10-1-2024 (BANGKOK) Members of the House committee on police affairs are scheduled to visit the Police General Hospital on Friday. However, it remains uncertain whether they will have access to its most high-profile patient, former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who is currently serving a conviction. Committee chairman Chaichana Detdecho announced on Wednesday that the hospital had approved the visit, which is set for 10 am on Friday, as requested.
According to Mr. Chaichana, the hospital management has agreed to allow the committee to inspect the sixth floor of the Sriyanont Building and meet with a police colonel overseeing the hospital’s operations. Thaksin was reportedly admitted to the 14th floor of the hospital’s Maha Bhumibol Rachanusorn 88 Phansa Building on August 22 last year.
During the visit, the House committee intends to inquire about the service standards provided to prisoners and gather information about all admitted inmates, including Thaksin, to determine whether he is receiving equal treatment. The cost of medical treatment for admitted inmates is covered by the National Health Security Office, as stated by Mr. Chaichana.
“We cannot disclose the severity of illnesses, but we need to know the types of illnesses, the number of inmates admitted to the hospital, and the services provided to them,” explained Mr. Chaichana. “We will see to what extent the Police General Hospital allows us. Will we be able to meet the inmates in person or observe them via CCTV?”
Meanwhile, former MP Niphit Intharasombat has suggested that the National Anti-Corruption Commission should investigate government officials responsible for Thaksin’s treatment outside of prison. If the commission fails to do so, he proposes that the president of the Supreme Court appoint independent investigators for the task.
Thaksin, aged 74, returned to Thailand on August 22 after 15 years of self-imposed exile and entered the justice system. He had been convicted and sentenced in absentia for corruption and abuse of authority during his tenure as prime minister before the military coup in 2006. On the same day of his return, he was taken to court and sentenced to eight years in prison, later reduced to one year through royal clemency.
The former prime minister was immediately admitted to Bangkok Remand Prison but was later transferred to the Police General Hospital on the same day for “medical reasons,” where he has reportedly remained since.
According to the law, the minister of justice must acknowledge any stay exceeding 120 days by an inmate receiving medical treatment outside a prison hospital. The deadline for acknowledgment passed on December 21. The acknowledgement is contingent upon a report from the chief of the Department of Corrections.
