Former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra left for Japan Sunday night for a school-holidays trip with her son, army spokesman Winthai Suwaree said Monday.
In this photo taken on June 21 former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra and son Supasek Amornchat make merit at Wat Bueng Thong Lang in Bangkok to mark her 47th birthday anniversary. (File photo by Pattarachai Preechapanich)
Ms Yingluck was accompanied by 12-year-old Supasek Amornchat, his close friend and some family members on their 10pm Thai Airways International flight. Earlier that day she had presided over the cremation of former deputy House speaker and ex-Pheu Thai party-list MP Apiwan Wiriyachai in Nonthaburi.
The family plans to stay in Japan for three days with the highlight being a stop at Tokyo Disneyland, reports said. During their stay, Mr Thaksin reportedly will meet them there and then fly the group in his private jet to India for a merit-making ceremony.
Ms Yingluck reportedly will return to Bangkok Sunday.
The trip is Ms Yingluck's second overseas sojourn since the coup. She took Nong Pipe with her to a birthday celebrations for her elder brother, Thaksin, in France on July 26.
Ms Yingluck has been required to report to the NCPO for any foreign travel since the coup.
Col Winthai said he was unaware of media reports that Sondhi Limthongkul, founder of the Manager Media Group, also left Thailand for Hokkkaido, Japan, the same day as Ms Yingluck.
The Appeals Court on Aug 7 upheld 20-year jail sentences for the former leader of the yellow-shirt People's Alliance for Democracy and two former Manager executives who were convicted of fraud for their roles in falsifying loan-guarantee documents to secure a 1.08-billion-baht company loan from Krung Thai Bank.
They were released on bail on Aug 25, after just 18 days in jail.
Matichon Online reported that Sondhi flew to Japan on early Sunday evening claiming he had reported the trip to the NCPO.