Thai Constitutional Court Suspends Prime Minister "Bayontarun Shinawatra"

The Thai Constitutional Court decided today, Tuesday, to temporarily suspend the duties of Prime Minister Bayontarun Shinawatra by a majority of 7 votes to 2, after being accused of violating ministerial ethics amid a border dispute with Cambodia. The court statement said: "The duties of the Prime Minister are suspended from the 1st of July until the final judgment is issued".

The case comes after several conservative members of the Senate filed a lawsuit against Shinawatra, accusing her of "undermining the Thai army" and "submitting to Cambodia", following the leak of a phone call with the former Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, where she referred to him as "uncle" and described a Thai military commander as her "opponent".

Tensions between the two countries escalated after border clashes in May last year, resulting in the death of a Cambodian soldier. However, the leaked phone call sparked popular and political anger, with conservative MPs accusing her of "undermining the army" and violating constitutional provisions requiring "clear integrity" and "ethical standards" from ministers.

In a related context, a major party withdrew from the ruling coalition, leaving Shinawatra, 38, with a fragile parliamentary majority. Last Saturday, the capital Bangkok witnessed massive protests organized by opponents from the "Yellow Shirt" movement, where nearly 10,000 protesters gathered around the Victory Monument, waving Thai flags and banners including: "Leave, you... wicked".

One of the protesters, Siri Suangmoi (70 years old), who took a night trip from the north of the country to participate, said: "I am here to protect Thailand's sovereignty, and to say that the Prime Minister is not qualified... after hearing the leaked call, I no longer trust her".

It is worth noting that the "Yellow Shirt" movement played a pivotal role in the overthrow of Shinawatra's father, Thaksin Shinawatra, two decades ago. Interestingly, one of the organizers of the current protests was a former ally of Thaksin before becoming one of his prominent critics.