Thai jail plans death-row webcam

A prison in the Thai capital, Bangkok, is planning to broadcast inmates' daily lives, as well as their final moments before execution, live on the internet.

Rights group Amnesty International has criticised the plan, which prison officials say will deter criminals.

A spokesman for the Bangkwang prison said the scheme will highlight the risks of drug dealing, which carries the death sentence in Thailand.

Almost 1,000 of Bangkwang's 6,000 inmates are on death row.

Thai authorities have mounted an aggressive campaign against drugs in recent years.

Thousands of people suspected of drugs offences have been killed during the crackdown, sparking criticism from human rights groups.

'Bangkok Hilton'

Amnesty International described the prison webcam plan as an infringement of human rights and called upon the Thai authorities to review it.

No date has yet been set for broadcasts from the Bangkwang prison, nicknamed the "Bangkok Hilton" by Westerners, but cameras are said to have already been installed.

Prison spokesman Nathee Chitsawang told the Associated Press news agency that the internet "will show how we treat convicts in their last minutes, including the preparation process".

But, he said, viewers will only see snippets of the final moments leading up to an execution.