July 2020 COVID-19 Thai Courts and Prisons Update

Thailand Bail is dedicated to providing loads of free advice and information for people who have questions about the Thai legal system. During this unprecedented time of coronavirus or COVID-19, our lawyers and staff have provided constant updates on the situation and how it affects the courts and prisons. We updated everyone in May 2020 here: http://www.thailandbail.com/thailand-bail-covid-19-update-may-2020/ and April 2020 here: http://www.thailandbail.com/thailand-bail-covid-19-update-april-2020/ so we wanted to continue providing updates as the COVID-19 situation changes in July 2020. Please see below our update on COVID-19 in Thailand and

Thailand Bail COVID-19 Update (May 2020)

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 “Thailand Bail COVID-19 Update (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.

Thailand Bail COVID-19 Update (April 2020)

Thailand Bail would like to take this time and reach out to our clients and partners about the COVID-19 situation in Thailand as it relates to criminal cases and immigration issues in Bangkok, Koh Samui, Pattaya, Udon Thani, Phuket, Hua Hin, Samut Prakarn, and other places. This article will address postponed court hearings, as well as court hearings that are not postponed, immigration announcements for case visas / defendant’s visas, as well as general information about the situation of the coronavirus / COVID-19 in Thailand.

Bail in Thailand 2020: Bail on the Weekends

In what is probably the biggest change the rules on bail in Thailand, the president of the Supreme Court recently announced that bail can now be applied for on weekends. Thailand Bail can confirm that this new rule, announced on 25 December 2019, is now in force at the courts around Thailand. Thailand Bail just managed the successful bail applications for two foreigners who were arrested for drug cases in Koh Phangan and sent to the Koh Samui Provincial Court. Under the old rules, we would have had to wait until Monday to file our bail paperwork, but with the new rule, we were able to file our bail documents on Saturday, and both people were released the same day. 

Thailand Bail Wins in Court!

Thailand Bail recently won a very important criminal case involving a foreign defendant in the Udon Thani Provincial Court in Udon Thani, Thailand, charged with attempted murder of two Thai women. This case was very challenging for our lawyers and interpreters, since there were 4 witnesses against our client, swearing to the court that he had tried to kill these two Thai women. After months of dedicated preparation, we executed the plan in court during the trial, resulting in a no-prison-time verdict for our client, who only had to pay a small fine as a penalty for this crime that could have landed him in prison for 50 years. We received recognition for this from the defendant’s embassy in Bangkok for our relentless work to get a positive judgment in this case.

The 3 Things You Must Do If You Get Arrested in Thailand

Our blog post for March 2019 is one that has been requested by many people, so we decided to focus on the 3 things you must do if you get arrested in Thailand. We often tell people that no one plans to get arrested in Thailand, but sometimes things happen. For example, we recently came across a foreigner who had been arrested with his friend for stealing a mobile phone, even though he claimed he had picked it up thinking it was his. A Thai citizen who we recently helped had been over a friend’s house for a visit when the police came in and arrested everyone for some methamphetamine they found on the premises. In Thailand, the Thai police often like to charge accused people jointly, or “ruam-gan” in Thai – to jointly commit a crime. This does not mean that you were caught in the act of doing anything illegal, but it just means that you were in the wrong place at the wrong time in many cases. Getting arrested in Thailand is a stressful event, so we advise you do the following 3 things as quickly as possible. 

Thai Prisons Offer LINE Calls for Prisoners and Their Family Members in 2019

Prisoners in Thailand are now eligible for more convenient family “visits” through calls on the popular LINE app. Thailand Bail has seen posters and other information posted at several prisons around Thailand, and the Department of Corrections in Thailand has said that 78% of the prisons in Thailand have already implemented the LINE app calling feature for prisoners and their families. We were able to take a quick photo of the details (in Thai language – please contact Thailand Bail for free details about how to use the LINE app to speak to your family member in a Thai jail or Thai prison in Bangkok, Phuket, Pattaya, or elsewhere in the country). This photo was taken at Bang Kwang Prison (also known as Bang Kwang Central Prison) in Nonthaburi, Thailand (just outside Bangkok). Thailand Bail has regular visits to many of the prisons around Thailand, including Bang Kwang Prison. Our lawyers have confirmed that Bang Kwang Prison is one of the Thai prisons taking part of the Thai Department of Corrections program for LINE app calls with prisoners. Thailand Bail knows how long it can take to make a visit to an inmate (we do this regularly), and for family members who are in another city or another country, as many of our clients are, this can be a tremendous help.

Nasty Rybka, Alex Lesley and Others Free from Thai Prison

Thailand Bail provided legal representation and legal advice for Nastya Rybka (real name Anastasia Vashukevich) and Alex Lesley (real name Aleksandr Kirillov) during their criminal trial in the Pattaya Provincial Court. Since early 2018, Nastya and Alex, as well as 6 other Russians and Belarusians, faced up to 20 years in prison for 3 separate criminal charges in Thailand. Facing 20 years in a Thai prison is challenging, but the result was extremely positive, with Nastya, Alex, and the other 6 having their cases ended on 15 January 2019 after arranging a plea deal that saw them plead guilty to all charges. The resulting sentence was time served, and they were quickly deported, having just left today, 17 January 2019, less than 48 hours after having been sentenced.

Thailand Bail Launches Instagram Account

As we end the year 2018, we wanted to do more to showcase all the courts, prisons and police stations that the lawyers and staff of Thailand Bail work at. Most people do not realize that Thailand Bail manages cases in almost every province in the country, from Chiang Mai to Udon Thani to Bangkok and Pattaya to Phuket, Koh Samui and beyond. Accordingly, we (finally) launched an Instagram presence to showcase these places. You can find us at the @thailandbail handle on Instagram or directly at this URL: https://www.instagram.com/thailandbail/ We hope to update our account at least weekly with photos of various courts, prisons and police stations around the country. We have already featured a short list of diverse locations including the Pattaya Provincial Court in Pattaya, Chonburi, Thailand, as well as the Udon Thani Read more

Criminal Case Trial Preparation: Finding the Right Lawyer in Thailand

Finding the right lawyer in Thailand is both critically important as well as quite challenging, since there are many factors to consider when trying to find the best lawyer in Thailand. Finding the right lawyer in Thailand is especially important when it comes to trial preparation for a criminal case in the Thai courts. Many lawyers in Thailand are not proactive when it comes to trial preparation, but this is a critical mistake that can cause defendants significant time in prison. We have sadly seen many cases involving charges of drug possession with intent to sell, attempted murder, electronic card fraud, theft, as well as many other crimes, that have gone all wrong for defendants in these cases. This post on the Thailand Bail website is designed to help defendants and their families and friends make the best decision when it comes to selecting the best lawyer Read more