BANGKOK: Thailand’s Constitutional Court has set 29 August as the date to deliver its verdict on a case seeking Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra’s removal from office.
A group of conservative senators filed the case accusing the prime minister of misconduct during a diplomatic row with Cambodia that triggered deadly border clashes.
The court stated it will announce its decision at 3:00 pm local time on 29 August regarding allegations Paetongtarn violated ministerial ethics.
Paetongtarn, daughter of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, assumed office less than a year ago after her predecessor was dismissed by the same court.
The 38-year-old leader was suspended from duties last month but maintains she acted in Thailand’s best interests throughout the Cambodia dispute.
Controversy arose after leaked recordings showed Paetongtarn addressing Cambodian leader Hun Sen as “uncle” and referring to a Thai military commander as her “opponent”.
Conservative opponents allege these remarks demonstrate improper conduct and undermine Thailand’s military while showing undue deference to Cambodia.
The case centres on whether Paetongtarn breached constitutional requirements for ministers to maintain “evident integrity” and “ethical standards”.
If removed, Paetongtarn would follow her father Thaksin and aunt Yingluck as the third Shinawatra prime minister ousted before completing their term.
Thailand’s political landscape remains divided between conservative royalist-military factions and the Shinawatra family’s populist movement.
Thaksin Shinawatra faces separate lese-majeste charges with his verdict expected on 22 August, one week before his daughter’s fate is decided.
In a recent interview, Thaksin suggested his daughter would return to family life if removed from office, saying she would “just go back and perform her duty as a mother”. – AFP
