Royal pardon brings hope for Ashley

Update

GEORGE NEWS - There is cautious relief for Ashley Oosthuizen (26), a young woman from George who has spent over five years behind bars in Thailand.

Earlier today, Tuesday 30 July her mother Lynn Blignaut, confirmed in a YouTube livestream that Ashley has been included in this year’s Thai royal pardon, reducing her sentence further.

Sentence reduction and time served
Originally sentenced to death in 2021, later commuted to life, then reduced to 33.4 years, Ashley’s charges were downgraded in April 2025 to possession, cutting the term to 13 years and four months.

Under the royal pardon mechanism, granting one year off for every seven years remaining, Ashley received an additional one year remission, bringing her theoretical remaining sentence to roughly 12 years and four months.

Crucially, factoring in the five-plus years sentenced already served, her current remaining time is estimated at seven years and five months. She could eventually go into house arrest as well.

“Nothing is a given in Thailand with its system. It’s a waiting game,” as she spoke live shortly after her visit that day.

What royal pardon means
A royal pardon in Thailand doesn’t equate to release. It only applies to prisoners who meet strict criteria, good behaviour, rehabilitation efforts, and formal documentation before the June deadline.

Ashley’s inclusion is a significant milestone, but release remains contingent on further processing. Additional clemency or sentence reductions may only be considered after 2026, when she could apply for extradition to serve time in South Africa.

Life behind bars
Ashley remains incarcerated at Nakhon Si Thammarat Central Prison, where she continues her role as an English teacher and has enthusiastically taken up learning Mandarin, a skill that her mother says is progressing well.

Family and public advocacy
Ashley was arrested in October 2020 after unknowingly signing for a package containing MDMA at her workplace, a parcel not addressed to her. She has maintained her innocence from the start. Her ex-boyfriend, Tristan Nettles, later admitted to being part of a drug trafficking ring and confirmed that Ashley did not know about his activities

Lynn, who moved to Thailand in 2022 to be closer to Ashley, remains committed to securing her daughter’s release.

She continues to appeal to the South African government to pursue extradition, and her family and supporters in George watch and wait, hoping the young woman will soon return home.

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