Policeman being interrogated over Yingluck escape

A Police Colonel was detained for interrogation last night (Thursday) on suspicion of helping fugitive former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra flee the country.

The policeman, a deputy commander, was said to be close to a former Metropolitan Police Bureau chief, was brought to Royal Thai Police headquarters along with a bronze Toyota Camry with Chor Khor 5323 license plate. The car was seized in Nakhon Pathom province.

Police believe the detained officer drove the now-seized car that took Yingluck out of Thailand just two days before the Supreme Court was to read their judgement on August 25 in her case of alleged negligence over her government’s rice-pledging scheme

Deputy police commissioner Pol General Srivara Ransibrahmanakul began interrogating the suspect at 10.30pm on Thursday. He also ordered the police forensic science department to collect DNA and fingerprints from the car for further evidence.

A source said the interrogation would continue throughout the night.

Yingluck pulled off a dramatic disappearing act last month, two days before the Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Political Office Holders was due to deliver a verdict in her trial.

While Yingluck’s location remains unknown to the general public, the verdict will eventually be read out on September 27. If found guilty, the former prime minister could face up to 10 years in jail and a lifetime ban from politics

She has not made any public appearance since August 23, but there are widespread reports she is now with her brother Thaksin, who lives in self-exile in Dubai.

STORY: The Nation