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 The moves could stoke tension in the politically divided country
still living under martial law after the military seized power in
May, toppling the remnants of Yingluck's government to end months of
street protests.
The ban and the legal case are the latest twist in 10 years of
turbulent politics that have pitted Yingluck and her brother
Thaksin, himself a former prime minister, against the
royalist-military establishment which sees the Shinawatras as a
threat and reviles their populist policies.
Yingluck will face criminal charges in the Supreme Court and if
found guilty faces up to 10 years in jail, the Attorney General's
Office said on Friday.
The charges against the country's first female premier, who was
removed from office for abuse of power in May days before the coup,
concern her role in a scheme that paid farmers above market prices
for rice and cost Thailand billions of dollars.
Yingluck vowed to fight the charges.
"Thai democracy has died along with the rule of law," she said in a
statement posted on her Facebook page.
"I will fight until the end to prove my innocence, no matter what
the outcome will be. And most importantly, I want to stand alongside
the Thai people. Together we must bring Thailand prosperity, bring
back democracy and truly build justice in Thai society."
There was no sign of protests on the capital's busy streets on
Friday, as residents adhered to the junta's ban on public
gatherings.
Security was tightened around the parliament building where the
military-stacked legislature voted Yingluck guilty in a separate
impeachment case for failing to exercise sufficient oversight of the
rice subsidy scheme.
The retroactive impeachment at the National Legislative Assembly
(NLA) carries with it a five-year ban from politics.
Yingluck defended the rice scheme and disputed the charges in a
hearing at the NLA on Thursday, but did not appear on Friday.
A vote to impeach required a three-fifths majority among NLA
members, who were hand-picked by the junta of coup leader and Prime
Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha. Around 100 of the 220 members are former
or serving military officers.
Prayuth said he had not ordered the NLA to vote against Yingluck,
who remains popular among the rural poor that handed her a landslide
electoral victory in 2011 and benefited from the rice scheme.
The impeachment was expected by Yingluck supporters, who see the
courts and NLA as biased and aligned with an establishment intent on
blocking the Shinawatra family from politics.
"Yingluck's case was not dealt with fairly," said Thanawut
Wichaidit, a spokesman for the pro-Yingluck United Front for
Democracy against Dictatorship.
"The intention of these actions is for Yingluck and the entire
Shinawatra family to be eradicated from Thai politics. I believe
there is an invisible hand behind Yingluck's impeachment."
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Around 150 members of the Shinawatra political movement have been
banned from politics in the last decade, including four who had
served as prime ministers.
ARMY CHIEF AIRS CONCERN
Prayuth's government has urged Yingluck's supporters to stay out of
Bangkok this week over concerns of trouble, although a repeat of the
protests that have dogged the country in recent years appears
unlikely.
Authorities have been quick to stifle dissent, and political
meetings are banned under martial law.
In a radio broadcast, Army Chief General Udomdej Sitabutr called on
the population to respect the NLA vote, and a spokesman for the
junta said it had seen no sign of unrest.
"Political gatherings cannot happen as we are still under martial
law," junta spokesman Winthai Suvaree said.
The government also asked Yingluck not to hold a press conference
after the verdict on Friday, he said.
Yingluck's fortunes have been similar to those of her billionaire
brother.
Both led populist governments toppled in coups, despite being
elected in landslides, and both were subjected to legal action and
street protests by pro-establishment activists.
After being ousted in 2006, Thaksin fled Thailand to avoid a 2008
jail term for corruption. He has lived abroad since, but retains a
strong influence over Thai politics.
Yingluck did not plan to flee, said Singthong Buachum, a member of
the former prime minister's team.
"She will fight the case head on," Singthong said.
Prayuth has promised a return to democracy after the junta enacts
political and social reforms. His government has said a general
election will take place in February next year at the earliest.
(Additional reporting by Kaweewit Kaewjinda and Aukkarapon Niyomyat;
Writing by Amy Sawitta Lefevre and Simon Webb; Editing by Jeremy
Laurence and Nick Macfie)
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