Daily Times

In a civilised society, prison is always considered a place of reformation. A place where the criminals and offenders are kept to eliminate their negative tendencies and prepare them for becoming fit to live again in society as a normal human being. But unfortunately, this notion is neglected, rather ignored, in the prisons of Thailand and Malaysia. In the prisons and immigration detention centres of both the countries, human rights are being brazenly violated every day.

Several prisoners and immigration detainees died in a miserable condition every year due to this inhumane treatment. These Southeast Asian countries have no regard for human rights. 70 per cent of the local prisoners in Thailand are related to drug abuse and trafficking, of whom many have their cases under-trial and many have been sentenced to long-term imprisonments. The prisoners and detainees of local origin as well as thousands of immigrants, belonging to various countries, have been kept together in these jails. Thailand’s Central Prisons, Samut Prakan and Klong Prem, are among the most notorious prisons, where locals and foreigners are tortured and punished. Due to unhygienic food and the lack of medical care, apart from physical weakness, people are suffering from Tuberculosis (TB) and skin-related diseases in these jails. Muslims have been deprived of halal food. All the prisoners have to eat Thai dishes, which most are unable to digest. Some prisoners get food from outside by visitors, while others who can’t afford to do this, buy foodstuff from the shops inside the jail. In these shops, goods are sold a price much higher than the market rates. In a small room of 25 square meters, 70 prisoners are huddled together like sheep, due to which they cannot even sleep. This state of affairs gives rise to fights amongst the inmates every day. The corrupt jail authorities provide some of the drug addicts with expensive cocaine and heroin. When some high-profile personnel is to visit the prison, the prisoners are threatened with dire consequences, if they speak against the jail administration. Many inmates are waiting for a royal waiver of their punishment. In the reign of the Thai late king, Bhumibol Adulyadej, prisoners used to get a waiver on their punishment on occasions such as royal festivals. After the death of King Adulyadej, his son, present king, Maha Vajiralonkorn, issued a forgiving order only once. One of the reasons why the Thai king does not forgive the punishment of the prisoners is that among these prisoners is people who know the secret drug dealings and rape cases of the king whom, if released, could reveal these secrets. Some prisoners in Thailand’s Immigration Detention Centers (IDC) have been disowned even by their native countries. In the IDCs in Thailand, the foreigners are being provided with all kinds of drugs for which the Thai immigration staff are making good money. The local and international so-called civil and human rights organisations are only fighting the human rights case on twitter. Similar is the situation in the Malaysian jails and immigration detention centres. The human rights organisations have done nothing for jail reforms. In this regard, when the director-general of prisons in Thailand, Police Colonel Suchart Wongananchai, was contacted, he revealed that many complaints have been received from jails and that many culprits had been caught red-handed, and that people belonging to the Department of Corrections, found involved in drug supply and trafficking, are being punished and tried for such crimes. Wongananchai further said that every year, a summary of the prisoners was put before the King but his highness had only exercised the royal waiver of punishment once since his coronation. Foreign visitors contribute a great deal to the economies of Thailand and Malaysia, and if this inhuman behaviour with the prisoners continues prevailing, people are going to stop visiting these countries. Some new reforms must be introduced in the prison system of Thailand and Malaysia.

The prisoners and detainees of local origin as well as thousands of immigrants, belonging to various countries, have been kept together in these jails

The medical profiling of each prisoner should be ensured both pre and after his stay inside. Similarly, there must be an effective monitoring mechanism to check the food clothing and other requirements of inmates. The induction of electronic devices such as CCTV cameras can reduce the problems of prisoners.

There must be an awareness campaign for the jail authorities to sensitise them regarding the rights of prisoners. It is alleged that in these prisons there is only focus on men and women but there is no consideration regarding the rights of transgenders. It is alleged that they are sexually molested by inmates and even jail authorities. There must be separate cells for such transgenders.

The writer is a senior journalist