Thailand’s fragile political situation took another dramatic turn on Tuesday as the Constitutional Court suspended Paetongtarn Shinawatra as Prime Minister pending an investigation into her leaked phone call with former Cambodia leader Hun Sen. Paetongtarn may still remain as culture minister – a position she had assigned herself only hours earlier as part of a Cabinet reshuffle.
Already under pressure following the ruling coalition’s split with the powerful Bhumjaithai Party and growing discontent with key policies – including the Entertainment Complex Bill that seeks to legalize casino gaming – Paetongtarn was suspended after the court voted to accept a petition from 36 senators.
According to local media reports, the nine judges of the Constitutional Court voted 7-2 to suspend Paetongtarn as Prime Minister until it makes a further ruling in the case.
The senators had requested she be removed from office on charges of sedition, alleging that her criticism of the Thai army over a border conflict on 28 May that left a Cambodian soldier dead had negatively affected the nation’s sovereignty.
The court’s ruling is seemingly another blow to the government’s hopes of pushing ahead with its casino bill – a parliamentary review of which has already been postponed by at least a month. A special committee of the Bhumjaithai-dominated senate examining the bill has also called for it to be dumped altogether.
Earlier on Tuesday the committee outlined plans to invite the Prime Minister to a meeting on 17 July to provide more clarity on key aspects of the bill.
RelatedPosts
