MEPs back move to invite ousted Thai premier to visit European Parliament

Members of the European Parliament have strongly backed the invitation to invite former Thai premier Yingluck Shinawatra to visit the assembly. Shinawatra is under house arrest facing trumped up political charges  that could land her a ten-year jail sentence.

She was ousted from power in a May 2014 coup by the military junta that now runs the country.

Its leaders have condemned the decision by German MEPs Elmar Brok and Werner Langen to invite Shinawatra to visit the institution in either Brussels or Strasbourg.

The invitation has received national media attention in Thailand and once again raised questions about the legitimacy of the Thai junta’s continued governance. It is also drawing international global media attention to the reaction by the Thai leader, Gen Prayuth, to the invitation.

Thai Prime Minister General Prayuth Chan-ocha alleged that the invitation letter was  a fake,  casting doubt on its authenticity.

But a Parliament spokesman confirmed to this website that the letter was genuine, saying, "The invitation letter was sent by Mr Brok and Mr Langen."

They are, respectively, chairs of the Foreign Affairs Committee and Delegation to South East Asia Countries.

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It is unclear if the military leaders will allow her to travel to Belgium or France but leading UK Conservative MEP Charles Tannock,a member of the foreign affairs committee, defended the invitation.

Tannock, also a member of ECR group in Parliament, told this website, "Individual MEPs are entitled to invite whoever they chose within reason to visit them in the European Parliament and I would fully support any of my colleagues' right to do so.

"The visit by Ms Yingluck does not signal any official endorsement of her views by the European Parliament but many of us interested in safeguarding democracy in Thailand would be very interested to meet her and hear what she has to say as a former Prime Minister if she visits us in Brussels or Strasbourg."

Further support for the right to invite Shinawatra came from another British MEP Roger Helmer, a member of the UK Independence Party, who said, "These individuals are perfectly entitled to invite whom they will to address groups of MEPs in Brussels, and I would defend that right.

"They do not have to request the permission of the government of the state of which the invitee is a citizen.  Given that the current Thai government has rather doubtful democratic credentials, it seems entirely appropriate to talk to a former Prime Minister.

"We would also talk (for example) to Aung San Siu Chee despite Burma, or the Dalai Llama despite China."

A Parliamentary insider said: "Allegations that Yingluck is guilty of corruption and abuse of authority over a rice pricing scheme in 2011 is nothing more than a remarkable and indefensible accusation."

Not content with banning her from office for five years the junta is accused of being determinedly building a pseudo-legal attack against Yingluck to publicly discredit her.

"However, the accusations are not only false but also an abuse of the country's democratic fabric and rule of law. It is a naked attempt by the generals to silence their most potent political opponent," said the EU source.

On Tuesday (24 November), Thai Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai and deputy government spokesman Werachon Sukondhapatipak acknowledged awareness of the invitation and Don said there had been reports about attempts to "lobby the European Parliament."

The  Thai Embassy to the EU carries out active dialogue with the EU institutions and there have been reports that some MEPs have been subjected to subtle "intimidation" , or warnings, from Thai government officials when voicing their opinions about the direction of the country since the coup.

The Foreign Ministry, he said, would need to verify the reports and check the contents of the invitation letter before commenting further.

If Yingluck sought permission to travel abroad, the government would need to
"verify the letter and its source," the deputy government spokesman said.

The letter states:, "The situation since the military coup is indeed worrisome. Your country is still without a democratically elected legislature and will probably remain so at least until mid-2017."

It also refers to Yingluck's impeachment over the rice-pledging scheme, saying the impeachment and trial in the Supreme Court over the scheme was a cause for concern.

It said the current period of "instability" looked likely to continue and the government's plan for charter reform had failed, after being rejected by the National Reform Council set up by the junta.

With the former PM facing a trial in the Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Political Office Holders she would have to ask permission from the court and National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), if she wants to travel abroad.

A close aide of the former PM said any decision on Yingluck Going abroad would depend on the NCPO.

If permission was granted she would accept the invitation and find a proper time to go.

Since the coup in May last year, the NCPO permitted Yingluck to visit France in July, then Japan and China with her son in October. She met her brother, former PM Thaksin, in China.

The venue of the briefing could be conducted either in Brussels or in Strasbourg, France - on any date that Yingluck finds convenient.

The letter said the European Parliament recalled Yingluck's successful visit to the European Union institutions in March 2013, when she was prime minister.

The junta has recently come under increasing fire on various fronts, including alleged rights abuses, plus human trafficking, suppression of civil rights to freedom of expressiion, movement and assembly  as well as breaches of international fishing regulations.

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