Betonta: I accept the Constitutional Court’s decision to suspend me and I hope to apologize to the people
On July 1, the Thai Constitutional Court decided to suspend Prime Minister Prathongtha pending an ethics investigation. The case involved a leaked phone call between her and former Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen regarding the Thai-Myanmar conflict. Prathongtha said on the same day that she accepted the Constitutional Court’s decision, “I want to apologize to the people who are dissatisfied with all this,” and said that she would continue to serve Thailand as a citizen.
On the 1st, the Thai Constitutional Court agreed to accept the complaint of 36 senators, accusing Prathongtha of violating integrity and ethical standards in her phone call with Hun Sen, which was suspected of being unconstitutional, and demanded that Prathongtha be removed from office. Later on the same day, the Constitutional Court decided 7-2 to suspend Prathongtha first. Prathongtha can respond to the Constitutional Court’s decision and provide favorable evidence within 15 days. Central News Agency reported that Deputy Prime Minister Putan will temporarily serve as prime minister.
The Thai-Cambodian border conflict on May 28 resulted in the death of a Cambodian soldier. Thai government officials tried to ease the conflict, but the Thai military took a tough stance. Later, a June 15 phone call between Pattontha and Hun Sen was leaked. Pattontha called Hun Sen “uncle” and told him not to listen to the “opposition”; the so-called opposition included a well-known Thai border force commander.
Pattontha has apologized for this, claiming that such remarks were a negotiating tactic. However, this recording has triggered protests by Thai people on the streets, and also caused the second largest party in the ruling coalition, the Pheu Thai Party, to withdraw from Pattontha’s coalition government. Eight cabinet members of the party resigned and are expected to instigate a cabinet overthrow in parliament.
The withdrawal of the Pheu Thai Party has led to a cabinet reshuffle in Thailand. The Thai king approved the reshuffle list on July 1, in which Pattontha serves as Minister of Culture. Analysts previously speculated that Pattontha served as Minister of Culture because she could continue to participate in cabinet meetings even if the prime minister’s position was suspended.
Reuters reported on the 1st that Pattontha was facing a battle to defend her position only 10 months after taking office, highlighting the declining strength of the Pheu Thai Party to which she belongs. The party is seen as a tool of Pattontha’s Shinawatra political family. Bertona came to power as the youngest prime minister, but his government has had difficulty reviving the economy and his support has plummeted; a poll conducted from June 19 to 25 found that his support had dropped from 30.9% in March to 9.2%.
