In an intriguing saga that captured the nation’s attention, the Police General Hospital played host to Thailand’s former prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, for a considerable half-year stretch, from August 2023 to February 2024. The corridors of this medical facility were bustling not just with caretakers and patients, but with intrigue and questions about the very nature of justice and privilege in the country. Thaksin found himself in a rather unforeseen set of accommodations, a room costing a tidy 8,500 baht a night, a sum that the former leader reportedly settled himself. The storyline thickens as Public Health Minister Somsak Thepsuthin steps into the limelight, defending a contentious veto on a Medical Council of Thailand ruling. This verdict had originally set out to penalize the doctors at the helm of Thaksin’s medical care during his stint there. Allegations of political meddling swirled about, but Minister Somsak, with staunch resolve, based his…
