PM vows to cooperate over hotel meeting

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra yesterday promised to cooperate with the Ombudsman's Office as it looks into a complaint of misconduct in connection with her choosing to attend a private meeting at a Bangkok hotel instead of being present at a parliamentary meeting.

Speaking during her visit to the Rajabhat Udon Thani University, Yingluck said she was ready to provide details of her meeting with some real-estate developers at Bangkok's Four Seasons Hotel on February 8.

"I am ready to cooperate, but I need to find out if I will be busy," she said, adding that the meeting was a "normal exchange of views", without any conflict of interest.

"We won't do anything that will worsen people's already bad situation," she said referring to the damage from last year's severe flooding.

The Opposition and critics have been pointing to a possible conflict of interest when the premier met a small group of leading real-estate developers. Politicians from her Pheu |Thai Party have denied that there had been any indecent conduct following claims that Yingluck was spotted in the company of a businessman at the hotel.

The Ombudsman's Office, which is investigating a petition by the yellow-shirt Green Politics group, recently called on the premier to explain herself within 30 days.

Meanwhile, Democrat Party spokesman Chavanont Intarakomalsut said yesterday that some of the real-estate companies, whose executives reportedly met the prime minister on February 8, were connected to the Shinawatra family.

He said the Opposition would continue its scrutiny of the matter to confirm its suspicion of "policy corruption", despite attempts being made to distort facts.

"If there was an indecent act, it is not our duty - it is the society's duty to look into that matter," the Democrat spokesman said.