The National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) yesterday denied growing speculation it had secretly agreed to allow ex-prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra to escape from the country ahead of the rice-pledging ruling last Friday.
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Regime denies Yingluck deal
Wassana Nanuam & Mongkol Bangprapa
The National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) yesterday denied growing speculation it had secretly agreed to allow ex-prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra to escape from the country ahead of the rice-pledging ruling last Friday.
The NCPO yesterday came out to defend itself after critics suggested it stood to lose more than it gained if Ms Yingluck was sentenced to jail for her role in the rice scheme. Critics suggested it turned a blind eye as she made her escape or even was complicit in her plans.
The allegations against the NCPO have emerged on both social and mainstream media as well as by word of mouth and come amid media reports, quoting Pheu Thai sources, claiming Ms Yingluck had arrived in Dubai and met her elder brother Thaksin. They also come as Cambodia's strongman Hun Sen denied she had passed through his country.
Ms Yingluck failed to show up at the Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Political Office-Holders for the ruling last Friday, prompting expressions of surprise by the prime minister and a concession by his deputy that officials may have helped her flee. The regime has since come under fire for permitting a security lapse enabling her escape or being part of her escape plan.
In response, NCPO spokesman Winthai Suvari said: "That was simply a personal opinion of those attempting to connect this with that, which should never happen as such speculation deals with accusations against a third party. It is not based on any proof or evidence but solely personal views."
A source in the NCPO said the NCPO wasn't aware of and didn't approve Ms Yingluck's escape from Thailand. The source said her escape would not benefit the NCPO, as shown by the harsh criticism it was now facing over her escape.
"We instead believe there were several gaps [in security measures] exploited by Ms Yingluck in her escape," the NCPO source said. It is believed Ms Yingluck and her team had planned her escape well ahead and waited for the right time to flee when security officials were convinced she would not run away, the source said.
According to the Khmer Times, Cambodia has denied allowing former prime minister Yingluck to transit through the country en route to Dubai after she fled the court judgement.
Prime Minister Hun Sen told a meeting of 5,000 factory workers in Phnom Penh "there was no record of Ms Yingluck coming through Cambodia".
You can read the full Bangkok Post story here: http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/politics/1313939/regime-denies-yingluck-deal
