By Tass
BANGKOK, July 1. /TASS/. Thailand鈥檚 Constitutional Court has suspended Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra from office after dozens of senators petitioned to freeze her powers, the Nation news outlet reported.
According to its information, 36 senators demanded Shinawatra鈥檚 suspension after a recording of a telephone conversation she had with former Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen surfaced online. The senators claimed that the prime minister鈥檚 statements in the conversation with the Cambodian politician concerned the country鈥檚 sovereignty.
According to Nation, the judges voted to suspend Paetongtarn Shinawatra鈥檚 powers as prime minister; however, she will remain in the cabinet as culture minister following a reshuffle.
In turn, the Thai Enquirer reported that the senators believe that the prime minister had failed to comply with her constitutional obligations, avoided answering questions, and used her official position for personal gain.
The audio recording of the telephone conversation was made public on June 18 after Hun Sen sent it to Cambodian high-ranking officials. Thais were outraged by Paetongtarn Shinawatra鈥檚 statements about servicemen deployed on the border with Cambodia and the tone of the conversation. For example, the prime minister called Hun Sen “uncle,” which is inappropriate in an official context.