Former Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra. (Photo: @zenjournalist Twitter/VNA) Bangkok (VNA) – Former Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra is still waiting for political asylum status to be granted by the UK, a source from Pheu Thai Party said on January 7.
The source confirmed that Yingluck had filed the request for political asylum in the UK after the Supreme Court released its verdict in November 2017 affirming her guilty in the rice-pledging scheme-related case.
If her application is approved, she would be granted a passport or travel document valid from that date on.
Thanakit Worathanachakul, a senior prosecutor at the Office of the Attorney-General, said Yingluck may have applied for political asylum in the UK. His statement was made following a series of photos which appeared on the Thai media showing that the former PM was in Westfield Shopping Centre in London.
The Thai police contacted with UK authorities via Interpol to define where Yingluck is residing.
Yingluck was accused of abusing power in May 2014. Her dereliction of the rice subsidy scheme supervision led to severe loss to the country. She will face a jail term of 10 years and face the seizure of assets worth 35 billion baht (nearly 1 billion USD) over the loss.
The rice scheme was a flagship policy of Yingluck’s election campaign with the Pheu Thai party, which helped her win the 2011 general election. The scheme offered to buy rice from farmers at a double of market price then keep in store houses nationwide.-VNA
VNA
