Arrest warrant issued for former Thai PM Yingluck Shinawatra over court no show, trial delayed to 27 September

[NanLaew]

2 minutes ago, seajae said:

The only people that like her are those that want to get into her pants and those that want money for nothing which is all the ptp/reds and her apologists.

And where do you fit in exactly?

Edited August 25, 2017 by NanLaew

[NanLaew]

1 minute ago, robblok said:

She is not a martyr now.. she is doing a runner.. different story.. she did not dare to face the courts knowing she was indeed guilty.

The superficial viewpoint... as always.

[jonclark]

She's probably just stuck in traffic....or has been refused by a taxi. 

 

[LannaGuy]

6 minutes ago, robblok said:

She is not a martyr now.. she is doing a runner.. different story.. she did not dare to face the courts knowing she was indeed guilty.

 

Nonsense. You wait and see. You think courts are self censored in these dangerous times I'm shocked

Edited August 25, 2017 by LannaGuy

[webfact]

Thailand's Yingluck a no-show for negligence ruling, verdict postponed

By Aukkarapon Niyomyat and Panu Wongcha-um

 

Supporters of ousted former Thai prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra wait for her at the Supreme Court in Bangkok,Thailand, August 25, 2017. REUTERS/Jorge Silva

 

BANGKOK/KHON KAEN (Reuters) - A Thai Supreme Court judge said he suspected Yingluck Shinawatra, the prime minister ousted by a coup in 2014, had fled or gone into hiding after she failed to attend court on Friday for the verdict in a negligence case brought by the ruling junta.

 

Yingluck, whose family has dominated Thai politics for more than 15 years, faces up to 10 years in prison if found guilty in a case centred on the multi-billion dollar losses incurred by a rice subsidy scheme for farmers.

 

The court set a new date of Sept. 27 for the verdict, and said it would seek an arrest warrant for Yingluck as it did not believe her excuse that she could not attend the court hearing because of an ear problem.

 

"We don't think that the defendant is ill. We think that the defendant is hiding or has fled ... We have pushed back the verdict date to September 27," a statement from a Supreme Court judge said. "She asked for sick leave not to show up today."

 

Yingluck's lawyer, Norwait Lalaeng, said he was unaware whether she was still in the country.

A spokeswoman for Yingluck declined to comment.

 

The long-awaited verdict could inflame tension in the Southeast Asian country and have far-reaching implications in the politically divided kingdom.

 

Hundreds had gathered outside the court on Friday where Bangkok's metropolitan police said around 4,000 police had been deployed and checkpoints had been set up.

The rice subsidy programme - a flagship policy of Yingluck's administration - saw her government buy farmers' crops at prices up to 50 percent higher than market prices. The policy was popular with farmers but left Thailand with huge rice stockpiles and caused $8 billion in losses.

 

Yingluck has said she was only in charge of coming up with the policy but not the day-to-day management of the scheme. Her administration was removed in a 2014 military coup.

 

In the northeastern province Khon Kaen, a Shinawatra stronghold, a leader of the red shirt political movement that supports Yingluck said her supporters felt frustrated.

 

"Some people may want to demonstrate publicly to show their unhappiness about how Yingluck is being treated," he said.

 

Shinawatra's Puea Thai Party has said it does not support acts of violence and urged supporters to gather peacefully.

 

Some supporters outside the court in Bangkok held roses while others wore white gloves with the word "love" on them.

 

The court is due to rule in the separate case on Friday of Yingluck's former commerce minister Boonsong Teriyapirom who is accused of falsifying government-to-government rice deals between Thailand and China in 2013.

 

The Shinawatra family's parties have won every general election since 2001, but it is at the heart of a bitter and bloody power struggle in Thailand.

 

BANNED

 

Yingluck's brother, former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, was ousted in a 2006 coup.

Supporters of the Shinawatras accuse the ruling generals of political persecution.

 

The military government has acknowledged it wants to maintain permanent influence over future elected governments, partly through a new constitution that took effect earlier this year.

 

Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, who led the 2014 coup against Yingluck's government, has said the coup was to end political turmoil in the country. He has promised that an election will be held next year.

 

Regardless of whether she is found guilty or innocent, Yingluck will not be able to run in that election because she was banned from politics for five years in 2015 by the junta's legislature for alleged graft in the rice-purchasing programme.

 

If Yingluck is found guilty she has 30 days to appeal and is expected to post bail, avoiding any immediate prison time.

 

(Additional reporting by Amy Sawitta Lefevre, Donna Airoldi, Jorge Silva, Juarawee Kittisilpa, Panarat Thepgumpant, Panu Wongcha-um, Pracha Hariraksapitak and Suphanida Thakral; Writing by Amy Sawitta Lefevre; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-08-25

[DLang]

10 minutes ago, Jip99 said:

That is indeed the prevailing law.

Sometimes it is. 

 

 

You should visit Thailand. 

[baboon]

33 minutes ago, robblok said:

Your right about the red bull guy, but seems YL got some traits of her brother still. 

 

If she does do a runner its either an egg on the face of the junta or they deliberately let her go. Like you said she was watched a lot. 

Which means they could have arrested her within 10 minutes... If they wanted to.

Why haven't they?

[binjalin]

1 minute ago, Father Fintan Stack said:

A masterstroke by the Shinawatras again.

 

Egg on the face of the junta, headlines in the international press... 

 

My word, I am in awe of the way they have gamed the junta on this one. 

 

Exactly!  and the saga continues and will do so for many a year.

[jonclark]

2 minutes ago, robblok said:

She is not a martyr now.. she is doing a runner.. different story.. she did not dare to face the courts knowing she was indeed guilty.

 Or doing a runner in the knowledge that the verdict was a foregone conclusion due to political interference.

 

I mean its absolutely obvious she must be found guilty irrespective of the truth or evidence presented. The military needs the guilty verdict to justify the coup - as the losses from governments rice scheme were one of the key justifications for the power grab. 

 

And that is the sad irony here..she probably is accountable to a greater or lesser extent for those loses, but that will now always be open to interpretation and opinion as the comments, actions, intimidation and interference by the military gives YL and all her millions  of supporters the perfect platform from which to scream injustice and thumb their noses at reconciliation. 

 

Even if she is found guilty in abstentia  - she will still be a hugely popular figure able to influence and command huge swathes of the people. The Military has as many posters have commented on here really made a rod for their own backs with their meddling. 

 

 

[nasanews]

Run run Yingluck cause junta wants you incriminated.

[soalbundy]

28 minutes ago, colinneil said:

What a bunch of clowns, arrest warrant issued.

Only serving to make a martyr out of her.

Trying to cause unrest, so they have another excuse to delay election.

That was I suppose what she wanted, smart move, the chess game is almost over, now whose king is going to fall. Both sides can now test public reaction.

[ezzra]

She actually have given the Thai justice system the middle finger...

who are you to judge me? i'm of the Shin clan, and your rules and

laws don't apply to us Shines....

[webfact]

Court issues Yingluck arrest warrant after she fails to show up 

By Chalarntorn Yothasmutra

 

 

The Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Holders of Political Positions today issued warrant for the arrest of ex-premier Yingluck Shinawatra after she failed to appear in the court to hear her judgement on the rice pledging scheme.

 

She failed to arrive to hear the verdict which the court scheduled to announce at 9.00 am.

 

But until 10.00am she still didn’t arrive, prompting the court to schedule September 27 as the day to announce the verdict.

 

At the same time the court also issued warrant to arrest her.

 

Meanwhile Ms Yingluck claimed that she has developed symptoms of Ménière’s disease and therefore could not attend the court session today.

 

But the court dismissed her claim for absence reasoning that her claim was irrational. It then issued warrant for her arrest.

 

Full story: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/court-issues-yingluck-arrest-warrant-fails-show/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2017-08-25

[Baerboxer]

36 minutes ago, smutcakes said:

Wow that was quick.  Presumably they will be able to arrest her quickly given they have been following her around for the past 3 years.

 

Funny they could never issue an arrest warant with anh urgency for Red Bull guy.

 

Indeed. But the Red Bull boy, who if I remember correctly you used to post seeing regularly moving freely around Bangkok, never even attended any court proceedings and avoided those requested little chats with the BiB. Hardly under the magnifying glass.

 

Yingluck has attended, presented her final statement and this was the verdict. Looks like she did a runner but at the 11th hour whereas he never got past 1! 

 

Issuing is one thing, enforcement quite different. Should be easy since, they confiscated her passport, have kept her under constant observation, and even the slowest, most uninterested immi officer should recognize her. 

 

All arranged and agreed maybe?

[than]

Pathetic, but predictable. She perpetuates tradition in its families of criminals: to escape its responsibility in the face of justice. She joined the ranks of many criminal on the run such as Roman Polanski

[robblok]

5 minutes ago, baboon said:

Which means they could have arrested her within 10 minutes... If they wanted to.

Why haven't they?

Either they want her to run... or they are incompetent.

[binjalin]

3 minutes ago, than said:

Pathetic, but predictable. She perpetuates tradition in its families of criminals: to escape its responsibility in the face of justice. She joined the ranks of many criminal on the run such as Roman Polanski

Roman Polanski?  you mean it was Yingluck at 13?  both of them in that pool?  thanks for your enlightenment

[baboon]

4 minutes ago, ezzra said:

She actually have given the Thai justice system the middle finger...

who are you to judge me? i'm of the Shin clan, and your rules and

laws don't apply to us Shines....

Hilarious, isn't it? 

[Baerboxer]

Ménière’s disease - perhaps she can borrow some of Chalerm's ear medicine!

[grollies]

Can't wait for the General's TV address tonight.

[GarryP]

She probably learned of the decision in advance and decided to skip the country. Had the decision been positive for her as in "not guilty" I am pretty sure she would have turned up today.  Menieres disease is a very poor excuse.

[than]

4 minutes ago, binjalin said:

Roman Polanski?  you mean it was Yingluck at 13?  both of them in that pool?  thanks for your enlightenment

Non sence and trolling

Fugitive Polanski fled US before court give verdict in his case, like YL try to fled Thailand before conclusion of her trial

[baboon]

1 minute ago, grollies said:

Can't wait for the General's TV address tonight.

I doubt he will mention it as he would need the Benny Hill theme playing in the background...

[Baerboxer]

1 minute ago, baboon said:

Hilarious, isn't it? 

 

The pantomime goes on! Perhaps she hopes they will arrest her and hold her in jail? So the agitators can try and stir up a reaction.

A big fine, suspended sentence, maybe community service; big loss of face. And not the martyr big brother wants. So this challenge looks better to him.

 

 

[Jip99]

13 minutes ago, DLang said:

Sometimes it is. 

 

 

You should visit Thailand. 

 

I might just try that

[Docno]

I'm not usually the conspiratorial type, but I wouldn't be at all surprised if her 'runner' was suggested or even facilitated by the government. It's the best solution for them. They can still get their verdict without keeping her as a martyr behind bars. In the old days, you could simply exile troublemakers. Now governments have to hope for self-exile. In this case (and her brother's), they may have what they want... 

[baboon]

1 minute ago, Baerboxer said:

 

The pantomime goes on! Perhaps she hopes they will arrest her and hold her in jail? So the agitators can try and stir up a reaction.

A big fine, suspended sentence, maybe community service; big loss of face. And not the martyr big brother wants. So this challenge looks better to him.

 

 

Doubtful on the arrest front. They could have done so within minutes if they had wanted to.

[Bluespunk]

46 minutes ago, webfact said:

While thousands of her supporters gathered outside the Supreme Court, Yingluck did not appear as expected

Well, she did tell them not to show up....

 

Looks like she knew she was going to be ill. 

[impulse]

15 minutes ago, ezzra said:

She actually have given the Thai justice system the middle finger...

who are you to judge me? i'm of the Shin clan, and your rules and

laws don't apply to us Shines....

 

I'm amazed at the difference in the level of confidence in and respect for the Thai legal system between this thread and the dozens about the Burma2, and the several about the BBC reporter. 

 

On another note, I wouldn't rule out "suicide", either.  Until she pops up somewhere.

 

Edited August 25, 2017 by impulse

[connda]