Published on
Thailand’s Constitutional Court suspended Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra on Tuesday, pending an ethics investigation over accusations that she was too deferential to a senior Cambodian leader during a phone call discussing a recent border dispute that was leaked.
In the call about the border tensions, Paetongtarn could be heard addressing Hun Sen, a longtime friend of her father, as “uncle”.
She also urged him not to listen to a Thai regional army commander who had publicly criticised Cambodia about the border dispute, and called him “an opponent”.
Paetongtarn has faced growing dissatisfaction over her handling of the dispute, which involved an armed confrontation on 28 May in which one Cambodian soldier was killed.
She attempted to defuse tensions in a call with Cambodian Senate President and former Prime Minister Hun Sen, but instead sparked a string of complaints and public protests from critics who accused her of being too fawning.
Paetongtarn’s suspension raises the possibility of renewed instability in Thailand, a still fragile democracy that has suffered several similar bouts of uncertainty.
At the root of much of this was concern from the conservative establishment, including the military, that the political dynasty initiated by Paetongtarn’s father, the popular but divisive former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, was becoming too powerful.
She is the third member of her family to hold the prime minister’s office and the third to face the possibility of removal before her term ended.
Thaksin was removed from office in a 2006 coup and driven into exile, while his sister, former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, was removed by a court order in 2014, followed shortly after by a coup.
The suspension also comes at a time when the country is facing an economic slowdown and growing discontent with Paetongtarn and her Pheu Thai party, with critics saying her government’s performance has been underwhelming.
Judges voted unanimously on Tuesday to take the petition accusing her of a breach of ethics, and voted 7-2 to immediately suspend her from duty as the prime minister until the ruling is given.
The court gave Paetongtarn 15 days to give evidence to support her case.
Anger over phone call persists
After the court order, Paetongtarn said she would accept the process and defended her actions.
“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 apologised to people upset over the leaked call and left the Government House shortly after.
Suriya Jungrungruangkit, who serves as deputy prime minister and transport minister, will take charge as the acting prime minister, government official Chousak Sirinil said.
Thousands of conservative, nationalist-leaning protesters rallied in central Bangkok on Saturday to demand Paetongtarn’s resignation.
Paetongtarn also faces separate investigations by another agency over the leaked call, a case that could also lead to her removal.
Thailand’s courts, especially the Constitutional Court, are viewed as a defender of the royalist establishment, which has used them and nominally independent agencies such as the Election Commission to cripple or sink political opponents.
