A coronavirus surge sweeping through Thailand’s prisons has thrown the spotlight on the kingdom’s overcrowded penal system, where some inmates have less space to sleep than the inside of a coffin.
More than 22,000 people have tested positive inside jails, where inmates living cheek by jowl have been encouraged to keep wearing their masks even while they sleep.
Authorities have floated plans to give early releases to prisoners with underlying medical conditions and have announced funding for more testing and medical care in recent days.
But those behind bars say they have been kept in the dark about the seriousness of the outbreak.
“Prisoners don’t have the knowledge to protect themselves,” said Somyot Prueksakasemsuk, a high-profile activist facing charges under Thailand’s harsh royal defamation law.
Somyot was bailed last month and told AFP that he had not been tested for…
