Thailand’s Constitutional Court has disqualified suspended prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra for ethical misconduct over a controversial phone call with Cambodia’s former leader, Hun Sen.
The ruling, delivered on Friday, means the prime minister will be immediately removed from office. This makes Ms Paetongtarn the fifth prime minister since 2008 to be stripped of office by the powerful court.
Ms Paetongtarn, daughter of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, was suspended from her duties on 1 July after a one-year term following uproar over a leaked phone call between her and Cambodia’s former leader.
In the call recording from 15 June, as border tensions ramped up between the two countries, she had called Mr Hun Sen "uncle" and appeared to criticise Thai military actions. She received backlash from people over her perceived friendly tone as critics said she maligned a Thai army general.
Several petitions were filed in the Constitutional Court to remove her, claiming that Ms Paetongtarn had breached the ethical standards expected of a prime minister.
Massive protests took place at Victory Monument demanding she resign as protesters held banners sating “uncle is not our friend”.
Ms Paetongtarn had defended her tone in the leaked phone call as a negotiation technique. But the court in its verdict rejected the argument and said she violated ethical standards.
"[Paetongtarn]’s actions did not preserve the nation’s pride and considered personal interest over the country’s, which seriously violated or failed to follow the ethical standards," the court said in its verdict.
Her move has "caused the public to lose trust and faith towards the Thai premiership" and caused "grave damage" to her work, the court said.
"It has caused the public to cast doubt if [her actions] would benefit Cambodia more than benefitting the nation’s interest."
Mr Hun Sen, who Ms Paetongtarn was talking to, was Cambodia’s prime minister for 38 years until his son Hun Manet took over the job in 2023.
The phone call recording emerged as long-standing tensions over the border between Cambodia and Thailand heightened after a Cambodian soldier was killed in a brief incident of violence in disputed territory in May. In late June, the two countries engaged in five days of combat that killed dozens of people and displaced more than 260,000.
The court’s ruling comes as a blow to the ruling coalition led by Paetongtarn’s Pheu Thai party. The controversy over the phone call caused the Bhumjaithai Party, the biggest partner of Pheu Thai, to drop out, leaving the coalition with a slim majority of seats in the House of Representatives.
Now a new prime minister will be chosen by a vote in the House of Representatives. Meanwhile, Phumtham Wechayachai, the first deputy prime minister has already been serving as acting prime minister, will continue working as the leader.
