The court suspends the file awaiting PM in Thailand on a disclosed phone call | New policies

A Thai court has accepted a petition for senators who accuse the PM of dishonesty and violating ethical standards.

The Constitutional Court of Thailand suspended Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra from his functions while waiting for an ethical investigation into a telephone call disclosed with a senior Cambodian official, putting pressure on Thailand Govern the political dynasty.

The court declared in a press release that he had accepted a request from 36 senators, who accuses Paetongtarn of dishonesty and violation of ethical standards, in violation of the Constitution, on a disclosed telephone conversation With the former influential chief of Cambodia, Hun Sen.

Deputy Prime Minister Suriya Jangroongruangkit will assume a guardian while the court decides the case against Paetongtarn, who has 15 days to answer.

Paetongtarn will remain in the cabinet as a new Minister of Culture following a reshuffle of the cabinet.

The controversy stems from a telephone call on June 15 with the former influential chief of Cambodia, Hun Sen, who was intended to defuse the growing border tensions between the neighbors.

During the call, Paetongtarn, 38, described Hun Sen as a “uncle” and criticized a commander of the Thai army, a red line in a country where the army has a significant weight. She apologized and declared that her remarks were a negotiation tactic.

The disclosed appeal led to domestic indignation and left the coalition of Paetongtarn with a thin majority like a razor, with a key party abandoning the alliance and should soon ask for a vote without confidence in Parliament, while protest groups require the first resignation.

Legal dangers

The battles of Paetongtarn after only 10 months in power underline the strong force of the Thai Pheu party, the populist juggernaut of the billionaire dynasty Shinawatra, which has dominated the Thai elections since 2001, undergoing military coups and court decisions which have fulfilled several governments and prime ministers.

It was a baptism of fire for the political novice Paetongtarn, which was brought to power as the younger Prime Minister of Thailand and replacing Settha Thavisin, whom the Constitutional Court rejected for having violated ethics by appointing a minister who had already been imprisoned.

The Government of Paetongtarn also has trouble relaunching a stammering economy, and its popularity has decreased sharply, with an opinion poll from June 19 to 25 published on the weekend showing that its approval rating of 9.2% compared to 30.9% in March.

The father of Paetongtarn, Thaksin, the 75 -year -old patriarch and billionaire who was elected twice in the early 2000s, also faces legal obstacles.

The Thaksin division magnate, according to his lawyer, appeared on Tuesday at his first hearing on Tuesday before the Bangkok criminal court for insulted the powerful monarchy of Thailand, a serious offense liable to 15 years in prison if it was found guilty.

Thaksin denies allegations and has repeatedly promised allegiance to the crown.

The case stems from an interview with the 2015 media that Thaksin gave in self-imposed exile, from which he returned in 2023 after 15 years abroad to serve a prison sentence for conflicts of interest and abuse of power.

Thaksin dodged the prison and spent six months in hospital detention for medical reasons before being released in February of last year.

The Supreme Court will examine this stay in hospital this month and could potentially send it back to prison.