NARATHIWAT: Over a span of ten years, more than 100 Malaysian women, the majority of whom were from Kelantan, were detained at Narathiwat prison.
Narathiwat provincial prison's Penologist Specialist (female wing) chief, Panata Yononarongdetkul said most of them were held due to drug offences.
She said majority of them had been released after serving their sentences.
"Since 2014, more than 100 Malaysian women have been sent to this prison.
"They came from several states in Malaysia, but most were from Kelantan.
"Currently, there are only seven Malaysian women at the prison, and they are among 31 women held here," she said when met.
She said Thailand imposes the same laws to both Thai and Malaysian female prisoners, and its Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) is based on human rights principles.
"The prison also follows the (United Nations) Bangkok Rules in its administration.
"So, whatever has gone viral on TikTok and other social media about the prison is not true," she added.
It is understood that some of the Malaysian women were sent to prison after being duped by drug syndicates or becoming drug mules.
The Narathiwat provincial prison gained attention after six Malaysians, including a popular dikir barat singer, were arrested in Sungai Golok town on Nov 1.
Since then, netizens, especially those from Malaysia, have been questioning the treatment of Malaysian prisoners in Narathiwat prison.
The Bangkok Rules, also known as the United Nations Rules for the Treatment of Women Prisoners and Non-custodial Measures for Women Offenders, are a set of 70 guidelines for the treatment of women in the criminal justice system.
These rules provide, among other things, guidance on how to meet the specific needs of women in the criminal justice system and to reduce the number of women who are unnecessarily imprisoned.
The United Nations General Assembly adopted the Bangkok Rules on Dec 22, 2010.
The Bangkok Rules complement other legally binding instruments and are considered an addition to the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (SMRs) 1955.