Thailand: PM Paetongtarn suspended from office over leaked phone call with Cambodian leader

Thailand’s Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra was suspended from office on Tuesday by the Constitutional Court over an investigation into a leaked phone call with a former Cambodian leader.

The judges voted unanimously to take the petition accusing her of a breach of ethics, and voted 7 to 2 to suspend her from duty.

Paetongtarn had been facing growing calls for resignation over her handling of the latest border dispute with Cambodia, involving an armed confrontation on May 28 in which one Cambodian soldier was killed.

Over the weekend, people in Bangkok protested against the prime minister as they demanded her removal from office.

Outrage over the call mostly revolved around Paetongtarn’s comments toward an outspoken regional army commander and her perceived attempts to appease Hun Sen, the current Cambodian Senate president, to ease tensions at the border.

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Paetongtarn said Monday she would accept and follow the court process, although she didn’t want to see her work interrupted. “If you ask me whether I’m worried, I am,” she told reporters.

What has the court said?

“The Constitutional Court, with a majority of 7-2, suspends the respondent from Prime Ministerial duty from 1 July until the Constitutional Court has made its ruling,” said a statement, after a group of conservative senators lodged a case accusing Paetongtarn of breaching ministerial ethics during a border row with Cambodia.

Conservative lawmakers accuse her of kowtowing to Cambodia and undermining the military, and allege she breached constitutional provisions requiring “evident integrity” and “ethical standards” among ministers.

What is the controversy?

In the leaked call, Paetongtarn is heard discussing an ongoing border dispute with Hun Sen, who still holds significant power in Cambodia despite leaving office in 2023.

She addresses the veteran leader as “uncle” and refers to the Thai army commander in the country’s northeast as her opponent, a remark that sparked fierce criticism on social media.

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The Thai foreign ministry summoned the Cambodian ambassador last week to deliver a letter complaining about the leaking of the call.

With inputs from agencies