Thailand’s Constitutional Court on Tuesday suspended Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra from office, pending a case that petitions her removal. This move enormously ratchets up the pressure on a government already embattled on several fronts.
The court, in a statement, also acknowledged that it had received a petition by 36 senators. The petition charges Paetongtarn with lying and violating ethical principles under the constitution, as a result of a leaked audio of a politically charged telephone call with Cambodia’s powerful former leader, Hun Sen.
A deputy prime minister is set to head the government in a caretaker role as the court hears the case. Paetongtarn, nonetheless, stays on in the cabinet as the new culture minister after a recent reshuffle. The government could not be reached for comment immediately on her suspension.
Controversial Phone Call Fuels Outrage
The phone call leak on June 15, made to ease rising border tensions with Cambodia, has caused widespread outrage at home. In the call, the 38-year-old Paetongtarn allegedly “kowtowed” to Hun Sen and criticized a Thai army commander – a very sensitive move in a nation where the military holds a lot of power. She then apologised and said her comments were a tactic of negotiation.
The consequences of the leak have reduced Paetongtarn’s coalition to a bare parliamentary majority. A crucial party has already left the coalition, and a no-confidence motion will be tabled soon in parliament, while groups of protesters still call for the prime minister to step down.
Shinawatra Dynasty’s Growing Troubles
Paetongtarn’s travails, only 10 months into her premiership, highlight the waning vigor of the Pheu Thai Party. This populist political behemoth, fueled by billionaire Shinawatra clan, has ruled Thai elections since 2001, surviving several military coups and court orders that have overthrown successive governments and prime ministers.
Her tenure as premier has been a “baptism of fire” for the political newbie, who became Thailand’s youngest prime minister. She took over from Srettha Thavisin, who was himself ousted by the Constitutional Court over his alleged breach of ethics in appointing a minister. Paetongtarn’s administration has also been struggling to reboot a stuttering economy, and her popularity has plummeted dramatically, with a June 19-25 opinion poll indicating her approval rating had fallen to 9.2% from 30.9% in March.
Paetongtarn’s problems are not alone. Her powerful father, former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who is openly regarded as being behind her administration, has major legal challenges of his own in two separate courts this month.
In accordance with his attorney, controversial tycoon Thaksin was seen in his first hearing at the Criminal Court in Bangkok on Tuesday on a charge of insulting the country’s influential monarchy – a crime punishable by 15 years in prison if convicted. Thaksin has denied the accusations and has repeatedly sworn loyalty to the crown. The case was initiated by a 2015 media interview the tycoon gave during self-imposed exile. He returned to Thailand in 2023 after 15 years overseas to do time for abuse of power and conflict of interest, although he controversially evaded prison, doing six months of hospital detention on grounds of illness before being paroled last February. The Supreme Court this month will examine that hospital stay and could send him back to prison.
