Phumtham cancels Paris trip to monitor three key developments
Phumtham cancels Paris trip to monitor key events tied to Thaksin’s jail case and Thai-Cambodian border talks following recent tensions.
Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Phumtham Wechayachai has cancelled his planned trip to Paris next week in order to monitor three key developments involving former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and Thai-Cambodian relations, a source said.
The source revealed that Phumtham decided to withdraw from the military meeting and airshow scheduled for June 15–19 in Paris so he could remain in the country to closely follow events occurring on June 12, 13 and 14.
On June12, the Medical Council of Thailand is due to meet to decide whether to reaffirm its resolution to punish three doctors who gave opinions that were used as justification for allowing Thaksin to stay at the Police General Hospital for six months instead of serving time in Bangkok Remand Prison.
The council had previously resolved to suspend the medical licences of two doctors and issue a warning to a third. However, Public Health Minister Somsak Thepsuthin exercised his right to veto the resolution. This veto means the council must now secure a two-thirds majority vote to reaffirm the decision.
On June 13, the Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Holders of Political Office is scheduled to begin an inquisitorial process into whether state agencies failed to enforce the court’s ruling to imprison Thaksin.
The court earlier stated it had reason to believe Thaksin’s sentence was not properly carried out, given that he remained at the Police General Hospital for six months before being paroled in February last year. As a result, the court decided to initiate its own inquiry.
Meanwhile, the Thai-Cambodian Joint Boundary Committee (JBC) was initially set to meet in Phnom Penh on June 14. However, following the May 28 border skirmish at the Chong Bok Pass in Ubon Ratchathani, Cambodia indicated it might cancel the meeting.
If the meeting proceeds, Phumtham will still need to monitor its outcomes to assess whether they serve Thailand’s interests in the ongoing border dispute.
