Thailand cooperates with 6 countries to hunt down former Prime Minister Yingluck

Thailand has contacted six countries, including Vietnam, to request assistance in the hunt for former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.

Former Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra. Photo: Reuters.

Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said on August 29 that the country's Foreign Ministry has contacted six countries through diplomatic channels, including Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), for support in the hunt for Ms. Yingluck Shinawatra, Nation reported.

Thai authorities are also checking entry points along the border to look for Ms. Yingluck. Ms. Yingluck fled Thailand just before a court sentenced her to life in prison for negligence in managing a rice subsidy program for farmers, causing losses to the state budget.

Ms Yingluck is believed to have fled to Dubai, UAE, and is suspected of seeking political asylum in the UK. However, Thailand has not contacted the UK because Mr Chan-o-cha believes Ms Yingluck does not meet the criteria for approval.

Thai army chief Chalermchai Sitthisat said Yingluck's escape plan was carefully planned in advance and had help from Thaksin Shinawatra. Former prime minister Thaksin, Yingluck's brother, has a house in Dubai. He lives in exile there to avoid a 2008 jail sentence for corruption.

"Ms. Yingluck could have fled on her own. Her brother could have helped prepare things like a private jet," he said. Ms. Yingluck had abandoned her phone and changed cars just before she disappeared.

Sitthisat believes that Ms. Yingluck has left Thailand, although there is no solid evidence. He admits that this development shows that the activities of the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) and the military have loopholes./.

According to VNE