The Supreme court of Thailand issued a warrant for the arrest of the former Prime Minister of Thailand Yingluck Shinawatra after she appeared in court to hear the verdict in his two-year trial.

The lawyer of Yingluck told the court on Friday that she was ill and could not attend the hearing, but did not provide a medical certificate and the court rejected this justification. The former Thai leader faces up to 10 years of imprisonment for alleged negligence against the scheme of buying rice, which cost the country billions of dollars. The court set a new date for sentencing on September 27.

Hundreds of supporters of Yingluck, who were waiting outside the court, quickly sold out when rumors spread that the former Prime Minister has not appeared. Thai police deployed in the streets of 3 thousand officers before the hearing, to guard against potential protests. As many as 1,000 supporters gathered to hear the verdict, lined up behind barricades and crowd walking paths in the surrounding streets.

The crowd came despite a request by Yingluck in Facebook to stay away from the court due to security concerns. Reporters outside the government complex that houses the Supreme court, said that her supporters are ignoring requests by the police to stay in pre-defined areas.
sections: Politics, World News, Accidents