Footage of the treatment of Netiporn "Boong" Sanesangkhom by the Medical Correctional Institute (MCI) may be made available if the late activist's mother formally requests it, according to the House committee on legal affairs.
The hospital was invited by the committee to explain the procedures for granting the footage on Wednesday. Also present at the meeting were the Department of Corrections (DOC) and Thammasat University Hospital, where Netiporn was treated for conditions connected to her hunger strike before she was transferred back to the MCI, where she later died.
Netiporn went on a hunger strike to highlight a demand for the unconditional release of inmates pending conviction. Kamolsak Leewamoh, chairman of the House Committee on Legal Affairs, Justice, and Human Rights, said members asked about the problem which her relatives encountered in obtaining from the MCI footage of Netiporn's treatment prior to her death.
The MCI said that even though the Justice Ministry had approved the release of the footage, a closer look at the regulations found restrictions exist that govern who can gain access to such information.
Mr Kamolsak said the committee has suggested Netiporn's mother exercise her rights under the Information Act by requesting access to the footage through a lawyer. The DoC told the meeting that if access was properly sought, it was ready to supply the footage to clear up any doubts about how she was treated, according to the committee chairman.
Earlier, the DoC cited national security as the reason for refusing to release CCTV footage from the morning Netiporn died, according to Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR), which represented the late activist.
Originally, the DoC said it was also concerned that releasing the images could infringe on the privacy of the medical workers seen.
