Members of the House committee on police affairs conducted an inspection visit to the Police General Hospital on Friday to find out whether convicted former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra was indeed receiving treatment at the hospital, following the approval of the visit on Monday.
Committee chairman and Democrat MP for Nakhon Si Thammarat Chaichana Detdecho and other panel members arrived at the hospital in Pathum Wan district as scheduled at 10am. The panel had contacted the hospital to arrange the inspection and assess the treatment of prisoners, including 74-year-old Thaksin.
Mr Chaichana said the inspection was conducted under the framework of Section 129 of the Constitution, granting the committee the authority to investigate issues that raise public doubts. He sent a letter to the national police chief (Pol Gen Torsak Sukvimol), who oversees the hospital, seeking permission for the inspection.
The panel wanted to examine the procedures for treating inmates at the hospital and ensure equal treatment for all prisoners, said the committee chairman.
He added that the visit aimed to address lingering public doubts about Thaksin's treatment since his reported admission to the hospital.
Thaksin was reportedly admitted to the 14th floor of the hospital's Maha Bhumibol Rachanusorn 88 Phansa Building on the day of his return to Thailand on Aug 22.
Speaking after his inspection trip, Mr Chaichana said the panel received a briefing about inmates receiving treatment from Pol Maj Gen Samart Muangsiri, a hospital doctor.
The MP said the panel was told that Thaksin was the only case of an inmate being treated overnight, and the other cases were prisoners who received treatment in the morning and returned to prisons in the evening.
The panel members were allowed to enter the 14th floor of the building to observe the procedures related to detention, said Mr Chaichana.
However, the panel did not enter the 14th-floor corridor or any rooms, he said. They just stood in front of an area, observing a room where two prison officials were performing their duties with six police -three from each, Pathumwan station and the Special Branch.
He received information that the door of Thaksin's room was not locked, and officials could enter the room around the clock.
"Thaksin is not wrong to receive treatment but the Department of Corrections must give a clear explanation to the public about his case," said Mr Chaichana.
On whether Thaksin was in the hospital or not was not his task to say, but it was the task of the department, said the panel chairman.
"We (the panel) intend to inspect the hospital to the extent permitted and that is all," said Mr Chaichana. "Initially, we learned that we would be taken for a meeting on the 6th floor of the Sriyanon building."
"If the information we obtain can clear all doubts of the public, our task is finished. If the answers are incomplete, relevant agencies - the Police General Hospital and the Department of Corrections - must explain to the society."
He insisted the panel's visit was not politically motivated but aimed at addressing public concerns. Clear explanations from the two agencies were necessary to avoid being perceived as defendants in the eyes of the public, he added.
Police General Hospital in Pathum Wan district, Bangkok. Thaksin was admitted to a premium ward on the 14th floor of the hospital. (Photo: Somchai Poomlard)
A day before the House panel's visit, the Department of Corrections said the former prime minister is seriously ill and must remain in Police General Hospital as a return to jail could endanger his life.
The department said on Thursday that it moved Thaksin to the hospital on Aug 23 because he needed continuous treatment and observation for many illnesses that required close monitoring.
Thaksin returned to Thailand on Aug 22 after 15 years of self-exile and entered the justice system. He had been convicted and later sentenced in absentia for corruption and abuse of authority while in office prior to the military coup in 2006. He was taken to court that same day and sentenced to eight years in prison, later reduced to one year by royal clemency.
The former premier was immediately admitted to Bangkok Remand Prison and later that night moved to the Police General Hospital for "medical reasons", and reportedly has been there ever since.
Former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra returns to his home country after 15 years in self-exile and made a brief appearance in front of the private jet terminal at Don Mueang airport on Aug 22, 2023. His daugther and Pheu Thai Party leader Paetongtarn "Ung Ing" Shinawatra stood beside him. (Photo: Pattarapong Chatpattarasill)
