The Department of Corrections plans to transfer 16 foreign prisoners back to their home countries to serve out their sentences in a bid to ease chronic overcrowding in Thai prisons. Pol Col Naras Savestanan, director-general of the department, said a panel had approved the transfer requests from the inmates. Pol Col Naras said in exchange for the transfer of the 16 foreign inmates, the department will receive 17 Thai inmates who are currently serving prison sentences abroad. Pol Col Naras added that in Thailand, international transfers of inmates following this protocol first took place in 1990 when France signed the bilateral prisoner transfer treaty. Since the inception of the procedure, Thailand has transferred 1,082 foreign inmates back to serve their remaining sentences in their home countries, Pol Col Naras said.

Source: Bangkok Post May 25, 2018 21:22 UTC