Arrest warrant to be issued for former Thai PM Yingluck Shinawatra

Thailand's Supreme Court is preparing to issue an arrest warrant for former Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra after she failed to appear in court to hear the verdict in her two-year rice trial. 

Yingluck's lawyer told the court that she was ill and could not attend the hearing, but did not provide a medical certificate, leading the court to refuse the excuse. Her bail money of 30 million baht ($900,000) has been confiscated.

The former Thai leader faces up to 10 years in prison for alleged negligence over the rice-buying scheme, which cost the country billions of dollars. The court has set a new date for the verdict of September 27.

Thousands of police stood guard in the streets around Bangkok's Supreme Court Friday ahead of the long-awaited verdict.

The crowds came despite a plea from Yingluck on Facebook to stay away from court due to security concerns. Many were dressed in black to mourn the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who died last October.

More than 3,000 officers were deployed to the streets outside the court, as around 1,000 protesters gathered to show their support, Metropolitan Police Bureau chief General Sanit Mahathavorn said. Lines of police stood ready to repel any demonstrations.

Reporters outside the government complex which houses the Supreme Court said her supporters were ignoring police requests to stay in predetermined protest areas.

When she was inaugurated in 2011, Yingluck became Thailand's first female prime minister and it’s youngest in over 60 years.