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

Asia - South China Morning Post · Aug 18, 2026

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 –...