Thai foreign minister says fugitive former PM Yingluck in London

 

FILE PHOTO: Ousted former Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra arrives at the criminal court in Bangkok, Thailand, September 29, 2015. REUTERS/Chaiwat Subprasom/File Picture

 

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand's former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, who fled the country to avoid being jailed over a rice subsidy scheme that lost billions of dollars, is in Britain, Thailand's foreign minister said on Tuesday.

 

His comments come after two photographs purporting to be of Yingluck were widely shared on social media.

 

One shows Yingluck posing with a woman wearing a red coat accompanied by a caption saying that the picture was taken outside London's Harrods department store. The other is allegedly of Yingluck at London's Westfield shopping mall.

 

Thai police said they have verified the photograph of Yingluck with a woman in a red coat and have confirmed Yingluck's identity. They have yet to confirm the identity of the woman in the photograph allegedly taken at Westfield.

 

Reuters has not independently verified either photo.

 

Yingluck was sentenced in September in absentia to five years in prison for mismanaging the rice scheme.

 

She has not commented publicly since fleeing Thailand in August ahead of a verdict in a criminal negligence case against her and her location has been the source of intense speculation.

 

Yingluck and her brother, ousted former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, have been at the centre of a power struggle that has dominated Thai politics for more than a decade. The crisis broadly pits the country's traditional elite, including the military, against the Shinawatra family and its supporters.

 

Thailand's Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai told reporters in Bangkok on Tuesday that Yingluck was in London and that Thai authorities were in touch with their British counterparts to try to locate her.

 

"We knew about this since September. Britain's foreign minister told us Yingluck was in London, England," Don told reporters. "We have communicated consistently but we haven't found her."

 

He declined to comment specifically on whether Thailand would seek Yingluck's extradition. Thailand and the United Kingdom have an extradition treaty.

 

The British Embassy in Bangkok did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on Yingluck's whereabouts.

 

(Reporting by Pracha Hariraksapitak; Additional reporting by Amy Sawitta Lefevre and Panarat Thepgumpanat; Writing by Amy Sawitta Lefevre; Editing by Michael Perry)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-01-09

Don admits Yingluck is in UK

By The Nation

 

 

Fugitive former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra has been in London since September, Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai said on Tuesday, citing his British counterpart, Boris Johnson, as the source of the information.

He said his ministry would cooperate with Johnson’s now that Yingluck’s whereabouts are known.

 

It was the first admission from the ministry that Yingluck had fled to Britain, where her brother Thaksin runs a business and owns a residence.

 

In October, police cited Dubai authorities in saying Yingluck had left the United Arab Emirates on September 11 and moved to Britain.

 

There were no further significant updates until photos of Yingluck in London and Oxford appeared in the media last week.

 

Don declined to say whether Thailand would issue an objection to the British government if Yingluck applied for asylum there.

 

“It is not the Foreign Ministry’s duty to answer that question,” he said.

 

He pointed that all of Yingluck’s Thai travel documents had been revoked, so she must have entered Britain with a passport issued by another country.

 

He added that Yingluck’s presence in Britain should not affect Thailand-UK relations.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/politics/30335787

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-01-09

 

Keeping warm and dry I hope............

He pointed that all of Yingluck’s Thai travel documents had been revoked, so she must have entered Britain with a passport issued by another country.

Passports and whether they are revoked is completely irrelevant.
If she arrived in the UK, and was able to prove who she was when she arrived, that would suffice. Her lawyers would take it from there.

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Give us 70bt to the £ and you can have her back!

They don't really care where she is as long as she or her brother doesn't return to Thailand ! and we know why that is 

What a circus!

Off topic posts have been removed. 

1 minute ago, Tradewind777 said:

What a circus!

What a circus is right and who the <deleted> cares

Britain welcomes all ex politicians /head of states even terrorism supporters who are bringing billions of £ into uk banks irrespective of how they obtained that money.

Protected in some cases if not granted asylum too.?

8 minutes ago, Tradewind777 said:

What a circus!

Bunch of clowns looking for a circus is a better description.

6 minutes ago, Chang_paarp said:

Bunch of clowns looking for a circus is a better description.

It's an obsessionlet them make fools of themselves

All this "Find-out where she is and get her back here to face the music" crap is only a ploy to aid her asylum application.  Just who are the government trying to convince!  The Thai population might be fooled, but to anybody else with a gramme of common sense, these fictitious news bulletins are becoming boring, and serve no purpose other than to imply that the PM gives a ****.

Do they finally realised how dumb the appeared by pretending not to know her whereabouts.

5 minutes ago, Oziex1 said:

Do they finally realised how dumb the appeared by pretending not to know her whereabouts.

 

How many times since last September -- when the Thai FM claims his government was informed YL was in London -- have various senior Thai government officials come out to make public statements claiming to not know her whereabouts????  The list is pretty long, I think.  They're just really bad liars.

 

1 hour ago, webfact said:

the picture was taken outside London's Harrods department store. The other is allegedly of Yingluck at London's Westfield shopping mall.

Yingluck is happily spending rice money, the UK is happy that Yingluck is spending it in the UK, the Thai government is happy that Yingluck is not in Thailand.

Everybody happy, happy

Except for Interpol, they get mixed signals...

6 minutes ago, klauskunkel said:

Yingluck is happily spending rice money, the UK is happy that Yingluck is spending it in the UK, the Thai government is happy that Yingluck is not in Thailand.

Everybody happy, happy

Except for Interpol, they get mixed signals...

 

TBH I don't think that Yingluck herself made any money from the rice scheme.

 

Many other people did make a pile, but I think that she was kept away from it. It is not as if she was down to her last Gucci or Prada bag and matching shoes.

Edited January 9, 20188 yr by billd766
Edited for bad spelling after I had checked and posted it

Thailand Will Seek Yingluck Extradition From London

By Pravit Rojanaphruk, Senior Staff Writer

 

  

Former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra poses for a photo on Jan. 2, 2016

 

BANGKOK — The foreign minister confirmed Tuesday morning that fugitive former premier Yingluck Shinawatra was in London and said Bangkok would seek her extradition.

 

Don Pramudwinai, minister of foreign affairs, confirmed the news after the media published three leaked photos which appeared to show Yingluck in London. Don refused to say whether the Thai government would lodge any protest against Yingluck’s much-speculated asylum seeking process.

 

Full story: http://www.khaosodenglish.com/politics/2018/01/09/thailand-will-seek-yingluck-extradition-london/

 

-- © Copyright Khaosod English 2018-01-09

1 hour ago, JAG said:

He pointed that all of Yingluck’s Thai travel documents had been revoked, so she must have entered Britain with a passport issued by another country.

Passports and whether they are revoked is completely irrelevant.
If she arrived in the UK, and was able to prove who she was when she arrived, that would suffice. Her lawyers would take it from there.

Sent from my KENNY using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app
 

 

Indeed. There is no real legal requirement that a passport should be used. And oddly enough, if you happen to be a billionaire arriving on your own private plane, with your own entourage, all using the VIP facilities, then the "normal" rules applied to us plebs don't apply.

 

So nice to see you supporting the wealthy mega rich being granted the special treatment their wealth commands.

19 minutes ago, billd766 said:

 

TBH I don't think that Yingluck herself made any money from the rice scheme.

 

Many other people did make a pile, but I think that she was kept away from it. It is not as if she was down to her last Gucci or Prada bag and matching shoes.

 

Not directly mate. The old fox in charge is far to cunning to be caught with paws in the cookie jar again!

 

But no doubt tributes have been presented, favors given etc. etc.

 

That was a nice pink 2 million ThB handbag she took shopping !

The UK-Thailand extradition treaty of 1911 is still in force and can be read here:
http://www.thailawforum.com/database1/Treaty-Thailand-and-Great-Britain.html

Her Thai conviction for dereliction of duty as PM probably doesn't cut the mustard.

41 minutes ago, webfact said:

 

BANGKOK — The foreign minister confirmed Tuesday morning that fugitive former premier Yingluck Shinawatra was in London and said Bangkok would seek her extradition.

 

To which the legal team putting together Yinluck's application will give a rousing cheer as it will help their cause no end.

If she entered the UK on a non-Thai passport, then Thailand can only whistle for the extradition. Besides the Treaty of Extradition between Thailand and Great Britain is both obsolete and inaccurate, I don't think would stand up in a court of law

 
Indeed. There is no real legal requirement that a passport should be used. And oddly enough, if you happen to be a billionaire arriving on your own private plane, with your own entourage, all using the VIP facilities, then the "normal" rules applied to us plebs don't apply.
 
So nice to see you supporting the wealthy mega rich being granted the special treatment their wealth commands.

If she had polled up at Dover Docks in the back of a fruit and vegetables lorry, having burnt her passport (s) at Calais before scrambling into the lorry, then the procedure would basically be the same -" Hello, I am Yingluck Shinawatra, can I have asylum please?"

But then you know that already BB I should imagine.

Having a private jet and lots of dosh of course softens the process, you don't have to live in a hostel and shop at Primark and Aldi (although Aldi do sell jolly good Champagne). I do rather wonder where you detected my support for the mega rich - I'm fairly neutral on the subject.

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2 hours ago, petermik said:

Keeping warm and dry I hope............

Of Course, She'll be in one of Londiniums 5* Hotels.....Or One of The Mansions Her Big Brother OWNS There...

Edited January 9, 20188 yr by Nong Khai Man
More Text Added

3 hours ago, webfact said:

"We knew about this since September

Yeah, right!

2 hours ago, webfact said:

said Bangkok would seek her extradition

... and if the Brits don't comply we'll send our rusty aircraft carrier into the Channel to force their submission provided there're enough fuel and spare parts for the journey. Nobody messes with mighty Thailand!

remarkable......the Thai government knows something......

Oh I see, the FM sent his deputy to the third UK/Thai dialogue (in BKK 3rd Jan.) because he was too busy looking for YT...she certainly doesn't appear on the discussion list.

5 hours ago, Baerboxer said:

 

Indeed. There is no real legal requirement that a passport should be used. And oddly enough, if you happen to be a billionaire arriving on your own private plane, with your own entourage, all using the VIP facilities, then the "normal" rules applied to us plebs don't apply.

 

So nice to see you supporting the wealthy mega rich being granted the special treatment their wealth commands.

It's not about how she arrived it's about  protecting someone from being forced to appear before a kangaroo court