Thailand Court Suspends PM in Ethics Case

It was a Thai court decision last year that swept Paetongtarn Shinawatra into the Prime Minister's office and now, once again, the fate of the novice politician lies in the hands of the judiciary.

- REUTERS

The Constitutional Court suspended Paetongtarn — Thailand's youngest Prime Minister — from office on Tuesday, pending a case that seeks her dismissal over a controversial phone call last month with former Cambodian leader Hun Sen. "I want to apologize to people who are upset by all of this," Paetongtarn said in Bangkok.

"I will continue to work for the country as a Thai citizen," she said, "I don't have any bad intentions." The suspension order capped two tumultuous weeks in Thai politics, triggered by the leak of the call between Hun Sen and Paetongtarn, in which she appears to pander to the Cambodian strongman and then denigrate a Thai military commander.