TILLEKE & GIBBINS
REGISTERED ORDINARY PARTNERSHIP
ADVOCATES & SOLICITORS
(FOUNDED AD 1902)
10th October, 1978
The Rt. Hon. Barbara Castle, M.P.
HOUSE OF COMMONS
Westminster
LONDON
WANG LEE BLDG.
207 SURIWONOSE ROAD
BANGKOK
•
THAILAND
CABLES: "LYMAN" or "BRIGSON" BANGKOK
TELEPHONE NOS. +234-8173
TELEX: "LYMAN TH 2978"
OUR REF: DL/TTA
YOUR
REF
Dear Mrs. Castle,
I am taking this opportunity, while I still have a few hours left in England, to write to you with my urgent thoughts on Rita Nightingale's situation. In my travels in London, the West of England and Wales, I am very pleasantly surprised to find that Rita's name is a household word. Literally everyone I spoke to from all walks of life know of her, and in considerable detail.
It was truly an honor for me to meet and talk with you last Thursday evening over dinner on the matter of Rita. Thank you for taking so many of your hours from your Labour Conference schedule to assess the situation with Mr. David Hallmark and myself. I write now to synthesize those talks and to request your further assistance to obtain new information and evidence, not previously available to us for use in seeking Rita's ultimate release.
Please pass to the Foreign Secretary, Dr. David Owen, our deepest appre- ciation for his offer to meet with us Thursday morning, October 5 1978 at the Blackpool Labour Party Conference prior to his departure. His continuing and obviously sincere interest in Rita's case is the most encouraging factor in our search for the ways and means of solving her dilemma. It was most unfortunate for us that we were unable to get organized in time for that meeting. I under- stand that you and Mr. Hallmark are now scheduled to meet Dr. Owen on October 16 1978, and I hope that meeting will be even more productive since as an outcome of our meeting with you, we have begun to formulate a plan of action.
As you know, with the withdrawal of Rita's appeal to the Dika (Supreme) Court, her 'conviction has become final in the legal sense and the judicial pro- cesses are over for the time being. Her reasons for the withdrawal were two fold: first, because with the support of the conviction by the Appeals Court, the Dika Court was restricted to review of only questions of law, all questions of fact having been deemed conclusive. Rita's case turned on fact, not law, so the appeal was inherently somewhat impotent. Secondly, while an appeal is pending, Rita is not eligible to be considered for any of the amnesties the Thais periodically grant prisoners. There are several opportunities for amnesties during the coming months, her appeal could be expected to take 10-18 months to be decided, and in any event, she is not considered for the first amnesty she is otherwise eligible for. effect of the amnesties is to reduce her sentence, the amount of each reduction being dependent on her conduct as a prisoner.
The
Staff:
1. Cont'd
ALBERY LYMAN •
DUSSADER TACHASINIUL.
ROLAND 38. PERIERA
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FREDA RING LYMAN
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DAVID LYMAN
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NATI CHOONAHAKASIKARN
SUCHART CHARTHIYOM
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PANYA CHONGWILAS
TAWATCHAI SOYARATAHAPONG
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CHESTER 8. REWERS •
PICHAYA CHINTANOND
TIN MILINDASUTA
•
•
WILLIAM J. MILES
PUTTRI KUVANONDA
VALLOP SAKRANON
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SORACHA! MALLIKAMARI.
CHAI SUAWANSRI
• MORATHUM JIRANANDA
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