Thailand’s Constitutional Court has suspended Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra from office pending an ethics investigation into a leaked phone call with former Cambodian leader Hun Sen.
The court unanimously accepted a petition from 36 senators accusing Paetongtarn of dishonesty and breaching ethical standards during a June 15 conversation intended to ease border tensions.
The 7-2 vote to suspend her duties leaves Deputy Prime Minister Suriya Juangroongruangkit as caretaker leader while Paetongtarn, who has 15 days to present her defense, remains in the cabinet as culture minister following a recent reshuffle.
The decision adds to the mounting challenges facing the Shinawatra family’s Pheu Thai Party, which has dominated Thai politics for decades despite coups and court rulings.
The leaked phone call, in which Paetongtarn referred to Hun Sen as “uncle” and criticized a Thai military commander, ignited public and political backlash.
Conservative lawmakers accused her of undermining Thailand’s military and national interests, fueling protests demanding her resignation. Paetongtarn, 38, apologized, stating, “I had no intent to do it for my own interest. I only thought about how to avoid chaos, avoid fighting and to avoid loss of lives.”
The call addressed a decades-old border dispute that escalated in May after a Cambodian soldier’s death.
The controversy has weakened her coalition, already fragile after a key ally, Bhumjaithai, withdrew support, leaving her government with a slim parliamentary majority.
Paetongtarn’s suspension marks another chapter in Thailand’s turbulent political landscape, where the Constitutional Court has dissolved 34 parties since 2006, including the 2023 election winner, Move Forward.
“This has become a pattern in Thai politics... a part of the Thai political culture, which is not what a true political process is supposed to be,” said Titipol Phakdeewanich, a political science lecturer at Ubon Ratchathani University.
Paetongtarn’s struggles, compounded by a declining approval rating — down to 9.2% from 30.9% in March — mirror those of her father, Thaksin Shinawatra, who faces charges of insulting the monarchy.
If dismissed, Paetongtarn would be the second Pheu Thai prime minister removed in under a year, raising fears of a deeper political crisis.