Ashley Oosthuizen gains fresh parole hope after Bangkok prison transfer

A reported ’50/50 chance’ of parole has brought fresh hope for George’s Ashley Oosthuizen after more than six years behind bars in Thailand, according to her mother, Lynn Blignaut.

In an update shared on Wednesday (November 11), George Herald reports that Blignaut said the family understood that Oosthuizen could now apply for parole under electronic monitoring following her transfer to Bangkok.

“The next step is to apply for parole under electronic monitoring. Our understanding is that she can now apply, and we have been given an indication of a 50/50 chance of approval,” she wrote.

“Nothing is guaranteed, but it gives us hope. She will apply as soon as possible.”

Blignaut did not identify who had provided the indication. Her update also did not confirm that an application had been submitted.

George Herald previously reported that the family hoped the transfer would help Oosthuizen apply for parole.

A Thai pastor and his wife had agreed to assist as local sponsors, which Blignaut said was among the requirements for consideration.

Transfer completed

Oosthuizen arrived in Bangkok on November 4 after a 14-hour journey from Nakhon Si Thammarat, where she had been serving her sentence for drug possession.

Her mother who has also relocated to Bangkok said the move had already allowed them to spend more time together.

Blignaut secured a visit the day after her daughter’s arrival, followed by a two-hour visit on Friday with assistance from the embassy. Embassy representatives also visited Oosthuizen the following Monday.

“One of the greatest blessings of this move is that I can now visit Ashley every weekday,” Blignaut wrote.

The family can also have 10-minute video calls with her, although the frequency still needed confirmation at the time of the update.

Small comforts

Alongside the prospect of parole, the move has brought changes to Oosthuizen’s daily life.

According to Blignaut, her daughter has described better and more plentiful food, a calmer routine and less pressure to rush through meals.

After years of sleeping on a hard floor, she now has a thin mattress. Although the women still sleep close together, the position of her sleeping space gives her a little extra room.

Meeting other foreign inmates has also been meaningful after years in which, according to her mother, she had been the only Western foreigner at her previous prison.

“She excitedly told me there were even three other ladies with blue eyes!” Blignaut wrote.

Oosthuizen’s Thai language skills have already helped her settle in. Her mother said she helped resolve a misunderstanding among inmates and was offered a role teaching Thai to other foreign women. She declined for now because accepting would mean remaining in the intake building.

Sentence unchanged

Oosthuizen was arrested on October 8, 2020, after signing for a parcel containing drugs at the restaurant where she worked. The parcel was reportedly addressed to someone else and she has maintained that she did not know what it contained.

Following further legal proceedings in 2025, her conviction was changed from international drug trafficking to drug possession and her sentence was reduced to 13 years and four months.

Two subsequent royal pardons brought it down to nine years and 11 months.

As of Wednesday, the family calculated that she had approximately three years and 10 months left to serve, subject to the prison’s official calculation.

For now, Blignaut said they were adjusting to their new surroundings and remaining hopeful.

“We are settling into this new season with grateful hearts and hope for what lies ahead.”