A 45-year old Swedish man has been granted a transfer from Bangkwang Central Prison in northern Bangkok to Sweden where he will serve an 18 year sentence.
The man was arrested on drug charges 16 August 1998 on Don Muang airport in Bangkok, where he was caught carrying 700 grams of heroin.
He was sentenced to death, which was commuted to life and finally got a 45-year prison sentence.
This is the first case under the new exchange treaty which Thailand and Sweden agreed on this spring.
Earlier all prisoners transferred had to carry the full remaining penalty with them to be served in the receiving country.
A well known example is a Swedish woman who upon transfer back home brought 43 years imprisonment from Thailand with her when she arrived in Sweden four years after her arrest at Don Muang 1994.
The new treaty allows for lower penalties after transfer, if both countries agree on that, and each case is dealt with separately.
The 45-year old Swede got his 45-year sentence in Thailand changed to 18 years in Sweden, after negotiations between representatives from both countries.
He can deduct the five years served in Thailand from the new sentence.
