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Thailand to review pardon rules after release of 85-year-old drug lord brings backlash

Thailand to review pardon rules after release of 85-year-old drug lord brings backlash
South China Morning Post Tuesday 18 August 2026, 07:35 UTC By Agence France-Presse 1 min read
Key Points

Thailand’s justice minister pledged on Tuesday to review pardon criteria following backlash over the release of an 85-year-old drug trafficker who served less than a decade of a life prison sentence. Laota Saenlee, a former anti-communist guerrilla turned drug runner linked to powerful Myanmar drug kingpins, was arrested by undercover officers in 2016 for selling crystal meth in the Golden Triangle drug-producing region. The rugged Golden Triangle zone – where Thailand, Myanmar and Laos meet...

Thailand’s justice minister pledged on Tuesday to review pardon criteria following backlash over the release of an 85-year-old drug trafficker who served less than a decade of a life prison sentence. Laota Saenlee, a former anti-communist guerrilla turned drug runner linked to powerful Myanmar drug kingpins, was arrested by undercover officers in 2016 for selling crystal meth in the Golden Triangle drug-producing region. The rugged Golden Triangle zone – where Thailand, Myanmar and Laos meet –...
Thailand (LOCATION) Laota Saenlee (PERSON) Myanmar (LOCATION) Golden Triangle (ORG) Laos (LOCATION)
Originally published by South China Morning Post Read original →

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