PM stands firm: "I will always be my father’s daughter"

Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra reiterated today that, while the opposition may call for her resignation as prime minister, they cannot ask her to stop being her father’s daughter.

“During the debate, the opposition has demanded that I resign. You can do that, but what you can’t do is ask me to stop being my father’s daughter or my children’s mother,” she said during the second day of the no-confidence debate.

She emphasised that she had stood by her father throughout his ordeal, following the coup that ousted him, and during his years in self-imposed exile. “I’m what people call a daddy’s girl. I am proud to be Dr. Thaksin’s daughter,” she stated.

She also categorically denied the accusation from People’s Party MP Rangsiman Rome that she was behind the so-called “devil’s deal” to facilitate her father Thaksin Shinawatra’s return to Thailand.

Rangsiman alleged that the deal was struck with the so-called “old power clique” to allow Thaksin's safe return and to grant them a share of power in the Pheu Thai-led government.

Paetongtarn responded that it was her father’s own decision to return to Thailand, regardless of which government was in power.

“When my father returned to Thailand, I was merely the Pheu Thai Party leader, not yet the prime minister,” she said.

During his speech, Rangsiman claimed that the “devil’s deal,” allegedly made in Langkawi, Malaysia, led to the collapse of the rule of law and judicial integrity in Thailand, adding, “The national interests were compromised in favour of the Shinawatra family’s personal gain,” he said.

He further alleged that Paetongtarn was fully aware of her father's true health condition, claiming that he was not seriously ill when he was admitted to the 14th floor of the Police General Hospital, where he stayed for six months, without spending a single day of his sentence in prison.

Thaksin’s original eight-year prison sentence was later reduced to one year, through a royal commutation.

Paetongtarn stated that no one would believe her if she claimed her father was ill, adding that the Medical Council is currently investigating her father's extended stay in the hospital, and urged those with questions to await the results.

Rangsiman raised several points concerning Thaksin’s health, citing an audio clip in which Paetongtarn told the media that her father was in good health and had regular medical check-ups.

He questioned why Thaksin needed to be hospitalised for six months. He pointed out that, typically, patients are only allowed to stay in the hospital for up to ten days.

Rangsiman also noted that, when Thaksin returned to Thailand on August 22, 2023, he appeared to be in good health as he greeted his supporters.

Although Paetongtarn was not prime minister at the time of her father’s return, Rangsiman argued that, as head of the “Pheu Thai family,” she played a key role in the election campaign and supported cooperation with parties from General Prayut’s administration in forming the current Pheu Thai-led government.

He also noted that the director of the Police General Hospital was later promoted to Assistant Commissioner-General during Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin’s administration.