Former Thai PM left Dubai on Sept. 11 for UK, source in UAE says

By Pracha Hariraksapitak

 

FILE PHOTO: Ousted former Thai prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra greets supporters as she arrives at the Supreme Court in Bangkok, Thailand, August 1, 2017. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha/File Photo

 

BANGKOK (Reuters) - The leader of Thailand's military junta said on Thursday that Yingluck Shinawatra, the prime minister he ousted three years ago, was in Dubai, having fled there last month to avoid being jailed over a rice subsidy scheme that lost billions of dollars.

 

Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, the army chief who led the coup, said Thailand would pursue Yingluck through diplomatic channels and police cooperation using Interpol.

 

His remarks came a day after a court found Yingluck guilty of criminal negligence and sentenced her in absentia to five years in prison.

 

"She is in Dubai," Prayuth told reporters, adding that the foreign ministry has been tracking Yingluck's movements.

"The police will now have to proceed and coordinate with the Foreign Ministry and Interpol," he added.

 

But a source in the United Arab Emirates on Thursday said Yingluck left Dubai for London on Sept. 11, without providing further details.

 

The Supreme Court delayed giving its judgement last month after Yingluck failed to show in court and police discovered she had slipped out of the country.

 

The Thai authorities had not disclosed Yingluck's whereabouts before, though senior members of her party had told Reuters that she had gone to Dubai where her brother, former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who lives in self-imposed exile to avoid a 2008 jail sentence for graft, has a home.

 

Thai deputy national police chief Srivara Ransibrahmanakul declined to comment when asked by Reuters on Thursday whether Yingluck had left Dubai for London.

 

Photographs posted on the photo-sharing app Instagram by one of Thaksin's daughters show Thaksin in London since Sept. 15.

 

None of the photos feature Yingluck.

 

The power struggle between Thailand's establishment - which includes the armed forces and urban middle class - and the Shinawatras has dominated Thai politics for over a decade.

 

The Shinawatras remain popular with rural and poor voters, and the rice subsidy scheme had helped Yingluck shore up her support base to get elected in 2011.

 

Throughout her trial, Yingluck said she was innocent and she was not responsible for the day-to-day running of the scheme, arguing that she was a victim of political persecution.

 

Thai Defense Minister Prawit Wongsuwan told reporters that the government has been in contact with the United Arab Emirates about Yingluck.

 

"Their government will take care that she won't engage in politics," Prawit said.

 

The ruling junta has promised to hold an election in 2018, though changes to the constitution has ensured the military holds onto some role governing the country.

 

Thaksin's Puea Thai Party did not comment to Reuters on Prayuth's disclosure that Yingluck was in Dubai.

 

(Reporting by Pracha Hariraksapitak; Additional reporting by Aukkarapon Niyomyat, Patpicha Tanakasempipat in BANGKOK, Sami Aboudi in DUBAI; Writing by Panu Wongcha-um and Amy Sawitta Lefevre; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore and Michael Perry)

 

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-09-28

Someone's "spies" are not that great are they? 555.

They seek her here,they seek her there,they seek that damn Yingluck everywhere.............

If my daughter, not that I've got one' posted a photo of me, being a fugitive ex PM and Man City owner, on Instagram, I would imeeditely confiscate her phone, give her a good slap, and send her back to LOS. 

 

 The little general and his cohorts certainly do a good job of looking totally clueless on all levels, surely that level of ineptitude takes many years of practice to perfect to such a high degree, just about the only thing they seem to have a knack for really....

21 minutes ago, mark01 said:

Someone's "spies" are not that great are they? 555.

He probably asked his pet frog!

2 hours ago, webfact said:

"She is in Dubai," Prayuth told reporters,

Ah! Ah! He trumpeted that he had spies in Dubai and he did not know she had left the country 2 weeks ago! 

Two weeks.....

Too weak.....

Hehehehehe...the saga continues......

1 hour ago, mark131v said:

 The little general and his cohorts certainly do a good job of looking totally clueless on all levels, surely that level of ineptitude takes many years of practice to perfect to such a high degree, just about the only thing they seem to have a knack for really....

This reminded me of a Latin term... If you have not much to say,  you attack the person:

 

Ad hominem (Latin for "to the man" or "to the person"^[1]), short for argumentum ad hominem, is where an argument is rebutted by attacking the character, motive, or other attribute of the person making the argument, or persons associated with the argument, rather than attacking the substance of the argument itself.

1 hour ago, candide said:

Ah! Ah! He trumpeted that he had spies in Dubai and he did not know she had left the country 2 weeks ago! 

Couldn't she be back meanwhile?

My god this man has nothing between his ears has he, no wonder he likes frogs as all they can do is croak.

My spies have informed me she is now in Alaska 

 

This item by Reuters mention 7 people writing and editing this report.

 

Still they can't get a balance in the report with important points totally missing. 

Terrible spies.

 

Heaven forbid Thailand ever gets invaded with this lot in charge. 

20 minutes ago, scorecard said:

 

This item by Reuters mention 7 people writing and editing this report.

 

Still they can't get a balance in the report with important points totally missing. 

You mean you're pi**ed because it's not a junta fan piece?

Edited September 28, 20178 yr by Becker

The last thing the authorities want is to find her living in a country where they can extradite her.  Don't know how sincere they are about holding an election but getting her back and imprisoning her would scupper their chances bigtime.  As it is I doubt if they can possibly win as long as the North votes anyway,  but they are probably optimistic.

Poor old decrepit Prawit can't take  a trick. He was in charge of her security and he let her run free. 

3 hours ago, mark01 said:

Someone's "spies" are not that great are they? 555.

He has been drinking too many "spy".

Well, a bit of face lost for the little big man 

So, who gave a convicted criminal a 6 month UK visa ? Or maybe because she has so much money she doesn't need one ? I wonder if any questions will be asked ?

Thai Billionaires living the good life in a modern country.  They should form a club.

4 minutes ago, finnomick said:

So, who gave a convicted criminal a 6 month UK visa ? Or maybe because she has so much money she doesn't need one ? I wonder if any questions will be asked ?

I suspect " last elected prime minister,  overthrown by a military coup whilst standing for re-election, and replaced by a  junta who 3 and 1/2 years later have still not managed to even say when they will have an election.." rather trumps "convicted of a criminal offence by military junta" when it comes to applying for a visa in any country which practises democracy and the rule of law.

 

Anyway, keep on asking the questions...

14 minutes ago, finnomick said:

So, who gave a convicted criminal a 6 month UK visa ? Or maybe because she has so much money she doesn't need one ? I wonder if any questions will be asked ?

The UK authorities did since she is a former legally elected PM who was trying to arrange new elections when the Thai military again staged a coup and convicted her in a farcical political trial.

And had she applied for a visa to any other Western European country she would have got it too.

7 minutes ago, JAG said:

I suspect " last elected prime minister,  overthrown by a military coup whilst standing for re-election, and replaced by a  junta who 3 and 1/2 years later have still not managed to even say when they will have an election.." rather trumps "convicted of a criminal offence by military junta" when it comes to applying for a visa in any country which practises democracy and the rule of law.

 

Anyway, keep on asking the questions...

 

The private airplane, the VIP arrival, the billionaire little sister of a billionaire big brother. No, that wouldn't have helped smooth it all over at all.

 

And come on, you know very well she wasn't overthrown by a military coup.

Edited September 28, 20178 yr by Baerboxer

2 minutes ago, Becker said:

The UK authorities did since she is a former legally elected PM who was trying to arrange new elections when the Thai military again staged a coup and convicted her in a farcical political trial.

And had she applied for a visa to any other Western European country she would have got it too.

 Nonsense.

 

She was removed by a court for an illegal abuse of power PRIOR to the 2014 coup. But that's so conveniently ignored by Shin huggers.

1 hour ago, scorecard said:

 

This item by Reuters mention 7 people writing and editing this report.

 

Still they can't get a balance in the report with important points totally missing. 

Yeh Reuters are the problem lol

Whats the next headline going to say?

 

"Yingluck seen in a chip shop with Elvis"

I bet James Bond is quaking in his boots!

2 minutes ago, Baerboxer said:

 Nonsense.

 

She was removed by a court for an illegal abuse of power PRIOR to the 2014 coup. But that's so conveniently ignored by Shin huggers.

And at the time of the 2014 coup was standing, entirely legally, as a candidate in an entirely constitutional election.

 

If you are going to be pedantic, it behoves you to be accurate...