South-East Asia (Page 1,561)

The Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Holders of Political Positions on Tuesday acquitted former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra of malfeasance in her 2011 transfer of a National Security Council secretary-general.

The court ruled that Yingluck had no intention of causing damage and it was a normal transfer, not part of a plot to vacate the position of national police chief and appoint a relative to the job.

The court also revoked a warrant for the arrest of Yingluck, issued when she failed to appear in court  in November last year for her trial in the case.

The alleged abuse of power occurred on Sept 30, 2011 when Yingluck, then prime minister, signed an order transfering Thawil Pliensri from the position of NSC secretary-general to work as an adviser to the prime minister. The cabinet approved the appointment of Pol Gen Wichean Potephosree, who was then national police chief, to replace Mr Thawil at the NSC.

After that Yingluck, as ex-officio chair of the Police Commission, proposed that Pol Gen Priewphan Damapong, then deputy police chief and a close relative of hers, be appointed national police chief, filling the vacancy left by Pol Gen Wichean. This proposal was approved by the Police Commission.

Pol Gen Priewphan is a brother of Thaksin Shinawatra’s former wife Potjaman Na Pombejra and was due to retire on Sept 30, 2012.

Mr Thawil petitioned the Supreme Administrative Court, which subsequently ordered the revocation of the transfer order. Moreover, the Constitutional Court ruled unanimously that Yingluck had abused her power by interfering in the transfer of government officials. She was then removed from the premiership.

On July 1, 2020, the National Anti-Corruption Commission ruled there were grounds to find Yingluck had been dishonest in performing her duties and recommended the attorney general bring a lawsuit against her in the Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Holders of Political Positions.

A warrant for Yingluck’s arrest was issued when she failed to appear before the court for the first hearing of the case in November 2022.

Yingluck cried foul over the warrant, saying she had been the victim of relentless persecution in the Thawil case.

Yingluck, 56, has been on the run since August 2017, when she failed to appear in court for the reading of its ruling on a charge of dereliction of duty in a rice-pledging programme that ran up at least 500 billion baht in losses, some of it from corruption.

She was subsequently sentenced to five years in prison.

Her elder brother Thaksin returned to the country on Aug 22 this year after more than 15 years of self-exile abroad.

He was immediately sentenced to eight years in prison in three cases – later reduced to one year by royal clemency – for abuse of authority and conflict of interest while serving as prime minister prior to 2006.

Thaksin, 74, spent only 12 hours in prison before being transferred to the Police General Hospital, where he has had two operations and continues to be treated for a variety of ailments.

On Monday former deputy prime minister Wissanu Krea-ngam, a lawyer, said that if Yingluck wanted to seek a royal pardon she would first have to return to Thailand and enter the justice system.

Thawil Pliensri, former secretary-general of the National Security Council.

Former MP doubts if Thaksin is at hospital

A veteran politician on Tuesday asked the Supreme Administrative Court to veto a new corrections regulation that would allow convicted former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who is admitted at Police General Hospital, to remain outside of prison.

Dr Warong Dechgitvigrom, chairman of the Thai Pakdee Party, led representatives of eight associated parties to file their petition with the Supreme Administrative Court.

“The regulation could allow the executive branch and the Department of Corrections, under political supervision, to have more power than the judiciary in altering court-issued imprisonment sentences,” said the former MP. “This undermines the judicial system and the rule of law in the country.”

Thaksin returned to the country on Aug 22 after 15 years of his self-imposed exile. On the same day, the Supreme Court sentenced him to eight years in jail, later commuted to one year through a royal pardon. The former premier, 74, was admitted to Police General Hospital on the night of Aug 22, 13 hours after he first entered prison. Police General Hospital has an agreement with the Department of Corrections to admit seriously ill patients in its custody.

Dr Warong added that he doubted Thaksin was seriously ill and urged representatives of Police General Hospital, the Royal Thai Police Office, the Department of Corrections and the government to disclose the convict’s current health status and location. 

“People must be assured that he [Thaksin] is still at the hospital. Without proof, a potential jailbreak may arise,” Dr Warong said.

He said Thaksin’s relatives visited him only immediately after his transfer to Police General Hospital, casting doubt on his continued presence at the facility.

Meanwhile, Justice Minister Thawee Sodsong said the Department of Corrections director-general (Sahakarn Phetnarin) had not submitted a doctor’s opinion on Thaksin’s condition despite his prolonged stay at Police General Hospital, surpassing the 120-day threshold for hospital treatment.

The 120-day deadline fell on Dec 22, last Friday. According to regulations, opinions from the relevant doctor and prison governor are required when an inmate’s medical leave exceeds 120 days.

Former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra waves to supporters when he arrived at Don Mueang airport on Aug 22. (Photo: Pattarapong Chatpattarasill)

The arrival of delayed flights was the cause of the long queues and lengthy waits for incoming passengers at Suvarnabhumi airport early Monday morning, according to the Immigration Bureau.

Pol Maj Gen Choengron Rimpadee, chief of Immigration Division 2,  said the influx occurred between midnight and 2am on Monday, when 5,563 passengers arrived on 22 flights.

“Inbound traffic surged 33% above normal because of some delayed flights and the number of inbound passengers rose by about 1,000 above the usual number,” Pol Maj Gen Choengron said.

Inbound passengers queue overflowed the immigration hall at Suvarnabhumi airport. Passengers took about 40 minutes to pass through immigration, even though immigration booths were staffed to the maximum, he said.

Arriving flights normally peaked between 1pm and 8pm, he said.

He also advised travellers to ensure they kept their boarding passes handy to speed up the process, because immigration officers needed to register the documents.

Persistent rain continues to cause flooding in five lower southern provinces, with Narathiwat suffering the most.

The others are Yala, Pattani, Songkhla and Satun, the Interior Ministry reported on Tuesday.

Spokeswoman Traisuree Taisaranakul said continuous rain since Friday had caused flooding which affected 19,624 families in 24 districts of the five provinces.

Narathiwat was the hardest hit with 16,680 affected households in 11 inundated districts. Floods were reported in six districts of Yala, four in Pattani, two in Songkhla and one in Satun.

Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin and some cabinet ministers would visit Narathiwat after the regular cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Ms Traisuree said.

The Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency reported that on Monday evening floods covered 89,027 rai (about 142 square kilometres) in Narathiwat, Pattani and Yala. The flooded areas included 15,688 rai (about 25 square kilometres) of paddy fields.