Former Thai Prime Minister Speaks for First Time After Leaving Country
After nearly a year of silence, former Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra today took to social media to publicly thank her brother and supporters.
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Ms. Yingluck Shinawatra thanked her supporters after the first trial in May 2015 on charges of negligence leading to billions of dollars in government losses in a rice subsidy program. Photo:AP. |
"This is my first birthday abroad," the former Thai prime minister wrote on Facebook on June 21. "I want to thank the Thai people for still thinking of me. All the friendship, love and good things from everyone, I will never forget."
Yingluck Shinawatra also thanked her brother, formerPrime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, for taking such good care of her and celebrating her 51st birthday. Yingluck last spoke on social media on August 24 last year, when she urged her supporters to stay home instead of gathering in front of the Supreme Court to hear the former prime minister's impeachment on charges of causing loss of goods.billion dollars of government in rice subsidy program.
Former Prime Minister Thaksin wished his sister happiness and good health on her birthday. He also promised to take good care of her while she was living abroad.Thaksin and Yingluck have recently appeared together in the US, UK and several Asian countries, including Japan, China and Singapore.
According toBBC, the British government last month granted 10-year non-immigrant visas toYingluckUnder the regulations for this type of visa, Yingluck is allowed to stay in the UK for no more than 6 months at a time.
Jom Petchpradab, a freelance journalist who followed the two former Thai prime ministers on their recent trip to the United States, also wished Yingluck a happy birthday on Facebook. The reporter quoted people who had spoken to the two former prime ministers while in the state.Kentucky, USA on why Yingluck fled Thailand.
"I was told that she had no intention of fleeing and was willing to go to prison. She believed that she would receive the due process of law that she required. And then another voice rang out: 'I will not let my sister be behind bars, not for a day, not for a second,'" the reporter said.Petchpradab narrated.
In September 2017, during Yingluck's trial in absentia, the Supreme Court of ThailandThe court sentenced the former female prime minister to five years in prison and ordered her to pay damages.