Foreign prisoners transferred to their home countries

BANGKOK, May 26 (TNA) - The Bangkok Remand Prison has transferred 16 foreign inmates to their home countries in a bid to ease prison overcrowding. Director of Corrections Department Narat Sawetanan said the department resolved to transfer the inmates – 10 from Iran and one from each of Belgium, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Japan, Laos and the United Kingdom – to their respective countries under an international prisoner transfer agreement. The transfers were made in accordance with the agreement which required consents of Thailand, the prisoner’s home countries and the prisoners themselves, he said. They must have served at least one third of their sentences, added Narat. Since 1990, Thailand has transferred 1,082 foreign inmates to their countries while received 17 Thai inmates from others. Besides addressing overcrowding problem, inmate transfer led to effective prisoner rehabilitation, said Narat. (TNA)