Suspects on trial already detained by authorities will now be forced to wear a prison uniform to court, a director at the General Department of Prisons at the Ministry of Interior said yesterday.

But lest they be confused with their convicted brethren, those imprisoned who remain on trial will don a dark orange uniform to clearly distinguish them from other prisoners, who will continue to wear blue and white-striped attire, Kuy Bunsorn said.

About 7,000 of the new uniforms will be distributed to prisons nationwide, he added.

“The ministry has issued this prakas since the beginning of the year.… The uniforms have just been tailored, and we have asked the provincial prisons to come and collect them,” he said.

Sun Lean, the director of Correctional Centre 1 at Prey Sar prison, said he had received 1,000 new orange uniforms for male accused prisoners to wear while on trial.

“If they wear those kinds of clothes, it is easy to notice and control the inmates. Those clothes will be worn when they attend the hearing, but in prison they can wear normal civilian clothes, because they have not received a sentence yet,” he said.

But Am Sam Ath, a technical advisor at rights group Licadho, said the new uniforms violate the rights of the accused as they are yet to be found guilty.