The House committee on police affairs expects to be allowed to see convicted former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra during a forthcoming inspection of Police General Hospital on Jan 12.
Committee chairman Chaichana Detdecho, also a Democrat Party MP for Nakhon Si Thammarat, on Friday said he will lead the committee which aims to assess the standard of medical care received by prisoners who are treated at the facility.
"We will have a look at the room in which prisoners are staying and inspect the standards and procedures for the detention of prisoners outside prison at the hospital.
"We will inspect every floor of the hospital building. However, it will be left to the hospital to decide to what extent the committee will be allowed to allay people's concern," Mr Chaichana said, referring to criticism that Thaksin is receiving "VIP medical treatment" outside prison at the hospital.
"If the hospital refuses to give the committee permission, it must explain to the public why," Mr Chaichana said. Thaksin has not commented on his prolonged say.
He also brushed aside legal threats against the committee if it visits Thaksin, saying the committee has sought permission for the visit.
"It is now up to the Department of Corrections [DoC] and the Royal Thai Police,'' Mr Chaichana said.
Deputy Prime Minister Somsak Thepsutin previously warned that members of the House committee on police affairs who plan to inspect the 14th floor of the Police General Hospital may be sued by Thaksin or his family unless they receive permission.
"Not everyone has the right to visit an inmate receiving medical treatment outside prison. This is not about concealing information, but it is about a regulation. The inmate decides who is allowed to visit,'' he said.
"Thaksin will not be allowed to receive medical treatment outside prison forever. It depends on the recommendation of his doctors," Mr Somsak said.
Thaksin has been allowed by the DoC to stay on at Police General Hospital despite having reached the maximum allowed 120 days of inpatient care on Dec 22.
The inspection follows criticism that a new regulation issued by the DoC that allows for the detention of eligible inmates outside prison was tailor-made to suit the former prime minister.
Pol Col Sirikul Srisanga, spokeswoman of the Police General Hospital, previously said the 14th floor of the hospital building where Thaksin is staying was designated as a detention area for the convicted inmate as ordered by the court.
It is also a security area under the supervision of the DoC as stipulated by the Corrections Act, she said.
Pol Col Sirikul added that the National Health Act further stipulates that information regarding a person's health must be kept confidential, and no one is allowed to disclose it in a way that could cause damage to that person, except with his or her consent.
On Dec 6, the DoC issued the new rule in line with the Corrections Act (2017).
Under the regulation, prisoners must meet certain requirements stipulated by the DoC to be allowed to be detained outside of prison. They must also be categorised by a screening panel set up by the department.
The venues for detaining them may include houses or buildings with registered addresses.
Thaksin, 74, returned to Thailand on Aug 22 after 15 years of self-imposed exile and was sentenced to eight years in three cases, later commuted to one year through a royal pardon.
However, he was sent from Bangkok Remand Prison to Police General Hospital that night for health reasons and has remained there since.
Move Forward Party leader Chaithawat Tulathon said on Friday that Thaksin's medical treatment at the hospital has raised a number of suspicions.
"The new regulation has led people to question whether it benefits someone who has political clout,'' Mr Chaithawat said. "The government should not let the Thaksin issue snowball into a crisis of faith among the people and be hounded about it every day.
"The best way is for the government to step forward and provide an explanation to clear any doubt about Thaksin's treatment at the hospital and the rule that allows for his detention outside prison,'' Mr Chaithawat said.