THAILAND – Thailand has been plunged into fresh political turmoil after Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra was dismissed by the Constitutional Court for violating ethical standards in a leaked phone call with Cambodia’s former leader Hun Sen.
The court ruled on Friday that the 39-year-old leader, daughter of former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, had “aligned herself with Cambodia” and undermined public confidence in her office.
Six of the nine judges voted against her, finding that her remarks in the June call — where she referred to Hun Sen as “uncle” and criticised the Thai army — had cast doubt on whether she placed national interests first.
Hun Sen himself released the recording amid rising border tensions between the two neighbours.
Weeks later, fighting erupted along the frontier, leaving dozens dead and forcing hundreds of thousands to flee their homes.
Paetongtarn, who took office just a year ago after the dismissal of her predecessor Srettha Thavisin, told a brief press conference she accepted the ruling but insisted her intent was to “save lives and prevent bloodshed.”
Her ouster marks the third time a Shinawatra family member has been forced out of Thailand’s premiership: her father Thaksin was toppled by a coup in 2006 and her aunt Yingluck was removed by the court in 2014.
The Pheu Thai leader’s removal also continues a wider pattern — she is the fifth prime minister ousted by the Constitutional Court since 2008.
Her departure leaves parliament to select a new leader at a time when her ruling coalition is fragile, following the exit of a key partner and mounting street protests demanding her resignation.
The Shinawatra dynasty has dominated Thai politics for two decades, but Paetongtarn’s downfall raises questions over whether its influence can endure.
