NAN-F-34
Verdict
Bangkok, Aug. 22, 2017 (dpa/NAN) About 4,000 police officers will be deployed to Bangkok Supreme Court on Friday, as thousands are expected to watch the hearing of a criminal negligence verdict against Thai former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, officials said.
The Deputy National Police Chief, Srivara Ransibrahmanakul, said the number surpassed the 2,500 officers that were initially announced.
“Police are prepared to use non-lethal weapons such as tear gas, pepper spray, rubber bullets and batons if the crowd breaks the laws and gets out of control,’’ Ransibrahmanakuld said.
Breaching barricades outside the court or protesting the verdict if Yingluck is found guilty will also be considered as breach of the law.
Yingluck, Thailand’s first and only female prime minister, was toppled in a May 2014 coup.
She was subsequently charged with criminal negligence for her administration’s controversial rice subsidy scheme, which allegedly resulted in losses for the country of between $4 billion and $17 billion.
Her 18-month trial will come to a close with a verdict on Friday.
If found guilty, Yingluck could face up to 10 years imprison and be disqualified from becoming prime minister again.
Despite her court case and the junta-imposed ban from politics, Yingluck remains popular among the rural population in the country’s north and north-east.
Some of her supporters reported being called in by the army to sign an agreement not to travel to the Supreme Court on Friday. (dpa/NAN)
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Edited by Celine-Damilola Oyewole/Abdullahi Yusuf