On the 21st local time, Thailand’s suspended Prime Minister Peittongtan appeared in court to testify on a case of alleged constitutional violations at the Constitutional Court.
On the same day, the Constitutional Court of Thailand summoned Peittongtan and the Secretary-General of the National Security Council to appear in court. According to the arrangement of the Constitutional Court, the summons of Peittongtan to testify was an important part of the trial, mainly to hear the testimony of the parties involved in the case. Due to national security issues involved, the trial was not open to the public.
The Constitutional Court is scheduled to discuss and make a ruling on the case on the 29th of this month. If the court rules that his behavior is unconstitutionality, Peittongtan will be immediately terminated from his position as prime minister. In the short term, a deputy prime minister will act as prime minister, and then the parliament will hold a vote to elect a new prime minister.
In mid-June, a leaked recording of a phone conversation between Peittongtan and President of the Senate of Cambodia Hongson about the situation on the Thailand-Cambodia border caused controversy in Thailand. On July 1st, the Constitutional Court of Thailand announced that it had accepted a petition calling for an investigation into whether Peittongtan had violated the constitution, and decided to suspend Peittongtan from exercising his powers as prime minister from that day. (By Sinor News, Xue Jing)
On his 39th birthday, Thailand’s suspended Prime Minister Peittongtan appeared in court to testify on whether he violated the constitution.
With Peittongtan appearing in court on his birthday, where does the Thai political situation go from here?