Thailand plunges into political turmoil as Court removes PM Paetongtarn Shinawatra

Thailand’s Constitutional Court on Friday dismissed Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra and her entire cabinet over her handling of the nation’s border dispute with Cambodia, a ruling that has thrown the country into political uncertainty.

Paetongtarn, the daughter of billionaire ex-leader Thaksin Shinawatra, had already been suspended last month following allegations that she failed to defend Thailand’s position during a leaked June phone call with Cambodia’s former prime minister Hun Sen.

The nine-member court ruled by a six-to-three majority that she violated the ethical standards required of a prime minister and effectively ended her tenure with her July 1 suspension.

“Her actions have led to a loss of trust, prioritising personal interest over national interest, which fuelled public suspicion that she was siding with Cambodia,” one of the judges said while delivering the verdict.

The decision also dissolved her cabinet, marking the second consecutive year the court has removed a sitting prime minister, after Srettha Thavisin was ousted in a separate case in 2024.

The controversy stemmed from her leaked call with Hun Sen, where she addressed him as “uncle” and described a Thai military commander as her “opponent.”

The remarks angered the influential Thai military and sparked outrage among conservative lawmakers, some of whom accused her of undermining national sovereignty.

Her coalition partners abandoned her, while senators petitioned for her removal.

Reacting to the ruling, Paetongtarn defended her intentions, saying, “My intentions were for the benefit of the country, not for personal gain, but for the lives of the people, including civilians and soldiers.”

With no clear successor, Thailand faces deep political uncertainty. Under the constitution, only individuals nominated as prime ministerial candidates in the 2023 election are eligible, but nearly all of the nine names put forward then face major obstacles ranging from legal troubles to lack of party backing or health issues.

The crisis comes amid renewed clashes with Cambodia, triggered by the leaked call. The border tensions escalated into the deadliest confrontation between the two neighbours in decades, leaving over 40 people dead and displacing more than 300,000 residents.

For two decades, Thai politics has been shaped by a fierce rivalry between the pro-military conservative establishment and the Shinawatra family, seen by critics as a threat to the kingdom’s traditional power structure. Paetongtarn is now the sixth Shinawatra-aligned prime minister to be forced from office by the courts, with only her father Thaksin surviving a similar ordeal.

The political vacuum now raises questions about whether new elections will be called, as it remains unclear if acting prime minister Phumtham Wechayachai has the authority to trigger fresh polls.

AFP