Thailand’s former PM Thaksin allowed to remain in hospital for extended treatment

BANGKOK, Jan. 12 – Thailand’s former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra will remain in hospital for medical treatment, the country’s Department of Corrections said on Thursday, allowing him an extended stay after more than four months outside prison following his conviction.

The extension of Thaksin’s hospital treatment was approved based on recommendations from doctors, as his condition has required close monitoring by a team of specialists to avoid life-threatening complications, said the department’s director-general Sahakarn Phetnarin, in a statement.

The department has followed the appropriate legal procedures in approving Thaksin’s continued hospitalization and is committed to upholding the rights of all inmates, including the right to medical care, the statement said.

The department said it is unable to disclose any personal information about Thaksin’s condition, citing privacy concerns and regulations on medical ethics.

The 74-year-old former prime minister ended his exile of over 15 years and returned to Thailand in August last year, but was soon detained and faced an eight-year prison sentence on several charges.

However, shortly after his return, he was transferred from a Bangkok prison to a hospital due to health concerns.

In last September, Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn reduced Thaksin’s eight-year prison sentence to one year following his request for a royal pardon.

Thaksin served as the Southeast Asian country’s prime minister from 2001 to 2006 but had been in self-exile abroad since 2008.