August 26, 2017 12:24 PM

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Ex-PM flees Thailand ahead of verdict

Facing a possible 10-year jail term, former Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra fled the country ahead of a court verdict. <br/><br/>Yingluck's whereabouts are not immediately known today, but local media cited anonymous officials as saying she travelled by land to Cambodia then flew to Dubai to join her brother, Thaksin Shinawatra another exiled former premier whose government, like hers, was toppled in a military coup.<br/><br/>Yingluck, who became Thailand's first female Prime Minister when her party swept elections in 2011, is accused of negligence in overseeing a money-losing rice subsidy program. She has denied charges as politically motivated.<br/><br/>A verdict had been expected yesterday, as thousands of Yingluck supporters gathered outside the court and thousands of police stood guard. But Yingluck never appeared, and a judge read out a statement saying her lawyers had informed the court she could not attend because of an earache. The judge postponed the trial until September 27.

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