Politics
Former Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has arrived at court in the capital, Bangkok, for the start of her trial on negligence charges. She denies the charge of dereliction of duty over her role in a controversial rice subsidy scheme, reports the BBC.
If found guilty she faces a maximum prison sentence of 10 years. Ms Yingluck, who was forced to step down last year shortly before a military coup, has maintained the charges are politically motivated.
Meanwhile her brother, Thaksin Shinawatra - himself ousted as prime minister by a previous coup in 2006 - has made a rare public appearance in Seoul, South Korea, saying he believed "democracy will prevail" in Thailand.
Thailand's Constitutional Court forced Yingluck from office in early May 2014 after finding her guilty of abusing her power. Weeks later, the military seized power saying it needed to restore order following months of street protests.
Yingluck Shinawatra says the rice scheme was intended to help Thailand's poorer farmers In January this year, Yingluck was retroactively impeached by a military-appointed legislature for her role in the rice subsidy scheme. She was also banned from politics for five years.
The scheme paid rice famers in rural areas - where her party has most of its support - twice the market rate for their crops, in a programme that cost the government billions of dollars. Arriving at the Supreme Court on Tuesday, Yingluck told journalists she was confident of her innocence.
"I prepared myself well today and am ready to defend myself," she was quoted by Reuters as saying. "I hope that I will be awarded justice."
