File photo for reference only

 

The Department of Corrections has refuted reports that claimed it intends to request a court order to overturn the Medical Council's disciplinary action against three doctors involved in extending former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's hospital stay.

 

On Sunday, the department issued a statement clarifying that it learned of the Medical Council’s decision only through media outlets. Headlines like “Correctional Hospital plans to seek court revocation of Medical Council’s resolution” were described as misleading.

 

The statement emphasised that both the department and the Correctional Hospital are currently awaiting a decision from Public Health Minister Somsak Thepsuthin. The department noted that no actions have been taken concerning the reported issue, cautioning that misleading reports could result in public confusion.

 

Earlier, on 8 May, the Medical Council had decided to suspend two doctors' medical licences and issue a warning to a third for wrongly certifying that Thaksin was critically ill. This certification had allowed Thaksin to serve his sentence at the Police General Hospital instead of the Bangkok Remand Prison.

 

Minister Somsak, affiliated with the ruling Pheu Thai Party, has a 15-day window to veto the council’s resolution. If he vetoes the decision, the council would require a two-thirds majority vote from its 72 members to reaffirm the resolution, a challenging threshold to meet.

 

The Department of Corrections maintains that it is in a holding pattern, awaiting the health ministry's verdict before proceeding with any further actions.

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from The Nation 2025-05-13

 

 

Sooner or later, they were going to bump up against that "Get Out of Jail" card he has.

 

It was a good try, nonetheless.