Court suspends Thailand’s prime minister to investigate a leaked phone call

By JINTAMAS SAKSORNCHAI
Associated Press

BANGKOK (AP) — 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 when the two discussed a recent border dispute in a phone call that was leaked.

Paetongtarn has faced growing dissatisfaction over her handling of the dispute, which involved an armed confrontation on May 28, in which one Cambodian soldier was killed. In a call with Cambodian Senate President Hun Sen, she attempted to defuse tensions — but instead set off a string of complaints and public protests by critics who accused her of being too fawning.

Familiar pattern

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 that were concerns from the conservative establishment, including the military, that the political dynasty started by Paetongtarn’s father, the popular but divisive former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, was growing 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 Shinawtra, was removed by a court order in 2014, followed shortly after by a coup.

This “recurring cycle of political instability” would likely keep repeating unless Thailand goes through a genuine democratic reform that includes limiting power of unelected institutions, said Purawich Watanasukh, a political science lecturer at Thammasat University in Bangkok.

“Without such foundational reforms, any government, regardless of who leads it, will remain vulnerable to the same forces that have repeatedly disrupted Thailand’s democratic development,” he said.

Growing discontent

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, in general, with critics saying her government’s performance has been underwhelming.

The judges voted unanimously Tuesday to review the petition accusing her of a breach of the ethics, and voted 7-2 to immediately suspend her from duty as a prime minister until a ruling is given. The court gave Paetongtarn 15 days to give evidence to support her case.

After the court order, Paetongtarn said that 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,” she said.

Fallout from leaked call

She also apologized to people upset over the leaked call and left the Government House shortly after.

Suriya Jungrungruangkit, who is a deputy prime minister and a transport minister, will take charge as acting prime minister, said Chousak Sirinil, minister of the prime minister’s office.

Earlier Tuesday, before the court suspended Paetongtarn, King Maha Vajiralongkorn had endorsed a Cabinet reshuffle after a major party left the government coalition over the leaked call.

In the reshuffle, Paetongtarn also received the position of culture minister, in addition to prime minister, though it’s not clear if she can take the oath to take up that role.

In the call about the border tensions, Paetongtarn could be heard urging Hun Sen — a longtime friend of her father — not to listen to a Thai regional army commander who had publicly criticized Cambodia about the border dispute, and called him “an opponent.”

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.

The Constitutional Court last year removed Paetongtarn’s predecessor over a breach of ethics. 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.

Political dynasty

Paetongtarn, 38, is the youngest daughter of Thaksin. Her father has remained beloved by many of the Thailand’s poor and working classes who long saw him as their champion.

But the family’s political fortunes now may be on the wane.

Thaksin alienated many of his supporters with what looked like a self-serving deal with his former conservative opponents. It allowed his return from exile in 2023 and the party he supported to form the new government, while sidelining the progressive Move Forward Party, which finished first in a national election, but was seen by the conservative establishment as a greater threat.

Thaksin has faced several legal challenges since his return. On Tuesday, he attended a court hearing in a case alleging he defamed the monarchy in 2015.

He also is under investigation over the handling of his return to face an eight-year prison term on charges related to corruption and abuse of power. At the time, he was transferred almost immediately to a hospital, and later granted clemency because of his age and health without spending a single night in jail.

The complaints argue he avoided properly serving his sentence and raise the possibility that Thaksin could be forced to serve prison time.