Parole after 6-month hospital stay
Convicted former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra will be released on parole on Sunday after spending almost six months receiving medical care at the Police General Hospital (PGH), Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin confirmed on Saturday.
While the PM couldn’t confirm the exact time of Thaksin’s discharge from the hospital that he was admitted to from Bangkok Remand Prison hours after his return on Aug 22 last year, rumour has it the ex-premier could leave PGH as early as 5am or 6am for Praram 9 Hospital.
From there he would later be released to the Shinawatra family’s Ban Chan Song La residence on Soi Charan Sanitwong 69 in Bang Phlat district.
Paetongtarn Shinawatra, the youngest daughter of Thaksin and now leader of the ruling Pheu Thai Party, dismissed the rumour, saying her father will go straight home as initially planned.
The home is now adorned with sizeable welcome home cards written and signed by Thaksin’s children and grandchildren, Ms Paetongtarn posted on Instagram.
Thaksin, 74, was among 930 inmates whose release was approved by a Department of Corrections (DoC) parole committee. Upon his Aug 22, 2023 return from 15 years of self-imposed exile abroad, he was sentenced by the Supreme Court to eight years in jail on three counts of corruption, but the sentence was commuted to just one year after he received a royal pardon.
Even though Thaksin was technically paroled immediately after midnight on Saturday, there have been no documented releases of any prisoners out-of-hours this weekend, said a source.
An official from Bangkok Remand Prison is expected to bring the papers for Thaksin to sign at the PGH, said the source.
An anti-Thaksin movement which rallied at Chamai Maru Chet Bridge on Phitsanulok Road on Saturday announced its plan to picket Thaksin’s discharge from the hospital.
Earlier in the day, deputy police chief Pol Gen Surachate Hakparn said there was no need to deploy extra officers to the PGH as no more than 100 protesters are expected to show up at the hospital when Thaksin leaves.
As for Thaksin’s Ban Chan Song La residence, the police will treat the former prime minister as an important person of the state, said Pol Gen Surachate.
Mr Srettha on Saturday insisted Thaksin’s parole is in line with the judicial process and the Department of Corrections (DoC) and the PGH were following all due laws.
When asked if he would seek advice on how to do the job from Thaksin, the PM said he has respect for all former prime ministers and has never been reluctant to seek advice from any of them when possible.
The other day, he said, he met former prime minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and they talked for an hour, during which he said he received a great deal of useful advice from his predecessor.
As for Thaksin, Mr Srettha said it is too soon for the former prime minister to be considered for a role as an adviser, especially as he is still very ill.
In another development, Niwatchai Kasemmongkol, secretary-general of the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC), said the NACC has received a petition over the handling of Thaksin’s unusually long period of treatment and ensuing parole.
The NACC will need time to examine the petition and investigate these allegations, said Mr Niwatchai.