One big question still lingering in the mind of many people in this country for more than a year now is: "Was former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra really suffering from a life-threatening sickness that justified his being treated on the 14th floor of the Police General Hospital for six months without spending one day behind bars to serve his one-year prison term?"
Some answers to the question have emerged from various authorities. Among them are Justice Minister Tawee Sodsong, the director-general of the Department of Corrections (DoC), the chief doctor at the Police General Hospital (PGH) as well as some Pheu Thai MPs.
None appear trustworthy enough to clear any doubt about Thaksin's actual physical health.
The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC), which is investigating Thaksin's "virtual" sickness, has yet to offer any answers, as the anti-corruption watchdog appears to be dragging its feet. Never mind though, as the agency is now seen as a lap dog by its critics.
Later, the Medical Council of Thailand -- a highly regarded professional association for doctors -- stepped in to investigate the conduct of medical personnel at the Police General Hospital to find out whether Thaksin was actually sick.
But public hope that the council might clear the thick air over Thaksin's case was dashed on April 10 when its subcommittee in charge of investigating the matter suddenly asked for a postponement of its findings after both the Police General Hospital and the Corrections Department's hospital provided additional evidence to the panel.
Whether it was a foot-dragging exercise by the Medical Council or not, public trust in the council appears to be waning.
The former prime minister appeared physically fit and was all smiles when he arrived in Bangkok on Aug 22, 2023, after more than 15 years of living in exile abroad.
That day, the Supreme Court sentenced him to eight years in prison -- a combination of three years from two cases and five years from a third case. The sentence was later reduced to one year by royal clemency.
Then he was whisked to Bangkok Remand Prison for processing before being put in a prison cell.
On the same night, however, he was rushed to the PGH for emergency treatment after he suddenly fell very sick, according to the DoC.
Thaksin remained there, serving his jail term on the 14th floor of the PGH until he was granted parole in February last year.
On the morning of Feb 18 last year, he was discharged from the PGH as a free man and was seen wearing a neck collar while travelling in a passenger van with his daughter, Paetongrtarn, back to his Ban Chan Songla home.
A few days later, he appeared fit as a bull. There were no physical signs of a man who had just recovered from a life-threatening sickness.
Amid the gloomy prospects for the Thaksin's case, dubbed "Thaksin's 14th Floor" saga, will be covered up for good, the Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Persons holding Political Positions, made a surprise move on April 30 by ordering an inquiry into whether the prison sentence imposed on Thaksin had truly been enforced by the Corrections Department.
In its unexpected decision, the court ruled it has the authority to conduct an inquiry when it suspects the imprisonment sentence imposed on Thaksin might not have been enforced by the department.
The inquiry is scheduled to begin on June 13 and the court also ordered all the parties concerned, including the NACC, Thaksin, public prosecutors, the DoC, the commander of Bangkok Remand Prison and the chief doctor at the PGH, to submit their clarifications to the court within 30 days and attend the first hearing.
The court's initiative to find out whether the court's verdict imposed on Thaksin was actually enforced or not is, indeed, welcome.
It is a far cry from an earlier ruling on the same case which said the court has no jurisdiction to interfere with the DoC's affairs, right after the court reached the verdict.
Thai prisons are regarded as the exclusive jurisdiction of the DoC.
How inmates are treated or how long they deserve to be kept behind bars depends on the department, no matter the sentence delivered by the court, be it life, 30 or 50 years.
Hence, the spectacle of many imprisoned corrupt officials, murderers or rapists given heavy prison terms or life, being allowed to walk free after spending a couple of years in prison because of their "good conduct" and annual royal pardon.
Some committed offences again shortly after being freed.
If the prison sentences imposed by the court stop at the doorstep of a prison, and everything which happens after that doorstep is the responsibility of the DoC, it will be pointless to have a court to mete out punitive sentences.
Or the need for public prosecutors to indict a corrupt official or a rapist-murderer, when the chief of the DoC can also serve as the prosecutor or the judge.
The court's inquiry into "Thaksin's 14th Floor" saga should not just aim to clear up any doubt about whether the former prime minister was actually sick enough to justify his treatment at the PGH for the whole six months.
It should set an example to show the court's sentences are handled too lightly by DoC.
If it is proven Thaksin was not actually really ill, he could be brought back to serve his prison term, and those officials who helped facilitate his stay at the PGH may face a legal backlash for malfeasance.
By contrast, if it is proven that he was actually very sick, he could remain a free man and the controversy should be over.
That should be fair enough for Thaksin and all the doubters of his physical health.
Veera Prateepchaikul is former editor, Bangkok Post.