‘Back to jail’: Bangkok rally ups pressure over Thaksin hospitalisation
Protesters gathered near Government House on Friday to demand that convicted former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra be sent back to prison after apparently spending over five months in the Police General Hospital.
Thaksin returned to Thailand on August 22 to serve prison terms stemming from corruption during his tenure as PM. However, he was sent to the Police Hospital on the same night for treatment of existing health conditions.
Pichit Chaimongkol, a leader of the Network of Students and Citizens for Thailand’s Reform, which organised Friday’s demonstration, said his group had obtained permission from police to stay overnight at the site for 30 days.
The group is rallying on the pavement outside Rajamangala University of Technology Phra Nakhon, located just a block from the Government House compound on Bangkok’s Phitsanulok Road.
Pichit told reporters on Friday that his group would not back down in scrutinising Thaksin’s long stay outside of prison.
“We are protesting to call for Thaksin to be sent back to jail. Also, we demand investigations of the state officials involved in taking Thaksin out of prison,” he said.
The protest would be prolonged, he added, without offering an end date. Protesters would also visit the Corrections Department and Justice Ministry to follow up on petitions filed regarding the former PM’s treatment, Pichit said.
They also planned to visit the Ombudsman’s Office next week to confirm the Corrections Department’s claim that representatives from the agency had been to check whether Thaksin was staying at the Police General Hospital.
Pichit expressed confidence the rally would attract a big crowd, saying participants at provincial rallies held recently by his group had vowed to join the Bangkok protest.
“We will be here for a long time. If the government ignores us, you’ll see what happens,” he said.
Pichit also posted a rallying call on Facebook on Friday. “Come join us until we win. See you at Chamai Maruchet Bridge,” he wrote, referring to the bridge that connects Government House and the university.
The protest leader also demanded justice from Srettha Thavisin’s government, setting out the protesters’ four demands:
- Investigate and take action against state officials who have “distorted justice”.
- Send Thaksin back to prison as soon as possible.
- Reform the country’s justice system.
- Amend the law to ban reduced sentences for corrupt politicians.
Thaksin, considered the patriarch of the ruling Pheu Thai Party, was sent from Bangkok Remand Prison to the Police General Hospital in the early hours of August 23, less than 24 hours after returning to Thailand to face prison following 15 years of self-imposed exile overseas.
His long stay at the hospital has aroused suspicions about the seriousness of his illness while triggering allegations that he is enjoying VIP treatment from authorities. Some suspect Thaksin is no longer staying at the hospital.
The former PM, who served as the country’s leader from February 2001 to September 2006, was sentenced in absentia to eight years in prison. The prison terms were reduced to one year following a royal pardon soon after he returned.
