A sensational event has been recorded in Thailand's political scene — the country's Supreme Administrative Court found former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra responsible for economic damages to the state on May 22 and demanded her to pay 10 billion baht (305 million dollars) in compensation. This was reported by Reuters.
Yingluck Shinawatra is the first female prime minister in the country's history, who came to power in 2011 and left her position following a military coup in 2014. She was sentenced to five years in prison for negligence of duty by the court in 2017 and has been living abroad since then.
Farmers' assistance program — billions in damages to the state
One of the largest projects implemented during Yingluck's leadership was the "rice program" designed to provide financial assistance to farmers. Under this program, the government purchased rice from farmers at 50% above market price. The government aimed to stimulate the agricultural sector through this, but this policy turned into an economic disaster in practice — millions of tons of unsold rice accumulated in warehouses, and the state lost billions of baht.
Main conclusion of the court: negligence of duty
The court's decision evaluated Yingluck's actions as "excessive negligence." The judges emphasized that she failed to adequately protect the financial interests of the state while in a high position and put the country's budget in a difficult situation due to political populism.
At the same time, the court previously deemed the 35 billion baht compensation demand as unfounded and acknowledged that the liability was excessive. The ruling was limited to the new amount of 10 billion baht.
Political context and the Shinawatra family
The decision comes against the backdrop of the political situation in the country, with the "Pheu Thai" party returning to power and Yingluck's brother — former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra returning to the country after 15 years. His daughter Paetongtarn Shinawatra is currently considered one of the prominent political figures.
The Shinawatra family considers the lawsuits against them as political persecution and emphasizes that conservative structures in the country are trying to exclude them from the political scene.
Yingluck's response: the ruling is unjust
In a statement sent to journalists, Yingluck Shinawatra described the compensation amount demanded by the court — 10 billion baht — as "excessive and unjust." She did not deny that political motives might lie behind this decision.
This decision once again revealed the extremely difficult relationship between politics and the judicial system in Thailand. The court ruling under military influence, the crisis in the country's economy caused by the farmers' assistance program, and the fate of the political leader — all of these illustrate the direction in which democratic processes in Thailand are heading.
The editorial team of Zamin.uz closely monitors these processes. What are your thoughts on this ruling? Is it true justice or political retribution?
