House panel summons Paetongtarn to testify about leaked phone call

The House State Security Affairs Committee has decided to summon suspended Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra to appear next week, to explain her controversial phone call with Cambodian strongman Hun Sen on June 15th.

People’s party MP Rangsiman Rome, chair of the committee, told the media today that they decided to invoke the Act, which came into force on June 5th, empowering House or Senate committees to summon government authorities to explain or testify about issues of national interest, because previous attempts by the panel have not been heeded by Paetongtarn.

He said that the issue is of national interest and important for the relations between Thailand and Cambodia, adding that the controversial phone call was a breach of diplomatic protocol.

He said that the committee will also summon Acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai, Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa, secretary-general of the National Security Council, commander of the Cybercrime Investigation Bureau and the chairman of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission, as well as the governor of the Provincial Electricity Authority, to testify to the House committee pertaining to problems with Cambodia.

The contents of the leaked phone call triggered political fallout, resulting in Paetongtarn being ordered, by the Constitutional Court, to stop functioning as prime minister, pending a ruling as to whether she is to be stripped of her prime ministerial post.

Meanwhile, Bhumjaithai MP Pathida Tantirattananon, one of the committee members, says that she would like to ask Paetongtarn about her promise, to people living along the border with Cambodia in Surin, to construct or improve bomb shelters, especially at schools.

She pointed out that 80% of the schools located near the border do not have bomb shelters.