searches of prison cells and compound in the prison uncovered 20 cellphones, over 70 knives and sharpened objects and some ya ba.

Police alleged that Tao still carried on with drug trafficking operations from the prison using the cell phones to order his men outside the prison to carry out drug deliveries.

Mr Pathom Wongsuwan, the superintendent of Klong Prem central prison, said that it was near impossible to police every corner in the prision. However, he promised to step up security and to improve jamming system to cut off telephone signals in the prison.

Sixteen Pathum Thani prison inmates, mostly with head wounds, were taken to Pathum Thani Hospital yesterday after a brawl.

Prison deputy director Danai Yoopaniad said the prisoners had fought each other in a morning riot before guards intervened. Another argument among the brawl ringleaders led to more fighting in the afternoon, and more injuries, he said. The inmates who caused the fight would be sent to other prisons to prevent a re-occurrence, he added.

At the Trang Observation and Protection Centre, 30 youths burned and vandalised their sleeping quarters on Tuesday night after a staff member intervened in another fight and allegedly hit some of the |rioters. There are 68 youths at the centre.

The disgruntled youths then set off a blaze but firefighters put out the flames in 10 minutes.

As the youths continued to boo and vandalise the facility, 30 police and local administrative officials arrived to control the situation.

The protest was resolved just after midnight after the centre director took up the youths’ demands – the protesting youths were to be pardoned; the centre would launch a probe against the staff member who allegedly assaulted the brawling youths; and the welfare of juveniles would be improved.

The Justice Ministry plans to use money from the Justice Fund to seek bail for inmates remanded on petty charges to reduce prison overcrowding.

Deputy permanent secretary for justice Thawatchai Thaikhiew said the initiative, which is aimed at providing fairer justice and reducing prison populations, will be unveiled next week as part of commemorations to mark His Majesty the King’s 88th birthday on Dec 5.

He said the 120-million-baht fund will be used to secure bail for about 59,000 inmates facing minor charges such as gambling.

Most inmates are poor and cannot afford to put up bail so end up on remand in prisons. As a result, they are unable to work and take care of their families, Mr Thawatchai said.

The official said he would seek approval for the move from Justice Minister Paiboon Khumchaya and then write to Corrections Department chief Withaya Suriyawong, asking him to assess how many inmates would qualify to receive state-financed bail.

Not all inmates facing trial will qualify he said. They will be screened by the Corrections Department.

Apart from reducing prison overcrowding, the Justice Fund will help ensure inmates receive fair and proper treatment, Mr Thawatchai said.

If the fund can be used to secure the release of 10-20% of the country’s prison population, it will help enable wrongdoers to redeem themselves, he said.

About 70% of the prison population are incarcerated for drug-related offences. Most are drug users who were caught trading in small quantities.

Mr Thawatchai said he also wants to tap the fund to secure the release of detainees in juvenile detention centres to allow them to live with their families and rehabilitate themselves into society.

He said the bail scheme will be carried out in conjunction with a move to amend regulations allowing people involved in some legal cases to settle disputes out of court.

The Justice Ministry aims to forward these plans to the cabinet for consideration, he added.

Earlier this month Mr Witthaya said the country’s current prison population is 350,000. Prisons, however, only have capacity for about 200,000 inmates.

Mr Witthaya said the bail initiative will give poor and underprivileged offenders the opportunity to turn over a new leaf.

Help will go to those who have no money for bail but are detained during the pre-trial process, he said.

However, whether an inmate is granted bail depends on the court, which will determine if the detainee poses a flight risk or could intimidate witnesses, Mr Witthaya said.

Flawed government policies are partly to blame for prison overcrowding because some led to a rise in crime rates resulting in more offenders ending up in jail, he said.

Overcrowding has long been a problem the Corrections Department has tried to address, Mr Witthaya said.

Ongoing political instability since 2006 has resulted in criminal justice policies being overlooked, while no concerted effort has been made to handle the problems, he added.

The rising number of inmates has also seen an increase in the smuggling of prohibited items into prisons. Of particular concern to officials is the smuggling of mobile phones into correctional facilities that allow drug dealers to maintain contact with their networks and continue criminal activities behind bars.

In another attempt to tackle prison overcrowding, the Corrections Department earlier proposed amending regulations to allow for the early release of prisoners for good behaviour.