Thai PM faces negligence charges

Thailand's anti-corruption agency weighed charges of negligence against Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra on Thursday as the leader of protests aimed at forcing her from power suggested a televised debate after weeks or refusing to talk.

The charges relate to a disastrous rice subsidy scheme that paid farmers above the market price and has run out of funds, adding to the government's woes as farmers - normally the prime minister's biggest supporters - demand their money.

More than 300 government supporters gathered outside the National Anti-Corruption Commission in north Bangkok where the charges were due to be discussed with Yingluck's lawyers, as riot police stood guard inside the complex.

Because of the protest, the hearing had to be moved to a different location. Yingluck, who has stayed mostly out of Bangkok in recent days, did not attend.

The anti-government protesters elsewhere in the city, whose disruption of a general election this month has left Thailand in paralysis, want to topple Yingluck and erase the influence of her brother, ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra.

Protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban, known for making dramatic gestures without always following through, said he is willing to negotiate with Yingluck to end the country's political crisis, if she is willing to talk with him live on television.

"Just tell me when and where," he told supporters. "Give us two chairs and a microphone and transmit it live on television so the people can see."

Yingluck gave a guarded response.

"The talks have to have a framework though I am not sure what that framework would look like," she told reporters in the town of Chiang Mai in the north, a Thaksin stronghold. "But many parties have to be involved because I alone cannot answer on behalf of the Thai people."

A general election this month was disrupted by anti-government protesters and is unlikely to be completed for many weeks.

The protesters want to set up a "people's council" to spearhead political reform before new polls are held, hoping that will stop parties loyal to the self-exiled Thaksin from winning. However, the protesters have not specified how the composition of such a people's council would be determined.

They have been on Bangkok's streets since November and have blocked main intersections for weeks to press their case.

Intermittent bursts of gunfire and grenade blasts have become routine at night during the political conflict, which has taken a heavy toll on tourism in the capital, famous for its temples and bars.

Rock guitarist Eric Clapton has pulled out of a Bangkok concert scheduled for Sunday because of deteriorating security.

The NACC is investigating at least 15 cases against Yingluck and her party members, ranging from allegations of corruption in water projects to moves to make the Senate a fully elected body, which a court has ruled illegal.

It alleges Yingluck was negligent for not ending the rice subsidy program, which it says was riddled with corruption. If found guilty, she faces removal from office and a five-year ban from politics.

Reuters-AP

Supporters greet Thailand's Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra in the northern town of Chiang Mai on Thursday. Reuters

(China Daily 02/28/2014 page11)