Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn pardons prisoners in first show of mercy

BANGKOK (AFP) - Thailand's new King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun has issued a mass prisoner pardon, a first act of "mercy" as monarch as he reaches out to his subjects following the death of his beloved father.

Revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej died in October aged 88 after a seven-decade reign, leaving the politically febrile nation without its unifying figure.

His only son was proclaimed king in early December.

But the thrice-divorced monarch is yet to draw the same level of devotion from a public well-versed in rumours over his private life.

The prisoner pardon was King Maha Vajiralongkorn's "first chance since he succeeded the throne to show the king's mercy," according to a statement published on Sunday in palace mouthpiece the Royal Gazette.

Pardons were annual events under the late king.

Women jailed for first offences, some inmates who have served one third of their sentences, and prisoners with disabilities or serious illness were among those pardoned.

The decree did not say how many prisoners will be freed.

Ritual, propaganda and law underpin the status of Thailand's monarchy.

Thai schoolchildren are taught the primacy of the institution, while huge portraits of key royals adorn virtually every main street.

Like his father, King Maha Vajiralongkorn is shielded from criticism by a harsh royal defamation law that carries up to 15 years in jail per charge.

That has embedded a culture of self-censorship across the media, academia and the arts.

The prisoner pardons follow a slew of public appearances by the new king, whose four decades as designated heir were characterised by publicity shyness and long trips overseas.

Since he was proclaimed King Rama X, the new monarch has offered flood relief, opened a town hall and has been honoured in a video tribute played in cinemas.