泰國新國王登基後首次宣佈大赦囚犯

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.

泰國新國王瑪哈·哇集拉隆功日前宣佈大赦囚犯，這是自其父親、前國王普密蓬逝世，新國王登基後，首次展示他的慈悲。

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

廣受人民愛戴的普密蓬國王於今年10月病逝，享年88歲，他已在位70年，使得這個政治狂躁的國家失去了靈魂人物。

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.

12月初，他唯一的兒子被提名爲國王。然而，由於私生活醜聞，這位有着三次婚姻的王儲並沒有得到公衆同樣的愛戴。

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 last Sunday in palace mouthpiece the Royal Gazette.

據泰國《王室公報》在上週日發表的一份聲明稱，大赦囚犯是新國王成功繼承王位後“首次有機會展示他的慈悲。”

Pardons were annual events under the late king.

據悉，已故國王生前每年都會大赦囚犯。

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.

此次被提前釋放的囚犯包括：首次服刑的女性犯人、一些至少已服三分之一刑期以上的犯人、殘障人士及重症患者等。

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

不過法令並未說明會釋放多少名罪犯。