Pardon the uproar: Thaksin’s plea adds a royal twist to political drama

A royal pardon application for Thaksin Shinawatra, former Prime Minister of Thailand, has been received, as confirmed by the outgoing Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam.

Acting as the justice minister, Wissanu announced a press event at the Government House, though he refrained from disclosing whether the appeal was penned by Thaksin or his relatives. He clarified that the request was made for an individual pardon, not as part of the standard group pardons and sentence reductions usually accorded on specific special occasions.

The deputy prime minister decided against revealing if the application encompasses all three cases that necessitated a total of eight years imprisonment for Thaksin.

“We have received (the request), the rest will be according to the procedure.”

Under existing legislation, prisoners can submit a request for a royal pardon that is forwarded from the justice minister, via the prime minister, to the Privy Council, and ultimately to His Majesty the King. The entire process, given all the paperwork, is in place, typically stretches over one to two months.

The current interim government is nearing its end with only a few days remaining before the new administration headed by Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin and the Pheu Thai Party takes the reins. However, Wissanu assured that the processing of the application wouldn’t require a long time.

“It is purely based on royal grace. The procedure from the government is not lengthy, but it depends on the length of (the king’s) consideration.”

Wissanu also confirmed that Thaksin is currently lodged at the Police General Hospital. He was admitted shortly after being incarcerated on August 22 to begin his sentence, reported Bangkok Post.

The deputy prime minister defended the decisions made by the correction officials regarding the medical care for Thaksin, who is 74 years old and a billionaire.

“Thaksin was ill. His blood pressure had almost reached 200. He had clot-busting medicine and allergies. He was also depressed and disheartened. So, his condition had worsened.”

Thaksin returned to Thailand on August 22 after spending 15 years in self-imposed exile. Merely hours after his arrival, the Supreme Court passed a verdict on the three final legal cases related to corruption and abuse of power during his tenure before 2006.

On his initial night at the Bangkok Remand Prison, doctors found Thaksin too unwell to stay at the Department of Corrections hospital, which has limited facilities. The management of the Police General Hospital has since denied any special treatment given to Thaksin by the authorities.

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