Thailand's new Cabinet members take oaths, including suspended prime minister
Paetongtarn Shinawatra was suspended as prime minister Tuesday, the same day Thailand's king endorsed a Cabinet lineup in which she would be the culture minister.
Paetongtarn was smiling as she arrived at Government House for the swearing-in ceremony with other new members, but did not answer questions.
Acting Prime Minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit led the new Cabinet members at the ceremony to receive the endorsement from King Maha Vajiralongkorn.
Suriya is expected later to assign the acting prime minister duty to Phumtham Wechayachai, who was sworn in Thursday as deputy prime minister and interior minister. Phumtham had been deputy prime minister and defense minister since Paetongtarn took office last year.
Paetongtarn has faced growing dissatisfaction over her handling of a border dispute with Cambodia, including an armed confrontation in May in which a Cambodian soldier was killed.
In a leaked phone call with Cambodian Senate President Hun Sen, she attempted to defuse tensions — but instead set off a string of complaints and public protests. Critics said she went to far in appeasing Hun Sen and damaged Thailand's image and reputation.
The Constitutional Court voted unanimously Tuesday to review a petition accusing her of a breach of the ethics, and voted 7-2 to immediately suspend her until it issues its ruling. The court gave Paetongtarn 15 days to give evidence to support her case. It's unclear when it will rule.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Winnipeg Free Press
an hour ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Melania Trump meets with patients, visits garden at Washington children's hospital
WASHINGTON (AP) — First lady Melania Trump was set to visit with sick patients at Children's National hospital in Washington on Thursday as the children made Fourth of July arts and crafts ahead of the holiday. Trump, continuing a tradition of support by first ladies for the pediatric care center, was also expected during her visit to visit a rooftop 'healing' garden she dedicated during the first Trump administration to first ladies of the United States. The Bunny Mellon Healing Garden, set to be decked out in decorations for Independence Day on Friday, was named to honor Rachel 'Bunny' Mellon, a friend of first lady Jacqueline Kennedy. Mellon was a philanthropist and avid gardener who designed the Rose Garden and other White House gardens during the Kennedy administration. The garden was dedicated to America's first ladies because of their decades-long support for the hospital and its patients, including a traditional first lady visit at Christmastime that dates back to Bess Truman. Trump, along with chief White House groundskeeper Dale Haney, is set to inspect the planting of a new yellow rose bush donated by the White House and planted earlier in the week at the hospital garden. After, the first lady is scheduled to visit privately with a young transplant patient at the hospital. Later Thursday, the first lady was expected to join President Donald Trump in the Oval Office where they set to meet with Edan Alexander, the last living American hostage in Gaza, who was released in May.
Winnipeg Free Press
an hour ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Myanmar military fighter jet disappears as resistance group claims to have downed it
BANGKOK (AP) — A Myanmar military fighter jet crashed in a combat zone in the country's east, according to an anti-military resistance organization that claimed to have shot it down. State-run media reported about the disappearance of an aircraft. Maui, the vice commander-in-chief and Secretary No. 2 of the Karenni Nationalities Defence Force, or KNDF, told The Associated Press on Thursday that a jet had been shot down early Wednesday by the resistance fighters during heavy fighting near Hpasawng township in Kayah state, which is also known as Karenni. Hpasawng is about 160 kilometers (100 miles) southeast of the capital, Naypyitaw. Claims of aircraft being shot down are difficult to independently confirm, because of tight restrictions on the media and the remoteness of where much combat takes place. Maui said that the wreckage of the plane, along with the remains of the two pilots nearby, were found on Thursday morning, after a search was conducted. He also posted photos and video of the jet's smoking wreckage on a hill with the resistance fighters, including him, posing in the background. Local media also posted images of a crashed plane with what appeared to be human remains nearby. The claims that an aircraft had been shot down came a few hours after the state-run Myanma Alinn newspaper on Thursday reported that the military fighter jet had suddenly disappeared from radar and lost communications during long-distance training maneuvers on Tuesday night, approximately 130 kilometres (80 miles) southeast of Naypyitaw. The report said that it was possibly caused by a technical fault or bad weather, and a search and recovery effort was underway, without identifying the type of jet or mentioning casualties. The KNDF identified the plane as a two-seater Chinese FTC-2000G, a ground-attack jet. In a statement released on its Facebook page on Thursday, the resistance group said that the military has been launching heavy attacks with various fighter jets after the combined resistance forces seized an army infantry battalion in Hpasawng on Monday. Maui said that the plane could be the same one that the military had declared missing. Kayah, which is the smallest of Myanmar's seven states and dominated by the Karenni ethnic minority, has experienced intense conflict, especially since the army seized power in February 2021 from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. The area borders Thailand and isn't far from Myanmar's capital. The crisis has led to the growth of armed resistance and embroiled the country in a civil war. The military, which has launched offensives in various parts of the country, makes heavy use of air power, which can't be effectively challenged by the resistance. Most combat aircraft in Myanmar's military come from China or Russia, which also supply other armaments. Many Western nations maintain an arms embargo, in addition to other sanctions on the ruling military, and are making efforts to block the supply of aviation fuel. The military is believed to have lost at least five helicopters and four fighter jets, including two aircraft that crashed in May and June, which opposition groups claimed were shot down by them.
Winnipeg Free Press
an hour ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Putin and Trump to speak by phone in their 6th conversation this year
MOSCOW (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin said they will speak by phone Thursday, their sixth publicly disclosed chat since Trump returned to the White House this year. Trump said in a social media post the call will take place at 10 a.m. EDT. Neither leader offered any immediate details on the topic. Their previous publicly known call came June 14, a day after Israel attacked Iran. Their resumed contacts appeared to reflect both leaders' interest in mending U.S.-Russian ties that have plummeted to their lowest point since the Cold War amid the 3-year-old conflict in Ukraine. Thursday's call follows the Pentagon's confirmation that it's pausing shipment of some weapons to Ukraine as it goes about a global review of U.S. military stockpiles. The weapons being held up for Ukraine include air defense missiles, precision-guided artillery and other equipment. The details on the weapons in some of the paused deliveries were confirmed by a U.S. official and former national security official familiar with the matter. They both requested anonymity to discuss what is being held up as the Pentagon has yet to provide details. On Tuesday, Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron held their first direct telephone call in almost three years. —- Associated Press writer Aamer Madhani in Washington contributed.
