BANGKOK, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- Suspended Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra attended a constitutional court hearing on Thursday in a case seeking her dismissal over alleged ethics violations.

The hearing began at 10:30 a.m. local time, with Paetongtarn appearing in court as the defendant and Chatchai Bangchuad, secretary-general of the National Security Council, present for the witness examination.

Constitutional Court President Nakharin Mektrairat said the court would prohibit the broadcasting of images and audio during witness testimony, given the implications for national security.

Nakharin said the court also barred attendees from disseminating any content from the proceedings or distorting facts or legal interpretations in a manner that could mislead the public.

The deadline for both the petitioner and the respondent to submit their closing argument statements has been brought forward to Aug. 25, he added.

Last week, the court decided to summon two additional witnesses for Thursday's hearing and set a date to hand down its verdict on Aug. 29.

On July 1, the court suspended Paetongtarn after accepting the case petitioned by a group of senators accusing her of lacking integrity and seriously breaching ethical standards over a leaked phone conversation on the border issue with Cambodia. ■