Thai Constitutional Court suspends PM Paetongtarn
The Thai Constitutional Court has suspended Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra from office until it rules on a petition seeking her ouster for alleged ethical violations — the biggest blow yet to her less-than-one-year-old government.
Paetongtarn’s powers have been suspended from yesterday while the nine-member court considers the petition by a group of senators, it said in a statement.
The decision to suspend her duties was backed by seven out of nine judges, it said.
The petitioners alleged that the Thai prime minister’s comments in a leaked phone call with former Cambodian leader Hun Sen constituted a violation of ethical standards — grounds that could lead to her dismissal.
The embattled premier has 15 days to respond to the charges, the court said.
The baht fell on the news, while the yield on benchmark 10-year bonds edged lower. The benchmark stock index, among the world’s worst-performing major equity markets globally this year, rallied as much as 1.8 percent on expectation Paetongtarn’s suspension would help reduce politicial tension.
Thai Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transportation Suriya Juangroongruangkit would be the acting leader, officials said.
The suspension came just hours after Paetongtarn had unveiled a new Cabinet lineup that was meant to shore up support of allies in her coalition government.
The court blow is the biggest threat yet to Paetongtarn’s nascent political career after she came to power. Her predecessor, Srettha Thavisin, was ousted last year in a similar ethics-related case.
The youngest daughter of influential former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, Paetongtarn had resisted calls to resign over the leaked phone call, in which she criticized the Thai army’s role in a border standoff with Cambodia.
She is the third member of the influential Shinawatra clan to lead the country.
“This could be the end of the Shinawatra dynasty,” said Titipol Phakdeewanich, a political science lecturer at Ubon Ratchathani University.
“The court’s decision is unsurprising given the opposition against the prime minister has been getting stronger and the nature of the allegations,” Titipol said.
The suspension came days after thousands of protesters rallied in Bangkok demanding her resignation. The political turmoil dented the 38-year-old prime minister’s popularity. Support for Paetongtarn fell to single digits in a recent opinion poll, with only 9.2 percent of respondents backing her, according to a survey from June 19 to Wednesday last week by the Thai National Institute of Development Administration.
Paetongtarn said she accepted the court decision, and her actions were with the country’s best interest at heart.
Her legal challenges are far from over. Her opponents have also approached the anti-graft agency and the Thai Election Commission to force her removal.
Meanwhile, the border dispute with Cambodia has intensified, with both countries enacting tit-for-tat measures to restrict trade and cross-border movement. Last week, Hun Sen — father of current Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet — called for a leadership change in Thailand, saying he doubted Paetongtarn’s ability to resolve the escalating conflict.
