Air con, a fridge and sofa: Thaksin Shinawatra’s ‘VVIP’ prison life in Thailand
Activists
claim the former PM has received special treatment at a special
hospital ward, which stands in stark contrast to the overcrowded prison
system
September 10, 2023
The Guardian
Rebecca Ratcliffe in BangkokSun
When
Thailand’s former leader Thaksin Shinawatra returned from exile in
August, he became arguably the most high-profile person held in the
country’s notorious prisons. But the billionaire businessman, who was
jailed over corruption-related charges, was inside for little more than
12 hours before he was moved to the premium ward of a hospital in Bangkok.
His
perceived soft handling has prompted claims of special treatment and
ignited a series of wider questions about standards within the prison
system.
According to reports in Thai media, Thaksin was moved to
the wing of a hospital with private rooms fitted with air conditioning
and a TV, fridge, sofa and dining table, while under 24-hour care by
nurses. The exact contents of his room are unclear.
Officials
have denied he’s been the recipient of any special treatment, saying the
former prime minister needed urgent care as he was experiencing
insomnia, chest tightness and high blood pressure and the oxygen levels
in his fingertips were low.
However, activists and lawyers have
pointed to conditions inside Thailand’s jails, where cells are
overcrowded and lacking in hygiene and medical care is limited. They say
the same standard of care should be afforded to all prisoners.
In a recent article for the Bangkok Post,
Andrea Giorgetta of the International Federation for Human Rights
(FIDH) writes: “One positive aspect of the Thaksin saga is that it has
put a spotlight on the often-overlooked issue of prison conditions in
Thailand.”
The FIDH’s latest annual report on the state of jails noted that while the prison population was
falling, jails remained overstretched and had been repeatedly criticised
for falling below international standards.
Access
to showering facilities is often extremely limited; in one facility,
inmates are allowed to stand under a shower only for the time it takes a
prison guard to count up to 15. In the centre of a cell there are
typically one to three squat toilets, with a tub of water and a bowl
used for flushing and cleaning – but often such water has run out, the
FIDH report found. Cells can be shared by as many as 50 or 60 people,
according to the group Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR).
Political
prisoners represented by TLHR have, like others, reported a lack of
nutritious food and clean drinking water. Prison water has a strong
smell of chlorine, inmates say, with some reporting seeing mosquito
larvae in the water. If prisoners want to buy bottled water or food,
they must work in the prison or rely on family to send items.
Activists and lawyers say that when inmates do become ill, accessing medical care is a drawn-out process.
“There
may be certain facts or circumstances in Mr Thaksin’s case that
required such expedited procedure,” Poonsuk Poonsukcharoen, a lawyer at
TLHR, says of Thaksin’s overnight transfer. “But from our experiences in
working with other prisoners, that’s an unusually quick timeframe.”
Some
have contrasted Thaksin’s swift transfer to hospital with that of the
political prisoners charged under the country’s strict lese-majesty
laws, who can spend weeks on hunger strike before they are taken to
hospital.
One woman, known as Warunee and represented by TLHR,
was moved to a university hospital this week, but only after spending 14
days on hunger strike. Her body weight had already dropped 10%, from
37kg to 33kg.
Poonsuk says she was particularly concerned about
Warunee’s wellbeing. She has bipolar disorder, and it is feared that
sleep deprivation due to her hunger strike and conditions inside may
exacerbate her condition. Medication is also limited in the prison,
Warunee has told her lawyers.
Other young protesters imprisoned
for lese-majesty have waited longer to be hospitalised. Parit Chiwarak, a
prominent protest leader also known as Penguin, was transferred to hospital only on the 47th day of his hunger strike.
After
Thaksin’s move to hospital, the hashtag VVIP begun trending and footage
of him in exile – including a 2021 clip of him energetically boxing –
was shared on social media, as people raised questions about the
seriousness of his condition. His daughter Paetongtarn Shinawatra has
said she is worried about his heart, and that he had lung problems after
contracting Covid.
Still, some have now speculated that he could spend the remainder of his sentence – which has been reduced by a royal pardon from eight years to one year – in hospital.
Poonsuk
says it is possible Thaksin has been treated differently from her
clients because of his advanced age. If he is ill, TLHR has no
complaints about his treatment, she says, but adds: “We would hope that
other prisoners would be afforded the same standard as well.”
ชีวิตในเรืนจำ ความเงียบอันอึกทึก ชั้น 14 ร.พ. ตำรวจ - รายงานข่าวจาก The Guardian
การให้ทักษิณกลับมาได้ เพื่อแลกกับการสะกัดกั้นกระแสตั้งคำถามกับเจ้า กับวชิราลงกรณ์ นี่เป็นความจริงพื้นฐานที่คนเชียร์ทักษิณทุกคนรู้ดี แต่ไม่อยากพูด นี่คือ "การกลับมาอย่างเท่ห์ๆ" ของทักษิณ
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