UK 'lacks information' on Yingluck

Fugitive ex-prime ministers Thaksin (left) and Yingluck Shinawatra, seen here at a restaurant serving Northeastern cuisine, continue to flaunt the good life of London on their social media accounts. (Photo via Instagram)

Ex-foreign minister Kasit Piromya said Wednesday the government should provide the UK and international community with more detailed information to substantiate Bangkok's request to extradite fugitive former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra.

Mr Kasit, a supporter of the yellow-shirt People's Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) when it was at the height of influence against Thaksin Shinawatra 10 years ago, said he believes the UK lacks adequate information about her case.

"The government must confirm Yingluck's case is not a political [witch-hunt]. It has to give details about [her administration's] rice-pledging case and the damage it has caused the country, as well as the fact that a former minister is in prison in a related case," he said.

He said the details would add weight to the extradition's request, noting the government should coordinate with every country where Yingluck is known to have travelled.

Mr Kasit's comments came after the government revealed it has sought her extradition from the UK, where she is believed to have been based since fleeing Thailand last year to avoid a jail sentence.

She made her escape last August, shortly before the Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Holders of Political Positions was scheduled to hand down a ruling in a rice-pledging case in which she was indicted of negligence of duty.

The court found her guilty and ordered a five-year jail term in absentia.

Calls for her extradition resurfaced after Yingluck was seen in a video clip posted on Instagram last weekend in which she said she is now living in Covent Garden in London's West End.

Deputy national police chief Srivara Ransibrahmanakul said Wednesday that police are verifying her whereabouts and will submit information to the prosecution's office to seek her extradition.

Amnat Chotchai, director-general of the International Affairs Department at the Office of the Attorney-General (OAG), said the request states clearly that the case against Yingluck is not politically motivated.

However, the decision to collaborate with or ignore the request will lie with the British government, he said.

Moreover, little progress has been made in the ongoing attempt to extradite her older brother Thaksin, another fugitive former premier, he added. Thaksin is known to spend time in London and Dubai.