Thai PM's party calls verdict 'virtual coup', 'conspiracy'

Thailand's ruling party today termed as "virtual coup" and "conspiracy" a court's decision to dismiss premier Yingluck Shinawatra from office, saying it is aimed at removing the party from power.
The 46-year-old beleaguered premier and her nine cabinet ministers were today dismissed from office by a Constitutional Court that found her guilty of abuse of power.
Her Pheu Thai party said the court's ruling was "a virtual coup against a democratic government".
The party has called on the people, who disagreed with the ruling, to express their opposition through "peaceful demonstrations or any other peaceful way".
Pheu Thai would send its former MPs to meet their constituents to explain the party's belief that the ruling was a conspiracy against it, the party said in a statement.

This was a conspiracy against the Pheu Thai because the Constitutional Court and the National Anti-Corruption Commission "unusually rushed to conclude cases against Yingluck without allowing her and the government to provide enough defence witnesses", it alleged.

Yingluck has denied she had a part in the transfer of Thawil Pliensri from the position of National Security Council secretary general.
Yingluck later appeared live on national television and thanked her supporters.
"We held true to the principles of honesty in running the country, and never acted corruptly, as we were accused," said Yingluck, who has been accused of acting as a proxy for her fugitive brother Thaksin Shinawatra.

She was proud to have been an elected and hard-working prime minister and remained committed to democracy, social equality and the public interest, Bangkok Post reported.