The Irish citizen referred to in the Deputy's question, who, incidentally was born in Britain and is therefore also a British national, has been in custody in Chonburi prison in Thailand since July 1997 when he was charged with murder. In the absence of any Irish mission in that country our embassy in Kuala Lumpur, with the assistance of the British Embassy in Bangkok, is looking after his consular protection.
The two embassies put him in contact with a Thai lawyer soon after his arrest but he subsequently accepted the services of lawyers appointed by the court. Officers of the Irish Embassy visited him in October 1997 and in February 1999; he is visited frequently by a representative of the British Embassy – the next visit is scheduled for 27 March – and receives money for expenses from a relative in Ireland through that embassy's good offices. The embassies have also been assisting him to get medical and dental treatment.