Paetongtarn Shinawatra urged to make government organizations cooperate with investigations into father’s medical be
PUBLISHED: 21 Jan 2025 at 20:25
Opponents of past leading Thaksin Shinawatra on Tuesday called on Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra to train state agencies to engage with an investigation into claims that her parents benefited badly from special care in a policeman hospital during his prison term.
The protesters gathered at Government House and presented a letter demanding the excellent minister step in and take action to ensure that any sanctions against Thaksin are effectively enforced.
Thaksin, 75, was sentenced last August to eight years in prison — after reduced to one time by a royal reprimand— for abuse of power while in office from 2001-06. He previously spent a one night in jail, and instead was transferred to Police General Hospital, where he stayed until he was paroled six months later.
Somkid Chueakong, assistant secretary-general to the prime minister, accepted the letter on behalf of Ms Paetongtarn, who is in Davos at the World Economic Forum discussions this year.
The demonstrators included former red-shirt head Jatuporn Prompan and other important opponents of Thaksin.
In their letter, the protesters said the National Anti-Corruption Commission ( NACC ) and the Medical Council of Thailand, which are investigating the case, have not received cooperation from the Department of Corrections and Police General Hospital.
The prime minister has get both carcasses to cooperate by providing the information requested quickly, they said. They said she had even guide the Department of Corrections to ask the court to challenge a fresh attempt authorising the detention of Thaksin.
“The prime minister has split her personal relationships with Thaksin from her prime minister jobs, ” the email said.
The NACC is investigating 12 representatives from the changes department and the police clinic who are accused of badly allowing Thaksin to be at the doctor instead of in prison. The medical council has launched an investigation into the ethics of the doctors who were involved in treating Thaksin.
Inmates are legally permitted to receive treatment outside prison for 120 days, but the Department of Corrections allowed him to continue his stay at the hospital for 180 days, saying that conditions in jail could threaten his life.
Thaksin paid all the costs for his six-month stay, including a VIP room on the hospital’s 14th floor that cost 8,500 baht a night, a parliamentary committee was told in November.
A medical council sub-committee has demanded the hospital hand over full details of Thaksin’s medical records, including his admission, diagnosis and treatment, his transfer from the prison hospital, as well as the names of all the doctors who treated him.
The sub-committee is chaired by Amorn Leelarasamee, who is looking into allegations that Thaksin received preferential treatment.
Kaewsan Atibodhi, an academic and one of the protest leaders, called on Ms Paetongtarn to ensure the full weight of the law is enforced against her father.