Thailand

Thailand Court Removed Prime Minister From Office Over Leaked Phone Call

Thailand’s constitutional court ruled on Friday to remove the current prime minister Paetongtarn Shinnawatra from office over a leaked phone call with former prime minister of Cambodia Hun Sen.

Paetongtarn is the daughter of Thaksin Shinnawatra, a billionaire and a former prime minister who is regarded as one of the most influential figures in Thai politics.  Appointed in 2023, she was the youngest prime minister of Thailand.

Paetongtarn came under fire when she made a personal call to Hun Sen while tensions at the Thailand-Cambodia borders escalated. In the call, she called Hun Sen “uncle” while promising that she would “take care of anything” that he wanted. She also spoke dismissively against a military commander.

The phone call was later leaked, prompting senators to petition the Constitutional Court to determine whether her actions were a breach of the prime minister’s ethical standards. The Constitutional court’s nine judges ruled 6-3 against the prime minister, effectively dismissing her from position. The court concluded that her actions lacked “honesty and integrity” and “gravely violated” the ethical standards required of a prime minister.

“My intension was to save lives, that’s what I intended to communicate,” Paetongtarn says after the verdict. She says that she acknowledges the verdict and insists to respect the nation, religion, and monarchy of Thailand. “I express my support for the incoming administration.”

Paetongtarn is the fifth prime minister to be removed by the constitutional court in less than 20 years.Thai lawmakers will now select her successor from a list of candidates submitted during the 2023 general election.

* Takdanai Ketkaew is Programme Assistant and Communication Officer at FNF Thailand.