An opposition MP has said that Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra told reporters her father Thaksin was healthy just two days before he returned to Thailand, and questioned why he was then "seriously ill" and spent his prison term in the comfort of the Police General Hospital.
Rangsiman Rome of the People’s Party asked the prime minister if she had lied about her father's condition.
Mr Rangsiman said that only two days before Thaksin’s return to Thailand, Ms Paetongtarn told reporters that her father was healthy and had a medical checkup twice a year.
Thaksin returned from self-exile on Aug 22, 2023. That same day the Supreme Court sentenced him to eight years in prison for multiple offences while prime minister. The sentence was subsequently reduced to one year by royal clemency.
On the first night of his return, the Department of Corrections sent Thaksin to Police General Hospital citing his serious health issues.
“You confirmed your father was fit. What caused the big boss to be admitted to Police General Hospital for 180 days? There must be some factor that caused a healthy person… to suddenly fall ill,” Mr Rangsiman said.
After Thaksin’s referral to Police General Hospital, the Department of Corrections told the media that he suffered from a number of medical conditions.
On Sept 19, 2023, Prime Minister Paetongtarn told reporters that Thaksin had just undergone surgery. She did not elaborate and advised reporters to seek details from the doctor concerned.
On Oct 13, 2023, Mr Rangsiman said, Ms Paetongtarn was seen in a photo helping push a hospital bed and said to be taking father to undergo scans at Police General Hospital.
The photo was presented as proof that Thaksin was seriously ill, he said, and asked if the prime minister was part of an “act” to prove Thaksin was critically ill.
Mr Rangsiman said Ms Paetongtarn made two overseas trips from November 2023 to February 2024, even though she should have stayed in the country while her father was “critically ill” in hospital.
Ms Paetongtarn said that doctors at Police General Hospital gave clear diagnoses of her father's condition at the time.
The Medical Council of Thailand was also asked to investigate her father’s condition and treatment, and was likely to end its inquiry soon.
