Thailand's King Rama shortens prison sentences for two Czech convicted drug traffickers

Two Czech prisoners, who were found guilty of drug trafficking in Thailand in 1996, have been granted amnesty by King Rama IX and will be serving less time. The 42-year sentence for thirty year-old Emil Novotny has been reduced by six years and Radek Hanykovics' 25-year sentence by 3.5 years. Both men were transferred to Czech prisons in 2003 but Mr Hanykovics has not served his time for reasons of ill health.