DPM:There has been no close watch on ex-PM, no ground on political asylum

BANGKOK, February 11 (TNA) - Thai Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan says he has been unaware of rumours that former female prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra has sought a political asylum, insisting that he has not ordered security units to keep a close watch on her. General Prawit told journalists on Wednesday morning that he has no knowledge about the rumours, asserting that the issue needs to be directed to Yingluck herself, not to the army-led National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO). Asked what NCPO would react if Yingluck sought political asylum, General Prawit, who is NCPO's top adviser and oversees national security, stressed that any NCPO response is based on a real happening. The deputy prime minister denied that he has instructed security units to keep a close watch on Yingluck, explaining that the former prime minister is not under a special care of the military, but security units take care of all people to prevent untoward incidents, especially those instigated by any unwanted third party. The Thai deputy prime minister's remarks followed reports that Yingluck's caravan was thoroughly searched on Tuesday while she was on her way to worship her ancestors in her hometown, Chiang Mai, in the Thai North. (TNA)