BANGKOK: Former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra was fatigued on Thursday morning (Sept 18), experiencing high blood pressure and sleep issues the previous night, and continued hair loss, his daughter said.
Paetongtarn Shinawatra gave the update after she and her elder sister, Pintongta Shinawatra, along with their husbands, visited Thaksin at Klong Prem Central Prison on Thursday morning.
It was the second time the family had visited him. Paetongtarn was accompanied by her husband, Pitaka Suksawat, and Pintongta by Nuttaphong Kunakornwong.
Speaking to reporters after leaving the prison, Paetongtarn said they met and talked to Thaksin for just 15 minutes.
“Today, we left early because dad was not doing well, so we could give him only a short visit,” Paetongtarn said.
“He had high blood pressure and said he felt fatigued. Although he has had his hair cut short, it is still falling, possibly due to tension. Anyway, dad still smiled. He said he could not sleep well but is still in good spirits.”
Paetongtarn said she was unsure whether Thaksin could eat well while in prison.
“He only told me that he could not sleep well last night. I’m not sure whether he suffered from back pain or not because he just mentioned the sleep issue.”
As the family reached the front of the prison, a group of red-shirt supporters handed over five amulets and a portrait of a respected monk to Paetongtarn. They asked her to keep the gifts, saying the amulets would bless the Shinawatra family. Paetongtarn did not bring the amulets into the prison, as she had not sought permission to do so.
Paetongtarn wore a black suit, while Pintongta wore a black shirt and blue trousers. Pintongta also carried a white envelope with “Grandpa Thaksin” written in pink and a small drawing in the corner.
Pintongta said her eldest daughter wrote the letter on behalf of all seven of Thaksin’s grandchildren because he missed them.
Kanokwan Jiewchuaphan, deputy spokeswoman of the Corrections Department, said Thaksin would meet a psychologist during his routine medical checkups for new inmates.
Kanokwan added that Thaksin mostly gets up at 6 am and goes to bed at 9:30 pm. For breakfast, he eats boiled eggs. During the day, he mostly reads, watches TV and walks while swinging his arms for exercise.
His family deposited 15,000 baht (US$470) for Thaksin, with a daily ceiling of 500 baht. He mostly spends the money on food and snacks. - The Nation/ANN
