Thailand’s Constitutional Court suspended Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra on July 1 after 36 senators filed a petition seeking her removal over a leaked phone call with former Cambodian leader Hun Sen.
Thai Deputy Prime Minister Suriya Juangroongruangkit, 70, will serve as caretaker prime minister while the court awaits Paetongtarn’s response to allegations of dishonesty and ethical violations under the constitution.
During the phone call, Paetongtarn—whose father, Thaksin Shinawatra, is a former prime minister—criticized a Thai army commander and referred to Hun Sen as “uncle.” Hun Sen’s son, Hun Manet, is the current Cambodian prime minister.
On June 15, Paetongtarn spoke with Hun Sen after a Cambodian soldier was killed on May 28 in a brief exchange of gunfire with Thai troops at a disputed border area between the two countries.
The incident happened between Cambodia’s Preah Vihear Province and Thailand’s Ubon Ratchathani Province.
Referring to an unnamed Thai general, Paetongtarn told Hun Sen, through a translator, “He just wants to look cool and say things that are not useful to the nation, but in truth, what we want is peace.”
Paetongtarn has since apologized for what she said but has rejected calls for her to resign or dissolve parliament.
Hun Sen leaked the phone call on Facebook, and on June 18, Paetongtarn said, “I won’t be talking privately with [Hun Sen] anymore because there is a trust problem.”
She leads a coalition government dominated by her Pheu Thai party.
No Confidence Motion
Before the Constitutional Court announced her suspension, a former coalition partner, the Bhumjaithai Party, had threatened to file a motion of no confidence against Paetongtarn and her Cabinet.Paetongtarn also faces investigations by the Office of the National Anti-Corruption Commission over an alleged breach of ethics.
Thousands of conservative protesters rallied in downtown Bangkok on June 21 to demand Paetongtarn’s resignation.
The defense minister post was left vacant, with a deputy minister becoming the acting minister.
Paetongtarn is the third prime minister from the Shinawatra family.
Thaksin Shinawatra, a telecom billionaire, first came to power in 2001 after his Thai Rak Thai Party won elections, garnering significant support from the poorer north and northeast of Thailand.
Thaksin led Thailand until he was ousted by a military coup in 2006. He then went into exile.
After the military restored democracy in 2011, Paetongtarn’s aunt, Yingluck Shinawatra, was elected Thailand’s first female prime minister.
She was removed by a Constitutional Court ruling in May 2014, and a few weeks later, another military coup suspended the democratic process.
Democracy was restored in 2019, and in May 2023, Paetongtarn became prime minister at the head of a coalition, although Pheu Thai did not win the most seats in the House of Representatives.
In 2022, while campaigning, Paetongtarn said, “I am my dad’s daughter, always and forever, but I have my own decisions.”
Thailand’s courts, especially the Constitutional Court, are seen as part of the royalist establishment, which Thaksin has often clashed with over the years.
While Thailand is a constitutional monarchy, the royal family is protected by strict laws, and Thaksin, 75, has fallen foul of them.
In 2015, without giving details of what he said during the interview, the military government in Thailand revoked Thaksin’s Thai passports.
Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said at the time, “The content of what Thaksin Shinawatra said in an interview affects national security and the reputation and honour of Thailand.”
