BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand’s Constitutional Court suspended Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra from office Tuesday pending an ethics investigation over a leaked phone call with a senior Cambodian leader.
The judges voted unanimously Tuesday to take the petition accusing her of a breach of ethics, and voted 7-2 to suspend her from duty as a prime minister. The court gave Paetongtarn 15 days to give evidence to support her case.
Paetongtarn has faced growing dissatisfaction over her handling of with Cambodia, involving an armed confrontation on May 28 in which one Cambodian soldier was killed. The leaked phone call while she engaged in diplomacy with Cambodian Senate President Hun Sen set off a string of complaints and public protests.
Paetongtarn said after the court order that she would accept the process and would do her best to defend herself, as she had no other intentions but to protect the country and preserve peace.
“I only thought about what to do to avoid troubles, what to do to avoid armed confrontation, for the soldiers not to suffer any loss. I wouldn’t be able to accept it if I said something with the other leader that could lead to negative consequences,” she said.
She also thanked her supporters and apologized to people upset over the leaked call. She left the Government House shortly after.
Deputy Prime Minister Suriya Jungrungruangkit is expected to become the acting prime minister, although there’s been no official confirmation.
Earlier Tuesday, before the court suspended Paetongtarn, King Maha Vajiralongkorn had endorsed a Cabinet reshuffle after a major party left the government coalition over the leaked phone call. The reshuffle had replaced Anutin Charvirakul, leader of the Bhumjaithai Party, as deputy prime minister.
Paetongtarn took the position of culture minister in addition to prime minister in the new Cabinet, though it’s still unclear if she can take the oath to remain in that role.
Outrage over the call mostly revolved around Paetongtarn’s comments toward an outspoken regional army commander and her perceived attempts to appease Hun Sen to ease border .
Thousands of conservative, nationalist-leaning protesters on Saturday to demand Paetongtarn’s resignation.
Paetongtarn also faces investigations over an alleged breach of ethics by the Office of the National Anti-Corruption Commission, whose decision could also lead to her removal.
Senators behind moves against Paetongtarn and her ministers
The Constitutional Court last year over a breach of ethics. Thailand’s courts, especially the Constitutional Court, are viewed as a bulwark of the royalist establishment, which has used them and nominally independent agencies such as the Election Commission to cripple or sink political opponents.
The complaint against Paetongtarn was filed by a group of senators elected last year to replace the 250 military-appointed members who had served in the upper chamber since 2019. Many of those senators face allegations of rigging the election that saw a majority of seats claimed by figures who are reportedly close to the Bhumjaithai Party.
Some senators also filed complaints against two ministers in Paetongtarn’s administration: Justice Minister Tawee Sodsong and Phumtham Wechayachai, a former defense minister who is set to become the new interior minister.
The court accepted a petition on May 14 accusing the two men of abuse of power related to the investigation into the alleged Senate vote rigging. On the same day, the court partially suspended Tawee from overseeing the Department of Special Investigation, which is in charge of the case.
The prime minister is a scion of a powerful family
Paetongtarn, 38, is the youngest daughter of Thaksin Shinawatra, a popular but divisive former prime minister. she could suffer a similar downfall to her predecessors in the political dynasty founded by her father.
Paetongtarn is the third Shinawatra to hold the job after her billionaire father and aunt, Yingluck Shinawatra. Both were removed from office and driven into exile following coups in 2006 and 2014.
Thaksin has faced several legal challenges since returning to Thailand in 2023. On Tuesday, he attended a court hearing in a case in 2015 in remarks to journalists in Seoul, South Korea.
He also is under investigation over his hospital detention after his return to face an eight-year prison term on charges related to corruption and abuse of power.
He was transferred almost immediately to a hospital and later was granted clemency because of his age and health without spending a single night in jail. The complaints argue he avoided properly serving his sentence and raise the possibilty Thaksin could be forced to serve prison time.
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