Thailand’s Prime Minister, Paetongtarn Shinawatra has been suspended from office and now faces an ethics investigation, following the leak of a controversial phone call with Cambodia’s former leader, Hun Sen.
The Constitutional Court announced the suspension on Tuesday after accepting a petition from 36 senators who accused the 38-year-old leader of breaching constitutional ethics.
In a unanimous ruling, the court ordered Paetongtarn to step aside from her prime ministerial duties while the case is under review.
The leaked call, which occurred on June 15 and was verified by both Thai and Cambodian officials, captured Paetongtarn referring to Hun Sen as “uncle” and appearing to criticize the Thai military’s handling of a border clash that resulted in the death of a Cambodian soldier.
She also assured Hun Sen not to heed the views of a Thai army commander and added, “If you want anything, you can just tell me, and I will take care of it.”
The remarks have sparked widespread backlash in Thailand, where critics accuse the prime minister of compromising national sovereignty. Public protests erupted over the weekend in Bangkok, with demonstrators calling for her resignation.
The fallout has extended into the political arena. The Bhumjaithai Party, a key member of the ruling coalition, withdrew its support last week, leaving Paetongtarn’s Pheu Thai Party in a weakened position ahead of a looming no-confidence vote in parliament.
Her approval ratings have also dropped in recent days.
Although suspended from her premiership, Paetongtarn will remain in the Cabinet as culture minister, a position she assumed in a recent reshuffle.
Speaking at a press conference following the court’s ruling, she said she accepted the decision and denied any wrongdoing.
“My intentions were more than 100% sincere. Everything I did was to protect our country’s sovereignty, our soldiers, and to maintain peace. I never intended to cause harm,” she said.
She also apologized to the Thai people for the controversy, insisting that her conversation with Hun Sen was part of a diplomatic effort to ease tensions, not an act of betrayal.
“The call was private and should not have been made public,” she said, describing her comments as a “negotiation tactic.”
Thailand and Cambodia share a long, disputed 817-kilometer border that has been the scene of several military clashes.
Relations between the two nations have long been a mix of cooperation and rivalry, with border disputes often flaring into national political issues.
Paetongtarn came to power just 10 months ago after the Constitutional Court ousted her predecessor, Srettha Thavisin, in a separate ethics case.
The same court also dissolved the popular Move Forward Party, which won the most seats in the 2023 election, and banned its leaders from politics for a decade.