Police believe a second photo of former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra, in the company of an unidentified woman, said to have been taken in London during the New Year period, is genuine.
The picture spread online early this week. It followed an earlier photo of a woman resembling Yingluck which surfaced late last month and was reported to have been taken on Dec 26 at Westfield Shopping Centre in West London.
Obtained by Khao Sod newspaper, the latest picture supposedly shows the ex-premier having her photo taken with a Thai woman, in a location also believed to be London, during the New Year period.
Commenting on the picture, deputy national police chief Srivara Ransibrahmanakul said yesterday the photo is likely to be authentic, citing forensic officers' initial probe results.
The UK authorities, he said, will be contacted to ask about the appearance of the former premier there.
He said he does not believe there is an agenda behind the release of the photos of Yingluck, adding that although her Thai passports have been revoked it is not known what passports from other countries she may hold.
He said after the pictures of Yingluck surfaced, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and his deputy, Gen Prawit Wongsuwon, instructed officers to look into the matter with a view to locating and arresting the fugitive.
Last year, the Royal Thai Police Foreign Affairs Division asked Interpol for assistance in apprehending Yingluck, said Pol Gen Srivara, but so far no new information has been passed along to his office.
The latest confirmed whereabouts of the former premier was provided by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) police in November after she had left the country, he said, adding that Thai authorities also asked Interpol to clarify whether Yingluck would be eligible to receive refugee status of any kind.
Referring to the woman in the photo with Yingluck, Pol Gen Srivara said officers were attempting to ascertain her identity.
Pol Maj Gen Thawatchai Mekprasertsuk, commander of the Office of Police Forensic Science, has stated that he believes it is highly likely that the latest picture of Yingluck was not doctored since the photo is high resolution. This differs from the first photo which was said to be Yingluck on a shopping trip, but which was of a much lower resolution, he noted.
He however said it remains unknown when the two pictures were taken as the police did not have access to any of the metadata from the original images.
Pol Col Suraphan Thaiprasert, deputy commander of the police Foreign Affairs Division, said his agency checked with UK Interpol and the British embassy in Thailand about Yingluck's possible movements in the country late last month, but no reply had been given.
Yingluck fled after failing to show up for a negligence ruling over her government's rice-pledging scheme on Sept 27 last year.
Since then speculation has mounted that she could be residing with her fellow fugitive and brother Thaksin in Dubai or applying for asylum in the UK.
