The cabinet has allocated a budget of 210 million baht to replenish a fund set up to compensate victims in criminal cases, said a senior official at the Justice Ministry.
Pitikan Sithidej, head of the Department of Rights and Liberties Protection, said yesterday the fund is expected to be disbursed to pay for those eligible for financial assistance this month. The new fiscal year begins on Oct 1.
The department was allocated 300 million baht from the government to spend on damages in the current fiscal year ending in September but it has been used up since early May.
According to the department, it disbursed 300 million baht to pay 5,642 victims and those wrongfully convicted from last October to May 3 and then requested an additional 210 million baht.
Meanwhile, probation officials in Songkhla will procure 5,000 sets of Electronic Monitoring (EM) devices as part of the Department of Probation's policy to ease overcrowding in prisons.
Prayoon Wongpreechakorn, a probation programme coordinator, said about 400 offenders in the southern province are wearing electronic ankle bracelets as one of the conditions of their temporary release.
He said the programme has been effective and officials are seeking to procure 5,000 additional sets of tracking equipment for offenders who have not committed serious offences.
According to Mr Prayoon, prisons are overcrowded because suspects cannot afford bail and legal fees. They are also deprived of employment opportunities, he said.
"With the tracking devices, they can be temporarily released and this allows them to work to support themselves and their families. Of course, there are some restrictions," he said.
They must not leave designated zones, among other regulations.
Courts will assess the flight risk each offender poses.
Mr Prayoon said members of civic groups in Songkhla have joined the probation programme as observers.
The bracelets were introduced early this year in lieu of jail terms by 23 courts to reduce the number of inmates.
They track the movements of offenders who are released on bail or put on probation by transmitting the offenders' whereabouts to a 24-hour monitoring centre.
Kampol Rungrat, a chief judge with the Office of the Supreme Court President, said they each weigh 230g including the GPS system.
