By Thai Newsroom Reporters
PAETONGTARN SHINAWATRA was yesterday (Aug.20) suggested to wholeheartedly accept during today’s (Aug.21) testimony before the Constitutional Court the mistake which she evidently made during last June’s leaked cellphone conversation with Cambodian leader Hun Sen in effort to help herself survive an impeachment lawsuit filed in pursuit of her ouster as elected prime minister.
Thammasat University law lecturer Prinya Thaewanarumitkul advised the embattled Paetongtarn, currently suspended by court from performing as head of government pending a court verdict on the historic case scheduled for Aug.29, unconditionally admit to the judges that she had made the undeniable mistake by calling a Thai army general in charge of security measures in northeastern Thailand “one of those of the opposite side” whilst discussing Thai-Cambodian border conflict with Hun Sen during their leaked cellphone talk.
However, Prinya raised concerns over a predictable courtroom drama during today’s testimony to the extent that Paetongtarn, daughter of de facto Pheu Thai boss Thaksin Shinawatra, may categorically insist that she had made no such mistake by saying so about Thailand’s Second Army Area Commander Lt.Gen. Boonsin Padklang as exposed in a widely-circulated audio clip and that she was merely using what may have been considered a “tactic of negotiation” during her spontaneous chitchat with the senior Cambodian leader, father of her Cambodian counterpart Hun Manet.
“Paetongtarn should wholeheartedly, unconditionally accept the mistake that she made and never try to raise contention about her blunders during testimony in court. She may say she had been unsuspectingly tricked by Hun Sen into saying so. An honest confession on her part could probably solicit mercy from the judges,” Prinya said.
The law lecturer forecast the nine judges of the Constitutional Court might probably cast 5:4 votes in her favour only if she accepted to have committed such verbal errors.
He said the prime minister’s lawyers may have encouraged her to fight the legal battle without ever accepting her mistake, albeit made in inadvertent, slip-of-the-tongue fashion, only to prompt the judges to rule her guilty of the impeachment-invoking charges of perpetrating a severe breach of the ethical code and manifesting lack of evident honesty allegedly tantamount to an act of treason at the cost of Thailand’s territorial integrity, national interests and prestige whilst handling the unresolved Thai-Cambodian border disputes.
The Thammasat academic said the judges could probably get the embattled prime minister off-guard and dumbfounded in court with a simple question as to whether she would have said what she had already said about the Thai army general only if she had realized her word was being taped at the other end of the line.
Nevertheless, Prinya suspected that Paetongtarn might probably choose to testify that she would still have said so since she honestly considered it a “tactic of negotiation” under which she may have spontaneously put herself on the same side with the Cambodian leader whilst keeping the Thai army general on the other side.
But, the law lecturer said,, the judges would almost certainly not believe she was telling the truth to the extent that she would have said so even if she had been aware of her conversation with her “uncle” being taped and then exposed to the public.
If finally found guilty as charged in court, Thaksin’s daughter could be immediately deposed of elected premiership at an order of the court, thus warranting the naming of a new prime minister with votes of majority support in the House of Representatives.
If found not guilty, she would find her popularity drastically ebbing and have even more difficulties running the country than before, he said.
CAPTIONS:
Suspended prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra. Top photo: Naewna, Front Page photo: Thai Rath
Insert: Academic Prinya Thaewanarumitkul. Photo: Thai Rath
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