Mother of South African woman in Thai prison: ‘I pray for her freedom
It has been almost six years since Lynn Blignaut’s youngest daughter was thrown into a foreign prison, 10,000km from home, for a crime she says she did not commit.
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Lynn Blignaut’s youngest daughter, Ashley Oosthuizen, has spent nearly six years in a Thai prison for a crime she claims she did not commit, after unknowingly signing for a parcel that contained drugs.
But the George mother, who moved to Thailand out of a mother’s love so she could be closer and visit her from behind bars, said she is still on her knees, day in and day out, praying that her daughter can finally walk free and start her life over again.
And that moment could come as soon as July.
Thailand typically considers royal pardon applications twice a year — around the birthday of King Maha Vajiralongkorn in July, and again in December.
During these periods, selected prisoners may have their sentences reduced or, in some cases, be released early.
Oosthuizen, whose sentence was reduced during last year’s pardon process, is now hoping she may qualify again this year, this time for immediate release.
The blonde-haired, lively young woman was just 21 when she was arrested on the Thai island of Koh Samui in October 2020.
That is after she signed for a parcel containing about 260g of ecstasy at Hot in the Biscuit, the restaurant where she worked.
She did so without knowing what was in the parcel.
Her then-boyfriend, American businessman Tristan Nettles, ran the restaurant, and Oosthuizen helped manage it after losing her teaching job during the Covid-19 pandemic.
An optimistic Blignaut said that despite Oosthuizen spending half of her twenties in prison, she remained hopeful and relied heavily on her faith and trust in God.
Ashley Oosthuizen.
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“Ashley feels better now,” Blignaut, who now lives in Thailand to be closer to her daughter, said.
"She is not languishing in prison; she keeps very busy and the only difference is that she cannot go home."
Blignaut said Oosthuizen had been learning Mandarin since August.
Oosthuizen has always maintained she knew nothing about the drugs inside.
Nettles later admitted he had been involved in drug dealing and publicly said Oosthuizen was innocent.
But under Thailand’s strict drug laws, Oosthuizen was charged with international drug smuggling and faced the possibility of the death penalty.
Her sentence was later reduced to life imprisonment and then to 33 years and four months behind bars.
In 2025, however, the family received what Blignaut called a “small victory” when Thai authorities downgraded the charge from international drug smuggling to drug possession.
The ruling slashed Oosthuizen’s sentence to 13 years and four months and opened the door for her to possibly qualify for future royal pardons in Thailand.
While continuing the fight to bring her daughter home, Blignaut said the ordeal had changed her own life too.
She recently started a humanitarian initiative, Mercy Moves.
Through Mercy Moves, Blignaut helps people who have been trapped or stranded overseas, particularly those affected by false job offers and exploitation.