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Thailand’s court ruled that Paetongtarn Shinawatra violated ethical rules after leaking a phone call with Cambodia’s former leader.
Thailand PM sacked: Paetongtarn Shinawatra sacked by Constitutional Court (Reuters Image)
Thailand’s Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra and her cabinet were sacked by the country’s Constitutional Court on Friday, just a year into her term, over the border row with Cambodia.
She was found guilty of violating ethical standards, as the court ruled that she violated ethical rules after leaking a phone call with Cambodia’s former leader.
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Paetongtarn, daughter of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, was suspended from office in July after being accused of failing to stand up for Thailand in a call with powerful former Cambodian leader Hun Sen in June. The call was leaked online.
The nine-judge panel said that she had failed to uphold the ethical standards demanded of a prime minister and removed her from office. With this, Thailand was pushed to the brink of political crisis, with no candidate on hand to lead the ruling coalition in the Parliament, AFP reported.
“Her actions have led to a loss of trust, prioritising personal interest over national interest, which fuelled public suspicion that she was siding with Cambodia and diminished confidence in her as PM among Thai citizens,” the ruling read out by one of the judges said.
“The defendant has not upheld the ethical code of conduct. Her tenure as prime minister effectively ended with the suspension on July 1,” it added.
The ruling came a year after the same court removed her predecessor, Srettha Thavisin, as the prime minister in a different ethics case.
The case was about her phone call with Hun Sen, Cambodia’s longtime leader and father of the current prime minister. In the call, they talked about tensions between their countries over a disputed border.
Paetongtarn called Hun Sen “uncle” and described a Thai military commander as her “opponent.” This angered many in Thailand, where the army has a strong influence.
Conservative lawmakers accused her of bowing to Cambodia and weakening the military, while her main coalition partner walked out in protest, nearly toppling her government.
She managed to stay in power, but a group of senators asked the Constitutional Court to remove her, saying she had broken constitutional rules that require ministers to show “clear integrity” and “ethical standards.” The court suspended her on July 1.
About the Author
Ashesh Mallick is a Sub-Editor with over three years of experience in news writing, video production. He primarily covers national news, politics and global affairs. You can follow him on Twitter: @MallickAshes…Read More
Ashesh Mallick is a Sub-Editor with over three years of experience in news writing, video production. He primarily covers national news, politics and global affairs. You can follow him on Twitter: @MallickAshes… Read More
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