Thai Prison and Court COVID-19 Update (July 2021)

As Thailand Bail has been reporting on the COVID-19 situation in Thailand and how it affects the prisons and courts in Thailand, we are now updating the situation as of July 2021. Since many people are affected by the postponements, video conferencing, witness availability, prison visitation, and many other aspects, Thailand Bail’s lawyers and staff would like to provide a clear update on the COVID-19 situation here in Thailand. One of the latest updates that we can share is that a major prison in Bangkok has now re-opened for lawyers’ / solicitors’ visitation. The Bangkok Remand Prison has

The Supreme Court of Thailand – A Brief 2021 Case Study

Thailand’s Supreme Court has been in the news recently due to a change in a ruling from previous court rulings from the Court of Appeals and the Court of First Instance. This Thailand Bail news article, written in June 2021, will briefly review the Thai Supreme Court’s decision, so that this can be applied to your case if you are considering an appeal. It should be noted that many people hesitate to lodge appeals at the Court of Appeals or Supreme Court level, as they do not think that the ruling will change. We have seen Thai court rulings change significantly from court to court, so

Thai Courts and Prisons During COVID-19 (May 2021 Update)

Following the Thailand Bail COVID-19 update in April 2021, we have provided another update here since a lot has happened in the last few weeks. One of the biggest updates to the COVID-19 situation in Thailand is the revelation that around 3,000 inmates are positive for the coronavirus. The majority of these infected inmates in Thai prison are in the Women’s Correctional Institute (known as Bangkok Women’s Prison, next to Klong Prem Central Prison) and the Bangkok Remand Prison.

7 Ways Foreigners Get Blacklisted from Thailand (Part 1)

Preamble: It is important to note that the examples below are real examples of foreigners having been blacklisted from Thailand. However, many may read this and say that “someone they know” was not blacklisted for the same offense. Thus is the duality of the legal system of Thailand, and to be fair, many other countries around the world. There are thousands of laws that are enforced most of the time. So, just because you did not get blacklisted for one of these offenses does not mean that others were not. As always, read the relevant laws of the Kingdom of Thailand. 

Thai Courts and Prisons During COVID-19 (April 2021 Update)

As COVID-19 continues to cause disruptions in the daily lives of people in Thailand, it has also (again) caused potential delays for the courts and prisons in Thailand. Currently, we are in the middle of the Songkran (Thai New Year) holiday. However, we have reached out to our contacts at various courts in Bangkok, Pattaya, Koh Samui, Chiang Mai, and elsewhere for comment on the situation. At this time, Thailand Bail has been advised that the Courts of Justice has made an announcement encouraging each court to consider further postponements to cases.

Case Visa, Defendant’s Visa, Justice Visa Update 2021

Thailand Bail has been helping defendants get legal again with the case visa (also known by some as a defendant’s visa, justice visa, or visa extension for the purposes of having a criminal case in Thailand) for many years. This post is an update on the case visa situation in Thailand in 2021. Many of the clients we are engaged to support already have other lawyers who just do not know much about visas in Thailand. Many other lawyers have made the mistake of letting people’s visas go on overstay. This is dangerous since the police will typically bring a new charge of overstay against the defendant.

Amnesty December 2020 Announced for Prisoners in Thailand

After months of speculation, the royal amnesty was announced today 04 December 2020. Over the last few months, Thailand Bail had been hearing about the possibility of a clemency to be announced in December 2020, and it is now no longer just a rumour. Our lawyers have obtained a copy of the announcement, and we are reviewing it currently. The royal pardon, as some people refer to it as, is the 2nd one to be announced this year (2020), with the previous amnesty announced in commemoration of the birthday of His Majesty the King. This second clemency is to mark the occasion of the late His Majesty the King Rama 9, whose birthday is 05 December.

Thailand Bail Wins Massive 3.9 Metric Tonne Drug Case in Bangkok !

Today, 24 August 2020, Thailand Bail’s lawyers and international case managers are extremely happy to announce that after 16 months of case preparation and trial, the Criminal Court in Bangkok agreed with us, pronouncing our client “not guilty” (yok-fong) of all charges related to a massive 3.9 metric tonnes of methamphetamine precursor drugs exported from Bangkok to Sydney. Today’s judgment was a yok-fong judgment, which is the absolute best judgment a defendant can receive in a criminal case in Thailand. Facing the Court of First Instance’s stringent criteria for delivering a yok-fong judgment, the judges in this case examined the evidence and witnesses and ruled that our client was innocent. Our client

Thailand Royal Pardon 2020: Many in Thai Prisons Receive Sentence Reductions

A couple of days ago, an announcement was made that certain prisoners will be eligible for sentence reductions as part of a royal pardon. The most prominent case picked up by the media was that of the 2 Burmese convicted of the murder of 2 foreigners in Koh Tao. However, it is currently understood that the pardon will positively affect many. Some details have been released in Thai language, showing that certain prisoners currently on probation or other alternative sentence will have the remainder of their prison terms commuted.

Thailand Lawyer Case Study: Amelia “Amy” Jacobs Avoids Prison on Major Drug Case

Our Thailand Lawyer Case Study series continues today with a brief analysis of the case of Amelia “Amy” Jacobs, a defendant in a drug case in Thailand. Amy is a half-Thai, half-Caucasian celebrity from Thailand who was arrested with her boyfriend on suspicion of dealing in class 1 narcotics. This Thailand lawyer case study will show how Amy managed to avoid prison time, even if it ended up meaning she cannot return to Thailand for most of the rest of her life. Her lawyer