BANGKOK, THAILAND – Justice Minister Pol Lt Gen Rutthapol Naowarat tied any potential parole request for former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra to a strict legal procedure, stressing that three committees would ultimately have to decide.
Minister draws a clear line
Speaking at Government House on 10 March, Rutthapol Naowarat said any parole request had to be examined strictly in accordance with the law and must not be shortened for political reasons. He explained that the process could not be adapted to individual cases or political expectations.
He said he had instructed all responsible agencies to follow the legal procedures without exception. According to the minister, this applied regardless of the identity or political weight of the person involved.
No formal request yet
According to Rutthapol, no formal request from Thaksin Shinawatra or his representatives had yet reached the authorities. He emphasised that, without an official submission, the process could not even begin.
Neither the prison administration nor the director-general of the Department of Corrections, the permanent secretary of the Justice Ministry, nor the minister himself had received any related documents so far. The absence of paperwork, he indicated, meant that all talk about outcomes remained purely speculative.
Three committees as mandatory path
The minister described the parole procedure as a clearly defined sequence that would start only once a request was formally filed. Each step, he said, was laid down in existing regulations.
First, a prison committee would have to consider the case, followed by a committee at the Department of Corrections. Finally, a committee within the Justice Ministry would need to approve the recommendation before any decision could be made.
Only after these three bodies had completed their reviews could the matter move toward a conclusion. Until then, the minister stressed, no authority was in a position to rule on eligibility or conditions.
Rumours about March and the Shinawatra family
Rutthapol’s comments followed reports that the Shinawatra family planned to submit a parole request later in March. Media coverage and political discussions had fuelled expectations that such a move might be imminent.
Politicians close to the family had recently hinted that the step could still occur within the month. The minister’s statement appeared aimed at clarifying that, even in that case, the timetable would be dictated by the established procedure.
Six months in jail and intense scrutiny
The issue attracted particular attention because Thaksin, a former prime minister, had been in custody for around six months. His status continued to draw public and media scrutiny to any potential change in his situation.
Rutthapol underlined that authorities could not start a substantive review before receiving the official documents. He indicated that the legal framework left no room for a preliminary assessment based solely on media speculation.
What happens next depends on filing date
Broadcaster Amarin reported that the next step depended on when the parole request would be officially submitted and forwarded to the competent bodies. Only after this transfer could the committees begin their work.
The agencies would then examine the file against the established criteria and move the case through each required stage. Ultimately, the decision would emerge from this staged review rather than from political signals.
Debate over transparency in high-profile cases
The discussion also raised broader questions about the government’s handling of prominent legal cases. Observers pointed to the emphasis on formal committees and procedures in politically sensitive matters.
Public debate focused on whether particularly high transparency should apply when politically influential figures faced parole decisions. Some argued that strict, quiet adherence to the law might be sufficient, while others called for more visible openness about each step in the process.