Thailand’s constitutional court has suspended prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra from office pending a decision on whether to oust her for ethical violations, deepening a political crisis in the southeast Asian country.
The court suspended Ms Paetongtarn effective from Tuesday after accepting a petition that alleged she had violated ethical standards in a phone call with former Cambodian leader Hun Sen. It is alleged that she disparaged the powerful Thai military while discussing a border dispute.
Ms Paetongtarn has 15 days to submit her defence to the court, which did not say when the final verdict would be announced.
Following the suspension, Ms Paetongtarn said she accepted the court order and that she had “no ill intentions” in the phone call with Hun Sen.
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Deputy prime minister Suriya Juangroongruangkit will take over as caretaker, media reported.
Ms Paetongtarn, who has been in power for 10 months, has been under mounting pressure since the June phone call, particularly from the country’s powerful military-royalist establishment.
A conservative coalition partner withdrew from Ms Paetongtarn’s ruling alliance, leaving her with a slim majority in parliament. Over the weekend, tens of thousands of Thais demonstrated in Bangkok calling for her to step down.
In the call with Hun Sen, Ms Paetongtarn appeared to blame Thailand’s military for aggravating a May border dispute with Cambodia that resulted in the death of one Cambodian soldier. She is also accused of taking a conciliatory tone that undercut Thailand’s national interests. Hun Sen released a recording of the call, in which Ms Paetongtarn referred to him as “uncle”.
Ms Paetongtarn has apologised for the call and said the comments were a negotiating tactic.
The political turmoil threatens a truce between the Shinawatra family and Thailand’s conservative establishment. The truce allowed former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra – the political clan’s patriarch and Ms Paetongtarn’s father – to return from exile in 2023.
The conservative establishment has long clashed with the Shinawatras, resulting in military coups that in the past removed Mr Thaksin and his sister Yingluck from power.
Ms Paetongtarn’s predecessor Srettha Thavisin, another Thaksin ally, was removed from office last year over a cabinet appointment that the court said breached ethical standards.
While analysts have ruled out an immediate military intervention, they say the chances of a coup would rise if Ms Paetongtarn clings to power.
Mr Thaksin also faces legal challenges. He faces charges of insulting the country’s monarchy, which carries a maximum penalty of 15 years imprisonment.
He appeared in a Bangkok court on Tuesday for the case, which relates to an interview he gave to South Korean media in 2015. Mr Thaksin has denied the charges. – Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2025
