Irishman held in Thai jail wants to stay in country

COLIN MARTIN, the Irishman who has served over seven years in a Thai jail for a murder he claims not to have committed, wants to stay in the country if he is released, as expected, in the coming weeks.

But it is likely the Monaghan man will be immediately deported from the country on his release.

In a letter to a friend received yesterday morning, the 42-year-old said he is confident he will be among 25,000 released by royal pardon to mark the 72nd birthday of Thailand’s Queen Sikrit.