Thai Constitutional Court to weigh petition seeking PM's dismissal

1/7/2025 11:42

Thailand's Constitutional Court was due to meet on Tuesday to consider a petition seeking the dismissal of Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, as pressure mounts on a government battling to survive and under fire on multiple fronts.



The petition by 36 senators accuses Paetongtarn of dishonesty and breaching ethnical standards in violation of the constitution over a leaked telephone conversation with Cambodia's influential former leader Hun Sen. If the court accepts the case, it could decide to suspend the premier from duty with immediate effect.



During a June 15 call intended to defuse escalating border tensions with Cambodia, Paetongtarn, 38, kowtowed before Hun Sen and criticised a Thai army commander, a red line in a country where the military has significant clout. She has apologised and said her remarks were a negotiating tactic.



The leaked conversation triggered outrage and has left Paetongtarn's coalition with a razer-thin majority, with a key party abandoning the alliance and expected to soon seek a no confidence vote in parliament, as thousands of demonstrators demand the premier resigns.