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Prisoners not abandoned: MOFA

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday denied that it had abandoned Taiwanese nationals imprisoned in Thailand by not actively helping them win places on an amnesty list, which was announced on Dec. 5 to mark King Bhumibol Adulyadej's 80th birthday.

MOFA spokeswoman Phoebe Yeh (葉非比) told a press conference yesterday that the ministry had done what it could to assist the 119 Taiwanese prison inmates to apply for the amnesty, but that it was only the Thai government that had the power to make the decision on the list.

Yeh made the remarks in response to a report in the Chinese-language China Times yesterday that Chen I-hsiung (陳義雄), a Taiwanese given a life sentence in Thailand when drugs were found hidden under a vehicle he rented when he was driving it to the airport in Bangkok, was planning to file an extraordinary appeal.

The report said Chen was considering making the appeal as he had failed to be included in the amnesty from which more than 25,000 inmates in Thailand are expected to receive a commutation of their sentence.

The report quoted attorney Chang Hsieh-hai (張學海) as saying that the Thai government's insistence on its "one China" policy was one of the reasons it had excluded the Taiwanese prison inmates from the amnesty.

Another reason was that the Taiwanese government had not made active efforts to help the Taiwanese inmates to earn favor from the Thai government, Chang was quoted as saying in the report.

Yeh said whether or not the Thai government discriminated against the Taiwanese inmates, it had nothing to do with its "one China" policy.

A Taiwanese found guilty of a criminal offence is expected to be freed from prison as part of the amnesty and the ministry's representative office in Thailand would continue to give assistance to other Taiwanese inmates that wished to apply for amnesty, she said.

Thirty-four Taiwanese nationals are currently applying for amnesty, and the ministry is keeping tabs on the progress of their applications, she said.

Thailand grants pardons on special occasions, such as the King's birthday or other festivities, Yeh said, saying that a Taiwanese inmate who was convicted for injuring others may be released under the royal pardon program to mark the Thai King's birthday.

She said staff at the Thai representative office visit Taiwanese in prison regularly to give them daily necessities or books. The office also provides extra assistance if they are sick or being treated unfairly, handling between 50 and 70 such cases each month.

The ministry has continued to provide assistance to Chen, including hiring lawyers, communicating with the Thai judicial authorities and applying for his amnesty, Yeh said.

ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY CNA
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