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Thai junta rejects Yingluck's request to travel abroad

Xinhua, February 8, 2015 Adjust font size:

Thai military junta has rejected a request from former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to travel abroad, citing she is in the process of being indicted in the Supreme Court, a junta spokesman said Sunday.

The National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), which staged a coup to topple Yingluck's government last May, turned down the request because the legal process of the case in which Yingluck has been accused of dereliction of duty in a controversial rice- pledging scheme has started, NCPO spokesman Winthai Suwaree was quoted by Bangkok Post as saying.

It is the same scheme that rendered Yingluck impeached by the National Legislative Assembly last month.

The NCPO needed to consider the request carefully so that the legal case would not be affected, Winthai said, adding it is necessary for the NCPO to coordinate with agencies concerned and handle the matter in a rightful way.

The Office of the Attorney- General (OAG) announced last month to file a criminal case against Yingluck in the Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Holders of Political Positions. If found guilty, Yingluck could face a maximum jail term of 10 years.

It was speculated that Yingluck was planning to meet her brother, exiled former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, who was also ousted in a coup.

Before making a decision on Yingluck's request, the NCPO had to take many factors into account, including the reason for traveling abroad and the legal implications, Winthai said.

But Norrawit Lalaeng, Yingluck's lawyer, argued that there should be no legal grounds for rejecting Yingluck's request as the OAG is still in the process of drafting the indictment and has yet to file it with the Supreme Court.

Moreover, it remains unknown whether the indictment would be accepted, Norrawit was quoted as saying. Endi