VOA新闻杂志2022--泰国宪法法院宣布暂停巴育行使总理职权

Thai Court Suspends PM to Review Term Limit

Thailand's Constitutional Court suspended Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha on Wednesday to decide whether he violated the country's term limit for office.

Prayuth ruled as head of a military council after he led the overthrow¹ of the elected government in 2014. He became a civilian² prime minister in 2019 following an election held under a constitution written with military supervision³. It set an eight-year limit for the prime minister.

The court said it will consider a request from the main opposition⁴ party seeking his ouster. The opposition argued that Prayuth's time as head of a military government ruling the country should count towards his eight-year term under the constitution. In a statement, the court said that Prayuth has 15 days to answer the decision. The court said in a five-to-four ruling that his suspension would start on Wednesday.

A government spokesman said Prayuth respected the court's decision and had suspended active duty as prime minister. But he will remain in his other position as defense⁵ minister. The spokesman added that Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan would take over as acting⁶ prime minister. He said the suspension would not affect the government's work.

But those who want Prayuth gone do not want Prawit in power either.

"No Prayuth. No Prawit. No military coup⁷ government," a leading protest group said in a statement after the court decision Wednesday. The group known as Ratsadon, or The People, issued a new call for protests, but only a small number of people appeared.

Prayuth could return to his position when the court rules. But the court's decision threw Thai politics into more disorder⁸.

A recent public opinion study suggested that nearly two-thirds of Thais want Prayuth out of office by this month. Many blame him for mishandling the economy and the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2020, tens of thousands of people took to the streets to demand that Prayuth and his Cabinet resign. They also called for the constitution to be amended⁹ and the monarchy¹⁰ to be reformed. The conflicts between the student-driven protest movement and the government became violent.

"Gen. Prayuth has stayed for a long time and had no vision to develop the country at all," said Wuttichai Tayati, a 28-year-old who was protesting in Bangkok on Wednesday. "At least taking him out for now might make Thailand move forward a bit."

Thailand's next general election is expected no later than May of next year.

Words in This Story

coup –n. a sudden attempt by a small group of people to take over the government, usually through violence

mishandle –v. to supervise or deal with poorly or incorrectly

monarchy –n. a form of government that is ruled by king or queen

vision –n. a clear idea of what should be done or planned for the future

1 overthrow   

v.推翻，打倒，颠覆；n.推翻，瓦解，颠覆

参考例句：

• After the overthrow of the government,the country was in chaos.政府被推翻后，这个国家处于混乱中。
• The overthrow of his plans left him much discouraged.他的计划的失败使得他很气馁。

2 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

3 supervision   

n.监督，管理

参考例句：

• The work was done under my supervision.这项工作是在我的监督之下完成的。
• The old man's will was executed under the personal supervision of the lawyer.老人的遗嘱是在律师的亲自监督下执行的。

4 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

5 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

6 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

7 coup   

n.政变；突然而成功的行动

参考例句：

• The monarch was ousted by a military coup.那君主被军事政变者废黜了。
• That government was overthrown in a military coup three years ago.那个政府在3年前的军事政变中被推翻。

8 disorder   

n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调

参考例句：

• When returning back,he discovered the room to be in disorder.回家后，他发现屋子里乱七八糟。
• It contained a vast number of letters in great disorder.里面七零八落地装着许多信件。

9 Amended   

adj. 修正的 动词amend的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He asked to see the amended version. 他要求看修订本。
• He amended his speech by making some additions and deletions. 他对讲稿作了些增删修改。

10 monarchy   

n.君主，最高统治者；君主政体，君主国

参考例句：

• The monarchy in England plays an important role in British culture.英格兰的君主政体在英国文化中起重要作用。
• The power of the monarchy in Britain today is more symbolical than real.今日英国君主的权力多为象徵性的，无甚实际意义。