Impeachment proceedings against Thailand’s first woman Premier on Friday began with Yingluck Shinawatra’s impassioned defence of her loss-making rice subsidy scheme before a military-backed legislature, a move seen as a bid to keep her powerful family out of politics.
Yingluck, 47, faces impeachment by the National legislative Assembly (NlA) over the controversial programme, which, though popular, cost billions of dollars and triggered protests that toppled her Government. She also faces charges of dereliction of duty in supervising the programme. If impeached, Yingluck could be banned from politics for five years. Yingluck, who showed up at parliament on Friday morning amid tight security, was greeted by her supporters outside the parliament.
But no huge crowd arrived as was anticipated. Carrying 30 documents containing 139 pages to boost her defence, a smiling Yingluck offered an impassioned defence of the subsidy programme. “I ran the Government with honesty and in accordance with all laws,” she told the Assembly.