Thaksin lifting foam dumbbells in swimming pool as per doctors’ advice: Tawee
Former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra is in really bad health, Justice Minister Tawee Sodsong declared as he tried to justify the former leader’s early release on parole.
Tawee was responding on Tuesday to criticism from Warong Dechgitvigrom, chairman of the Thai Pakdee Party, who demanded to know whether Thaksin was really in such bad health that it warranted an early release from jail.
Warong aired this doubts on Monday, after Thaksin’s daughter, Pheu Thai Party leader Paetongtarn Shinawatra, posted photographs of Thaksin lifting dumbbells in the swimming pool at his mansion in Bangkok.
After seeing these photos, Warong said Paetongtarn may have forgotten that an elderly inmate had to get nine points on a self-help assessment to be eligible for early release.
He said to be eligible for parole, an elderly person should be unable to feed or dress, walk around or climb stairs on their own, take a shower or brush their teeth or even be able to use the toilet on their own.
Warong said the photos of Thaksin lifting dumbbells in the swimming pool proved he was strong enough to be ineligible for parole. He said he had tried but failed to prevent Thaksin from being granted parole in mid-February.
Tawee, however, said he had learned from three doctors – one in the prison and two who treated Thaksin at the Police General Hospital – that the lifting of dumbbells and swimming in the pool were part of the therapy to restore his shoulder muscles after surgery. He said the dumbbells were not the conventional metal ones, but were made of foam. He said these light, foam dumbbells were safe for patients who needed to restore their shoulder and elbow muscles after surgery.
“I’ve checked with doctors and they have all said that Thaksin was doing aqua therapy,” Tawee said.
On Monday, Warong also posted on Facebook what he claimed was an investigative report from the Office of the Ombudsman that said Thaksin’s six-month-long stay in the Police General Hospital violated the regulations of the Corrections Department.
A reporter on Tuesday apparently mistook the investigative report published by Warong on Facebook for a medical report and told Tawee that a medical report showed that Thaksin was not eligible for early release.
Tawee responded by saying he did not know how Warong managed to get access to confidential medical files and since he had not seen the report he could not comment.
The minister, however, insisted that the Corrections Department had proposed Thaksin’s early release based on doctors’ opinions.
