26 Escapees Flee Krabi Rehab Foundation by Boat, Citing Poor Conditions and Harsh Punishments

Krabi —

On June 29th, 2024, Mueang Krabi police received a report of 26 recovering drug addicts escaping from a rehabilitation foundation in Mueang, Krabi.

According to police, the group allegedly stole a long-tail boat to escape to Mueang Krabi. Some were spotted walking on Hemthanon Road. After nearly an hour, police captured 11 of the escapees.

The police negotiated with the 11 individuals, who initially resisted returning to the foundation. Fifteen patients remain at large.

One escapee told police they fled because they wanted to go home and refused to return to the foundation, which reportedly houses over 1,000 individuals. The patient cited alleged poor quality of life and food, and harsh punishments for mistakes.

They also claimed they were only allowed to spend 20 baht per day from money sent by their families, barely enough to buy anything decent to eat.
Police are currently contacting the families of the escapees, as they refuse to return to the rehabilitation foundation.

The foundation, whose full name has been withheld for legal reasons, has not yet formally responded to the alleged complaints.

The original version of this article appeared on our sister website, The Pattaya News, owned by our parent company TPN media.

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Goongnang Suksawat
Goong Nang is a News Translator who has worked professionally for multiple news organizations in Thailand for many years and has worked with The Pattaya News for five years. Specializes primarily in local news for Phuket, Pattaya, and also some national news, with emphasis on translation between Thai to English and working as an intermediary between reporters and English-speaking writers. Originally from Nakhon Si Thammarat, but lives in Phuket and Krabi except when commuting between the three.