Thailand’s Constitutional Court has removed Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra from office, citing her handling of a Cambodia border dispute and leaked phone call as a serious breach of ethics, plunging the nation into fresh political turmoil.
Thailand’s Constitutional Court on Friday officially dismissed Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, ruling that her actions during a border dispute with Cambodia violated ethical standards and undermined national integrity. The dramatic ruling has shaken Thailand’s political landscape and ended the historic tenure of its youngest-ever prime minister.
The court declared that Paetongtarn, 39, lacked the constitutional qualifications required to lead the government. She had been suspended on July 1 after senators filed a petition seeking her removal, and the decision now makes her dismissal final and binding.
At the center of the controversy was a leaked phone call in which Paetongtarn allegedly referred to a Thai army commander as the “opposite side” during a conversation with former Cambodian leader Hun Sen. Lawmakers argued that her remarks revealed irresponsibility and threatened Thailand’s sovereignty.
Paetongtarn insisted that the discussion was intended to safeguard Thailand’s national interest. However, the leak triggered a wave of outrage across the country, fueling mass street protests and intensifying calls for her resignation.
Paetongtarn, the daughter of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, had risen to power last August after the Constitutional Court removed her predecessor Srettha Thavisin of the ruling Pheu Thai Party over a cabinet appointment dispute. Her swift downfall marks another turbulent chapter in Thailand’s revolving-door politics.
According to the Thai Constitution, her removal is immediate, and the entire cabinet must also step down. The lower house will now convene to select a new prime minister from candidates nominated by political parties ahead of the general election originally scheduled for May 2023. The Constitutional Court’s decision is final and cannot be appealed.
