Thailand’s prime minister removed from office over leaked phone call scandal with Cambodian strongman

By Helen Regan, Kocha Olarn
UPDATED AUG 29, 2025


Thailand's Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra walks through the Government House after a cabinet meeting in Bangkok on July 1, 2025. (Lillian Suwanrumpha/AFP/Getty Images/File)

Bangkok, Thailand — A Thai court removed Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra from office on Friday, ruling that her controversial phone call with Cambodia’s former leader breached ethics rules, in a move that plunges the kingdom into fresh political turmoil. … Paetongtarn, a member of the powerful Shinawatra political family dynasty, became the country’s youngest prime minister in August 2024 and has served only a year in office.

In a ruling of 6 to 3, Thailand’s Constitutional Court ruled that Paetongtarn “lacks the qualifications and possesses prohibited characteristics” under the Thai constitution, leading to the end of her time in office.

In the leaked call, which took place on June 15 as border tensions with Cambodia escalated, Paetongtarn could be heard calling former Cambodian prime minister Hun Sen “uncle” and appeared to criticize her own army’s actions in the border clashes that had led to the death of a Cambodian soldier. … Paetongtarn also added that if Hun Sen “wants anything, just tell me, and I will take care of it” — contentious remarks that became the center of the case against her.

The court added that Paetongtarn “lacked demonstrable honesty and integrity, and seriously violated or failed to comply with ethical standards” in the phone call.

{snip}