Thailand’s prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has been removed from office, plunging the country into renewed political turmoil following border clashes with neighbouring Cambodia last month.
The country’s constitutional court on Friday found Ms Paetongtarn guilty of ethics violations over a phone call with Cambodia’s former leader Hun Sen, in which she criticised the Thai military in the run-up to the border violence.
Ms Paetongtarn (39), became Thailand’s youngest prime minister a year ago, but she is now the fifth holder of that office to be removed by the constitutional court in the past 17 years.
The ruling was the latest source of upheaval to hit Thailand, whose trade and tourism-dependent economy has struggled to return to strong growth after the Covid-19 pandemic, and which now faces 19 per cent “reciprocal” tariffs from the US, its largest export market. GDP growth slowed to 2.8 per cent in the second quarter, from 3.2 per cent the previous three months.
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Ms Paetongtarn was suspended from office in July and accused of damaging the country’s sovereignty after a recording of the call was leaked in which she was perceived as having taken a deferential attitude towards Hun Sen, whom she referred to as “uncle”, and blamed Thailand’s military for escalating the border tensions.
The border tensions later erupted into several days of fighting that resulted in more than 30 deaths and more than 300,000 people being displaced.
The leak sparked protests in Thailand and resulted in the withdrawal of the second-biggest party from Ms Paetongtarn’s coalition government. She later apologised for the call, while defending her comments as a negotiating tactic.
In a statement outside the Government House in Bangkok on Friday, Ms Paetongtarn said her “full intention” had been to “protect the lives of Thai people”, calling for unity in the wake of her ousting.
“I will take this as a learning opportunity,” she said, thanking “everyone who worked with me, pointed out my flaws and raised my strength”.
The ruling on Friday threatens to reopen a power struggle between the Shinawatra clan and Thailand’s conservative-royalist establishment.
Ms Paetongtarn, a political novice, assumed office last year after her predecessor, property tycoon Srettha Thavisin, was dismissed by the constitutional court for appointing a previously jailed lawyer as a cabinet member, an ethical violation.
Her father Thaksin Shinawatra, a billionaire telecoms magnate, was prime minister from 2001 to 2006 until he was deposed in a military coup. Thaksin’s sister Yingluck Shinawatra was also removed from the premiership in a coup.
In addition to Ms Paetongtarn’s dismissal, the ruling will result in the dissolution of her cabinet, which in turn is expected to bring about a rush among other parties in parliament to assemble a new government. The caretaker cabinet will convene an emergency session on Saturday morning.
Under Thailand’s electoral rules, the only remaining viable candidate from her Pheu Thai party is Chaikasem Nitisiri, (77), a former justice minister and attorney-general. But there are concerns about his health.
The constitutional court has dissolved more than 100 political parties over the past 30 years, including Move Forward, which received the most votes in the last nationwide election in 2023.
Last week Mr Thaksin was acquitted in a separate case of defaming the monarchy under the country’s strict lèse majesté law. He had faced up to 15 years in prison. The prosecution can appeal against the ruling.
Mr Thaksin (76), spent 15 years in self-imposed exile before returning to the country in 2023.
He faces another supreme court decision next month to determine whether his stay in hospital detention last year counted towards a previous sentence for graft and abuse of power. – Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2025
