Thailand’s prime minister dismissed over compromising phone call
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Thailand Power Vacuum Will ‘Not Affect’ Border Security: Defence Ministry
Thailand’s lack of a formal government will not affect border security with Cambodia, the defence ministry says. The country was thrown into political turmoil on Friday when the court sacked prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra over her handling of a border row with Cambodia. The ruling has left Thailand with an acting prime minister, Phumtham Wechayachai, and a caretaker cabinet which will stay on until a new government is formed as early as next week. In July, tensions between Thailand and Cambodia spiralled into the two sides’ deadliest military clashes in decades, with more than 40 people killed and 300,000 forced to flee their homes.
The Southeast Asian nation was thrown into political turmoil on Friday when the court sacked prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra over her handling of a border row with Cambodia, saying she had “not upheld the ethical code of conduct”.
The ruling has left Thailand with an acting prime minister, Phumtham Wechayachai, and a caretaker cabinet which will stay on until a new government is formed as early as next week.
On Saturday morning the acting cabinet held a special meeting confirming the arrangement, with no new major announcements.
Deputy Defence Minister Natthapon Nakpanich said having an acting government would “not affect” the country’s ability to safeguard its sovereignty amid a fragile ceasefire at the border with Cambodia.
“It’s not a problem. The army chief has already assigned responsibilities to handle specific situations,” he told reporters.
Paetongtarn, daughter of billionaire ex-prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, was suspended from office last month after being accused of failing to stand up for Thailand in a June call with powerful former Cambodian leader Hun Sen, which was leaked online.
In July, tensions between Thailand and Cambodia spiralled into the two sides’ deadliest military clashes in decades, with more than 40 people killed and 300,000 forced to flee their homes along the border.
Thailand and Cambodia’s leaders agreed to an “unconditional” ceasefire at the end of July, after five days of combat along their jungle-clad frontier.
A nine-judge panel in the Constitutional Court ruled by six to three on Friday that Paetongtarn had not upheld the ethical standards required of a prime minister and removed her from office.
The ruling, which also dissolved her cabinet, came a year after the same court ousted her predecessor as prime minister, Srettha Thavisin, in an unrelated ethics case.
Paetongtarn was the sixth prime minister from the political movement founded by her father to face judgment by the Constitutional Court.
Parliament will vote on a new prime minister perhaps as early as next week, but there is no obvious replacement for Paetongtarn waiting to take over.
Parties have been eager to meet and strategise ways to secure a majority vote in parliament for their own candidates.
Under the constitution, only candidates nominated for prime minister at the last general election in 2023 are eligible.
Four of those names are out of the running, three of whom are banned by court order and one whose party failed to get enough MPs elected to qualify.
The remaining four include Prayut Chan-O-Cha, an ex-general who led a 2014 coup and served as prime minister until 2023, and Anutin Charnvirakul, leader of the Bhumjaithai party which was a former partner in Paetongtarn’s coalition government.
Thai court dismisses prime minister over compromising phone call
Thailand’s Constitutional Court has dismissed Paetongtarn Shinawatra from her position as prime minister. The ruling means she immediately loses her job, which she had held for a year.
By The Associated Press
BANGKOK — Thailand’s Constitutional Court on Friday dismissed Paetongtarn Shinawatra from her position as prime minister, ruling that as the country’s leader she violated constitutional rules on ethics in a phone call with Cambodia’s Senate President Hun Sen.
The ruling means she immediately loses her job, which she had held for about a year.
Thai prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra dismissed over phone call with Cambodian leader Hun Sen
Ruling means she immediately loses her job, which she had held for about a year. Paetongtarn’s leaked June 15 call with Hun Sen was aimed at easing tensions over competing claims to territory along their border. But it sparked outrage in Thailand because she seemed overly friendly in discussing a matter of national security and appeared to malign a Thai army general.Audio of the call was leaked online by Hun Sen, who was Cambodia’s prime minister for 38 years until his son Hun Manet took over the job in 2023. Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai took over her responsibilities. Cabinet will stay in place on a caretaker basis until Parliament approves a new prime minister, though a vote has not yet been scheduled. The caretaker Cabinet could also dissolve Parliament and call a new election.
The ruling means she immediately loses her job, which she had held for about a year.
Paetongtarn was suspended from her duties on July 1 when the court agreed to hear the case against her, and Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai took over her responsibilities.
Shinawatra leaving the Government House after being dismissed (AP)
In a 6-3 vote, the judges found that Paetongtarn’s conduct in a June 15 call with Cambodia’s former leader Hun Sen compromised national interests.
Paetongtarn’s leaked June 15 call with Hun Sen was aimed at easing tensions over competing claims to territory along their border, but sparked outrage in Thailand because Paetongtarn seemed overly friendly in discussing a matter of national security and appeared to malign a Thai army general.
Audio of the conversation revealed Paetongtarn addressing Hun Sen as “uncle” and appearing to criticise a Thai army general as an “opponent” while discussing the tense border situation.
Audio of the call was leaked online by Hun Sen, who was Cambodia’s prime minister for 38 years until his son Hun Manet took over the job in 2023.
The complaint against Paetongtarn lodged by a group of senators alleged that “due to a personal relationship that appeared aligned with Cambodia, (she) was consistently willing to comply with or act in accordance with the wishes of the Cambodian side.”
The phone call came as long-standing tensions over the border heightened after a Cambodian soldier was killed in a brief incident of violence in disputed territory in May.
In late June, the two countries engaged in five days of combat that killed dozens of people and displaced more than 260,000.
Thailand’s suspended Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, left, arrives at Government House in Bangkok, Thailand, Friday, Aug. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
The court’s ruling puts the ruling coalition led by Paetongtarn’s Pheu Thai party on shaky ground.
In its verdict, the court said that Paetongtarn intended to uphold Thailand’s national interests and tried to prevent serious conflicts that could affect its sovereignty and border security.
It concluded that her actions did not clearly appear to be dishonest.
The majority opinion nevertheless found that her conversation constituted a breach of ethical standards.
Paetongtarn defended herself by arguing that her familiar tone during the call was a negotiating tactic aimed at de-escalating tensions.
She apologised, but insisted that it did not damage national security.
Controversy over the phone call caused the Bhumjaithai Party, the biggest partner of Pheu Thai, to drop out, leaving the coalition with a slim majority of seats in the House of Representatives.
It is also a blow to the political machine of Paetongtarn’s father, former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted from power by a 2006 military coup but has managed to remain a dominant force in Thai politics, chiefly by supporting proxy parties such as Pheu Thai.
His political strength comes from the populist policies he espoused and the vast fortune he earned in the telecommunications sector.
Paetongtarn was already suspended from her duties on July 1 when the court agreed to hear the case against her, and Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai took over her responsibilities.
The Cabinet led by Phumtham will stay in place on a caretaker basis until Parliament approves a new prime minister, though a vote has not yet been scheduled. The caretaker Cabinet could also dissolve Parliament and call a new election.
Thai PM removed by court, triggering power scramble
Thailand’s Constitutional Court dismisses suspended prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra. Court says she violated ethics in a leaked June telephone call, during which she appeared to kowtow to Cambodia’s powerful former leader Hun Sen. She is the fifth premier in 17 years to be removed by the Constitutional Court, underlining its central role in an intractable power struggle between the governments of theShinawatra clan and a nexus of powerful conservatives and royalist powerbrokers. The ruling brings a premature end to the premiership of the daughter and protégé of divisive tycoon Thaksin Shinawathi. The Bhumjaithai Party that had quit Paetongsarai’s coalition emerged as the early frontrunner in forming a new government, its leader Anutin Charnvirakul said on Friday. The new prime minister is elected by parliament, which on Friday called a special session of a vote on September 3-5 but made no mention of a new premier.
Paetongtarn, who was Thailand’s youngest prime minister, becomes the sixth premier from or backed by the billionaire Shinawatra family to be removed by the military or judiciary in a tumultuous two-decade battle for power between the country’s warring elites.
The ruling paves the way for the election by parliament of a new prime minister, a process that could be drawn out, with Paetongtarn’s ruling Pheu Thai party losing bargaining power and facing a challenge to shore up a fragile alliance with a razor-thin majority.
The court said Paetongtarn violated ethics in a leaked June telephone call, during which she appeared to kowtow to Cambodia’s powerful former leader Hun Sen – until recently a close Shinawatra family ally.
At the time, both countries were on the brink of an armed conflict.
Fighting erupted weeks later, lasting five days.
Hours after the decision, the Bhumjaithai Party that had quit Paetongtarn’s coalition over the call emerged as the early frontrunner in forming a new government.
Its leader, Anutin Charnvirakul, shuttled across Bangkok to rally support from parties, with pledges that included dissolving parliament within four months.
The ruling brings a premature end to the premiership of the daughter and protégé of divisive tycoon Thaksin Shinawatra and will be a major test of his outsized political clout.
Paetongtarn, 39, was a political neophyte when she was abruptly thrust into power after the surprise dismissal of Srettha Thavisin by the same court.
In a 6-3 decision, the court said Paetongtarn had put her private interests before those of the nation and had damaged Thailand’s reputation.
“Due to a personal relationship that appeared aligned with Cambodia, the respondent was consistently willing to comply with or act in accordance with the wishes of the Cambodian side,” it said.
Paetongtarn Shinawatra called for unity and political stability for Thailand. (EPA PHOTO)
Reacting to the decision, Paetongtarn called for all parties to work together to bring political stability to Thailand.
“All I wanted was to safeguard the lives of people, whether soldiers or civilians. I was determined to do all I could to protect their lives before the violent clashes,” she said.
She is the fifth premier in 17 years to be removed by the Constitutional Court, underlining its central role in an intractable power struggle between the governments of the Shinawatra clan and a nexus of powerful conservatives and royalist generals with far-reaching influence.
The focus quickly shifted to who would replace Paetongtarn, with her father Thaksin expected to be in the thick of horse-trading between parties and other power-brokers to try to keep Pheu Thai at the helm.
Whether Paetongtarn Shinawatra was right or wrong, we can interpret it differently & debate abt it, but the final judgment should be made by voters across the country, not by just 9 people at the Constitutional Court.
#Thailand #Paetongtarn #อุ๊งอิ๊ง #ศาลรัฐธรรมนูญมีไว้ทําไม #ป — Pravit Rojanaphruk (@PravitR) August 29, 2025
Deputy premier Phumtham Wechayachai will be in charge as caretaker until a new prime minister is elected by parliament, which on Friday called a special session from September 3-5 but made no mention of a vote on a new premier.
Five people are eligible to become premier, with only one from Pheu Thai, 77-year-old Chaikasem Nitisiri, a former attorney general with limited cabinet experience, who has maintained a low profile.
Others include ex-premier Prayuth Chan-ocha, who has retired from politics and led a military coup against the last Pheu Thai government in 2014, and former deputy prime minister Anutin, who late on Friday said he already had the votes.
“This will be a government for the people, that will help find a way out for the country … and return the power to the people,” he said.
The ruling thrusts Thailand into more uncertainty, with potential for political deadlock at a time of simmering public unease over stalled reforms and a stuttering economy.