Huge crowd of supporters welcome Yingluck at court
Hundreds of supporters gave a rapturous welcome to former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra as she entered the court building on Friday morning to attend the last day of the trial in the rice-pledging scheme case.
Key red-shirt and Pheu Thai figures were also present. Among them were Nuttawut Saikua, Weng Tojirakarn, Watana Muangsook, and Khattiya Sawasdipol.
Although Yingluck did not arrive until 8.30am, supporters had been waiting for their beloved politician since 5am. Their numbers grew quickly from dozens to hundreds over the next three hours.
Several people told The Nation they were at the court for the first time, travelling from other provinces such as Ratchaburi, Chiang Mai, and Khon Kaen. They said they wanted to give Yingluck moral support ahead of this significant court appointment.
When the former premier appeared, she was quickly engulfed by the media and fans who offered her flowers, souvenirs and kind words. They also tried to reach out to her for a handshake and a hug.
Overwhelmed by the tremendous support, Yingluck was moved to tears as she greeted her supporters.
Those who could not get near her waved their hands and cried out loudly, telling the ex-premier they loved her and telling her to keep fighting.
It took more than half-an-hour for Yingluck to walk just 20 meters, to get past the supporters and enter the court building.
Yingluck has been accused of negligence in preventing corruption and irregularities in the controversial rice-pledging scheme. If found guilty, she could face a heavy fine and a jail term up to 10 years.
In the final hearing on Friday, eight defence witnesses will testify before closing statement and the final verdict would be given.
The court will also today rule on whether to grant a request by Yingluck to seek a Constitutional Court review on her case’s legal validity under the new Constitution, which came into effect in April.
In her last-ditch attempt to delay a high-court judgement, Yingluck pointed out in her petition that Article 235 of the new charter requires the court to base its consideration upon the inquiry file of the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC). She said that this contradicted the 1999 law on court procedures, which required the court to mainly rely on the report by the relevant NACC committee.
