Ms Paetongtarn, who was Thailand’s youngest prime minister, becomes the sixth premier from or backed by the billionaire Shinawatra family to be removed by the military or judiciary in a tumultuous two-decade battle for power between the country’s warring elites, reports the Bangkok Post, also citing a Reuters report.
Her father Thaksin was toppled in the 2006 coup, while her aunt Yingluck was removed from office by the Constitutional Court in early 2014, only weeks before another military coup.
In its verdict, the court said Ms Paetongtarn violated ethics in a leaked June telephone call, during which she appeared to kowtow to Cambodian Senate President Hun Sen when both countries were at the brink of an armed border conflict. Fighting erupted weeks later and lasted five days.
The charter court found that under Section 170 (1)(4) in conjunction with Sections 106 (4) and (5) of the Constitution, a minister must be trustworthy, subject to scrutiny in all aspects, and must demonstrate manifest integrity.
The court concluded that the prime minister’s remarks in the audio clip ‒ particularly those referring to the Second Army Region commander and the use of the term “we” ‒ suggested a lack of unity between the government and the military.
The judges stated that such behaviour indicated partisanship and exposed internal divisions, potentially weakening Thailand’s position and allowing Cambodia to interfere in domestic affairs.
Following the phone call leak, Ms Paetongtarn apologised and said she was trying to avert a war. She told a press conference that during the conversation, she intended to take a gentle approach to dealing with Hun Sen as a negotiating strategy, for the protection of Thailand’s sovereignty.
However, the complainants viewed that she failed to act properly in her capacity as prime minister. Her talk of personal and family relationships with Hun Sen gave the appearance of siding with Cambodia, they said.
She also described the tough-talking commander of the Second Army Region as an adversary, and indicated she was ready to meet Cambodia’s demands, the senators said.
The controversial phone call was made at a time when Thailand was restricting border crossings with Cambodia after a skirmish in a disputed area in Ubon Ratchathani in late May, which followed Cambodian incursions that started in April.
In early June, Thailand cut border opening times and banned some groups from crossing, while Cambodia continued to accuse Thailand of invading its territory and opening fire on its soldiers.
Phnom Penh subsequently said it intended to bring border issues to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which Thailand opposed.
Cambodia brought its claims to the ICJ on June 15, the same day of Ms Paetongtarn’s phone call in which Hun Sen repeated his demand that border crossing restrictions be lifted.
As a result, the court ruled that Ms Paetongtarn’s ministerial status had ended as of July 1, the date she was ordered to cease performing her duties. The ruling also mandates the dissolution of the entire cabinet.
The decision paves the way for the election by parliament of a new prime minister, a process that could be drawn out, with Ms Paetongtarn’s ruling Pheu Thai Party losing bargaining power and facing a challenge to shore-up a fragile alliance with a razor-thin majority.
The ruling brings a premature end to the premiership of the daughter and protégé of influential tycoon Thaksin Shinawatra. Ms Paetongtarn, 39, was a political neophyte when she was thrust abruptly into the spotlight after the surprise dismissal of predecessor Srettha Thavisin by the same court a year ago.
She is the fifth premier in 17 years to be removed by the charter court, underlining its central role in an intractable power struggle between the elected governments of the Shinawatra clan and a nexus of powerful conservatives and royalist generals with far-reaching influence.
UNCERTAINTY AHEAD
The focus will next shift to who will replace Ms Paetongtarn, with Thaksin expected to be at the heart of a flurry of horse-trading between parties and other power-brokers to try to keep Pheu Thai in charge of the coalition.
Deputy premier Phumtham Wechayachai and the current cabinet will oversee the government in a caretaker capacity until a new prime minister is elected by the house, with no time limit on when that must take place.
There are five people eligible to become prime minister, with only one from Pheu Thai, 77-year-old Chaikasem Nitisiri, a former attorney general with limited cabinet experience, who has maintained a low profile in politics.
Others include former premier Prayut Chan-o-cha, who has retired from politics and led a military coup against the last Pheu Thai government in 2014, and Anutin Charnvirakul, a deputy premier before he withdrew his party from Paetongtarn’s coalition over the leaked phone call.
The ruling thrusts Thailand into more political uncertainty at a time of simmering public unease over stalled reforms and a stuttering economy expected by the Bank of Thailand (BoT) to grow just 2.3% this year.
Any Pheu Thai administration would be a coalition likely to have only a slender majority and could face frequent parliamentary challenges from an opposition with huge public support that is pushing for an early election.
"Appointing a new prime minister… will be difficult and may take considerable time," said Stithorn Thananithichot, a political scientist at Chulalongkorn University.
"It’s not easy for all parties to align their interests," he said. "Pheu Thai will be at a disadvantage."