EU extends invitation to ex-Thai PM Yingluck

but will the junta let her travel? (UPDATED)

Thailand's former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra. Pic: AP.

by Saksith Saiyasombut- 24th November 2015

A LETTER appearing to be an invitation by European Union

parliamentarians to former Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to
talk at the EU is being circulated in Thailand, sparking speculation about
her future whereabouts amidst criminal charges at home and
implications for the relations between the EU and the Thai military.
Signed by Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) Elmar Brok and

Werner Langen, the letter (see below) recalls Yinglucks visit to the EU in
March 2013, before addressing the current political situation in Thailand
under the military junta with concern. The letter concludes with an
invitation to the former prime minister for an exchange of views
either in Brussels or in Strasbourg.
Yingluck and her Pheu Thai Party-led government were toppled in a

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military coup on May 22, 2014 following over half a year of sustained
anti-government protests. She and hundreds of Thais, including her
cabinet ministers and party colleagues, were detained for several days
by the military at various places in the country, before being released
under the condition that they not rally against the Thai junta.
Since then, she has been impeached by the National Legislative
Assembly (NLA), an ersatz-parliament fully appointed by the military
junta, and is now facing criminal charges at the Supreme Court for
alleged negligence over her governments rice subsidy program.
The policy in which the government bought the rice from farmers at
roughly 50 per cent more than the market price was hugely popular
among her partys rural electorate and is credited to have helped her
secure a landslide election victory in 2011. But the rice scheme program
was slammed by critics for alleged cases of corruption, a huge financial
loss of reportedly 500 billion baht ($14 billion) and millions of tonnes of
rice rotting away in stockpiles while still waiting for a buyer. The latest
reports suggests that 2 million tonnes of rotten rice have been
approved for sale, which then can be used for industrial purposes such
as the production of ethanol.

Workers unload rice from a truck in northeastern Thailand. Pic: AP.

The case against Yingluck is scheduled to start on January 16, 2016 and
expected to go on throughout the year. If found guilty, she could face a
jail sentence of up to 10 years.
Amidst that, the letter from Europe comes at a peculiar time. Thailanguage daily Khaosod reportedon Monday that it received word from
the Pheu Thai Party about the letter, a copy of which was later
circulated by its sister publication Matichon. Other media outlets
reported, based on sources close to Yingluck, that she hasnt decided yet
whether to accept the invitation.
Since the coup last year, several Western countries have downgraded
their relations with the Thai military government, including the European
Union. Not only has it banned any state visits on and above ministerial
levels, it also suspended talks over a potential free trade agreement in
the immediate aftermath of the coup (much to the annoyance of

European business lobbyists in Bangkok). The likelihood of a resumption

of talks is probably zero, according to Miguel Ceballos Baron, a top
aide to EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrm. He added that itll
be never ratified as long as the junta stays at the helm.
In light of the deteriorating human rights situation under the Thai
military junta and thedeep revamp of the political system under the
guidance of the generals, several European parliamentarians across the
political spectrum criticized the current regime in October. The European
Parliament as a whole passed a non-binding resolution condemning the
illegal coup of May 2014 and demand to overturn convictions and
sentences, to withdraw charges and to release individuals and media
operators who have been sentenced or charged for peacefully exercising
their rights to freedom of expression or assembly. (Full text here)
The letter to Yingluck is dated October 7, a day before the vote in the EU
parliament. The signatures are apparently those of MEPs Elmar
Brok and Werner Langen, both from Germany and members of the
European Peoples Party (EPP), consisting of national Christian
democratic and conservative parties. Mr. Brok is the longest-serving
member of the EU parliament and has served as the chairman of the EU
foreign affairs committee since 2012, a position he held previously
between 1999 to 2008. Mr. Langen, an MEP veteran of over 20 years,
is the chairman of the EU parliamentary delegation to ASEAN. Both men
are also co-signatories of the aforementioned resolution condemning the
Thai junta (full voters list).
Whether Yingluck will travel to Europe is entirely up to the junta. While
it allowed her to travel to Paris in July 2014 for the birthday of her exiled
brother and former PM Thaksin, the generals banned her from traveling

abroad without prior consent immediately after last years coup,

and again earlier this year, in order to prevent her from fleeing into exile
(like her brother), shortly before her indictment over the aforementioned
criminal charges for the rice scheme policy.
Asian Correspondent has reached out to MEPs Elmar Brok and Werner
Langen for comments.
+++UPDATE 20.30h Nov 24, 2015 +++
One of the co-signatories of the invitation to former Thai prime minister
Yingluck Shinawatra has confirmed the letters authenticity. Yes, the
letter is by me and Mr. Brok, says Werner Langen, MEP, in reply to an
email by Asian Correspondent.
He hopes that the military government will allow Yingluck to travel to
Brussels or Strasbourg. Furthermore, Mr. Langen says that the European
Union wants to assist Thailand with a return to democratic structures
contribute a reconciliation between the rivaling factions.
Posted by Thavam