The intrigue surrounding Former Prime Minister Thaksin’s extended stay at the Police General Hospital has Thai politics abuzz with allegations of ‘double standards’ and sieged with heated debates. Fueling the fire, Opposition Leader Chaithawat Tulathon of the Move Forward Party, thrust pointed questions at Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin concerning what he perceives as an unequal application of justice.
Casting a spotlight on a particular “someone on the 14th floor”, Chaithawat’s insinuations were a thinly-veiled reference to Thaksin, the one-time leader whose current residency on the hospital’s 14th floor suite is shrouded in controversy. It’s whispered that the ’74-year-young’ Thaksin, after ending his 15-year sabbatical from Thailand barely a day prior to his incarceration for corruption, is now cozy in the confines of the hospital – far beyond the standard 120-day limit.
The plot thickens, as Thaksin’s tale tangles in history: once Thailand’s head of state from 2001 to 2006, later handed an in-absentia conviction and sentenced to eight years behind bars. Fast forward to a twist of fate, his return on August 22 spurred a royal pardon and a reduced sentence to a year. Cue the questions surrounding his current luxurious lodgings.
In response, Commerce Minister Phumtham Wechayachai, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin’s frontman, waved away these pointed inquisitions and defended Thaksin’s prolonged hospital holiday. Phumtham, who doubles as Deputy Premier, cited a profound lack of understanding on Chaithawat’s part regarding the Corrections Act of 2017. A piece of legislation, he argued, that stands as a bastion of fairness, allowing any ailing inmate medical treatment beyond prison walls if prescribed by a professional physician.
Phumtham made it crystal clear – The current government’s hands are clean on the law, crafted under a previous governance. And when it comes to Thaksin’s tenure at the hospital, it’s the attending doctors’ call, not the administration’s.
“Look to the medical chief if you must,” said Phumtham, steering the debate away from the government’s doorstep. He chimed a plea for the opposition’s open-mindedness, urging constructive focus rather than persnickety politicking.
Amidst this exchange, Pheu Thai MP Chaiwattana Tinarat from Maha Sarakham waved the procedural red flag, decrying Opposition Leader Chaithawat’s extensive diatribe, only to be met with House Speaker Wan Muhamad Noor Matha’s benevolent extension. A temporary truce that Chaiwattana quickly upended.
Simmering frustration bubbled over as Move Forward MP Wiroj Lakkhanaadisorn confronted Chaiwattana’s persistence, championing the opposition leader’s right to speak. A battle of wills encapsulated in Wiroj’s pointed query: “Can’t we touch that person on the 14th floor?”
Adding to the melodrama, a hospital’s spokesperson, Pol Colonel Sirikul Srisanga, announced an invitation extended to the House committee on police affairs for an “educational tour” – with one notable exception: the mysterious 14th floor remains off-limits.
“The educational visit must be meticulously orchestracted to not disrupt the maestros of medicine or mar the rights of other patients. Moreover, the sanctity of the Police General Hospital and the Royal Thai Police is not to be compromised,” Sirikul asserted. Solemnly, she deplored even the suggestion of inspecting particular patients as ‘improper’, emphasizing patient rights over political spectacle.
Winding down the controversy, Sirikul offered a reminder: the House committee hadn’t earmarked any exclusive areas for their visit. While the hospital is poised to provide a wealth of working knowledge, it staunchly safeguards personal patient details and the hallowed confidentiality of their care.
As the narrative of Thaksin’s 14th-floor residency unfurls, Thailand’s political tapestry grows ever-more colorful, albeit tangled in threads of contention, curiosity, and the ceaseless pursuit of clarity amidst cries of inequality. Stay tuned as this political theatre plays on – Who knows what the next act will reveal in the heart of Thailand’s movie-esque melodrama.
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