28-8-2023 (BANGKOK) Paetongtarn “Ung Ing” Shinawatra, the leader of the Pheu Thai Family, visited her father and former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra at the Police General Hospital. Thaksin, 74, was admitted to Bangkok Remand Prison on August 22 after returning to Thailand on a private jet, ending 15 years in self-exile. He was immediately taken to the Supreme Court, where he was sentenced to eight years in jail on charges he was previously convicted of in absentia.
Thaksin’s transfer to the Police General Hospital occurred on August 25, as he was suffering from chest pain, hypertension, and low blood oxygen levels, according to the Department of Corrections (DoC). Thaksin is dealing with four critical health issues: heart disease, lung disease, high blood pressure, and a herniated disc.
After five days in quarantine, the hospital began allowing visitors from 9 am to 3 pm. On the first day, ten people registered to visit Thaksin, with his daughter Ms. Paetongtarn being the first. She visited him accompanied by lawyer Winyat Chartmontree, arriving in a Mercedes van.
During the visit, which took place from 1 pm to 1:45 pm, Ms. Paetongtarn did not comment on her father’s health or mental condition but stated that she would address questions regarding her visit at the Pheu Thai Party’s head office on Tuesday.
Other visitors who registered to visit Thaksin on Monday included another daughter, Pintongta, and her husband Nathapong Kunawongkorn, as well as Thaksin’s eldest son Panthongtae and his wife Natthiya Puangkham. Three lawyers were also on the list of visitors.
Rooms on the 14th floor of the hospital are reportedly reserved for high-level police officers. The hospital had earlier treated Mr. Santhana Prayoonrat’s father for lung inflammation. Mr. Santhana, a former special branch police officer, believed Thaksin was in room 1401, which he observed had recently been renovated and was fully equipped with basic amenities. Rooms on the 14th floor also offer panoramic views of the nearby golf course and horse racecourse.
