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.
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