Thailand’s suspended Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra waves as she arrives at Government House in Bangkok on August 29, 2025. LILLIAN SUWANRUMPHA / AFP
Thailand’s Constitutional Court sacked prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra and her cabinet on Friday, August 29, over her handling of the country’s border row with Cambodia, throwing the kingdom into political turmoil.
Paetongtarn, daughter of billionaire ex-prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, was suspended from office last month after being accused of failing to stand up for Thailand in a June call with powerful former Cambodian leader Hun Sen, which was leaked online.
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The nine-judge panel ruled by six to three that she had not upheld the ethical standards required of a prime minister and removed her from office, pushing Thailand to the brink of political crisis, with no obvious candidate on hand to lead the fragile ruling coalition in parliament.
“Her actions have led to a loss of trust, prioritizing personal interest over national interest, which fueled public suspicion that she was siding with Cambodia and diminished confidence in her as PM among Thai citizens,” the ruling read out by one of the judges said. “The defendant has not upheld the ethical code of conduct. Her tenure as prime minister effectively ended with the suspension on July 1.”
Contentious call
The case centered on her call with Hun Sen, Cambodia’s longtime ruler and father of its current PM, during which the pair discussed their respective countries’ then-brewing row over their disputed border. Paetongtarn addressed Hun Sen as “uncle” and referred to a Thai military commander as her “opponent,” sparking a furious reaction in Thailand, where the armed forces hold huge sway.
Conservative lawmakers accused her of bending the knee to Cambodia and undermining the military, while Paetongtarn’s main coalition partner walked out in protest, almost collapsing her government. She clung on to power, but a group of senators turned to the Constitutional Court, arguing she should be removed from office for breaching constitutional provisions requiring “evident integrity” and “ethical standards” from ministers. The court suspended her on July 1.
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The 39-year-old leader said she did her best to act in the national interest. “My intentions were for the benefit of the country, not for personal gain, but for the lives of the people, including civilians and soldiers,” she told reporters after the court ruling.
With no obvious candidate to take over as premier, the kingdom faces a period of deep political uncertainty. A new election would seem like the obvious solution, but it is not clear whether the current acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai can call polls, or whether only a prime minister approved by parliament has the right to do so.
Thai politics has been driven for two decades by a battle between the conservative, pro-military, pro-royalist elite and the Shinawatra clan, whom they consider a threat to the kingdom’s traditional social order. Paetongtarn was the sixth prime minister from the political movement founded by her father to face judgment by the Constitutional Court. Only one – Thaksin himself – survived. The rest were all thrown out for reasons varying from vote-buying to appearing on a cookery TV show.
