Thai court suspends PM Paetongtarn in ethics violation case

Thailand's Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has been suspended from duty by the country's Constitutional Court. This has mounted pressure on a government fighting for survival and under fire on multiple fronts. The court agreed to consider a petition from 36 senators accusing Ms Shinawatra of dishonesty and breaching ethical standards in a leaked telephone conversation with Cambodia's former leader Hun Sen.

Deputy Prime Minister Suriya Juangroongruangkit will take over in a caretaker capacity while the court decides the case against Paetongtarn, who has 15 days to respond and will remain in the cabinet as the new culture minister following a reshuffle. “Government work doesn’t stop, there is no problem,” Tourism Minister and Pheu Thai Party Secretary-General Sorawong Thienthong told Reuters. “Suriya will become caretaker prime minister.” The leaked call with the veteran Cambodian politician triggered domestic outrage and has left Paetongtarn’s coalition with a razor-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 June 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.as per report,the phone call between Thailand's prime minister and Hun Sen was leaked to the media on Wednesday, but was held on Monday. Hun Sen said the leak came from one of the 80 politicians he shared the audio recording with. In the conversation, Ms Paetongtarn is heard discussing the border crisis and complains about the bad publicity she was facing as a result. She called Hun Sen "uncle" and urged him not to listen to "the opposite side", including a prominent Thai military commander at the border.

Ms Paetongtarn has been under increasing pressure over her handling of a border dispute with Cambodia and has been criticised for her deference towards Hun Sen during the phone call, in which she referred to him as uncle and called a senior Thai military officer an "opponent". She has apologised and said her remarks were a negotiating tactic. She told reporters she had no other intentions but to protect the country and preserve peace.