BANGKOK, March 7 - RAPSI. Eleven Russians are serving prison sentences in Thailand, and five others are under investigation or at trial, diplomat Andrei Dvornikov told RIA Novosti on Thursday.

The embassy official added that until recently there were only six Russians in Bangkok prisons.

"Three are serving long sentences for bank robbery, and two were sentenced recently for financial fraud. One other Russian national received his third sentence in a row for a minor robbery last year," Mr. Dvornikov said.

Last week the Phuket court handed down one-year sentences to three Russian men and two women for stealing watches at local stores, he added.

The diplomat said two men were arrested on murder charges in 2010 and two women for shoplifting in early 2013. The investigation and court procedures pertaining to their cases are underway in Pattaya, he said.

Mr. Dvornikov said Russian diplomatic offices in Thailand monitor prison conditions for Russians involved in a crime. They also assist with legal and medical services and visits by relatives under international agreements and Thai legislation.