Today's General News - Wednesday December 12, 2007
KING'S PARDON
Royal mercyfor thousands of jail inmates
THANIDA TANSUBHAPOL
Convicted wife killer Wisut Boonkasemsanti and former public health minister Rakkiat Sukthana are among 25,000 prisoners whose sentences have been reduced or ended under a royal pardon given by His Majesty the King to mark his 80th birthday. Other infamous prisoners benefiting from the pardon are Serm Sakhonrat and Maj Chalermchai Matchaklam.
The pardon was effective on Monday.
It frees inmates with less than one year of their sentence remaining, Corrections Department director-general Wanchai Roujanawong said.
Chosen prisoners who received the death sentence have it commuted to life, while those with life sentences have their terms reduced to 40 years.
Wisut, a gynaecologist, was sentenced to death by the Supreme Court in July for murdering his wife Phassaporn in 2001, dismembering her body and flushing the parts down the toilet in a highly publicised case.
Maj Chalermchai also received a death sentence for killing then-Yasothon governor Preena Leepattanapan in 2001.
Rakkiat was convicted of bribery while public health minister from 1997 to 1998 and sentenced to 15 years in 2004. His sentence was cut to less than five years.
Serm, a medical student, was given a life sentence for murdering his girlfriend Jenjira Ploy-angunsri. His punishment is commuted to 40 years.
Mr Wanchai said the pardoned prisoners had all demonstrated the intention to become good citizens.
There are 170,000 people in prisons across the country. Last year, 25,000 prisoners were freed to mark the King's 60th year on the throne.
Bangkok Post
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