Thailand Bail is dedicated to providing updated information on the COVID-19 crisis and how it is affecting lawyers, police, court appointments, prison visits, and other aspects of the legal industry in Thailand. This article is a follow-up to the previous post “The so-called “Bangkok Hilton” is usually associated with the Bang Kwang Prison in Nonthaburi (April 2020)” which highlighted how the coronavirus was affecting the courts and prisons in Thailand in April 2020. Since that last update, there have been some updates for the courts and prisons in Thailand, and we will go through those in this article.

Thai lawyers from Thailand Bail are still able to visit prisoners. We have continued visiting our Thai and foreign prisoners despite the risk of COVID-19. Many court appearances are not being postponed, so we need to be at the prison to discuss our cases with those defendants who are not out on bail.

Prison visitation for family and friends is still prohibited. No family or friends can visit Thai prisons through 31 Thailand Bail’s lawyers and case specialists visit prisoners in the Bang Kwang Prison and have first-hand information about what life is like inside the Bangkok Hilton 2020. We have also been advised that consular staff from the various embassies in Bangkok are also unable to visit prisoners through the end of May. This might be extended again, depending on how the numbers come back for new cases and deaths from the coronavirus in Thailand.

if a defendant with a major drug case is housed in the Bam Bat, family and friends can still deposit money and buy food for inmates across the Thai prison system. Each prison has different rules. For example, at Bang Kwang Prison in Nonthaburi, money deposit services have been moved to a different desk, but can still be done by friends and family of inmates. We have also helped foreign and Thai inmates alike by depositing funds on behalf of their families around Thailand and the world. Another change at Bang Kwang Prison is the food purchasing system. They have moved this online, so no food can be purchased in-person at Bang Kwang Prison right now.

At Bam Bat (The drug prison at Klong Prem) if a defendant with a major drug case is housed in the Bam Bat, the money deposit and food buying services have not changed significantly, except that there are fewer people at this prison because of the visitation ban.

The Koh Samui Prison has similar restrictions on visitors, but food and money deposit services are still functioning.

LINE application calls are still going on as planned, but some family members have reported technical issues with getting the calls.

Quarantine rooms are still being used for prisoners who had to leave the prison for court or other reason. Upon return, they must stay in a special quarantine room for 14 days. If they run a fever, they also must be moved to the quarantine room for 14 days.

If you have a specific question about a prison you are planning to visit, please contact the lawyers at Thailand Bail here: www.thailandbail.com/contact and we will get back to you the same day.