Court suspends Thai PM over phone leak

The Constitutional Court of Thailand announced on Tuesday the suspension of Paetongtarn Shinawatra from her duties as prime minister over her controversial audio clip with Cambodian Senate President Hun Sen recently.

The nine Constitutional Court judges voted unanimously to accept the petition of 36 senators forwarded to the court by Senate Speaker Mongkol Surasajja. They voted 7 to 2 to suspend Paetongtarn from her duties as prime minister pending a final ruling.

The announcement was made following a petition from the 36 senators last month, which sought the removal of Paetongtarn following the leak of the audio clip of her conversation with Hun Sen, in which she referred to a Thai army commander as an "opponent". The senators said the remark showed a lack of responsibility and integrity.

The call was made recently as border tensions between Thailand and Cambodia had mounted after soldiers from both countries briefly exchanged gunfire in a disputed border area in June. Both countries have been trying to ease tensions.

The petition said the clip raises serious concerns over Thai sovereignty, the military and the people. It requested the Constitutional Court to suspend Paetongtarn's duties as PM until the Constitution Court issues a final ruling, in accordance with the constitution.

In a statement released on Tuesday afternoon, the court said it had accepted the petition and announced Paetongtarn's immediate suspension from official duties, pending a final ruling.

As Thailand's youngest prime minister, Pheu Thai party leader Paetongtarn was elected last August as Thailand's 31st prime minister. She is the youngest daughter of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, whose younger sister Yingluck Shinawatra also served as prime minister between 2011 and 2014.

After Paetongtarn's suspension, Deputy Prime Minister and Transport Minister Suriya Juangroongruangkit has been designated to assume the role of acting prime minister, since Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai is still awaiting royal endorsement of his new position as interior minister.

Suriya will have full authority, and he will need to take the cabinet's approval to appoint a new deputy prime minister who will be responsible for personnel and budget matters, local news portal The Nation reported.

It also reported secretary-general of the cabinet expressed concern over this unprecedented situation, particularly as this was the first time in Thailand's history that a prime minister had been suspended while a new cabinet took the oath of office.

The phone leak prompted Thailand's second-biggest partner in the ruling coalition, the Bhumjaithai party, to announce its withdrawal from the government a few days ago.

Tariff challenges

Apart from border issues, the government of Paetongtarn also faces challenges due to the United States' tariff policy. If no trade agreement is reached or the July 9 deadline is not extended, the US would be imposing tariffs at the rate of 36 percent on Thai imports.

Widely believed to be a move to ease the political crisis, Paetongtarn revamped her cabinet recently and nominated herself for the additional post of culture minister in the new cabinet, which was signed by the Thai King and published in the Royal Gazette on Tuesday morning.

The Royal Command for the new cabinet will reassign Phumtham Wechayachai as deputy prime minister and minister of the interior.

At a regular news briefing on Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said that China, as a friendly neighbor, hopes Thailand will maintain stability and development.

Meanwhile, Thaksin Shinawatra appeared before the Criminal Court on Tuesday morning for the first hearing of prosecution witnesses in the lese-majeste case over his media interview in South Korea in 2015. The court ordered the doors closed, barring the public and media, according to local media, the Bangkok Post.

yangwanli@chinadaily.com.cn