Doctor testifies former Thai PM Thaksin's condition not critical, prison didn't follow up
The Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Political Office Holders heard the fifth round of witness testimonies in the case brought against Thaksin.
The case is being prosecuted by the Attorney General and the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) regarding Thaksin's transfer from prison to receive medical treatment at Police General Hospital on the first night of his incarceration.
Friday's proceedings focused on the testimonies of six witnesses, including hospital directors and the medical team responsible for treating Thaksin between Aug 23, 2023, and Feb 17, 2024.
The court also reviewed relevant medical records, treatment logs, and Thaksin's overseas medical history provided by his legal team.
The six witnesses were:
1) Pol Lt Gen Soponrat Singhajaru, Assistant Commissioner-General of the Royal Thai Police
2) Pol Lt Gen Dr Taweesilp Wetchavitarn, Chief Medical Officer
3) Pol Maj Gen Samart Muangsiri
4) Pol Maj Gen Supalerk Pattanaprichakul, Medical Officer
5) Pol Col Chana Chongchokdee, Medical Officer
6) Pol Lt Gen Suraphol Kesprayura
According to reports from the court, three of the witnesses testified in the morning session, including the former chief doctor of the Police General Hospital, the current chief doctor, and the doctor who treated Thaksin during his midnight admission on August 23, 2023.
The first witness, the former chief doctor of the hospital at the time of Thaksin's admission, testified about the process of admitting Thaksin as a patient and whether his treatment followed the hospital's established procedures, particularly in regard to placing him in a room on the 14th floor.
The witness explained that the 14th floor was designated as a separate treatment area during the Covid-19 pandemic, which led to the use of all available patient rooms.
However, the witness clarified that he was not involved in Thaksin's treatment and only received reports from the attending doctors.
When asked if other prisoners from the correctional facility had been treated on the 14th floor, the witness could not provide an answer and promised to submit further details to the court.
The court also reviewed the invoices related to Thaksin's treatment, which included 27 receipts. Of these, only 9 listed medication expenses.
The second witness, the current chief doctor of Police General Hospital, who assumed the position in mid-October 2023, testified about the special room where Thaksin was placed.
His account contradicted the previous witness's testimony, particularly regarding Thaksin's medical condition.
The witness explained that despite Thaksin being sent from the Bangkok Remand Prison as a critical patient, he was not sent to the emergency room or ICU at Police General Hospital but was instead placed on the 14th floor as a result of prior coordination.
Furthermore, the court questioned the medical history of Thaksin's condition, as outlined in the documents sent from the prison.
While the prison documents indicated a need for neck surgery, which was not carried out due to Thaksin's refusal, the treatment at the hospital focused on other conditions, including a finger surgery and shoulder tendon repair, which had developed while he was being treated at Police General Hospital.
The testimony of the medical professionals revealed contradictions, particularly regarding the finger surgery, and raised questions about the consistency of the diagnosis and treatment between the prison and the hospital's medical staff.
The third witness, a doctor at Police General Hospital, testified about his role in treating Thaksin after his admission on Aug 23, 2023.
The court spent an hour and a half questioning this witness, who explained that he was the first doctor to receive Thaksin as a patient.
The court inquired in detail about the process of Thaksin's admission and treatment, from the moment he was brought in until his discharge.
The doctor read from the medical records, revealing that some symptoms were not documented, prompting further questions from the court about whether Thaksin's condition was critical and if he could have been sent back to the Bangkok Remand Prison.
The witness stated that some symptoms were not considered critical, and in his personal opinion, Thaksin could have been transferred back for treatment at the prison hospital.
The witness also noted that, during his examination of Thaksin, the patient sometimes lay in bed and other times sat on a sofa in his room.
The doctor testified that he had consulted a cardiologist regarding Thaksin's condition, and while surgery was recommended for other health issues, Thaksin declined the procedure.
The court also questioned the witness about discrepancies in the medical bills, specifically regarding medication that was not listed in the receipts.
Additionally, the court sought clarification on the medical certificate issued for extending Thaksin's hospital stay for 120 days.
Furthermore, the court asked whether prison officers had inquired about Thaksin's health, to which the doctor responded that no inquiries had been made.
Regarding security, the doctor confirmed that guards were present both inside and outside the room, and before each examination, the doctor's phone was confiscated.
The witness maintained that he had provided care according to medical ethics and stated that he was unaware of the regulations concerning the transfer or return of prisoners to the prison hospital.
When asked about the legal considerations and his responsibility for patient care, the witness responded, "I only thought about being a doctor treating a patient; I never thought I would end up in court."
Throughout his testimony, the witness appeared visibly stressed, requesting paper and pen to write down the court's questions.
At times, he placed his hands in a prayer-like gesture while answering the court's queries.
At the end of the session, the court requested that the witness provide additional documents:
1) information regarding other prisoners treated on the 14th floor of Police General Hospital, and 2) the medical records related to Thaksin's treatment.
Before entering the courtroom to attend the hearings in the case, former Democrat MP Chanchai Israsenarak presented receipts for Thaksin's treatment at Police General Hospital on the 14th floor to reporters.
The receipts included a total of 26 items from September 4, 2023, to February 19, 2024, amounting to 2,475,276 baht.
He explained that police authorities had ordered the Police General Hospital to report on the nature of Thaksin's treatment and the costs incurred for his care.
Thaksin was transferred from the Bangkok Remand Prison to Police General Hospital on August 23, 2023, but the first payment was recorded on September 4, 2023, which included a charge for nutritional support via IV at 150 Baht.
Other charges included diagnostic fees, nursing services, and room costs, totalling approximately 140,000 Baht, but there were no charges for medication, despite claims of a critical illness.
Chanchai emphasised that these receipts were not medical records and could be disclosed publicly.
Upon examining the receipts, he pointed out that there were no charges for medications and that a February 19, 2024, receipt included costs for prosthetics and treatment equipment, totalling 11,461 baht, and non-medication medical supplies worth 47,324 baht, in addition to room and food charges of 57,350 baht.
He noted that Thaksin was able to walk around freely just seven days after these treatments.
He further stated that the issue was not about special laws but about determining whether Thaksin's sentence was enforced properly.
He confirmed that the court needed to investigate thoroughly to ensure fairness for all parties involved, adding that the process was transparent and not intended to target anyone.
He also emphasised that he obtained the documents and receipts legally and would submit all relevant information to the court on July 25, 2025, to support the case against Thaksin.
'If he's not satisfied, let him sue me,' Chanchai said.
'I'm ready to go to court with him again, and I'll drag out any confidential documents to expose the truth. If he's really confident, let him come forward, but let the truth come out in court so that peace can return to the country. I'm not doing this for politics; I'm no longer involved in politics,' Chanchai added. - The Nation/ANN
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
17 minutes ago
- The Sun
Zelensky defends Ukraine anti-corruption law changes amid protests
KYIV: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky defended controversial legislative changes that strip two key anti-corruption agencies of their independence, triggering the first major protests since Russia's invasion began. 'We all share a common enemy: the Russian occupiers,' Zelensky said after meeting top officials. 'Defending the Ukrainian state requires a strong law enforcement system that ensures real justice.' The new law places the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) under the authority of the prosecutor general, who is appointed by the president. Critics argue this consolidates power in Zelensky's hands and risks political interference in corruption cases. NABU and SAPO reiterated their opposition, stating that 'unambiguous legislative steps are required to reinstate the guarantees revoked by parliament.' The law, passed on Tuesday, drew over 1,000 protesters in Kyiv despite martial law restrictions on gatherings. The Anti-Corruption Action Center warned the changes would allow the prosecutor general to 'stop investigations into all of the president's friends.' The European Union called the move a 'serious step back,' while Transparency International Ukraine accused authorities of undermining post-revolution reforms. NABU, established in 2015, has exposed widespread corruption, including within Zelensky's administration. Recent raids on NABU offices, where an employee was detained for alleged espionage, raised further concerns over institutional independence. Supporters argue political instability could benefit Russia, but critics fear the law weakens Ukraine's anti-corruption progress. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called corruption a 'sensitive topic' for Ukraine. - AFP
The Star
2 hours ago
- The Star
Global vaccination stalling, kids at risk of preventable diseases
Efforts to vaccinate children globally have stalled since 2010, leaving millions vulnerable to tetanus, polio, tuberculosis and other diseases that can be easily prevented. Protection from measles in particular dropped in 100 countries between 2010 and 2019, unravelling decades of progress, including in rich countries that had previously eliminated the highly infectious disease, according to a new analysis of global vaccination trends published Tuesday in the journal Lancet. "After clean water, vaccination is the most effective intervention for protecting the health of our children,' said Helen Bedford, a professor of children's health at University College London, who was not connected to the warned there has been a small but worrying rise in the number of parents skipping vaccination for their children in recent years, for reasons including misinformation. In Britain, Prof Bedford said that has resulted in the largest number of measles recorded since the 1990s and the deaths of nearly a dozen babies from whooping cough. Vaccination rates in the United States are also falling, and exemptions from vaccinations are at an all-time high. After the World Health Organisation (WHO) established its routine immunisation program in 1974, countries made significant efforts to protect children against preventable and sometimes fatal diseases; the program is credited with inoculating more than four billion children, saving the lives of 154 million worldwide. Since the programme began, the global coverage of children receiving three doses of the diphtheria-tetanus-whooping cough vaccine nearly doubled, from 40% to 81%. The percentage of kids getting the measles vaccine also jumped from 37% to 83%, with similar increases for polio and after the Covid-19 pandemic, coverage rates dropped, with an estimated 15.6 million children missing out on the diphtheria-tetanus-whooping cough vaccine and the measles 16 million children failed to get vaccinated against polio and nine million missed out on the TB vaccine, with the biggest impact in sub-Saharan study was funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance. Protection from measles, which is preventable through vaccination, has dropped in 100 countries between 2010 and 2019. Photo: CARLOS SANCHEZ/Reuters Public protection In a pledge of support for Gavi, the British government announced recently it will give £1.25bil (RM7.26bil) between 2026 and 2030 to the international vaccine said the money will help Gavi protect up to 500 million children in some of the world's poorest countries from diseases including meningitis, cholera and measles, potentially saving eight million lives. Health advocates welcomed the money but some noted it is less than the £1.65bil Britain (RM9.58bil) pledged over the five years from 2020. Researchers at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, who conducted the Lancet analysis, noted that more than half of the world's 15.7 million unvaccinated children live in just eight countries in 2023: Nigeria, India, Congo, Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan, Indonesia and Brazil. Since President Trump has begun to withdraw the US from the WHO and dismantled the US Agency for International Aid, public health experts have warned of new epidemics of infectious diseases. The researchers said it was too early to know what impact recent funding cuts might have on children's immunisation rates. The WHO said there had been an 11-fold spike in measles in the Americas this year compared to infections doubled in the European region in 2024 versus the previous year and the disease remains common in Africa and South-East Asia. "It is in everyone's interest that this situation is rectified,' said Dr David Elliman, a paediatrician who has advised the British government, in a statement. "While vaccine-preventable infectious diseases occur anywhere in the world, we are all at risk.' – AP
New Straits Times
2 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Ex-Melaka Youth and Sports director charged with accepting RM4,000 bribe
JOHOR BARU: The former director of the Melaka Youth and Sports Department was charged in the Sessions Court here today with two counts of accepting bribes totalling RM4,000, allegedly committed two years ago. The accused, Khairul Adri Rosli, 51, pleaded not guilty after the charges were read before Judge Datuk Ahmad Kamal Arifin Ismail. According to the charge sheet, Khairul Adri was accused of receiving RM4,000 from a representative of a repair contractor company, transferred through the company's account into the account of a woman with connections to his official duties. The money was allegedly linked to repair works involving the construction of a guardhouse at the Melaka Youth and Sports Complex, valued at RM49,950. The offences were allegedly committed at two different banks in Tampoi and Permas Jaya on Jan 6, 2023, and Feb 16, 2023. For this offence, he was charged under Section 165 of the Penal Code, which carries a punishment of up to two years' imprisonment, a fine, or both, upon conviction. Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) deputy public prosecutor Siti Asmah Zainal Ariffin proposed bail of RM7,000 for both charges. Khairul Adri, who was represented by Nurashidah Md Razip, appealed for a lower amount, stating that his client is also facing five charges in the Melaka Sessions Court on June 17, for which bail was set at RM20,000, and he had also pleaded not guilty in those cases. However, Ahmad Kamal set bail at RM6,000 for both charges with one local surety. The court rejected the defence's request to apply the same bail granted in the Sessions Court and fixed Aug 29 for mention and document submission.
