A Thai inmate, who previously made headlines for a prison break in 2023, accused prison officers at Bang Kwang Central Prison of corruption and giving special privileges to some prisoners, including access to computers and mobile phones.
The corruption allegations levied against Bang Kwang Prison were made by Chaowalit “Paeng” Thongduang, also known as Sia Paeng, in leaked voice recordings released yesterday, April 23.
Chaowalit previously escaped custody during dental treatment at Maharat Nakhon Si Thammarat Hospital on October 22, 2023. He later released a livestream claiming he escaped because he had been treated unfairly by prison officers.
He fled across the border and hid in Indonesia before getting arrested in Bali after assaulting a woman.
The case came to light once again after Channel 8 received leaked voice recordings from Chaowalit. The recordings were made public last night.
In the recordings, Chaowalit claimed his detention was extended because officers at Bang Kwang Central Prison prevented him from defending himself in court. He alleged that documents he submitted as part of legal proceedings were blocked.
Chaowalit said he was not the only inmate facing mistreatment. He accused the prison director and officials of keeping prisoner numbers high to secure larger budgets, which he claimed allowed them to misuse funds.
He also alleged that prison guards in zones one and 10 allowed some inmates to use computers and mobile phones. He claimed the prisoners receiving privileges were drug dealers arrested abroad, including those from Laos.
Chaowalit said he wanted to inform the public about alleged mistreatment and corruption inside the prison. He also said he wanted to be transferred to another prison to seek better treatment and justice.
Channel 8 host Phutta Apiwan questioned how Chaowalit recorded the message, as electronic devices are banned in prison. The report suggested relatives may have recorded his voice during an online inmate visit.
As of the time of reporting, Bang Kwang Central Prison, the Department of Corrections and the Ministry of Justice have yet to issue a statement in response to the allegations.
The story Bang Kwang Prison escapee alleges corruption, phone access for inmates in leaked recording as seen on Thaiger News.
