BANGKOK (Bloomberg): Suspended Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra is seeking a fair hearing from a court probing allegations of ethical misconduct related to her handling of a border dispute with Cambodia, an official said.
As the nation’s leader, Paetongtarn’s phone conversation with Cambodia’s former leader Hun Sen was made in good faith with a sincere intention to promote peace between the two countries, Prommin Lertsuridej, secretary-general to the prime minister, told reporters.
She submitted her defense statement on Monday, meeting the deadline set by the Constitutional Court, he said.
"At this moment, we believe our intentions were right and will be fairly considered,” Prommin said.
In the controversial June phone call with Hun Sen, which was subsequently leaked, Paetongtarn blamed the border standoff between the two neighbors on the Thai army. The remarks, which she apologized for later, sparked protests in Thailand and calls for her to resign.
The court suspended Paetongtarn from her prime ministerial duties on July 1 after receiving a complaint from a group of senators accusing her of violating ethical standards.
She could be disqualified and removed from office permanently if the court finds her guilty.
A further escalation in the border dispute after Paetongtarn’s suspension erupted into the biggest armed conflict between the two countries in decades.
The fighting, which killed more than 40 people and displaced hundreds of thousands of civilians on both sides, stopped following a ceasefire agreement, mediated by Malaysia as the chair of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (Asean) and a push by US President Donald Trump.
Paetongtarn, the youngest daughter of billionaire and former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, came to power in August last year after her predecessor, Srettha Thavisin, was ousted in a similar ethics-related case over the appointment of a cabinet minister.
She has remained in the cabinet as the Culture Minister while one of her deputies, Phumtham Wechayachai, stepped in as the acting prime minister.
Paetongtarn’s ruling coalition now has a slim parliamentary majority after the second-largest party in the bloc defected to the opposition following the furore over her phone controversy.
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