Bangkok (AFP) - Thailand's deputy junta leader has accused three police officers of helping sneak ex-prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra out of the country last month, a vanishing act that stunned the kingdom. Thailand's junta says it was unaware she was planning to escape -- something many Thais have found difficult to believe given the round-the-clock surveillance Yingluck frequently complained of. Analysts say the former premier, who faced up to a decade in jail, most likely cut a secret deal with the junta to exit the country. "They said they received the order (to help her escape)," Prawit Wongsuwon, the junta's number two, said of the police officers on Friday. Analysts said the generals feared that jailing Yingluck could unleash protests among her fervent supporters.

Source: The Star September 23, 2017 04:07 UTC