By Thai Newsroom Reporters
HOUSE COMMITTEE ON POLICE Affairs chair Chaichana Dejdecho today (Dec.23) snubbed a stern warning from Deputy Prime Minister Somsak Thepsuthin against his planned visit to de facto Pheu Thai boss-cum-convict at large Thaksin Shinawatra at Police Hospital.
Chaichana, concurrently a Democrat MP of Nakhon Sri Thammarat, maintained that he and members of his House panel will visit the “sickly” Thaksin as scheduled for Jan.12 despite yesterday’s warning against it from the Pheu Thai-attached deputy prime minister.
The House committee chair said the truth behind Thaksin’s stay at Police Hospital for secrecy-shrouded “illnesses” which has already lasted beyond a 120-day period earlier provided by law is yet to be known to the public whilst the authorities in charge are yet to clarify whether the relevant laws and regulations issued by the Corrections Department may have been compromised and undue privileges granted to the deposed prime minister to the extent that he not have to literally spend a single day behind bars at Bangkok Remand Prison.
“As representatives of the people, members of the House committee are obliged to find out exactly where Thaksin is now and why he has not as yet recovered from illnesses.
“We are obliged to respond to the people as to whether Thaksin is clinically and critically ill. Why has he been given the privileges unprovided for other convicts? Will he ever be returned to prison to serve his sentence?,” the House committee chair said.
Chaichana was responding to yesterday’s comments made by Somsak that nobody can visit the de facto Pheu Thai boss-cum-convict at large at Police Hospital if he refuses to be visited in the first place and that damage lawsuits may be filed against those who might possibly divulge any details and symptoms of his “illnesses” where the patient’s privacy and privileges are concerned.
The opposition lawmaker contended that his House panel’s planned visit to the “sickly” de facto Pheu Thai boss-cum-convict at large is justifiable and protected by the constitution.
Thaksin has been earlier convicted of a few counts of misconduct during his previous premiership and originally sentenced to eight years in jail which was curtailed by royal pardon to only one year.
Nevertheless, Thaksin is largely speculated to be transferred sooner than later from Police Hospital to some living quarters where he will stay in “house arrest” fashion before he is released on parole by the upcoming February.
Some of his critics alleged that double standards and legal loopholes have been applied in the overly privileged treatment of the de facto Pheu Thai boss-cum-convict at large since he returned from self exile abroad on August 22 and was rushed to Police Hospital for unexpected “illnesses” in the middle of the night. Others charged that he has merely feigned it all to keep himself from jail.
CAPTION:
House Committee on Police Affairs chair Chaichana Dejdecho, right, and de facto Pheu Thai boss Thaksin Shinawatra, left. Photo: Matichon
Also read: Nobody can visit Thaksin at hospital if he says no: Somsak
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