The Constitutional Court of Thailand on Friday ordered the dismissal of the Prime Minister, Paetongtarn Shinawatrato be found culpable of violating a ethical code for criticism of a high military command in a filtered audio.
The case against Paetongtran, who remained with the Functions suspended since July 1 By order of the same court, part of a call with former Cambodian leader She late where Thai politics “opponent” a Lieutenant General of his country.
A panel of nine magistrates determined, through a divided decision (6 in favor and 3 against), that the Prime Minister had violated the Ethical Code and that their criticisms “demonstrated lack of unity between the army and the government”, according to a live broadcast of the decision.
“The accused’s actions (…) were more aligned with the wishes of Hun Sen than with the Interest and nation’s security“said one of the magistrates, who accused Paetongtar of prioritizing his” personal relationship “with the Cambodian leader and trying to” reduce criticism of his border dispute management “between Thailand and Cambodia.
The court ruling also means that all members of the Minister’s Cabinet must leave their positions.
Influential clan
The leader, the third member of the influential clan Shinawatra In assuming the position, he did not attend the court and heard the sentence from the building of the Government House, where he arrived after noon.
The audio that has caused the fall of politics was filtered through Facebook by the Cambodian politician himself, who ruled that country between 1985 and 2023.
The call took place on June 18, at a time of tension among neighboring countries after death in March of a Cambodian soldier in a fight at the border between the armies.
Paetongtran admitted that it was his real voice and apologized by arguing that his intention was soothe the situation on the border and try to avoid a major confrontation, which finally exploded on July 24 and in which at least 44 people died for five days of fighting.
However, more than thirty senators claimed the Constitutional to analyze whether the Prime Minister had incurred with her words in a “serious violation of ethical norms”, collected in article 160 of the Constitution.
Political instability
The decision to separate from power once again to the Shinawatra clan deepens the political instability of the second economy of Southeast Asia, with one of the minor growth in the region, and opens a new selection of successor in Parliament.
Only five candidates – among those who led the lists of the parties that attended the elections of May 2023 – can apply for prime minister.
Among them Chaikasem Nitisiri (from Phue Thai, training linked to the Shinawatra), Prayut Chan-Ocha (the general who led the 2014 coup d’etat and prime minister between 2019-2023) or the opponent Anutin Charnveerakul (who left the coalition government after the content of the filtered audio was known).
Paetongtarn came to power in August 2024 after the then prime minister, Srettha Thavisin, was set out from the position in another controversial decision of the same court.
In the last 20 years, the Constitutional has dismissed five prime ministers, including PaetongTarn, and all were linked to formations controlled by the Shinawatra, who maintains historical disagreements with promiliating and promising groups.
