Lawyers for ‘Sia Po-Anon’ submitted a petition to the Minister of Justice to investigate Bang Kwang Prison in the case of ‘Sia Po’ being attacked and treated like a convicted prisoner.

Mr. Witoon Kaengngan, lawyer for Mr. Sia Po Po Anan, traveled to the Ministry of Justice to submit a request to Pol. Col. Thawee Sodsong, Minister of Justice, to investigate after believing that Mr. Sia Po was assassinated while being held at Bang Kwang Central Prison in February 2024.

Lawyer Witoon revealed that Sia Po had been transferred to another prison three times. The first time, he was detained at the Bangkok Special Prison. Later, after the court sentenced him to 50 years in prison for soliciting online gambling and money laundering, Sia Po was transferred to Klong Prem Prison, but there were problems with the prisoners inside. After that, in December 2023, Sia Po was transferred to Bang Kwang Central Prison until now. After being detained at Bang Kwang Central Prison in Zone 10 for about 3 months, in February 2024,
Sia Po was stabbed in the back by a prisoner from Zone 2 who used a sharp piece of scissors on one side, about 4-6 inches long, while Sia Po was resting. However, when the incident happened, other prisoners saw him and came to restrain the perpetrator. The perpetrator was Mr. Phinyo, a prisoner from Zone 2.

Then Mr. Phinyo was prosecuted in prison and confessed that he had hurt Sia Po because he wanted people in prison to accept him. If he could kill Sia Po, he would be famous because Sia Po was famous. However, the family and lawyer did not believe this claim because they believed that there might have been an order to kill Sia Po. Furthermore, the sharp iron weapon used in the crime should have been in the prison’s equipment room. How could a convicted prisoner have a key to the equipment room?

While Sia Po himself insisted that he never knew or had any problems with the perpetrator. Sia Po was attempted to be stabbed once, and after that, there were normal conflicts. For today’s submission, there are 2 i
ssues that he would like the Ministry of Justice to investigate: Sia Po was assaulted in prison, and human rights. Sia Po was detained with other convicted prisoners, even though he was a prisoner under trial in the appeals phase. In addition, what Sia Po was treated like was a convicted prisoner, with visitation restrictions, which allowed only one visit per month, and a limit on the number of relatives. The treatment is similar to that of a convicted prisoner, not a prisoner under trial.

Lawyer Witoon insisted that this was not a lie. He did not make up the story in order to move the prison, but wanted to clearly separate the prisoners who were on trial and the prisoners who were under trial in the appeals court. As for Sia Po’s illness, who was coughing up blood, before Sia Po came to the prison, he was a heavy smoker. He had respiratory problems and had been treated and treated by doctors. However, he has now fully recovered.

Mr. Sombun Muangklam, advisor to the Minister of Justice, revealed that in pri
nciple, there should be separate detention between prisoners and convicted prisoners. However, Bang Kwang Central Prison has limitations in terms of detention facilities, so it cannot be fully implemented or clearly separated. Regarding the case of Sia Po being assaulted or being sick and not receiving treatment, and the matter of restrictions on visits, this matter will be forwarded to the Minister of Justice before being forwarded to the Director of Bang Kwang Central Prison to investigate today.

Mr. Sahakarn Petcharin, Director-General of the Department of Corrections, spoke about the case in which Sia Po’s lawyer came to file a complaint with the Ministry of Justice, confirming that the Department of Corrections did not have any information that any prisoners had used weapons to attack Sia Po, but that the only report received was a fight within the prison. Bang Kwang Prison is a high-security prison with security officers, but when there is a complaint, it must be investigated clearly. Regarding the con
cern about separating prisoners from sure-fire prisoners, the Director-General of the Department of Corrections stated that Zone 10, where Sia Po is, is a zone for inmates between the two prisoners, which is already separated from sure-fire prisoners. When asked if there was a chance that Sia Po would be transferred to another prison, the Director-General of the Department of Corrections stated that transferring prisoners must be based on the criteria for habitual safety, whether it meets the specified criteria or not, which will require detailed consideration of many aspects.

Source: Thai News Agency