The Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Holders of Political Positions has scheduled two more hearings in the case, the first for this coming Friday and then the final hearing on July 21.

A huge number of people are expected to turn out to show their support for Yingluck on the last day of her trial.

Army chief General Chalermchai Sitthisart said on Tuesday that public order would be maintained by sending troops in addition to police officers, who are normally in charge of security at the court.

“If they want to hold any activities or protest, they need to seek permission from the agencies concerned. But if they just want to show up to give moral support, they should know how to behave to avoid any conflict,” he said.

Yingluck has been charged with negligence for failing to prevent corruption in the rice-pledging scheme when she was prime minister, and could face a long jail term if found guilty.

She has also been told to pay a compensation of Bt35 billion by a separate executive order for causing losses to the State as a result of her policy.

The scheme allegedly wasted about Bt500 billion of the state budget.