Junta allows ex-PM Yingluck to tour Europe

BANGKOK, July 17 (TNA) - Thailand's army-led National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) has approved former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra's request to take vacation in Europe with her son from July 20-August 10, 2014. Royal Thai Army Deputy Spokesman Colonel Winthai Suvaree, who is a member of the NCPO's spokespersons team, told journalists of the junta's decision on Thursday, reasoning that the junta viewed Yingluck had appropriately sought the permission and she had followed its orders well, including those for her to refrain from any political movement and leaving the country. Colonel Winthai insisted that the NCPO did not limit individuals' rights, saying if other people file similar requests as former prime minister Yingluck's, the junta will consider many relevant factors, namely their criminal records and prosecution against them. Yingluck is expected to meet her elder brother and exiled ex-prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who reportedly plans his birthday party in France on July 26. (TNA)