BANGKOK: Thailand’s Constitutional Court on Tuesday (Jul 1) suspended Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra from duty pending a case seeking her dismissal, adding to mounting pressure on a government under fire on multiple fronts.
The court in a statement said it had accepted a petition from 36 senators that accuses Paetongtarn of dishonesty and breaching ethical standards in violation of the constitution over the leak of a politically sensitive telephone conversation with Cambodia’s influential former leader Hun Sen.
The government is expected to be led by a deputy prime minister in a caretaker capacity while the court decides the case against Paetongtarn, who will remain in the cabinet as the new culture minister following a reshuffle. The government did not immediately respond to a request for comment on her suspension.
The leaked call with the veteran Cambodian politician triggered domestic outrage and has left Paetongtarn’s coalition with a razer-thin majority, with a key party abandoning the alliance and expected to soon seek a no confidence vote in parliament, as protest groups demand the premier resigns.
During a Jun 15 call intended to defuse escalating border tensions with Cambodia, Paetongtarn, 38, kowtowed before Hun Sen and criticised a Thai army commander, a red line in a country where the military has significant clout. She has apologised and said her remarks were a negotiating tactic.
Source: CNA
