Former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra will be summoned by a House committee to provide information related to claims that he received privileged treatment at Police General Hospital (PGH) during his detention there.
The committee on state security, border affairs, national strategy and reform chaired by Rangsiman Rome, a list-MP of the main opposition People's Party, will hold its second meeting on Nov 22 and will invite various parties to attend, said a source.
The committee will invite Thaksin, Justice Minister Pol Col Tawee Sodsong, Corrections Department director-general Sahakarn Petchnarin, PGH director Pol Lt Gen Taweesilp Wechawitarn, Medical Correctional Institution director Wattanachai Mingbancherdsuk, Police Deputy Commissioner Pol Lt Gen Sophonrat Singhajaru and other medical experts.
The committee came upon "worrying" information during its first meeting on Tuesday, including the standard of treatment in prisons and the transfer of a sick prisoner who was diagnosed as seriously ill. However, there were no details of treatment or photos or video recordings at PGH that suggested that standards of care for prisoners who receive medical care outside prison were kept consistent.
Palang Pracharath Party spokesman Pol Lt Gen Piya Tawichai said many officers could be punished as they allowed Thaksin to be treated on the 14th floor of PGH for six months until he was granted parole. He said that when an important prisoner is sent out for treatment, he is required to be monitored by guards or wardens.
Local police also must be on duty around the clock. The CCTV cameras must function but on the 14th floor, the PGH said all CCTV cameras were broken. There was no additional evidence, such as medical records or daily prescription records, which he found to be suspicious. Thaksin's extended stay at the hospital is also being investigated by the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC), he said.
Pichit Chaimongkol, of the Network of Students and People for Reform of Thailand (NSPRT), submitted a letter asking about the NACC's probe yesterday.