High-profile prison escapee Chaowalit Thongduang, aka “Paeng Nanod”, who was arrested in Bali two weeks ago is now undergoing a ten-day Covid-19 quarantine at Bang Kwang Central Prison.
According to the Department of Corrections, he will be transferred to solitary confinement after his quarantine period ends.
The prison’s superintendent, Yuthana Nakruangsri, said on Monday that the solitary block, located in the second wing, is for the most dangerous convicts.
Chaowalit will be required to stay in his cell, which is equipped with a ventilation fan and a toilet, 24/7 and will be banned from participating in activities with the other inmates.
He will also attend court hearings via a video link, Mr Yuthana said.
According to Mr Yuthana, the prison will arrange for officers to regularly assess Chaowalit’s mental state and his human rights would be respected, but he would receive no special treatment.
Mr Yuthana said the wardens assigned to supervise Chaowalit will perform their duties in pairs to lessen the chance of being manipulated by the convict, which might lead to him escaping again.
He added that the guards would be rotated on a regular basis to prevent them from developing any kind of rapport with Chaowalit.
The officers were instructed to do what they could to remain fully alert during shifts while maintaining the discipline necessary to prevent a criminal of Chaowalit's notoriety from breaking out.
Chaowalit, 37, was serving time at Nakhon Si Thammarat Prison for attempted murder and was facing charges in other cases, including murder, attempted murder, and firearms possession, when he escaped from custody while receiving dental care at a hospital on Oct 22 last year.
Despite a massive manhunt, Chaowalit managed to escape Thailand in a speedboat, reportedly from Satun.
While on the run, he released several video clips, claiming he was unfairly treated by the justice system.
On Dec 25, Chaowalit was sentenced in absentia to life imprisonment for attempted murder.
Earlier this month, he was arrested in Bali by Indonesian police for drug dealing, using a fake Indonesian ID card, and assaulting women.
Chaowalit was extradited to Thailand on June 5 and is now undergoing a ten-day Covid-19 quarantine period.
Mr Yuthana said the prison has now collected a list of ten registered visitors who were allowed to meet Chaowalit at the prison and will contact them for further details.