IT HAS been almost six months since former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra fled the country just before a court verdict in a criminal case that stemmed from her government’s corruption-plagued rice-pledging scheme.

She lived in seclusion overseas for months until, shortly before the New Year, she was spotted in public in London.

Just last week, Yingluck was photographed in Beijing with her brother Thaksin, who is also wanted by Thai authorities. The siblings later went to Tokyo and then Hong Kong.

It seems time has arrived for Yingluck to make a significant political move – something that her supporters have been patiently waiting for.

Politicians in the Pheu Thai Party who are loyal to the Shinawatras expect Yingluck to “say something” about her political future soon.

A party source said there would be “not too long to wait” before she called a press conference. At such an event, Yingluck was expected to explain why she decided to flee the country.

Such a press conference is likely to be held in Hong Kong late this month or early next month, according to a critic of the Shinawatra siblings, Somchai Sawangkarn, who is a member of the National Legislative Assembly.

He quoted a source from Japan, where he claimed Yingluck sought to meet her political and business connections.

“This is an attempt to signal to her supporters that it’s time to create disturbances at a time when the government’s popularity is on the decline,” Somchai said.

In August last year, Yingluck jumped bail and left Thailand without court permission, just a few days before the Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Political Office Holders was scheduled to read its verdict in the case against her. Her Bt30-million surety was seized and, a month later, the court sentenced her in absentia to five years in jail for negligence.

There had been reports that she flew to Dubai and later to the United Kingdom but there was no proof of her whereabouts.

Around the Christmas and New Year holidays, the fugitive ex-PM was spotted in London and photos of her taken at different places in the British capital were circulated on social media.

Their recent travels to Asian countries marked the first time that the ex-PM siblings were seen together since Yingluck left Thailand.

Pheu Thai politicians view this as an attempt to show the junta that Yingluck is free to travel anywhere in the world except in her home country where the military is in control, according to the party source.

“Even countries with good ties with the junta, such as China and Japan, do not prevent Yingluck from travelling there,” the source said.

“It seems the government can’t do anything much about its threat to get her arrested.

“Those countries do not care about the charges against the former prime minister, otherwise they would not let her in.”

PRO-DEMOCRACY groups have proclaimed the beginning of a series of peaceful protests that will take place throughout February and March as a prelude to a larger demonstration in May to ask for a return to the democratic path with a general election.

The Democracy Restoration Group (DRG) said yesterday at a press conference at Thammasat University that the group would launch a series of demonstrations starting with today’s public gathering of the Startup People Thailand group in Nakhon Ratchasima.

It will take place at a public plaza in front of the province’s Thao Suranari statue.

Meanwhile, prominent student activist Rangsiman Rome said there would be many public gatherings in upcoming months to send a signal to the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) that political power belongs to the people. There was no other way to persuade the junta to arrange the election and return the power to the people, he said.

Rangsiman urged every citizen, regardless of their political affiliation, to participate.

He said that after the Nakhon Ratchasima demonstration today, there would be a gathering at Thammasat University next Saturday at 3pm, where there would be “some surprises” for the NCPO. The DRG would then campaign on the evenings of March 10 and March 24, but the locations of these events had not yet been decided.

“We will take a break in April to get ready for the larger social movement in May. We are planning to stage a protest every Saturday, before we will gather for a large demonstration from May 19 to May 22 at an area near Thammasat University or Democracy Monument at Ratchadamnoen Avenue. This will be the fourth anniversary of the coup d’etat by the NCPO,” he said.

“We are considering this as the people’s road map to democracy.”

Another student activist, Siriwit Seritiwat, said that Prime Minister and junta leader General Prayut Chan-o-cha continually promised the international community that Thailand would have a democratic election, but had always postponed the date. For this reason, the people have to stand up and announce that it is already time for an election.

“We would like to emphasise that we are campaigning for everyone’s benefit to get rid of the power of the NCPO. This is a matter of public interest and our demonstrations will not violate anybody else’s freedom. Our demand is to stop the NCPO from hanging on to power and push forward for an election this year,” Siriwit said.

“Our enemies are only PM Prayut and deputy PM General Prawit Wongsuwan.”

Meanwhile, police say they are going after people who they claim are causing confusion on social media to encourage innocent people to join politically-motivated activities.

National police chief General Chaktip Chaichinda has instructed officers to take strong action against anyone who violates the computer crime laws, said Pol Colonel Krissana Patcharern, the deputy police spokesman.

According to Krissana, old video clips, pictures and messages of various protests have been re-edited to create an impression that anti-government demonstrations are happening now.

“These ill-intentioned groups intend to instigate unrest by abusing social media, which is in violation of the computer crime law,” he said, adding that the authorities would bring the lawbreakers to justice.

Meanwhile, the Defence Ministry’s spokesman insisted that deputy premier General Prawit Wongsuwan would not resign from his current posts amid growing public pressures following the scandal over his possession of luxury watches.

Spokesman Lt-General Kongcheep Tantrawanich said Change.org’s collection of more than 80,000 signatures calling for Prawit to quit would not lead to Prawit’s resignation. Kongcheep said there were supporters of Prawit wanting him to continue his work, but the government is also listening to dissidents wanting the deputy premier and defence minister to resign.

Meanwhile in Khon Kaen yesterday, a representative of the People Go Network, Nimit Tian-udom, announced the successful conclusion of the 450-kilometre “We Walk” long march to campaign on the issues of state welfare, food security, communal rights, and democracy.

Nimit urged all citizens to take more steps to walk away from the fear of state oppression and retake their right to participate in the country’s development.

“Our friendship walk has shown how democracy can still be relished on the road by the people,” Nimit said. “Amid the callous crackdown, the looting of our voting rights, we were made aware that many friends along the way share with us the same ideas. And they shall rise up to uphold popular democracy; their voice shall never fade away from the road.”

A bathing rite for Charnchai will be held at Wat Saket Worawiharn at 4pm on Sunday.

Charnchai was elected as an MP from Mahasarakham for the first time in 1983. He was re-elected in 1986, 1992, 1995, 2001, and 2005.

He used to be a deputy government spokesman and an assistant to the secretary to the interior minister. He was appointed industry minister in the Abhisit Vejjajiva government in late 2007.

Charnchai was removed from the Cabinet in June 2010 after a no-confidence debate.

He became secretary-general of the Pua Paen Din Party in late 2008 under Pracha Promnok’s leadership. He later took the reins of the party leader until May 2011 and decided to merge with the Chart Pattana Party, creating the Chart Pattana Pua Paen Din Party.

Ticha Na Nakorn, a well-known volunteer social worker, yesterday presented to Prime Minister Prayut Chanocha more than 80,000 signatures gathered from an online campaign, adding pressure on Deputy PM General Prawit Wongsuwan to resign.

If Prawit truly loves this administration, he should quit before causing any more damage to the already-tainted image of the government, Ticha said.

The online campaign, initiated by Ticha, called on Prawit to keep his word on January 31, when he offered to step down if the people no longer wanted him.

Prawit made the comments after weeks of being hit by a scandal involving luxury watches.

During 16 days of the campaign, from its launch on January 31 until Wednesday, a total of 80,018 people had supported the petition, calling for the scandal-plagued minister to resign from the Cabinet.

The petition is on the Change.org website.

As Prayut had emphasised the importance of fighting corruption, Ticha said she hoped the petition would prompt him to take appropriate action to restore the public’s faith in the government.

The volunteer social worker, however, also saw the possibility of the government ignoring this signature campaign.

“They could be so obsessed with power that they may think they can do anything they want and that the opinion of 80,000 people doesn’t matter,” she said. “But if they do that, it would be a recipe for disaster. There is no case in history of a government keeping its hold on power without listening to the people’s voices.”

Public dissatisfaction has grown after Prawit failed to give satisfactory explanations on why he had not declared watches worth more than Bt30 million to the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) when he entered the Cabinet.

Ticha said the issue was unacceptable to the public because it now seemed that the NACC would help whitewash Prawit.

The loss of confidence in the NACC had only increased after its official said that Prawit was not obliged to declare the watches if they belonged to his friends, she said.

Ticha slammed the current NACC as lowering the standard of checks and balances.

The statement of the NACC official could become a norm and a stock excuse for political leaders and high-ranking officials in the future, having a damaging effect on the country, she said.

Meanwhile, Deputy PM Wissanu Kreangam said that the petition posed no problems to the government. However, it did not mean the government was completely unshaken, he said.

Wissanu said he was not sure if the petition would have any legal consequences or how many signatures were required for it to be effective. But if Ticha wanted Prawit to be dismissed, she should present the petition to Parliament, he explained.

In a related development, the NACC said it could not finish its investigation into the watch scandal involving Prawit within this month as promised because Prawit had sought more time to submit his clarification, an NACC official said.

The delay into the probe on how he got the 25 luxury watches has been delayed as Prawit had asked for more time to submit his clarification, NACC secretary-general Worawit Sukboon said.

Prawit had cited there were many related documents, Worawit said.

Worawit said the deputy PM has been given until Mach 2 to submit his explanation and no more extension would be allowed.

Prawit has been snapped by netizens wearing 25 different luxury watches estimated to be worth more than Bt30 million.

Pinyo Pongcharoen, chairman of the International Astrology Association, said he believed it was intended to protect the government at a time it was dealing with several headaches. Also certain key figures in power were ill-starred, he added.

For him, it was very rare for anyone to burn as many as 36 joss sticks at a time. In most cases, between one and 16 incense sticks are burnt as an act of homage, he noted.

The rest of the 36 burnt sticks were found placed on the lawn next to Thai Khufah Building, which houses Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha’s office.

The burnt sticks were removed by a gardener at the order of a Government House official after they drew attention from reporters and photographers.

According to a superstitious belief, the burning of 36 incense sticks outdoors – each representing a level of the 36-tier Three Worlds – is a way to ask for forgiveness from divine beings or gods for a better future and a life without obstacles.

Panuwat Phanvichartkul, a Chinese-style fortune-teller, said that the prime minister’s stars were still performing well although his deputy Prawit Wongsuwan had to be careful with his health.

“There are some obstacles for the government but they are not serious,” the fortune-teller said.

“Simply put, there’s nothing that can bring down this government, despite all the efforts to create disturbances. It’s because General Prayut’s stars are still good,” he added.

Yesterday’s burning of 36 incense sticks came just a day after an clay basin at Government House was run over and broken by a car, an incident that was viewed as a bad omen by superstitious people. The prime minister had reportedly bought the basin with his own money.

On the same day the basin was broken, the PM ordered Chinese-style red lanterns to be hung at Government House’s six gates, a rare sight for the premises. Critics viewed the move as an attempt to bring good luck and prosperity.

Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam yesterday dismissed a perception that the installation of red lanterns was a superstitious reaction to the “inauspicious” breakage of the PM’s basin.

Wissanu said it was part of Chinese New Year celebrations, even though this was the first time Government House had been decorated with red lanterns.

A dozen Pheu Thai politicians met Thaksin in Hong Kong on Thursday to discuss a wide range of issues including Thai politics, the source said on Friday.

During their meeting, which lasted about an hour, the ex-premier said uncertainties remained in Thai politics as it remains unclear when the next general election would be held, said the source.

Regarding the issue of party leadership, Thaksin merely commented that when its members could convene a meeting after the junta lifts a ban on political assemblies, a decision on who should be the next Pheu Thai leader should be made by a majority of the party members, the source said.

“The result should depend on the majority of party members. That way, the problem will be solved,” the source quoted Thaksin as saying.

Pheu Thai has been split over who should next lead the party. Khunying Sudarat Keyuraphan, a party heavyweight who is reportedly favoured by Thaksin, is backed by the party’s Bangkok politicians but opposed by those from other regions.

The source insisted that Thaksin did not want to get involved with any party matters because he was aware that the Constitution prohibits intervention by outsiders in any political party’s internal affairs.

“People in power came out to attack [Thaksin] even for former MPs coming to meet him” in Hong Kong, the source added.

Thaksin has lived in exile overseas since fleeing Thailand in 2008. Later in the same year, he was sentenced in absentia by the Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Political Office Holders to two years in jail for abuse of power while serving as prime minister.

The online campaign, initiated by Ticha, called on Prawit to keep his word of January 31, in which he offered to step down if the people no longer wanted him.

Prawit made the comments after weeks of being hit hard over a scandal involving luxury watches.

Between the campaign’s January 31 launch and February 15, a total of 80,018 people had supported the petition calling for the scandal-plagued minister to resign from the Cabinet. The petition is on the change.org website.

The NLA agreed yesterday to set up joint law review committees to review the embattled organic bills on the Senate and MP elections, after differences over their constitutionality rose among law drafters and legal experts. After the review process, the NLA is bound by the charter to vote on the committees’ reviewed and amended bills, raising concerns among some political observers that they could reject the bills.

The charter does not address how to deal with the rejection of a bill, leaving room for further procedures to be developed and put in place to fix the problem, which could be time-consuming.

NLA President Pornpetch Wichitcholchai insisted that it was difficult to do that, explaining that the issues raised by concerned parties could be negotiated. The bills would have been shot down after the first reading if the NLA had intended to do so, he said. “In the Senate election bill, there is only one point on which there is disagreement – the origin of the senators. They can talk through it. We don’t have to turn down the draft,” Pornpetch said.

The NLA president noted that disagreements over legislation were common, as everyone wanted the organic bills to be the best possible. He said he had to come forward to address the issue as he realised it was affecting the country’s peace and order, insisting that the government’s road map adhered to the legislation of the organic laws.

“The amendments to the bills are to make sure that the election is perfect, leaving no problems that disturb public peace or lead to conflicts,” Pornpetch said.

Under the new Constitution, an election cannot take place unless the four essential organic laws are in effect.

So far, only two of them – the Election Commission and the political party laws – have been enforced. The bills governing the lower and upper houses remain in process due to differences between the Constitution Drafting Commission (CDC) and the Election Commission, leading to yesterday’s setting up of the law-review joint committees.

Pornpetch said that if the bills were rejected, the NLA would have to take responsibility, implying that legislators did not have a desire to do so.

Since the bills had already been passed in three readings and joint committees had been set up to review them, the Constitution required votes from two-thirds of the legislators to cancel them, he said.

“Two-thirds is 166 from 248 legislators. That is very difficult,” Pornpetch said.

Pornpetch remained positive that the situation would not escalate to a rejection of the bills. He said legislators should be able to reach an agreement on the current contentious issues.

Among the issues were the previous version of the Senate bill by the CDC, which prescribed upper house candidates as independent and elected from 20 professional guilds.

The NLA in the second reading, however, adjusted that provision, dividing the candidates into two groups, one of independent candidates and the other of representatives of professional associations.

The NLA argued that this could prevent bloc voting while the CDC was worried that the division of the Senate was not in line with the Constitution.

The MP election bill, meanwhile, had a section amended during the NLA deliberations to allow entertainment during election campaigns. But the CDC viewed the provision could pose budgeting issues.

They also disagreed on the polling time. The NLA concluded it should be 7am to 5pm, while the CDC saw that schedule as problematic in practice.

The two joint committees have until the end of the month to review the bills and present them to the NLA for endorsement.

Srivara said the police have asked the Foreign Ministry for details about where Yingluck and her brother Thaksin have travelled, by which flights, with which passports, and to where they were heading.

Police have not yet received a response from the ministry and expect it would take some time before they learn details about the Shinawatras’ trip, said Srivara. They have not yet been able to locate Yingluck’s whereabouts, nor do they have information that she is, or is not, now in Hong Kong as reported, he said.

To coordinate with foreign countries is the duty of the Foreign Ministry, and not that of the police, noted Srivara. The police have coordinated with Interpol in an effort to locate and arrest Yingluck, he said.

Knowing Yingluck’s location is critical to any extradition process, as only when the exact location is confirmed can police inform the prosecutor and Foreign Ministry to proceed with an extradition request.

Interpol’s effort to locate her is thus critical to the process.

Yingluck is reported to be planning to soon hold a press conference in Hong Kong – her first since fleeing Thailand last August – according to whip Somchai Sawangkarn, a diplomatic source at the National Legislative Assembly (NLA). Yingluck and her brother Thaksin travelled to Tokyo after being seen together last week in Beijing – a photo of them in the Chinese capital was circulated on social media last Saturday.

Thaksin and Yingluck, both of whom are fugitives wanted by Thai authorities after being convicted of crimes, had been in Tokyo since Saturday and had left for Hong Kong on Tuesday, Japan News reported, quoting sources close to the pair.

Yingluck last August fled Thailand just days before the Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Political Office Holders was scheduled to deliver its verdict in a case connected to her government’s rice-pledging scheme. A month later she was sentenced in absentia to five years in prison for negligence in managing the scheme, which incurred major losses for the state.

Her elder brother, Thaksin, was deposed as prime minister in a military coup in 2006 and subsequently fled abroad to avoid being jailed after being convicted for abuse of power by the same court.

Deputy PM Wissanu Krea-ngam, meanwhile said authorities pursuing seizure of Yingluck’s assets did not need to report to him as an Article 44 order had directed them to take action against her assets.

The probe would be delayed until some time after Prawit’s latest extension to March 2 for submitting a clarification of previous submitted explanations, said NACC secretary-general Worawit Sukboon.

There would be no further delays allowed, he added.

Prawit cited that there were many related documents, Worawit said.

Prawit has been photographed wearing 25 apparently different luxury watches worth over Bt30 million.