Democrat MP Chaichana Dechdecho announced plans to visit the Police General Hospital on Friday to conduct interviews with former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and other inmates receiving treatment there.
Chaichana, the head of the House committee overseeing police affairs, revealed that Pol Lt-General Thaweesilp Wetwithan, the chief of the Police Hospital, had granted permission for his panel to visit at 10am on Friday.
The request for access was part of an effort to confirm whether Thaksin was still at the hospital, following suspicions raised by his opponents about him possibly residing in his luxury home.
Speculations intensified when Thaksin wasn’t spotted at the hospital since his initial admission to a 14th-floor room in the hospital complex, following his transfer from Bangkok Remand Prison.
During his 15-year self-exile, Thaksin was sentenced in absentia to eight years in prison. He returned to Thailand on August 22, committed to serving his sentence but was immediately hospitalized for undisclosed health issues.
Chaichana mentioned that the panel will interrogate hospital staff about their procedures for treating inmates from admission onwards.
Queries will also be raised about the hospital staff’s monitoring routines, including the frequency of photographing inmates.
The purpose of the visit, according to the MP, is to determine if Thaksin is receiving special treatment compared to other inmates.
The panel, however, will not delve into Thaksin’s health details, respecting the confidentiality of such information.
Chaichana expressed uncertainty about personally meeting Thaksin, stating that a denial of access would require a formal explanation from the Police Hospital and Corrections Department.
Lastly, he noted that the Corrections Department has yet to clarify their criteria for allowing Thaksin to leave prison for hospital treatment.
