Taiwan has freed 11,000 prisoners under clemency order who had served at least half of their prison terms. The decision will also help ease overcrowding in prisons.

Below is an article published by the International Herald Tribune:

Taiwan freed 11,000 drug users and dealers, burglars and other petty criminals Monday [16 July 2007] to help ease overcrowding in prisons, officials said.

Those freed had served at least half of their prison terms, meeting requirements for the clemency act signed by President Chen Shui-bian, said Vice Interior Minister Lee Chin-yung.

"This is the first clemency of its kind in 16 years, and we hope the prisoners can behave and not commit crimes again," Lee said.

Of the 11,000 people freed, nearly half had been jailed for drug-related crimes, followed by those convicted of theft and fraud, Lee said. They were met by their relatives at jails across Taiwan or taken to train stations where they returned home on their own, he said.

Taiwanese jails had held 65,000 people, well over their capacity.

Health officials said they would keep track of released drug addicts to ensure they continued to receive medical treatment.