Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra Dismissed by Court Amid Ethics Scandal

In a significant political development, Thailand’s Constitutional Court on Friday ruled to dismiss Paetongtarn Shinawatra from her position as prime minister. The court found that the country’s leader had violated constitutional rules on ethics during a controversial phone call with Cambodia’s Senate President Hun Sen.

The ruling takes immediate effect, ending Paetongtarn’s tenure after approximately one year in office. Her dismissal follows a suspension from duties on July 1, when the court accepted the case against her for review, leading Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai to assume her responsibilities temporarily.

At the heart of the controversy was a leaked phone call from June 15 between Paetongtarn and Hun Sen. While reportedly intended to de-escalate tensions over disputed border territory, the call sparked widespread outrage in Thailand. Critics argued that Paetongtarn exhibited undue familiarity when discussing a sensitive national security matter and appeared to disparage a Thai army general.

The audio of the call was controversially leaked online by Hun Sen, who served as Cambodia’s prime minister for 38 years until his son, Hun Manet, took over in 2023. This incident occurred amidst heightened border tensions, including a violent clash in May that resulted in a Cambodian soldier’s death, and five days of combat in late June that claimed dozens of lives and displaced over a quarter-million people.

Paetongtarn’s dismissal casts a shadow over the ruling coalition, led by her Pheu Thai party. The controversy surrounding the phone call had already led the Bhumjaithai Party, a key coalition partner, to withdraw, leaving the government with a precarious majority in the House of Representatives.

This decision also represents a considerable setback for the political influence of Paetongtarn’s father, former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Ousted by a military coup in 2006, Thaksin has remained a formidable force in Thai politics, often through proxy parties like Pheu Thai, leveraging his populist appeal and vast wealth from the telecommunications sector.

阅读中文版 (Read Chinese Version)

Disclaimer: This content is aggregated from public sources online. Please verify information independently. If you believe your rights have been infringed, contact us for removal.