December 11, 2013
It was a highly emotional scene late last month outside Yala Central Prison as scores of relatives were on hand to greet 12 inmates released under this year's Royal Pardon-- including one elderly prisoner who once led a local insurgency movement.
Former Pattani United Liberation Organization (PULO) President Haji Berto Betong had been serving a life sentence for a national security case since 1998.
Every year around this time, each provincial prison grants an early release to qualified prisoners as a way of celebrating the benevolence of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, whose birthday on December 5th is one of the biggest holidays on the Thai calendar.
The November 28th release ceremony was presided over by Southern Border Provinces Administration Centre (SBPAC) Secretary General Tawee Sodsong and Somkiet Boonchoo, an advisor to Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.
Those who qualified for release from Yala Central Prison this year were inmates with good behaviour, were over 70 years old and had completed at least half of their court-ordered sentences.
"The Court subsequently reduced the sentence to 34 years, of which Mr. Haji had already served the minimum 17 years behind bars (including time served prior to sentencing), thus making him eligible for parole this year," Somkiet said.
Other inmates granted early release under the pardon were imprisoned for criminal convictions.
Haji is also known by a slew of aliases: Babormae Betong, PULO Chairman Haji Asem, Abdul Raman Bin Abdulloh and more recently, "former PULO Member Mr. Haji".
"Today is the day that myself and all of my fathers' sons and young relatives have been waiting 17 years for, so we could not be happier that it has finally come," Haji's 43-year-old son Muhammadasaji Baso told Khabar Southeast Asia.
"My father's imprisonment over so many years has resulted in great hardship for our family, as he has always been our main pillar. So I feel extremely fortunate that he has now been granted full freedom and can now say that we feel we have finally received justice from the state agencies involved."
Tawee hugged the former insurgent leader after his release.
"This government tries its best to give every person freedom so that they can help develop both their local areas and the country as a whole. That said, everything must be done in accordance with the Constitution and all relevant laws," Tawee said. "Fortunately the Royal Pardon as granted under the benevolence of the Their Majesties the King and Queen has helped speed up the return to freedom of the 12 people, which is why we are gathered here today.
"I hope they will all use their newfound freedom to start their lives anew in society. The SBPAC is one agency that stands ready to support all of their efforts to find jobs and wishes them the best in using their knowledge and abilities as productively as possible in that pursuit."