Thailand’s Constitutional Court on Friday reportedly removed Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra from office, ruling that she committed serious ethical breaches during a controversial phone call this summer with former Cambodian leader Hun Sen.
The decision, which follows her suspension last month, marks another dramatic chapter in Thailand’s long struggle with political corruption and instability. A group of senators had filed a complaint alleging that Paetongtarn undermined the country’s interests in her private conversation with Hun Sen, the father of Cambodia’s current prime minister.
During the call, intended to address rising tensions over a border dispute, Paetongtarn struck what critics described as a deferential tone, referring to Hun Sen as “uncle” and portraying Thailand’s own military as “the opposing side.” The remarks fueled accusations that she had compromised national sovereignty.
Hun Sen later released a recording of the call, triggering a political crisis at the very moment the border dispute escalated into direct military confrontation.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, Paetongtarn, who is the daughter of Thailand’s former prime minister and telecoms tycoon Thaksin Shinawatra, said she respected the court’s ruling but denied wrongdoing. “In the audio clip in question, at no point did I ever ask for anything to benefit myself personally,” she said.
Her defense, however, has done little to reassure critics who see her behavior as symptomatic of the Shinawatra family’s style of governance—marked by personalism, populism, and repeated clashes with Thailand’s constitutional order.
The verdict is the latest in a long series of setbacks for the Shinawatra dynasty, which has dominated Thai politics for two decades but faced repeated legal and constitutional rebukes.
Paetongtarn is the third family member removed as prime minister before finishing a term, following her father, Thaksin, who was ousted in a 2006 coup, and her aunt, Yingluck Shinawatra, who was dismissed by the Constitutional Court for abuse of power. Since 2008, three other prime ministers aligned with the Shinawatras have also been forced out of office.
Paetongtarn could still face further penalties, including possible prison time, from a separate investigation into her dealings with Hun Sen being conducted by Thailand’s antigraft body.
The ruling has deepened uncertainty within Thailand’s fragile coalition government, which holds only a slim parliamentary majority and may struggle to find a consensus candidate for the top job.
It remains unclear whether acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai will have the authority to call a new election, a step that analysts say could further weaken Paetongtarn’s Pheu Thai Party at the ballot box.
Beyond its immediate impact on Thailand’s leadership, the court’s decision highlights the enduring influence of the country’s establishment institutions—the monarchy, the military, and the courts—in checking populist movements.
While critics such as Thitinan Pongsudhirak, a professor at Chulalongkorn University, frame these interventions as anti-democratic, others see them as a necessary safeguard. “How come a democratically elected prime minister keeps being suspended or removed or overthrown in a military coup?” Thitinan asked, underscoring the ongoing debate.
For many in Thailand, however, the latest ruling represents less an anomaly than a reminder: that despite its democratic elections, the country’s political system continues to be defined by power struggles between populist leaders and the institutions designed to restrain them.
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