By Sebastian Strangio
Thailand’s Constitutional Court has suspended Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra over the leak of a recording of a phone call with Cambodia’s former leader Hun Sen, setting off further rumbles of political turbulence. The ruling came in response to a petition filed by 36 conservative senators, accusing the neophyte prime minister of breaching ethical standards over the leaked call, which related to the ongoing border dispute with Cambodia. Relations between Bangkok and Phnom Penh have deteriorated considerably since an armed confrontation along a remote stretch of the border on May 28, in which one Cambodian soldier was killed. In a statement, the court said that its nine judges voted unanimously to accept the petition, and voted 7-2 to suspend the prime minister until they hand down their verdict. The court gave Paetongtarn 15 days to give evidence in support of her case. In the leaked audio recording, Paetongtarn appeared to kowtow to Hun Sen, whom she referred to as 鈥渦ncle.鈥 She also vowed to 鈥渢ake care of whatever鈥 the 72-year-old politician needed, and criticized a prominent Thai military commander of inciting anti-government sentiment on the border issue and of being 鈥渃ompletely aligned鈥 with her political opponents. While Paetongtarn has defended the comments as a negotiating tactic, the leak prompted calls for Paetongtarn鈥檚 resignation from progressives and conservatives alike, and prompted the Bhumjaithai party, the second-largest in Paetongtarn鈥檚 unsteady coalition government, to withdraw its support. Today鈥檚 ruling was handed down just hours after King Vajiralongkorn endorsed a cabinet reshuffle that followed Bhumjaithai鈥檚 withdrawal. In their petition to the Constitutional Court, the senators said Paetongtarn鈥檚 conduct during the phone call showed a lack of responsibility and integrity, and threatened to undermine the country’s sovereignty. Conservative opponents of the Shinawatra family have been gunning for Paetongtarn since she was appointed prime minister last August, accusing her of inexperience and of acting as a proxy for her father, former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. In a statement following the ruling, Paetongtarn said that she humbly accepted the court鈥檚 decision, arguing that she always served with 100 percent dedication and had no personal agenda during the leaked call. According to some reports, Deputy Prime Minister Suriya Juangroongrueangkit will serve as acting prime minister until the Constitutional Court makes its final ruling. The Court鈥檚 decision is just the latest in a long line of interventions that have shaped and altered the trajectory of Thai politics, and represent a significant qualifier on Thailand鈥檚 claim to have a functioning multiparty democracy. Thailand鈥檚 court system is a bastion of the conservative establishment, blustered around the army and the monarchy, which has a long track record of using it, and other unelected agencies such as the Election Commission, to keep the country鈥檚 democracy within certain unspoken limits. Last year, the Constitutional Court removed Paetongtarn鈥檚 predecessor, Srettha Thavisin, over a minor breach of ethics, a week after disbanding the progressive Move Forward Party, the largest party in the Thai parliament, and banning 11 of its executives from politics for 10 years. Both of these cases were initiated by conservative and royalist activists opposed to Thaksin and his Pheu Thai party. Now that the court has accepted the case, Paetongtarn鈥檚 chances of surviving the current crisis are rapidly approaching zero. Even if the Court voted not to remove her from office over the leaked call 鈥 her alleged transgression is much more serious than Srettha鈥檚, which makes this unlikely 鈥 she also faces a parliamentary vote of no-confidence, as well as complaints in the National Anti-Corruption Commission and the Election Commission, and an escalating campaign of street protests. As things stand, Paetongtarn 鈥 the second woman, and third Shinawatra, to lead Thailand 鈥 will be lucky to last until the end of the month.