Thailand court to rule on fate of prime minister over leaked phone call with Cambodia’s leader | Thailand
On Friday, the Thai Constitutional Court will decide whether the suspended Prime Minister Paetongarn Shinawatra had to be dismissed through a telephone conversation to the former Cambodian leader.
Thailand’s youngest prime minister Paetongarn was suspended last month after a record of a phone call with Hun Sen, where they discussed a boiling border dispute between neighboring countries.
The critics accused Hun Sen of protecting the interests of Thailand during the call he addressed as “uncle, and said that if he wanted, he would öylemek he would take care of him”. He also made critical statements about a senior Thai military commander.
Paetongarn, the daughter of former billionaire Thailand leader Thaksin Shinawatra, apologized for his comments and described the negotiation tactic.
However, the leaked speech created a major political crisis for the government just a year after taking office.
A coalition partner left the government in June and left him only with a thin majority, thousands of protesters went to the streets of Bangkok and demanded his resignation.
The case on Friday stems from a petition filed by a group of senators in June and asked him to be dismissed by accusing him of being deprived of integrity and violating ethical standards.
If Paetongarn is removed, he is expected to start a new period of political instability in Thailand, because it is unclear who will replace it.
The Call not only immersed Paetongarn’s government into chaos, but also a significant deterioration in Thai-Kambol relations. Weeks after the registration was leaked, the border dispute turned into a five -day conflict where dozens of people were killed and hundreds of thousands of people were displaced.
The anger and Paetongarn’s border crisis through the phone call worsened with the perception that his family’s personal relationship with Hun Sen weakened and intervened in Thailand’s national interests.
A complete version of the recording was published by Hun Sen, who threatened to publish more conciliatory information about Paetongarn’s father, Thaksin. Hun Sen is known to be a former friend of Thaskin, but for unknown reasons, they are now locked in a painful blood feud.
If it is removed from the office, Paetongarn will be the fourth member of his family, who will shorten his terms with a military coup or court order. In 2006, Thaksin was appointed in a military coup, while in 2008, Thaksin’s brother -in -law Somchai Wongsawat, who recently prime minister, was forced to power with the court decision. In 2014, Thaksin’s sister Yingluck received a court decision and then a military coup.
Embatted family has been locked in a power struggle for decades with Thailand’s military royalist organization, but survived is now threatened by a decrease in support between voters.
