Thailand’s former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra is set to be assigned a role overseeing sewer-cleaning crews from Bangkok’s Klong Prem Central Prison, his daughter Paetongtarn said following a visit to the facility.
Advertisement
“The prison director said Dad will be assigned to supervise sewer cleaning,” she told reporters outside the prison on Thursday, according to Thai news outlet The Nation. She added that his health is “OK”.
If confirmed by authorities, the position would allow Thaksin, 76, to leave the prison during work hours under supervision. As a foreman, he would oversee the sewer-cleaning crews rather than have to scoop garbage and mud out of Bangkok’s roadside drains himself.
According to the report, such outside assignments are typically offered to inmates who exhibit good behaviour and have relatively short sentences remaining.
Thailand’s Department of Corrections has not publicly confirmed the reported assignment. However, publicly available documentation shows that Klong Prem operates an active sewer-cleaning vocational programme in partnership with Bangkok’s municipal authorities. Crews drawn from the prison routinely clean roadside drains in the capital, often under official supervision.
Advertisement
Once one of Southeast Asia’s most powerful leaders, Thaksin served as prime minister from 2001 until a military coup ousted him in September 2006. A former telecoms magnate, he still exerts influence through his family’s strong political network.