SNAPSHOTS

A Fresh Political Crisis Erupts in Thailand Following Prime Minister's Suspension

Jul 3, 2025 | 19:58 GMT

Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra (center) speaks next to Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai (2nd from left) during a press conference in Bangkok following her suspension by the country's Constitutional Court on July 1, 2025.
Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra (center) speaks next to Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai (2nd from left) during a press conference in Bangkok following her suspension by the country's Constitutional Court on July 1, 2025.

(LILLIAN SUWANRUMPHA/AFP via Getty Images)

In Thailand, the prime minister's suspension creates a new political crisis that raises the risk of government collapse and economic disruption amid U.S. trade tensions. On July 1, Thailand's Constitutional Court suspended Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra from office while it reviews a petition alleging she violated the constitution by conducting foreign policy in an unethical and unauthorized manner. The complaint, which was submitted by 36 senators, centers on the prime minister's June 15 phone call with Hun Sen, Cambodia's former prime minister and current Senate president, during which she discussed ongoing border demarcation tensions and referred to the Thai military as an "opponent." Hun leaked an audio recording of the call, which triggered an uproar in Thailand, with critics arguing that Paetongtarn's tone was overly deferential and that she undermined Thailand's negotiating position in its long-running territorial dispute with Cambodia around un-demarcated border temple regions. On June 18, the Bhumjaithai...

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