Thai Premier suspended after sensitive phone call with former Prime Minister Cambodia

This article was last updated on July 1, 2025

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Thai Premier suspended after sensitive phone call with former Prime Minister Cambodia

Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinatra has been suspended by the Thai constitutional court as long as a judicial investigation is on her. There is a chance that she must resign.

The investigation was initiated after 36 senators had filed a complaint against her because of a leaked telephone conversation with the Cambodian former prime minister their Sen. In it they discussed the border conflict between Cambodia and Thailand that has been high in recent weeks.

In the telephone conversation, Paetongtarn appealed to the 72-year-old former leader of Cambodia as “Uncle” and described a high Thai soldier in the border region as her “opponent”. The latter is very sensitive in Thailand, where the army has a lot of power.

Friends with father

She also said to their Sen, who is friends with her father, the former Prime Minister of Thailand, that he had to let her know what he needed and that she would try to arrange that.

Southeast Asia correspondent Mustafa Marghadi:

“On 28 May a Cambodian military was shot and borders were closed back and forth and trade barriers were raised. To calm the situation, Paetongtarn made the now notorious phone call with the Cambodian former prime minister their sen, still the most powerful man in Cambodia.

The Thai elite, conservatives from the army and royalists, seizes this situation to once again dislodge a descendant of the Shinatra family from politics. They also did that with coups against Paetongtarn’s father Thaksin and Aunt Yingluck. Both were put out of office after coups.

The conservatives have a deep aversion to the Shinatra clan. One sees the family as populist, corrupt and power. The telephone riot ensures that no coup is probably needed to get rid of daughter Paetongtarn politics.

The prime minister has announced that she accepts her suspension and has also apologized for the telephone conversation, which she called “a negotiating tactics”.

Paetongtarn may remain as Minister of Culture for the time being. In the run -up to the Court’s ruling, she had changed the composition of the cabinet and made herself as a minister of culture in the hope of being able to stay in the cabinet after a suspension.

Deputy Prime Minister Suriya Juangroongruang kit is expected to take over her premier tasks.

Mistrust

In Thailand it has been politically restless for some time. Following the telephone conversation, a large party withdrew from the coalition, so that the government has only a tight majority. The opposition is preparing a motion of no confidence against Paetongtarn.

A recent opinion poll would show that only 9.2 percent of the Thai population supports her. On Saturday, thousands of people took to the streets in Bangkok to retire Paetongtarns.