DHAKA: Thailand’s military government has denied former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra permission to travel overseas to ensure she is in the country to face criminal charges later this month.

A government spokesman said on Sunday, reports The Straits Times.

The attorney-general will submit a subpoena to the Supreme Court on February 19, and wants Yingluck to be present for that, government spokesman Sunsern Kaewkumnerd said.

Yingluck had asked for permission to leave from Sunday until February 22, he said. ‘The suspect must be present for the first process of the case otherwise the case cannot proceed,’ Sunsern said.

Yingluck’s lawyer Norawit Laleng said it was not necessary for her to appear in court for at least two months while prosecutors consider the case and chose judges to oversee it.

‘If the NCPO (junta) denies her permission to travel using her court case as an excuse, then it is a violation of her basic rights,’ Norawit told the media.

BDST: 1519 HRS, FEB 08, 2015