House committee defies threats, sticks with plan to visit Thaksin on Jan 12
The House committee on police affairs says it will not call off plans to visit former premier Thaksin Shinawatra at the Police General Hospital despite threats of legal action.
Democrat MP Chaichana Detdacho, who chairs the panel, said on Saturday that the Constitution’s Article 129 gives House panels the legal authority to look into such matters.
Soon after the panel announced that it was getting ready to meet Thaksin in the flesh on January 12, Chaichana received threats of legal action from several prominent figures.
Winyat Chartmontr, Thaksin’s personal lawyer, said in a Facebook post on Thursday that anybody spreading false information about Thaksin may be subject to legal action.
In the post, he also said that anybody disclosing Thaksin’s personal information or violating his privacy rights could be subject to legal consequences.
Deputy Prime Minister Somsak Thepsutin echoed the sentiment, saying that any attempts to meet Thaksin without his permission could result in legal action. He also emphasised the need to maintain Thaksin’s privacy regarding his medical condition.
Chaichana, meanwhile, said he was not surprised by these warnings, adding that the public was doubtful about Thaksin’s health conditions and whereabouts.
“The committee needs to find answers to these questions: Is Thaksin really ill, why is he being granted privileges and will he eventually return to jail?” he said.
He added that if the panel is denied access to the suite accommodating Thaksin on the hospital’s 14th floor, then relevant entities like the hospital and the Department of Corrections must address public concerns regarding these questions.
Thaksin returned to Thailand on August 22 after 15 years of self-imposed exile overseas to face prison terms for corruption cases stemming from his tenure as premier from February 2001 to September 2006.
On the night of August 22, Thaksin was moved from Bangkok Remand Prison to the Police General Hospital for treatment of an undisclosed medical condition. He was reportedly booked into a suite on the 14th floor of a hospital building overlooking the Royal Bangkok Sports Club.
Since then, Thaksin has still not been sent back to prison to serve his time, which was commuted from eight years to one year in a royal pardon.
