Imprisoned former Samut Prakan strongman Chonsawat Asavahame has been hospitalised for a possible heart attack.
In this Aug 4 photo, Chonsawat Asavahame arrives at the Samut Prakan provincial court to hear a Supreme Court ruling in a poll fraud case. (Bangkok Post file photo)
Corrections Department's director-general Witthaya Suriyawong said Tuesday he had received a report from Samut Prakarn central prison that Chonsawat yesterday told prison staffers he was experiencing chest pains.
He was conscious while being taken to Corrections Department Hospital. Mr Witthaya denied rumours that the prison had prematurely released Chonsawat on probation.
The son of fugitive politician and influential Samut Prakan figure Vatana Asavahame was still undergoing treatment and would be returned to his cell once doctors gave the all-clear, he added.
The Supreme Court on Aug 4 sentenced Chonsawat, former chairman of Samut Prakan Provincial Administration Organisation, to 18 months in jail after finding him guilty of dereliction of duty during the fraud-tainted 1999 municipal elections in Samut Prakan.
His elder brother, Poonphol Asavahame, a former MP and president of the Samut Prakan sports association, died of heart failure at his home on Dec 29 at the age of 48.