Paralysed inmate left in deplorable state, petition seeks clemency
Anti-death penalty advocate Hayat has launched a clemency petition for 33-year-old Thanakorn Sinsanoi who has become paralysed while serving time at Pokok Sena prison, Kedah, for a drug trafficking conviction.
In its clemency petition, Hayat said the prison facilities are unable to provide the “round-the-clock care” required by the transwoman inmate, who became paralysed from the neck down after two tuberculosis infections behind bars.
Hayat said that as recently as June, the Thai citizen was found “in a soiled bed, with fresh wounds that were left unattended, as well as flies surrounding her in the prison treatment room”...
Anti-death penalty advocate Hayat has launched a clemency petition for 33-year-old Thanakorn Sinsanoi who has become paralysed while serving time at Pokok Sena prison, Kedah, for a drug trafficking conviction.
In its clemency petition, Hayat said the prison facilities are unable to provide the “round-the-clock care” required by the transwoman inmate, who became paralysed from the neck down after two tuberculosis infections behind bars.
Hayat said that as recently as June, the Thai citizen was found “in a soiled bed, with fresh wounds that were left unattended, as well as flies surrounding her in the prison treatment room” where she is now held.
Thanakorn’s fellow prisoners, who are male, are the ones providing her with day-to-day care, Hayat said.
As Malaysia does not recognise transgender identities, Thanakorn (above) is serving time in a male facility, the group added in an Instagram post rallying the public to petition Selangor’s Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah for her clemency.
This is because Thanakorn was arrested and convicted for an offence that took place at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang which is under Selangor.
Sultan Sharafuddin is the chairperson of the Selangor Pardons Board.
In the post, Hayat also shared a template for a letter, which they urged members of the public to send to Sultan Sharafuddin, the Pokok Sena prison, elected representatives, the Prime Minister’s Office and the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
“She suffered from complications leading to her being paralysed neck-down (also known as quadriplegia).
“Her doctors in prison have noted that she has no control of her body from the waist down and retained limited control of her hands,” the letter read.
“She also had a colostomy bag attached to her due to her health conditions.
“She is presently detained within the confines of the prison clinic,” the letter further stated.
Drugs hidden in saree gifts
According to Hayat, Thanakorn was arrested while travelling from India to Thailand.
The NGO said the Thai national first travelled to India on a friend’s promise of what turned out to be a non-existent job.
The friend then arranged for Thanakorn’s flight back to Thailand via Malaysia.
She had carried with her several saree pieces, purportedly as gifts for the friend’s family in Thailand, but there were methamphetamines hidden within the pieces.
She was arrested upon arrival at KLIA Terminal 2, Hayat said.
