Thailand’s Constitutional Court has ruled that Prime Minister Phayet Thongloun Shinawatra should be suspended. Pressure on her to resign has intensified after a leaked phone conversation between her and former Cambodian leader Hun Sen was revealed.
In the conversation, Phayet Thongloun called Hun Sen “uncle” and criticized the Thai military, sparking widespread public outrage. A petition seeking her removal has also been filed, which is currently under review by the court.
The Shinawatra family has been a major force in Thai politics for the past two decades, but Phayet Thongloun could become the third leader to lose power before the end of her term.
Meanwhile, her ruling coalition is struggling to gain a majority after a key conservative quit two weeks ago.
The Constitutional Court voted 7-2 to temporarily suspend her. She was given 15 days to present her case.
In the meantime, the deputy prime minister will serve as interim prime minister. However, following a cabinet reshuffle, Paytongtarn will remain as culture minister. The appointment was finalized hours before her suspension.
On Tuesday, Paytongtarn apologized again. “My conversation with Hun Sen was entirely in the national interest,” she said.
The phone call was about the long-running Thai-Cambodian border dispute. But tensions have flared again since the death of a Cambodian soldier in May.
The audio leak has angered conservative lawmakers, who accuse her of colluding with Hun Sen to suppress the Thai military.
Proving his innocence, Paytongtarn said: “I did not act for my own benefit, but to prevent harm to the people.”
“If you listen to the conversation carefully and thoroughly, you will understand that my intention was not malicious. I am ready to explain this in detail.”
If she is removed, Paytongtarn will become the second prime minister from the Pheu Thai Party to lose office. In August last year, the Constitutional Court also removed Shretta Thawisin, who was removed from office for appointing a former lawyer who had served a sentence in his cabinet.
Just days later, Paytongtarn’s father, former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, returned to Thailand and watched his daughter be sworn in as prime minister.
The Constitutional Court, which has so far dissolved 34 parties, has once again exercised its authority. Critics say the rulings are aimed at political opponents.
The court also blocked the “Move Forward” party, which won the most votes in 2023, from coming to power.
“This has become a tradition in Thai politics. It does not reflect morality or democracy,” said Titipol Phakdeewanich, a political science professor at Ubon Ratchathani University.
“Although the leak of the conversation has raised doubts among the public, it should not be considered normal for a prime minister to be suspended simply by a court order,” he said.
38-year-old Phatthongtharam is Thailand’s youngest leader and the second woman to take the reins after her aunt Yingluck Shinawatra.
Her approval rating, which has been struggling to revive a faltering economy, fell to just 9.2% last weekend, from 30.9% in March.
Meanwhile, her father, Thaksin Shinawatra, is also facing charges of insulting the monarchy in an interview he gave to South Korean media. The trial began on Tuesday.
He returned to Thailand in 2023, 15 years after his arrest, but he still faces charges of excommunication and “lèse majesté” (lèse majesté) under the law.
Thaksin’s return is widely seen as part of a compromise between the Pheu Thai party and its former conservative enemies.
The compromise also includes the military, which toppled two previous Shinawatra governments, and groups close to the monarchy.