Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn has been deposed, sending shockwaves through the nation’s politics and raising uncertainty about Thailand’s future leadership.
The ruling of the Thai Constitutional Court is said to be surprising.
Constitutional Court rules on Paetongtarn
According to Channel News Asia, Paetongtarn Shinawatra was removed from her position as Prime Minister of Thailand on the afternoon of August 29, after the Constitutional Court ruled that she violated ethical and integrity standards related to a leaked phone call with Cambodian Senate President Hun Sen.
Paetongtarn is Thailand’s 31st prime minister and also the second female prime minister in the country’s history.
The ruling was considered surprising because the panel of judges previously said that although her actions in the phone call with Hun Sen were “not entirely appropriate”, they were still motivated by the purpose of maintaining peace and the interests of the people.
However, in the ruling, the judges explained that although Paetongtarn mentioned national interests when calling Hun Sen, the way she handled the situation was judged to be inappropriate.
The call was informal, conducted by personal phone and without an interpreter. The content of the exchange also contained many points that were considered to seriously damage the ethical standards and integrity of a head of state.
Notably, she criticized a Thai army commander. According to the court, that action exposed the government’s weaknesses and created a rift with the army in the context of border tensions with Cambodia.
The judges also said that the way she talked to Mr. Hun Sen was too intimate and family-like, showing a lack of experience and unsuitable for the position of prime minister.
Regarding her statement criticizing the military region commander, calling him the “opposition”, the court found that this use of words reflected the division between the government and the army.
In June, Ms. Paetongtarn held a meeting with the army commander she had criticized in the leaked recording. She visited troops in northeastern Thailand to mend ties with Lieutenant General Boonsin Padklang, who commands Thai forces in the border area with Cambodia.
After the meeting, Ms Paetongtarn insisted the incident had been resolved. For his part, Mr Boonsin said: “Everything is normal.”