56 Malaysians jailed in southern Thailand

SONGKHLA: At least 56 Malaysians are currently serving jail terms in six prisons in southern Thailand, with most convicted of drug-related offences or for acting as mule account holders in online scams.

Malaysian Consul-General in Songkhla Ahmad Fahmi Ahmad Sarkawi said this was based on records submitted by prisons in 15 southern Thai provinces as of Sept 3.

He said 30 Malaysians are serving sentences at Narathiwat Provincial Central Prison, 12 at Na Thawi Prison in Songkhla, nine at Songkhla Central Prison; two each at Surat Thani Provincial Central Prison and Yala Provincial Central Prison; and one at Satun Provincial Central Prison.

However, he said the figure could be higher as not all prisons had submitted their records to the Malaysian Consulate-General in Songkhla.

"Of those jailed, 44 were convicted of drug-related offences, mostly involving smuggling, four for acting as mule account holders, two for immigration-related offences, two for theft, one for a firearms offence and three for other offences.

"They were sentenced to between one and 37 years in jail. One was sentenced to life imprisonment, while another faces the death penalty for involvement in a murder case," he told Utusan Malaysia.

He said the consulate conducted regular consular visits to the prisons and helped locate the prisoners and connect them with their families in Malaysia.

He said two meetings were held in March and June at Narathiwat and Songkhla Central Prisons to provide advice on legal procedures, including immigration matters, for inmates nearing release.

"We conduct about five consular visits to prisons each year to meet Malaysian inmates. For those due to be released, the consulate will issue an Emergency Certificate to enable them to return to Malaysia," he said.