Thailand Court Removes Pm Paetongtarn Shinawatra

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Thailand's Constitutional Court said Friday that suspended Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra should be removed from office.
In its verdict, the court said although Paetongtarn did not show "dishonesty" and had demonstrated the "required integrity", she violated ethics rules over a leaked phone call with Cambodia's Hun Sen.
During the phone call, the pair had discussed a border dispute, which escalated into deadly clashes.
The ruling could trigger political turmoil in the country that is only weeks into a ceasefire with its neighbor to the south.
What was the case against Paetongtarn?
Paetongtarn, the daughter of the controversial billionaire and former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, was suspended from office in July after a petition from 36 senators who accused her of poor ethical standards, dishonesty and failure to stand up for the nation.
At the center of the case is a leaked phone call with Hun Sen, the former Cambodian ruler and father of the current leader, Hun Manet.
In that call, Paetongtarn reportedly addressed Hun as "uncle" while calling a Thai military commander her "opponent."
They discussed the brewing tensions at their shared border over a disputed patch of land.
The leak sparked fury across Thailand where the military holds significant power and sway.
Some lawmakers accused Paetongtarn of undermining her country's military. Her main coalition partner walked out in protest, leaving the government hanging by a thread.
In a hearing at the court last week, Paetongtarn said she did her best to act in Thailand's interest.
Tensions between Thailand and Cambodia boiled over in July, leading to the deadliest military clashes in decades.
Over 40 people were killed and around 300,000 people displaced from their homes along the border.
Thailand's battered history of prime ministers
Paetongtarn has become the fifth prime minister in 17 years to be removed from office by Thailand's Constitutional Court.
Of the six leaders tried in the court, only Paetongtarn's father has survived a trial.
For over two decades now, Thai politics has been torn between three power centers — the pro-royalist elites, the Thai military and the Shinawatra political dynasty.
"Appointing a new prime minister...will be difficult and may take considerable time," said Stithorn Thananithichot, a political scientist at Chulalongkorn University. "It's not easy for all parties to align their interests."
- DW

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