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Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra was suspended from office on Tuesday amid an ongoing ethics investigation over a leaked phone call with a senior Cambodian leader.
“I only thought about what to do to avoid troubles, what to do to avoid armed confrontation, for the soldiers not to suffer any loss. I wouldn’t be able to accept it if I said something with the other leader that could lead to negative consequences,” Paetongtarn said, according to the Associated Press.
Thailand’s Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra reacts as she arrives ahead of a cabinet meeting, as Thailand’s Constitutional Court is expected to meet on Tuesday to consider a petition by 36 senators that accuses her of dishonesty and breaching ethnical standards in violation of the constitution over a leaked telephone conversation with Cambodia’s influential former leader Hun Sen, at the Government House, in Bangkok, Thailand, July 1, 2025. (REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha Preview)
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Judges on the country’s Constitutional Court voted unanimously on a petition accusing her of violating ethics, but voted 7–2 to suspend her, the Associated Press reported. Additionally, they gave Paetongtarn just under two weeks — 12 days — to provide the court with evidence.
The suspension comes after a phone call that was allegedly between Paetongtarn and Cambodian Senate President Hun Sen.
The call, which led to widespread backlash and protests, became a flashpoint after a May 2025 incident in which the two countries engaged in a border dispute that left one Cambodian soldier dead, according to the Associated Press.
A person holds a placard as anti-government protesters gather at the Victory Monument during a protest calling for Thailand’s Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra to resign after her leaked phone call with former Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on the Thailand-Cambodia border dispute, in Bangkok, Thailand, June 28, 2025. (REUTERS/Chalinee Thirasupa)
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Cambodian army spokesperson Mao Phalla said the country’s troops were conducting a routine patrol when the Thai troops opened fire, the Associated Press reported. However, the Thai army claimed the Cambodian troops had entered a disputed area and that they were responding to gunfire.
Thailand’s Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra gives a box of food to a soldier as she visits the Ranger Company 1202 in a Thailand-Cambodia border town of Aranyaprathet district, as she battles to stay in power after drawing sharp criticism of her handling of a border row with Cambodia, Sa Kaeo province, Thailand, June 26, 2025. (REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha)
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After the phone call leaked, the streets of Bangkok were filled with protesters calling for Paetongtarn’s ouster.
“My true intention in the leaked conversation, my true intention 100%, was to work for the country to maintain our sovereignty and save the lives of all our soldiers,” Paetongtarn reportedly told the press.
Thailand has seen its share of political upheaval in recent years. Paetongtarn’s predecessor, Srettha Thavisin, was dismissed by the court last year over an ethics violation.