Officials at the Corrections Department, the Bangkok Remand Prison and the prison hospital assured Nattawut that Jatuporn had received proper treatment and was recovering well.

Nattawut said he accepted the department’s rules and acknowledged that it was unlikely that Jatuporn would be sent to an alternative hospital. However, the former minister said he wanted government and Corrections Department authorities to understand that Jatuporn was not a convict.

He also pledged to keep a close watch on his colleague’s condition.

Jatuporn, the president of the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship, was admitted to the Corrections Department’s hospital last Friday suffering from high fever and dysuria. He was diagnosed with a urinary tract infection before recovering and being discharged from the hospital.

Corrections Department director-general Kobkiat Kasiwiwat said Jatuporn was already in good health by the time he returned to his prison quarters. Although Jatuporn was still on medication, his health was not a cause for concern, the official added.

He said prisoners suffering from severe ailments would be treated at Corrections Department hospitals, while those with minor health problems would receive care at the prison infirmary.

Prisoners are only transferred to outside hospitals in medical cases beyond the Corrections Department’s capabilities to treat, Kobkiat said, adding that the department had followed procedures and treated every inmate equally without discrimination.