National —
The infamous suspect in a black panther hunting case, Premchai Karnasuta, was approved for sentence reduction and released on October 17th, 2023, without equipping an EM device due to diabetes.
On October 17th, 2023, the Thai Department of Corrections held a committee meeting to consider a remission of the prison sentence of Premchai. A total of 567 prisoners were brought in for consideration, with 484 approved for remission and 83 denied.
Among the group approved for sentence reduction on October 17th, 2023, 113 prisoners were eligible. In this group, one particular inmate was Mr. Premchai Karnasuta, incarcerated in Thong Pha Phum, Kanchanaburi, under the Wildlife Conservation and Protection Act, National Forest Reserve Act, and Environmental Promotion and Preservation Act for Possession of Firearms and Ammunition without Permission.
On February 4th, 2018, Premchai and his friends were arrested at their campfire in Thungyai Naresuan Wildlife Sanctuary in Thong Pha Phum, Kanchanaburi, for hunting wildlife: 1 black panther, 1 kalij pheasant, and 1 barking deer.
The committee at the meeting approved the remission for Pramchai, effective from October 17th, 2023, with his release scheduled for December 7th, 2023.
However, due to health issues related to Pramchai, who had previously lost tissue in his ankle due to diabetic complications, it was determined that equipping him with an electronic monitoring device (EM) would risk further injury. Therefore, he was exempt from using such a device.
Upon his release, Pramchai must report himself and adhere to behavioral monitoring conditions until the end of his sentence.
