even after the supreme court has handed down a death sentence, under thai law it can be stayed by the king if a petition is sent to the palace within 60 days. the king can then ponder the petition indefinitely. king bhumibol (rama ix), effectively halted executions in thailand for nearly a decade by this means. petitions submitted by condemned prisoners were left unanswered by the palace, leading prison officials to regard them as "under royal deliberation". they did not dare put petitioners to death lest they were seen as intruding on royal prerogative. more than 500 death row inmates were thus spared death. on the other hand, when the king rejects clemency petitions, the prisoner must be put to death within 24 hours.