Thailand’s suspended Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra appeared before the Constitutional Court on Thursday to present her defense against a complaint that she violated laws on ethical behavior during a phone call with former Cambodian leader Hun Sen earlier this year.
In a hearing that was wrapped up within the day, Paetongtarn was one of two people to give evidence to the court – the other being Secretary-General of the National Security Council Chatchai Bangchuat – ahead of a ruling scheduled for 29 August. The Prime Minister and a group of 36 senators who filed the initial compliant against her have been given until Monday to submit their written closing statements, according to The Bangkok Post.
Paetongtarn would, if found guilty, become the third member of her family to be removed from office after her father Thaksin in 2006 and auntie Yingluck in 2014. Such an event would also see the cabinet step down, sending the country straight back into political turmoil, the media outlet noted. Pateongtarn assumed office in 2023 after her predecessor, Srettha Thavisin, was also dismissed by the Constitutional Court for an ethics violation.
Thursday’s hearing coincided with the Prime Minister’s 39th birthday and saw her answer questions from the judge for around 90 minutes. The proceedings were streamed to a monitor set up for reporters outside the chamber, albeit with a court order barring them from reporting on what was said.
Paetongtarn was suspended by the Constitutional Court on 1 July after her phone call with Hun Sen – in which she criticized the actions of the Thai army in a 28 May border conflict that left a Cambodian soldier dead – was leaked.
Senators had requested she be removed from office on charges of sedition, alleging that her criticism of the Thai army had negatively affected the nation’s sovereignty.
Her removal would effectively end any hopes of the government’s Entertainment Complex Bill from ever seeing the light of day, having already been taken off the House agenda in July.
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