It now appears the letter inviting former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra to Europe for an exchange of opinions on the Thai political scene is authentic, it's just not a formal invitation from the European Parliament.
It is merely an informal invitation from two members of the European Parliament, German politicians Elmar Brok and Werner Langen, in their private capacities, because they did not mention their parliamentary positions in the letter, just their names.
They invited her to visit for an exchange of opinions in Brussels, Belgium, or Strasbourg, northeastern France, at a time convenient to her.
I wonder whether the two German MEPs will bear the cost of air fares and accommodation for Ms Yingluck during the trip, or if she would have to pay for it herself – not that it would be a problem for her anyway. But this is not a significant issue.
The question is whether the Pheu Thai party or Ms Yingluck herself knew that the letter was not a formal invitation sent by the European Parliament. The letter was treated as if it were a formal invitation with its publication by Matichon and Khao Sod, two newspapers of the Matichon group, giving the impression that the EU Parliament was concerned about the political situation in Thailand and wanted to hear Ms Yingluck's views directly from her own mouth.
Possibly the party might have wanted to put pressure on the National Council for Peace and Order to lift the overseas travel ban on Ms Yingluck and to let her go this time. If so, then it seems to have underestimated the anti-Thaksin camp, who became immediately suspicious of the letter and started their own investigation, particularly the profiles of the two German MEPs.
According to Wikipedia, Mr Brok is currently the chairman of European Parliament committee on foreign affairs and has held several leadership positions in German and European politics. His profile is impressive, to say the least. But also controversial.
From 2004 to 2011, Mr Brok was senior vice president for media development at Bertelsmann, a multinational media corporation with rightwing leanings. According to information broadcast by German media his activities as a lobbyist for Bertelsmann were scrutinised by the European Commission.
According to journalist Lutz Mukke, Mr Brok used his influence to ban Hajo Friedrich, who published a critical article about Mr Brok’s muddy activities, from the political section of the newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. In an interview with German newspaper Die Tageszeitung, Mr Brok reflected on his activities and stated that for him politics was not a profession but hobby -- leading his critics to term him a "hobbyist".
It was this piece of information about Mr Brok’s lobbying activities that caused some opponents of Pheu Thai to suggested the invitation letter to Ms Yingluck might be the work of a lobbyist.
The brouhaha surrounding this letter of invitation does not bode well for Ms Yingluck’s chances of getting the NCPO’s approval to make the trip overseas. The use of the media to put pressure on the junta will only backfire on her, which might not have been the case if the party had treated the issue in a low-profile manner.