Bangkok. Thailand’s Prime Minister Petongtarn Shinawatra has been suspended by the Constitutional Court on Tuesday. The court launched an investigation into his conduct in the diplomatic dispute with Cambodia and suspended him.

For years, the country’s politics has been dominated by the struggle between conservatives, pro-military, pro-royal elites and the Shinawatra family. The Shinawatra family is considered a threat to Thailand’s traditional social order by conservative, pro-military and pro-imperial elites.

Petongtown, 38, suffered a setback on the day her father and former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra faced a criminal court on royal defamation charges.

Petongtern took office less than a year ago, but has been suspended because the Constitutional Court is considering whether she violated cabinet ethics during the border dispute.

A Cambodian soldier was killed in May when a long-running territorial dispute with Cambodia escalated into cross-border clashes.

According to leaked recordings, when Petongtarn called cambodia’s former leader Hun Sen to discuss tensions, he called Hun Sen an “uncle” and referred to a Thai military commander as his “rival”. The phone call sparked widespread outrage.

Conservative lawmakers accused him of bowing down to Cambodia and undermining the military and violating constitutional provisions requiring “clear honesty” and “moral standards” among ministers.

“The Constitutional Court, by a 7-2 majority, suspends the defendant from the responsibility of the Prime Minister from July 1 until the Constitutional Court decides its decision,” it said in a statement.

Serious weakness

Petongtarn’s Pheu Thai party has already been left by a key conservative coalition partner because of the scandal, and thousands have protested against his leadership in Bangkok over the weekend.

Thailand’s king approved petongtarn’s cabinet reshuffle on Tuesday after his aides resigned. He has assigned himself the post of culture minister and will take office on Thursday, but it is unclear whether he can take up that role while the Constitutional Court is investigating.

Separately on Tuesday, her father Thaksin appeared in a criminal court in Bangkok on charges of violating the strict sedition law used to protect Thailand’s king from criticism.

Thaksin’s 2015 interview with South Korean media stems from the charges, which, if found guilty, could face up to 15 years in prison. The case will go on for weeks, after which the verdict is not expected for at least a month.

A court official confirmed the start of the case in Thaksin’s presence on Tuesday morning, but said the media would not be allowed inside.

“I can’t speak on his behalf about how he feels, but I think he will look calm,” his lawyer Vinyat Chatmontry said outside the courthouse.

Thai political analyst Thetinan Pongsudhirak said there was a direct undeniable link between the two cases as the Shinawatra family brand was facing a “serious weakness”. ’