Former Thai PM Shinawatra moved to hospital after exile return
Aug 23, 2023
Bangkok [Thailand], August 23 : Former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra was moved from prison to a police hospital on Wednesday after suffering from chest pain, hypertension and low blood oxygen, Bangkok Post reported.
Earlier, on Tuesday Shinawatra was admitted to the prison upon his return to Thailand after a court appearance.
A doctor at the Corrections Hospital reviewed Thaksin's symptoms and considered his medical treatment records from overseas hospitals, which diagnosed him with several underlying illnesses.
As the Corrections Hospital lacked some medical equipment, the doctor decided to transfer Thaksin to Police General Hospital, which was better equipped, for his safety, as per Bangkok Post.
The Police General Hospital said in a statement on Wednesday that a Corrections doctor checked Thaksin's symptoms and found his illnesses required urgent treatment.
Thaksin had fled Thailand in 2008, shortly before the Supreme Court sentenced him for helping his then-wife, Khunying Potjaman Na Pombejra, buy prime land in the Ratchadaphisek area at a discount while he was prime minister, Bangkok Post reported.
According to the Bangkok Post, he faces prison sentences of 10 years in three cases in which he was convicted in absentia by the Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Holders of Political Positions.
According to the Thai Inquirer, former PM Shinawatra will now be transferred to the Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Holders of Political Positions to have his status confirmed as a wanted person and to receive his detention warrant. Thaksin would then be handed over to the Corrections Department and transferred to the Bangkok Remand Prison. Given that he is over 70 years old, he may seek a royal pardon. Additionally, there is a possibility that he might be transferred for detention to the Department of Corrections Hospital, depending on his medical condition.
For more than 20 years, and even in his absence, Thaksin has been a dominant figure in Thai politics. Flush with his telecommunications fortune, he held audiences with influential Thai figures in cities like Dubai, Singapore and Hong Kong — his frequent haunts 1 and remained outspoken on social media platforms such as X, formerly known as Twitter, and Clubhouse, Nikkei Asia reported.
