Original Story Here’s ray of hope for those languishing in Thai gaols By Damaru Lal Bhandari KATHMANDU, May 12More than three dozen Nepalis languishing in three separate Thai prisons on drug related charges could be extradited to Nepal in foreseeable future if things take predictable course for them.
This will, however, depend on what King Gyanendra orders when Ben Parks, an American campaigner, takes up the issue in an audience with the monarch in about a week’s time. He flayed Nepali side for not attending the issue so far.
"I expect to urge King Gyanendra to call up Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej as part of the humanitarian intervention. There is no reason why Nepal should not do the needful. This will go a long way in ameliorating the lot of the families back home," he said, pointing at Chinmaya Gurung, an old mother of Robin Gurung. Robin was given 50 years.
Maya Gurung, wife of Man Ghale, has been given 26 years. Both appeared stunned and helpless at the twist in destiny. Parks, however, conceded that Nepali side would still require to sign a relevant treaty with Thailand even if King Gyanendra issued a standing order. Convicts have to serve the remainder of the sentence in Nepali jails after extradition.
He claimed that Thai authorities were over-enthusiastic to transfer Nepali prisoners since they are facing over-crowding in prisons. Presenting a case for royal intervention, Parks said Nepalis were being meted out discrimination even inside prisons.
He also referred to instances of Nepalis given life term without a proper trial and benefit of lawyer and interpretation. "No one ever gets any hint about what had transpired with them," he further said.
However, he conceded that Nepali mission in Bangkok might have wielded influence in its own way to remove most of them from possible death sentence.
"I have no evidence but what I can say is Nepalis have not made it to the death row like others from elsewhere," he said, adding that there is still no room to believe that the prisoners should consider themselves as lucky.
"What I can tell is most of them have been made to sign the confession at gun point, before the court passed life sentence at the end of a mock trial. In some cases, any one who is convicted on drug charges is given as much as 50 years," he added.
He singled out Nuree Sherpa and Puskar KC, both of who have been given fifty years each, as examples of inhuman sentences. While the latter has served eight years, the former has served only five years so far.
Parks also claimed that Thai police is notorious for executing extra-judicial killings. He also claimed that most of the Nepalis except one or two were not drug-carriers in the real sense of the term. Four are women.
He insisted that many of them were coerced into swallowing drugs packed up in polythene bags by dangerous people who look for gullible travelers stranded on foreign shore. He claimed that some of them had flown to Bangkok from Pakistani cities after they were picked up by international drug-traffickers.
Parks sounded confident of achieving the feat of seeking the extradition. He was however less reassuring about it. His vehicle is Prisoner Transfer and Exchange Treaty (PTET) Committee of Nepal.
Someone who has taken up similar causes around the world, Parks also cited instances of other countries flying back their nationals as and when they land up in Thai jails.
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