Sister, brother-in-law visit Thaksin at Klong Prem Prison on Monday
Former PM Somchai Wongsawat and wife Yaowapha visit Thaksin at Klong Prem Prison, offering moral support as his clemency plea awaits review.
Former prime minister Somchai Wongsawat and his wife Yaowapha Wongsawat visited former PM Thaksin Shinawatra at the Klong Prem Central Prison on Monday morning.
It was the seventh visit by Thaksin’s family members since he was ordered back to jail by the Supreme Court on September 9 to serve a one-year sentence.
Somchai is Thaksin’s brother-in-law, while Yaowapha is Thaksin’s younger sister. The couple spent about 20 minutes with Thaksin before leaving the prison. They were accompanied by Thaksin’s personal lawyer, Winyat Chartmontree, though none of Thaksin’s three children joined the visit.
Speaking to reporters after the visit, Somchai said he came to offer moral support and that Thaksin appeared to be in good spirits.
“He has resigned himself to his fate and understands that this is just a temporary stay here,” Somchai told reporters.
He added that they did not discuss Thaksin’s petition for royal clemency. Yaowapha, meanwhile, declined to speak to the media.
Winyat said the petition for royal clemency was still being processed by the Justice Ministry, so he could not comment on the matter.
He also declined to discuss reports that the ministry had set up a committee to review the petition before deciding whether to forward it to the Royal Palace.
“I have no comment on that, as the justice minister has the authority to review it,” Winyat said.
The lawyer further declined to say whether Thaksin was prepared to accept the outcome should the petition be rejected.
This is the second time Thaksin has sought royal clemency. In his first petition, His Majesty the King commuted Thaksin’s eight-year prison sentence — stemming from three corruption convictions — to one year. However, Thaksin did not spend a single night in jail as he was transferred from the Bangkok Remand Prison to the Police General Hospital on the night he was jailed, August 22, 2023.
Since Thaksin had not served any time in prison, the Supreme Court ordered that he be returned to Klong Prem Central Prison to serve the full one-year term.
