BANGKOK, 20 September 2012 – The Prime Minister is prepared to talk to Myanmar President over the release of nine Thai prisoners in Myanmar, while the Foreign Ministry will appeal on their behalf to the Myanmar court as soon as possible.
Foreign Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul said the government is considering ways to file an appeal for the nine Thai prisoners facing serious charges of illegal drug and weapons possessions. Eighty-three other Thais have already been released earlier in the week after the negotiation between Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and Myanmar President Thein Sein.
According to Mr Surapong, the premier will hold a bilateral discussion with Thein Sein at the UN General Assembly in New York next week. She will also thank the Myanmar President for the release of the 83 Thais and ask him to release nine more Thais who are still in jail.
Meanwhile, the medical teams from the Ranong Hospital and Immigration Bureau officers have verified the identity and checked the health conditions of the 83 Thais recently released. The Myanmar court has forbidden them from entering Myanmar for three years and six months after they were convicted of illegal entry.
