Paetongtarn says Police General Hospital doctors capable of treating Thaksin

Paetongtarn held a press conference at the Pheu Thai Party headquarters after she was allowed to visit her father at the Police Hospital on Monday and Tuesday along with other family members.

Paetongtarn, who heads the Pheu Thai Family project, said earlier reports that her family was seeking Thaksin’s transfer to a private hospital was not true. She emphasised that she considered the doctors at Police General Hospital capable of taking care of her father.

She revealed that Thaksin’s condition had deteriorated on the first night after he returned to Thailand on August 22. He became fatigued so he was rushed from the Bangkok Remand Prison hospital to the Police General Hospital.

“I learned of his transfer to the police hospital at the same time as the media,” Paetongtarn said.

Thaksin was moved from the prison hospital to a ward for senior police officers on the 14th floor of a building of the Police General Hospital about half an hour after midnight of the first night he was put behind bars.

Critics and opponents cried foul that that Thaksin was given a privilege to stay out of jail on health reason, which could not be proved to the public, and was given a special privilege to live comfortably in a VIP room with good view of the police hospital.

The Police General Hospital, however, clarified that Thaksin was not given any special privilege and his room did not have a spectacular view of the golf course as speculated by the media. His room’s air-conditioner also broke down, the hospital chief claimed.

Paetongtarn said she thought Thaksin’s health worsened because of his worry following his change of residence.

“He has not been living in Thailand for 17 years so he became tense,” Paetongtarn said.

She explained that the change of place was the main cause of his tension and he could have developed tension even outside prison if he changed his living place of living after 17 years.

She said she was now worried about his heart condition because if any complication occurs, the onslaught could be fast and swift unlike his lung condition that was quite stable.

Paetongtarn said Thaksin had contracted Covid-19 once when he was living in exile and he was in an intensive care unit for a month and lost about 10 kilograms of weight.

Since then, she said, her father has been trying to regain his health by exercising.

“But a man 74 years old suddenly became nervous and tense due to the sudden and massive changes in his life and suffered from fatigue,” Paetongtarn said.

“Dad was happy to see me. He had tension and fatigue but he still fought on. I think his condition has changed a lot.”

She said the family realised that Thaksin was in poor health due to his age, but the family had not sought his transfer to a private hospital as reported.

“I was very happy to meet him yesterday and today. He appeared very tired but he could talk to me,” Paetongtarn said.

“I personally am worried about his heart condition. His lung condition has stabilised.”

She added that the air-conditioner in Thaksin’s room is now working and clarified that the room did not have a view of the golf course.

Paetongtarn confirmed that Thaksin would seek a royal pardon and was now in the process of drafting his petition.

“He needs time to draft the petition and he will have to follow the process. I’ve not seen the petition yet,” Paetongtarn said.

She said that she was visiting the Pheu Thai headquarters on Tuesday to follow up on her soft power policies, which she had announced during the election campaign. She said she would take it up with the government once the new Cabinet was royally appointed.