Thailand’s constitutional court has dismissed Paetongtarn Shinawatra from her position as prime minister, ruling that as the country’s leader she violated ethical rules during a phone call with Cambodia’s senate president, Hun Sen.
The ruling, which threatens to usher in a fresh period of instability in the country, means she immediately loses her job, which she had held for about a year. The 39-year-old had already been suspended from her duties on 1 July after a recording was leaked of the phone conversation, in which they discussed a simmering border dispute between the neighbouring countries.
Critics accused her of failing to protect Thailand’s interests during the call, in which she addressed Hun Sen as “uncle”, and told him that if there were anything he wanted, she would “take care of it”. She also made critical remarks about a senior Thai military commander.
The court said Paetongtarn had put her private interests before those of the nation and damaged the reputation of the country. “Due to a personal relationship that appeared aligned with Cambodia, the respondent was consistently willing to comply with or act in accordance with the wishes of the Cambodian side,” the court said in a statement.
Paetongtarn, the daughter of the billionaire former Thai leader Thaksin Shinawatra, had apologised for her comments, describing them as a negotiating tactic.
Speaking to media after the verdict, Paetongtarn said she accepted the judgment, but added: “I never asked for anything for my own benefit … the most important thing I have always upheld is the lives of our people, whether military or civilian. I am truly determined to protect their lives.
“As a Thai, I love my nation, religion, and monarchy with all my heart, as much as any Thai can.”
Weeks after the recording was leaked, the border dispute erupted into a five-day conflict in which dozens of people were killed and hundreds of thousands displaced.
Anger over the phone call, and Paetongtarn’s handling of the border crisis, has been exacerbated by a perception that her family’s personal relationship with Hun Sen – an old friend turned foe – was undermining Thailand’s response to the border crisis.
A full version of the recording was published by Hun Sen, who later threatened to release further compromising information about Paetongtarn’s father, Thaksin. Hun Sen is known to have been an old friend of Thaskin’s, though, for unknown reasons, a bitter feud erupted between the two men earlier this year.
After the phone call was released, thousands of protesters took to the streets of Bangkok, demanding Paetongtarn’s resignation and calling her a traitor.
Friday’s verdict is a major blow for the Shinawatra family, which has dominated Thai politics for decades.
Paetongtarn is the fourth member of her family to have their term cut short either by a military coup or court ruling. Thaksin was ousted in a military coup in 2006, while in 2008 Thaksin’s brother-in-law Somchai Wongsawat, who was prime minister briefly, was also forced from power by a court ruling. In 2014, Thaksin’s sister Yingluck was ousted by a court decision followed by a military coup.
Paetongtarn took office last year after her predecessor, Srettha Thavisin, also from Thaksin’s party, Pheu Thai, was removed from office over a separate ethics case.
Referencing Thailand’s courts’ frequent interventions in politics, Paetongtarn said: “Today’s judgment is once again changing politics abruptly. We must all work together, whether in government or opposition, we must unite to restore our political stability … to prevent such sudden changes from happening again.”
The Shinawatra family has been locked in a power struggle with the military royalist establishment for decades, but Thaksin has remained influential even after years in exile. However, many analysts believe his family’s power is now significantly dented, with public support diminished and no clear successor.
It is unclear who might take over as prime minister. Under the Thai constitution, only individuals who were nominated by their parties as prime ministerial candidates at the last general election are eligible for the office.
Two of Thaksin’s Pheu Thai party’s prime minsiterial nominees – Srettha and Paetongtarn – have now been ousted, and the party will face an uphill battle trying to gather enough support for their third nominee, Chaikasem Nitisiri, 77, and hold together its fragile coalition. Deputy prime minister Phumtham Wechayachai will oversee the government in a caretaker capacity until the office is filled.
Dr Punchada Sirivunnabood, professor at the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Mahidol University, said an election could be held as early as April next year.
Thaksin would probably try to launch a comeback, Sirivunnabood said, but added it was unlikely to be successful. A deal after the last election with its longstanding enemies from military-linked parties had helped Pheu Thai take power, but at the expense of a popular and youthful pro-reform party. Pheu Thai had also failed to deliver on its election pledges, especially in relation to the economy, said Sirivunnabood. “People who supported him have switched to other political parties,” she added.
