Thaksin Shinawatra’s Hospital Stay: Inside the Political Drama Unfolding in Bangkok

In the ever-volatile realm of Thai politics, it seems there’s always room for a captivating tale—a narrative weaving through the palatial halls of power and justice, picking apart every detail. Our story unfolds on the gleaming 14th floor of the Police General Hospital in vibrant Bangkok, where medical rooms might well double as luxury suites for those with bank vaults deep and connections unbreakable.

There was a loud bang when Dr. Warong Dechgitvigrom, at the helm of the royalist Thai Pakdee Party, decided to stir the pot with some intriguing snapshots. These images painted a peculiar reality of the premium ward which recently hosted the former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, for a lengthy residency stretching from August 2023 to February 2024. The photos suggested a conspicuous absence of life-saving gadgets, hinting that such rooms are for the leisurely ill — a playful wink towards health checkups rather than terminal care.

Enter, stage left, an aide to Public Health Minister Somsak Thepsutin, whipping up urgency for documents more critical than a magician’s top hat. These papers are thought to hold the key to a kingdom’s worth of secrets regarding the hospital escapades of Mr. Thaksin. A trio of doctors found themselves in the spotlight, facing accusations of fiddling with the diagnosis strings, seemingly ensuring that the former PM’s twilight years were spent in opulent comfort rather than the confines of a penitentiary cell.

Vice-minister Thanakrit Jitareerat steps into this labyrinth, candle in hand, trying to make sense of the files—or lack thereof. If the Medical Council obliges and hands over the sacred scrolls, the committee might just have enough time to wrap the matter with a neat bow by the week’s end. Failing that, it’s back to the chamber walls come the following Monday.

The spotlight on this high-drama saga shines on Minister Somsak, who holds the dice in this game of ethical roulette. Should he nod in agreement with the council’s call for a rap on the knuckles for the physicians, it could be as uneventful as watching paint dry. But dare he counter the council’s decree, and this rollercoaster ride descends deeper into the foggy alleys of bureaucratic twists and turns. A Reykjavík-worthy consensus, requiring a two-thirds majority vote from the council’s towering 70-member stronghold, would be needed to override any ministerial veto.

While the theatre of public opinion hums with conspiracy, Mr. Thanakrit, mastering a calmness worthy of Buddhist teachings, assures that they tread the moral high ground in investigative matters, shunning documents from shadowy, external sources.

Critics, wielding points sharper than Excalibur, hoist their eyebrows at allegations of bias against a committee member who once dared to defend the ex-premier. Yet, Mr. Thanakrit, the referee of this intellectual joust, remains unfazed, welcoming diverse opinions yet sticking to the rulebook like burrs to wool.

Now, rewind back to August 22, 2023, a day when the doors of Thailand swung wide open again for Thaksin after a staggering 15-year self-imposed exile. A brief appearance at the Supreme Court sentenced him to eight years for bending the rules while in office — a tenure shortened by a merciful royal pardon to a cushy twelve-month house special.

The healthcare dice rolled in his favor the very first night at Bangkok Remand Prison. Citing medical reasons ranging from a risky ticker to faltering oxygen levels, the ex-PM swapped prison blues for hospital whites, checking into a posh hospital room more suited to a VIP retreat than a ward for the frail.

The December days swept by, and Thaksin’s hospital bill grew eyebrows of its own—a VIP room costing a king’s ransom of 8,500 baht each night, all settled by the man himself, as a parliamentary committee heard last November.

Nevertheless, let’s not tie this tale up just yet. As June 13 dawns, the Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Holders of Political Position fiddles open an inquiry into whether Thaksin’s figurative shackles were more paper than iron. Both Thaksin and his daughter, the current occupant of Thailand’s top political chair, Paetongtarn, will face the tune of evidence heads-on.

In this enthralling Thai drama, only time will tell if the final act is a tale of redemption, a plot twist, or yet another encore in the people’s theatre. As always, hold onto your seats!