DHAKA: A Thai court found prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra guilty on Wednesday of violating the constitution and said she could no longer serve as caretaker premier, a decision likely to increase tensions in the bitterly divided nation.

Judges delivering the verdict said Yingluck had abused her position by transferring the country’s National Security Council chief to another post in 2011 so that a relative could benefit from related job moves.

Yingluck’s removal is likely to bring her supporters into the streets in protest.

The case, one of two legal moves against Yingluck’s premiership, comes as Thailand’s prolonged political crisis reaches a critical juncture, reports The Straits Times.

BDST: 1322 HRS, MAY 07, 2014