The government is seeking to exchange prisoners with Thailand following increased reports that Taiwanese inmates have suffered inhuman treatment in Thai prisons, local news media said yesterday.
The Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are cooperating to try to resolve the issue by seeking to negotiate with Thai authorities on prisoner swapping, a cable television station said.
Justice Minister Chen Ding-nan (
"The plan is still in the process of views exchanging and has yet to be finalized," he said.
Currently, more than 50 Taiwanese are behind bars in Thailand on charges of drug-related crimes, while a similar number of Thais are serving jail terms in Taiwan, according to the justice ministry.
The Chinese Association for Human Rights said there are 78 Taiwanese serving jail terms or waiting to be tried in Thailand, 55 of whom have been charged with drug smuggling.
"Since 2000, we have received letters from the families of more than 20 inmates asking for help, saying that the prisoners have suffered unfair treatment in Thai prisons," said Chang Hsueh-hai, secretary-general of the association.
He said before he met with Thai prison officials earlier this year, if a Taiwanese prisoner was seriously ill, he would not be given proper medical treatment.
He said President Chen Shui-bian (
Chang said the pressure from human-rights organizations at home and abroad has forced Thai prison administrators to agree in principle to increase the visiting time for the families of the Taiwanese inmates.
The Thail government has also allowed the prisoners to apply for medical treatment outside the prisons, he said.
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