Thai court ousts suspended PM Paetongtarn over leaked Cambodia call

Thailand’s sacked prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra waves from a car as she leaves Government House after her dismissal by the Constitutional Court in Bangkok on Friday. Photo: AFP

Paetongtarn, 39, the daughter of divisive but influential billionaire Thaksin Shinawatra, becomes the second leader in two years from the Pheu Thai-led coalition to be removed for an ethics breach by the same bench.

The nine-judge bench dismissed Paetongtarn and her cabinet in a 6-3 ruling, saying she had failed to meet the ethical standards in a leaked June 15 call with Cambodia’s ex-leader Hun Sen over border tensions.

In it, she repeatedly called Hun Sen “uncle” and denigrated a Thai army commander on the border as an “opponent” – a red line to the court, which said it went against national interests.

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How Thailand’s political dynasty shaped the country for the last 25 years

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Paetongtarn said the call was a genuine private effort to defuse tensions, which a few weeks later escalated into a brief conflict that killed dozens on both sides.

But ending her short-lived time in office, the court said Paetongtarn had “lacked demonstrable honesty and integrity and seriously violated or failed to comply with ethical standards”.

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