NACC allows Yingluck's lawyer to review evidences in rice-pledging case

[webfact]

NACC allows Yingluck's lawyer to review evidences in rice-pledging case

BANGKOK: -- The National Anti-Corruption Commission Wednesday allowed the lawyer of caretaker Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to review evidences against her in the rice-pledging case.

The NACC has decided to charge Yingluck with negligence of duty for failing to stop the scheme from damaging the state.

The lawyer requested to review the evidences on behalf of Yingluck on ground that it was not safe and convenient for the prime minister to go to the NACC office because of protests against her government.

The NACC approved the request Wednesday.


-- The Nation 2014-03-05

[Gunna]

What a complete lie. It was red shirt supporters of YS that laid seige to NACC. She deliberately went up north to hide.

[Thai at Heart]

Other than not actually attending the meetings, I would like to know what they want to lay on her.

This could set an amazing precedent for politics in Thailand. Do anything that loses the state money and you can be held responsible. What a ridiculous concept.

By this measure, 95% of the politicians in the world would be in the clink. Maybe they can get her for lying to parliament.

Edited March 5, 2014 by Thai at Heart

[wprime]

Other than not actually attending the meetings, I would like to know what they want to lay on her.

This could set an amazing precedent for politics in Thailand. Do anything that loses the state money and you can be held responsible. What a ridiculous concept.

By this measure, 95% of the politicians in the world would be in the clink. Maybe they can get her for lying to parliament.

Ridiculous indeed, it's un-Thai to have to take responsibility for your mistakes!

[Thai at Heart]

Other than not actually attending the meetings, I would like to know what they want to lay on her.

This could set an amazing precedent for politics in Thailand. Do anything that loses the state money and you can be held responsible. What a ridiculous concept.

By this measure, 95% of the politicians in the world would be in the clink. Maybe they can get her for lying to parliament.

Ridiculous indeed, it's un-Thai to have to take responsibility for your mistakes!

I await them clarifying exactly her mistakes, because if she made some, there must be 10,000 underlings in the line all working for various organisations who screwed up too. You wont find her signature on any of it.

[Scamper]

The NACC is according Yingluck more respect with this than she has accorded them. They are bending the rules in her favour, especially in light of what they had said in the days before the hearing. And this excuse that her lawyer came up with is entirely new. It was never used on that date. In fact, Yingluck was in the North at the time, and still was dodging questions as to whether she would attend. Now of course, her lawyer finally realizes that reviewing the evidence is important. Some legal advice she's getting.

Edited March 5, 2014 by Scamper

[Bangmod]

on ground that it was not safe and convenient for the prime minister to go to the NACC office because of protests against her government.

So can Big C come and deliver my shoppings, it might be safe, but not convenient for me to go there (I took some ear drops Chalerm left behind in Lumphini park, when he was undercover)

[Bangmod]

Other than not actually attending the meetings, I would like to know what they want to lay on her.

This could set an amazing precedent for politics in Thailand. Do anything that loses the state money and you can be held responsible. What a ridiculous concept.

By this measure, 95% of the politicians in the world would be in the clink. Maybe they can get her for lying to parliament.

abuse of power, corruption, negligence , giving false information, using the rice scam to buy votes, misleading the country, any more you'd like to know???

[Thai at Heart]

Other than not actually attending the meetings, I would like to know what they want to lay on her.

This could set an amazing precedent for politics in Thailand. Do anything that loses the state money and you can be held responsible. What a ridiculous concept.

By this measure, 95% of the politicians in the world would be in the clink. Maybe they can get her for lying to parliament.

abuse of power, corruption, negligence , giving false information, using the rice scam to buy votes, misleading the country, any more you'd like to know???

Can you give the ones' there is even an iota chance of proving.

My water tank broke a month ago, maybe she did that too.

[rijb]

The NACC is according Yingluck more respect with this than she has accorded them. They are bending the rules in her favour, especially in light of what they had said in the days before the hearing. And this excuse that her lawyer came up with is entirely new. It was never used on that date. In fact, Yingluck was in the North at the time, and still was dodging questions as to whether she would attend. Now of course, her lawyer finally realizes that reviewing the evidence is important. Some legal advice she's getting.

Rules?! Since when do rules / laws (or respect) matter in this country?

Isn't the so called evidence more important than where the hell she is?

[SoilSpoil]

What a complete lie. It was red shirt supporters of YS that laid seige to NACC. She deliberately went up north to hide.

If it's such a lie, why would she be hiding up North? She can defend herself in court yo know?

[pmugghc]

Other than not actually attending the meetings, I would like to know what they want to lay on her.

This could set an amazing precedent for politics in Thailand. Do anything that loses the state money and you can be held responsible. What a ridiculous concept.

By this measure, 95% of the politicians in the world would be in the clink. Maybe they can get her for lying to parliament.

I've seen figures around 15 people of various ranks are to be indicted for corruption in the rice scam. It's not just losing money.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[moe666]

Other than not actually attending the meetings, I would like to know what they want to lay on her.

This could set an amazing precedent for politics in Thailand. Do anything that loses the state money and you can be held responsible. What a ridiculous concept.

By this measure, 95% of the politicians in the world would be in the clink. Maybe they can get her for lying to parliament.

Ridiculous indeed, it's un-Thai to have to take responsibility for your mistakes!

I await them clarifying exactly her mistakes, because if she made some, there must be 10,000 underlings in the line all working for various organisations who screwed up too. You wont find her signature on any of it.

I believe it boils down to knowing that there was corruption and not stopping it

[Thai at Heart]

Other than not actually attending the meetings, I would like to know what they want to lay on her.

This could set an amazing precedent for politics in Thailand. Do anything that loses the state money and you can be held responsible. What a ridiculous concept.

By this measure, 95% of the politicians in the world would be in the clink. Maybe they can get her for lying to parliament.

I've seen figures around 15 people of various ranks are to be indicted for corruption in the rice scam. It's not just losing money.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Are to be.

Okayyyyy........

[Thai at Heart]

Other than not actually attending the meetings, I would like to know what they want to lay on her.

This could set an amazing precedent for politics in Thailand. Do anything that loses the state money and you can be held responsible. What a ridiculous concept.

By this measure, 95% of the politicians in the world would be in the clink. Maybe they can get her for lying to parliament.

Ridiculous indeed, it's un-Thai to have to take responsibility for your mistakes!

I await them clarifying exactly her mistakes, because if she made some, there must be 10,000 underlings in the line all working for various organisations who screwed up too. You wont find her signature on any of it.

I believe it boils down to knowing that there was corruption and not stopping it

They are seriously going to try to go after someone for this in Thailand? I would presume then that anyone can petition the NCC with some evidence of corruption which say a sitting PM would probably have been privy to and request his or her prosecution.

They are going to chase a sitting PM for knowingly stopping corruption. I await every single minister and PM for the last 50 years to face the same accusation. I look forward to the evidence on this one.

[Crushdepth]

She's very busy inspecting vegetables and collecting flowers.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[rijb]

She's very busy inspecting vegetables and collecting flowers.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Grow up or get some new material.

[bigbamboo]

Other than not actually attending the meetings, I would like to know what they want to lay on her.

This could set an amazing precedent for politics in Thailand. Do anything that loses the state money and you can be held responsible. What a ridiculous concept.

By this measure, 95% of the politicians in the world would be in the clink. Maybe they can get her for lying to parliament.

In other countries an individual may be culpable for loss in which case they would resign in shame but that doesn't happen in Thailand. The difference here is that she is not being charged with allowing losses to occur but for allowing the corruption that lead to those losses. The fact that her brother and de facto boss was the architect of the scheme won't exactly help her cause either.

No doubt her brother will 'man up', do the decent thing and take the blame and the shame for putting his baby sister in such a difficult position.

Won't he?

Edited March 5, 2014 by bigbamboo

[brownbear]

Come on people, why be surprised? The symbol for justice in most societies is represented by the familiar 'scales'. The Thai Ministry of Justice logo includes that plus a load more of other symbols I would not even try and comment upon. Probably simple flamboyance but I might be wrong about that.

For those familiar with the way business is conducted in Asia (SE Asia at least), the concept of 'balance' far exceeds what we in the West might consider 'Justice' according to statutory, civil and contract law. Disputes more frequently end up being settled in a strict 'mediated' fashion rather than on factual, evidential, or practical substance, let alone prior experience and I understand Thai courts are not bound by 'precedent' (please correct me if I am wrong). Arbitration panels are most certainly not. Strangely enough the situation in the USA is not so different from what I understand.

In other words, to save face at least, the 'middle' ground is always preferred. I believe this can extend to more serious issues as well.

Point is, don't be surprised if the courts seem to waiver in their interpretation of what you see as the law and how you and they interpret it. Do expect a 'bend over backwards' attempt to placate all parties in high profile cases unless the facts point only one way.

Personally, I think this is just another symptom of 'corruption' but that's purely my view on the matter.

Ironically perhaps, there are a small number of individuals in this unholy mess prepared to stand up and be counted and good for them. Don't expect the same from the 'independent institutions'. Not their fault, just pawns in the game caught between a rock and a hard place with self preservation being their prime concern.

[fstarbkk]

The Nation's credibility as a serious newspaper might greatly benefit from investing in a competent copy editor - They actually managed to use the non-existent plural of EVIDENCE three(!) times in one short article.

Edited March 5, 2014 by fstarbkk

[JRSoul]

They are seriously going to try to go after someone for this in Thailand? I would presume then that anyone can petition the NCC with some evidence of corruption which say a sitting PM would probably have been privy to and request his or her prosecution.

They are going to chase a sitting PM for knowingly stopping corruption. I await every single minister and PM for the last 50 years to face the same accusation. I look forward to the evidence on this one.

"They are going to chase a sitting PM for knowingly stopping corruption."

When was that? The rice scam has only stopped because the government is no longer sitting. If she hadn't been forced to dissolve parliament the borrowing, pillaging and losses would be still be mounting.

[shiok]

NACC allows Yingluck's lawyer to review evidences in rice-pledging case

BANGKOK: -- The National Anti-Corruption Commission Wednesday allowed the lawyer of caretaker Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to review evidences against her in the rice-pledging case.

The NACC has decided to charge Yingluck with negligence of duty for failing to stop the scheme from damaging the state.

The lawyer requested to review the evidences on behalf of Yingluck on ground that it was not safe and convenient for the prime minister to go to the NACC office because of protests against her government.

The NACC approved the request Wednesday.

-- The Nation 2014-03-05

what double standards!!

[rickirs]

Other than not actually attending the meetings, I would like to know what they want to lay on her.

This could set an amazing precedent for politics in Thailand. Do anything that loses the state money and you can be held responsible. What a ridiculous concept.

By this measure, 95% of the politicians in the world would be in the clink. Maybe they can get her for lying to parliament.

Ridiculous indeed, it's un-Thai to have to take responsibility for your mistakes!

Mistake - an error in action, calculation, opinion, or judgment caused by poor reasoning, carelessness, insufficient knowledge, etc.

Dereliction of Duty - deliberate or conscious neglect.

What the prosecution is arguing is that Yingluck should have know the rice program would fail because the Democrats told her it would. Since it did fail, she committed a derelection of duty in her mistake of deliberately continuing with the program. The evidence thus far to support this criminal charge is after-the-fact documentation of the rice program troubles - an "I told you so" evidence.

No other specific evidence has been released (is it priviledged?) to the public (so much for transparency) that Yingluck had independent confirmation that the program would fail with certainty before hand, nor that any ANTICIPATED problems with the rice program couldn't be resolved. What is certain AFTER-THE-FACT evidence is that an interim government was created in October 2013 and a national election scheduled for Feb. 2nd as a means to resolve the UNANTICIPATED Democratic-led anti-government protests and that Suthep filed numerous law suits and successively intimated banks not to participate in government loans for rice sales; actions that disrupted the rice program and prevented its completion. If failure to predict the future is a criminal act, Thailand government officials or any nation's leaders, no matter what the party affiliation, can never avoid derelection of duty, and never have any effectiveness in governing the country.

And if Yingluck is convicted, Suthep should be charged and convicted as well. Clearly by the Democrats own charges, they knew the rice program was going to fail, informed Yingluck of such destiny, and took no actions, ie., court challenges, themselves to stop its operation. Some readers will quickly say, "Where is my evidence?" And I respond, "Where was the Democrat lawsuits at that time?" Democrats silent opposition constitutes concurrence.

[AleG]

\

Mistake - an error in action, calculation, opinion, or judgment caused by poor reasoning, carelessness, insufficient knowledge, etc.

Dereliction of Duty - deliberate or conscious neglect.

What the prosecution is arguing is that Yingluck should have know the rice program would fail because the Democrats told her it would. Since it did fail, she committed a derelection of duty in her mistake of deliberately continuing with the program. The evidence thus far to support this criminal charge is after-the-fact documentation of the rice program troubles - an "I told you so" evidence.

No other specific evidence has been released (is it priviledged?) to the public (so much for transparency) that Yingluck had independent confirmation that the program would fail with certainty before hand, nor that any ANTICIPATED problems with the rice program couldn't be resolved. What is certain AFTER-THE-FACT evidence is that an interim government was created in October 2013 and a national election scheduled for Feb. 2nd as a means to resolve the UNANTICIPATED Democratic-led anti-government protests and that Suthep filed numerous law suits and successively intimated banks not to participate in government loans for rice sales; actions that disrupted the rice program and prevented its completion. If failure to predict the future is a criminal act, Thailand government officials or any nation's leaders, no matter what the party affiliation, can never avoid derelection of duty, and never have any effectiveness in governing the country.

And if Yingluck is convicted, Suthep should be charged and convicted as well. Clearly by the Democrats own charges, they knew the rice program was going to fail, informed Yingluck of such destiny, and took no actions, ie., court challenges, themselves to stop its operation. Some readers will quickly say, "Where is my evidence?" And I respond, "Where was the Democrat lawsuits at that time?" Democrats silent opposition constitutes concurrence.

"What is certain AFTER-THE-FACT evidence is that an interim government was created in October 2013"

PTP dissolved parliament on the 9th of December, 2013. So I just established your rather tenuous grasp of what facts are.

Only PTP and their supporters have maintained that the Rice Scheme was a good policy, everyone else, within Thailand and outside raised alarms over its unsustainability and how it would eventually collapse. Lo and behold, it eventually collapsed.

Six months into the scheme: Agricultural price-pledging policy has failed

July 2013, Time: How Thailand’s Botched Rice Scheme Blew a Big Hole in its Economy

Same month: Major rating agency concerned over Thailand's rice pledging scheme

The Democrats have repeatedly raised concerns and allegations of corruption regarding the Rice Scheme practically since its inception.

For example June 2013:

During screening of the 2014 budget bill last week, Democrat MP Warong Dechgitvigrom revived an allegation against the government first made during the no-confidence debate last December. He said the government suspiciously allowed a private company owned by "Sia Piak" to buy rice from the government's stockpile for just Bt5,700 per tonne.

This culminated with their censure debate in November 2013 in which the PTP majority simple dismissed everything they said and gave Yingluck their vote of approval.

Claiming that "Yinluck's" government wasn't aware of the unsustainability of the scheme doesn't fly. Either they genuinely didn't know, in case they are incompetents and caused massive damage to the country, or they did know and carried on willingly... with causing massive damage to the country.

[Trembly]

Other than not actually attending the meetings, I would like to know what they want to lay on her.

This could set an amazing precedent for politics in Thailand. Do anything that loses the state money and you can be held responsible. What a ridiculous concept.

By this measure, 95% of the politicians in the world would be in the clink. Maybe they can get her for lying to parliament.

Ridiculous indeed, it's un-Thai to have to take responsibility for your mistakes!

I await them clarifying exactly her mistakes, because if she made some, there must be 10,000 underlings in the line all working for various organisations who screwed up too. You wont find her signature on any of it.

I believe it boils down to knowing that there was corruption and not stopping it

They are seriously going to try to go after someone for this in Thailand? I would presume then that anyone can petition the NCC with some evidence of corruption which say a sitting PM would probably have been privy to and request his or her prosecution.

They are going to chase a sitting PM for knowingly stopping corruption. I await every single minister and PM for the last 50 years to face the same accusation. I look forward to the evidence on this one.

Better late than never.

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

[The Deerhunter]

Other than not actually attending the meetings, I would like to know what they want to lay on her.

This could set an amazing precedent for politics in Thailand. Do anything that loses the state money and you can be held responsible. What a ridiculous concept.

By this measure, 95% of the politicians in the world would be in the clink. Maybe they can get her for lying to parliament.

I believe that the point is not that the rice scheme lost money but she might have co-operated in misappropriating (theft of) rice, money or both.

[The Deerhunter]

Other than not actually attending the meetings, I would like to know what they want to lay on her.

This could set an amazing precedent for politics in Thailand. Do anything that loses the state money and you can be held responsible. What a ridiculous concept.

By this measure, 95% of the politicians in the world would be in the clink. Maybe they can get her for lying to parliament.

Ridiculous indeed, it's un-Thai to have to take responsibility for your mistakes!

Mistake - an error in action, calculation, opinion, or judgment caused by poor reasoning, carelessness, insufficient knowledge, etc.

Dereliction of Duty - deliberate or conscious neglect.

What the prosecution is arguing is that Yingluck should have know the rice program would fail because the Democrats told her it would. Since it did fail, she committed a derelection of duty in her mistake of deliberately continuing with the program. The evidence thus far to support this criminal charge is after-the-fact documentation of the rice program troubles - an "I told you so" evidence.

No other specific evidence has been released (is it priviledged?) to the public (so much for transparency) that Yingluck had independent confirmation that the program would fail with certainty before hand, nor that any ANTICIPATED problems with the rice program couldn't be resolved. What is certain AFTER-THE-FACT evidence is that an interim government was created in October 2013 and a national election scheduled for Feb. 2nd as a means to resolve the UNANTICIPATED Democratic-led anti-government protests and that Suthep filed numerous law suits and successively intimated banks not to participate in government loans for rice sales; actions that disrupted the rice program and prevented its completion. If failure to predict the future is a criminal act, Thailand government officials or any nation's leaders, no matter what the party affiliation, can never avoid derelection of duty, and never have any effectiveness in governing the country.

And if Yingluck is convicted, Suthep should be charged and convicted as well. Clearly by the Democrats own charges, they knew the rice program was going to fail, informed Yingluck of such destiny, and took no actions, ie., court challenges, themselves to stop its operation. Some readers will quickly say, "Where is my evidence?" And I respond, "Where was the Democrat lawsuits at that time?" Democrats silent opposition constitutes concurrence.

Everyone told her it was a disaster except big brother. Leave out the nonsense about Suthep. Try to keep a logical thread going here or don't bother to post.

[gemini81]

Other than not actually attending the meetings, I would like to know what they want to lay on her.

This could set an amazing precedent for politics in Thailand. Do anything that loses the state money and you can be held responsible. What a ridiculous concept.

By this measure, 95% of the politicians in the world would be in the clink. Maybe they can get her for lying to parliament.

Ridiculous indeed, it's un-Thai to have to take responsibility for your mistakes!

Mistake - an error in action, calculation, opinion, or judgment caused by poor reasoning, carelessness, insufficient knowledge, etc.

Dereliction of Duty - deliberate or conscious neglect.

What the prosecution is arguing is that Yingluck should have know the rice program would fail because the Democrats told her it would. Since it did fail, she committed a derelection of duty in her mistake of deliberately continuing with the program. The evidence thus far to support this criminal charge is after-the-fact documentation of the rice program troubles - an "I told you so" evidence.

No other specific evidence has been released (is it priviledged?) to the public (so much for transparency) that Yingluck had independent confirmation that the program would fail with certainty before hand, nor that any ANTICIPATED problems with the rice program couldn't be resolved. What is certain AFTER-THE-FACT evidence is that an interim government was created in October 2013 and a national election scheduled for Feb. 2nd as a means to resolve the UNANTICIPATED Democratic-led anti-government protests and that Suthep filed numerous law suits and successively intimated banks not to participate in government loans for rice sales; actions that disrupted the rice program and prevented its completion. If failure to predict the future is a criminal act, Thailand government officials or any nation's leaders, no matter what the party affiliation, can never avoid derelection of duty, and never have any effectiveness in governing the country.

And if Yingluck is convicted, Suthep should be charged and convicted as well. Clearly by the Democrats own charges, they knew the rice program was going to fail, informed Yingluck of such destiny, and took no actions, ie., court challenges, themselves to stop its operation. Some readers will quickly say, "Where is my evidence?" And I respond, "Where was the Democrat lawsuits at that time?" Democrats silent opposition constitutes concurrence.

Everyone told her it was a disaster except big brother. Leave out the nonsense about Suthep. Try to keep a logical thread going here or don't bother to post.

Clear back to the criticism of the opposition before it was launched in a mere proposal- the democrats noted the tons of holes in the plan which were a potential cesspool of corruption.

That poor rebuttal of 'the demonstrators caused this!' is totally incorrect, and known not to be true on a global level.

Some articles from Aug/Sept last year (from abroad) noting it for its faults, failure and epidemic graft.

Red rouge supporters take note: http://world.time.com/2013/07/12/how-thailands-botched-rice-scheme-blew-a-big-hole-in-its-economy/

http://www.irinnews.org/report/96158/thailand-rice-pledge-scheme-one-year-later

so much for the line of 'it was fascist sutheps' fault for all of this!' He isn't a saint by any means; but all of the uprisings are a reaction in response to charlatans' graft, as seen all over the world in the last fews years of the public's response to their oppressors and oligarchs who run the show. The internet has brought about a lot of exposure to tyranny, rather than being a device to track what you're doing.....

Edited March 6, 2014 by gemini81

[Old Man River]

Other than not actually attending the meetings, I would like to know what they want to lay on her.

This could set an amazing precedent for politics in Thailand. Do anything that loses the state money and you can be held responsible. What a ridiculous concept.

By this measure, 95% of the politicians in the world would be in the clink. Maybe they can get her for lying to parliament.

Something about, as Chairwoman of the Rice Committee, that she should have known that the scheme to drive prices up in 2011 wasn't working then, and not continuing the program in 2012, 2013 etc.

It is for the courts to decide if the Chairperson of a committee, making decisions for the country, should be aware.

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand