A Taiwanese drug convict sentenced to life imprisonment but subsequently granted a series of commutations by Thai king Bhumibol Adulyadej has been released and departed for home on Friday, Taiwan’s representative office in Bangkok said on Friday.
The convict, identified only by his surname, Yang, was arrested in December 1992 on charges of narcotics trafficking, the representative office said in a statement.
Yang was first given a life sentence.
Because of his good behavior in prison, however, the Thai king commuted his sentence to 40 years in jail.
With assistance from the representative office, which issued a letter of guarantee on his behalf, Yang’s prison sentence was again reduced by one-third, the statement said, adding that in the following years, Yang had received three commutations, with his sentence reduced to 15 years and nine months.
The statement said that, Yang, 52, had recently served out his prison term.
He was jubilant at regaining his freedom, the statement said, adding that since his release the representative office had been helping with paperwork for his return to Taiwan.
Yang departed for home on Friday evening.
The representative office said 118 Taiwanese remain in jail in Thailand, most on drug-related charges.
Thailand imposes a stringent ban on narcotics-related crimes, the statement said, adding that any person who is found to be involved in the drug trade faced a severe sentence.
POLAM KOPITIAM CASE: Of the two people still in hospital, one has undergone a liver transplant and is improving, while the other is being evaluated for a liver transplant A fourth person has died from bongkrek acid poisoning linked to the Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) restaurant in Taipei’s Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said yesterday, as two other people remain seriously ill in hospital. The first death was reported on March 24. The man had been 39 years old and had eaten at the restaurant on March 22. As more cases of suspected food poisoning involving people who had eaten at the restaurant were reported by hospitals on March 26, the ministry and the Taipei Department of Health launched an investigation. The Food and
The long-awaited Taichung aquarium is expected to open next year after more than a decade of development. The building in Cingshui District (清水) is to feature a large ocean aquarium on the first floor, coral display area on the second floor, a jellyfish tank and Dajia River (大甲溪) basin display on the third, a river estuary display and restaurant on the fourth, and a cafe and garden on the fifth. As it is near Wuci Fishing Port (梧棲漁港), many are expecting the opening of the aquarium to bring more tourism to the harbor. Speaking at the city council on Monday, Taichung City Councilor
A fourth person has died in a food poisoning outbreak linked to the Xinyi (信義) branch of Malaysian restaurant chain Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in Taipei, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) said on Monday. It was the second fatality in three days, after another was announced on Saturday. The 40-year-old woman experienced multiple organ failure in the early hours on Monday, and the family decided not to undergo emergency resuscitation, Wang said. She initially showed signs of improvement after seeking medical treatment for nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, but her condition worsened due to an infection, he said. Two others who
Taiwanese should be mindful when visiting China, as Beijing in July is likely to tighten the implementation of policies on national security following the introduction of two regulations, a researcher said on Saturday. China on Friday unveiled the regulations governing the law enforcement and judicial activities of national security agencies. They would help crack down on “illegal” and “criminal” activities that Beijing considers to be endangering national security, according to reports by China’s state media. The definition of what constitutes a national security threat in China is vague, Taiwan Thinktank researcher Wu Se-chih (吳瑟致) said. The two procedural regulations are to provide Chinese