PUBLISHED : 22 Dec 2023 at 05:10
Justice Minister Pol Col Tawee Sodsong has distanced himself from a Department of Corrections (DoC) decision to allow convicted former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra to receive VIP medical treatment outside of prison.
Pol Col Tawee was answering a question posed by Chonthicha Jangrew, a Move Forward Party MP, who raised the issue during a parliamentary meeting on Thursday. The MP slammed the DoC’s decision to allow Thaksin to stay at the Police General Hospital for more than 120 days, and said that other inmates do not enjoy such privileges.
Ms Chonticha cited the case of jailed political activist Ekachai Hongkangwan who was transferred to a hospital for treatment of a liver abscess, but he was later sent back to a DoC healthcare facility despite his treatment being incomplete.
She also asked Pol Col Tawee to explain why Thaksin was allowed to stay in a special room on the 14th floor of the Police General Hospital and to clarify the DoC’s new regulation that allows for the detention of qualified inmates outside prison.
Responding to the MP, Pol Col Tawee only said he has not received any report on the matter from the DoC’s director-general yet. “I am not the one who approved the regulation. My duty is to acknowledge it,” he said.
“I also asked doctors [about Thaksin] and they confirmed that he is sick. Corrections officials also confirmed that he is suffering several symptoms, including pain, hypertension and cardiomyopathy,” Pol Col Tawee said.
“[Staying on] the 14th floor of the Police General Hospital is not a privilege. Staying on the 14th floor is for the sake of his safety under the DoC’s regulation,” he said.
Regarding the new rule that allows the detention of prisoners outside prison, he said the new rule applies to any prisoners who meet the criteria, not just Thaksin.
Pol Col Tawee added that he will also issue another new regulation that will allow for the detention of suspects who face police questioning outside prison and the court will have the power to consider whether to allow such a detention.
“We have come under criticism over prison overcrowding and failure to manage prisoners’ detention properly. The Corrections Act was enacted in 2017, but no related regulations were issued in line with the law until recently,” he said.
On Dec 6, the DoC issued the new rule in line with the Corrections Act BE 2560 (2017).
Under the regulation, prisoners allowed to be detained outside of prison must meet certain requirements stipulated by the DoC and be categorised by a screening panel set up by the department. The venues for detaining them may include houses or buildings with registered addresses.
Thaksin, 74, returned to Thailand on Aug 22 after 15 years of self-imposed exile and was sentenced to eight years in three cases. However, he was sent from Bangkok Remand Prison to the Police General Hospital that night for health reasons and has remained there since.