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Thailand’s constitutional court has suspended the prime minister, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, while it investigates alleged ethical violations relating to a leaked phone call.
The court announced on Tuesday that it would consider a petition filed by 36 senators calling for the dismissal of the prime minister, accusing her of dishonesty and breaching ethical standards in violation of the constitution.
Paetongtarn has faced mounting pressure after a leaked recording of a phone conversation with Cambodia’s powerful former leader Hun Sen, in which she discussed a border dispute between the two countries. In the call, she can be heard calling Hun Sen “uncle” and saying that if there were anything he wanted, she would “take care of it”. She also made critical remarks about a senior Thai military commander.
The recording has caused public outrage, with critics accusing her of betraying her country and kowtowing to Cambodia.
Hun Sen, who ruled Cambodia for almost four decades and remains powerful in the country, is known to have been an old friend of Paetongtarn’s family – though relations have soured in recent weeks.
Tuesday’s decision is the latest blow for Paetongtarn, scion of the powerful but controversial Shinawatra family. She is clinging to power after a coalition partner quit her government earlier this month, leaving her with only a slim majority as a possible no confidence vote looms. On Saturday 10,000 protesters gathered in Bangkok calling for her resignation, while an opinion poll released at the weekend showed her approval rating had fallen from 30.9% in March to 9.2%.
It is expected that power will pass to the deputy prime minister, Phumtham Wechayachai.
Paetongtarn’s father, Thaksin Shinawatra, the billionaire former leader, is also facing legal troubles, and appeared in court on Tuesday to face allegations that he breached the lèse-majesté law. Under the law, any criticism of the royal family can lead to up to 15 years in prison. The case relates to a 2015 interview he gave to South Korean media.
For two decades Thai politics has been dominated by a power struggle between the Shinawatras and their opponents in the conservative military royalist establishment. Thaksin was twice elected prime minister, but was ousted in a coup in 2006. His sister Yingluck Shinawatra was ousted by a court ruling followed by a coup in 2014.
Paetongtarn told reporters at Bangkok’s Government House that she accepted the ruling. “It’s always been my intention to do the best thing for my country,” she said. “I’d like to apologise to Thai people who are frustrated about this.” She has previously described her comments in the call as a negotiating tactic.
Thailand has a longrunning border dispute with Cambodia that flared up in May when a Cambodian soldier was killed during a brief exchange of fire. The incident has led to a surge in nationalist sentiment and tit-for-tat actions by both governments.
