At 5:30pm, Phuket Prison Commissioner, Pichit Wannajit, announced that 232 men, 28 women, and 21 foreign detainees (17 Burmese, 2 Belarusian and 2 Sri Lankan) who had broken immigration laws received the pardon.
Mr Pichit told inmates to turn away from illegal activities and start a fresh new life, before taking their fingerprints and setting them free.
More than 100 family members and friends of the inmates were waiting outside the prison to greet them.
Some inmates broke down in tears after being freed.