Thai junta seeks Yingluck's arrest as former PM skips court verdict

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand’s Supreme Court accused ousted prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra of fleeing or going into hiding on Friday after she failed to show up for the verdict in a negligence trial brought by the ruling junta.

Yingluck, 50, whose family has dominated Thai politics for more than 15 years, faces up to 10 years in prison if found guilty in a case centered on the multi-billion dollar losses incurred by a rice subsidy scheme for farmers.

The court set a new date of Sept. 27 for the verdict, and said it would seek an arrest warrant for Yingluck as it did not believe her excuse that she could not attend the court hearing because of an ear problem.

“We think that the defendant is hiding or has fled,” a statement from a Supreme Court judge said. “She asked for sick leave not to show up today.”

Yingluck’s lawyer, Norrawit Lalaeng, said her team had told him on Friday morning she had an “ear fluid imbalance” and could not attend court. He said he was unaware whether she was still in the country.

Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan said he could not confirm whether Yingluck was still in Thailand.

“She could be at any hospital ... she could be ill. It’s not clear whether she has fled,” he told reporters. “Yingluck has many homes and many cars. It is difficult to track her.”

The head of immigration police, Nanthathorn Prousoontorn, told Reuters he believed she was still in the country and would be arrested when she was found.

A spokeswoman for Yingluck declined to comment.

Yingluck last commented on social media on Thursday, saying on her Facebook page that she would not be able to meet supporters at court because of the security measures. The doors of her home were shut and local media said there had been no movement there since the early morning.

Yingluck’s brother Thaksin Shinawatra, who heads the political clan, was overthrown in a 2006 coup and fled into exile to escape corruption charges that he said were aimed at demolishing the populist movement he founded.

That movement, pitted against a Bangkok-centered royalist and pro-military elite, has been at the heart of years of turmoil.

The verdict against Yingluck is widely seen as having the potential to reignite tensions, though the junta has largely snuffed out open opposition.

Hundreds of Yingluck supporters had gathered outside the court on Friday where around 4,000 police had been deployed and checkpoints had been set up. The trial has taken around two years and Yingluck has shown up for previous hearings.