BANGKOK: Former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra posted a heartfelt message on her personal Facebook page on Thursday (May 22), marking the 11th anniversary of the 2014 military coup and responding to the Supreme Administrative Court’s ruling ordering her to pay more than US$305mil (10 billion baht) in damages related to the controversial rice pledging scheme.
Yingluck emphasised her position as a victim of political injustice, stating, "I am being held responsible for a debt I did not create... I was the head of the executive branch, forced to bear liabilities caused by operational officials, in which I had no direct involvement."
She noted that the Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Political Office Holders ruled in her case that she was only negligent in managing the rice pledging scheme.
Yingluck said her government was determined to help impoverished farmers sell their produce at higher prices, ensuring they had enough to live on and could afford to send their children to school. Many farming families benefited from the programme.
However, she added, "If policies like this are accused of causing damage, who will dare to propose policies to help people lacking economic opportunities in the future?"
She also stated, "I had no intention to cause harm to the project. Each step involved multiple agencies and personnel with hierarchical bureaucratic oversight, and it was not within the executive leader’s role to interfere in the details. Yet, I alone am held responsible for the damages. If this is what is called justice, it is very difficult for me to understand or accept."
Yingluck said the 10 billion baht debt would take a lifetime to repay and would never be fully paid off. Despite dedicating herself tirelessly and enduring political and various other pressures to keep rice prices high and stable, so that farming families could have better lives and turn their fields into opportunities, she faces the most painful outcome.
She also criticised the ongoing lack of accountability for alleged corruption beyond her case, pointing out, "After the coup, there were reports that good rice was sold as spoiled rice. Over 18.9 million tons of rice remaining in warehouses were sold at prices far below market value, with no progress in investigations or responsible parties identified to this day."
Reflecting on her long struggle, Yingluck expressed, "For 11 years, I have faced repeated coups, fabricated cases, asset seizures, and being forced to pay debts unrelated to me. If an elected Prime Minister cannot receive true justice, then there is no guarantee of justice for the people who hold sovereignty."
Yingluck vowed to continue her fight for justice through lawful means, standing firm despite the hardship imposed by the ruling. - The Nation/ANN
