Another Shinawatra Ousted in Thailand

July 5—Paetongtarn Shinawatra, the daughter of former Thailand Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, has been suspended as Prime Minister of Thailand by the Constitutional Court, supposedly over a leaked phone call she held with Cambodia’s former Prime Minister Hun Sen. The leaked call included her being polite and deferential to Hun Sen, while there is a border dispute raging between Thailand and Cambodia. This supposedly led to a "spontaneous" mass demonstration by thousands of Thais in Bangkok, demanding her resignation.

The Constitutional Court is essentially a body representing the Monarchy and the Military. They have run operations against the Shinawatra family and their political parties for the past 25 years. Thaksin was ousted as Prime Minister by the military in 2006, followed by the Constitutional Court banning his political party (Thai Rak Thai—Thais Love Thailand). Nonetheless, his sister, Yingluck Shinawatra, was elected Prime Minister in 2011, demonstrating the strong popular support for Thaksin and his family. The Constitutional Court then ousted Yingluck in 2014.

Thaksin’s daughter Paetongtarn Shinawatra was then elected in 2024, only to be ousted by the same Court this week. Paetongtarn not only represented the continuing popular support of her family but was also close to China. Thailand has accepted the BRICS invitation for it to join as a BRICS Partner nation, as of December 2024.

The mass demonstrations in Thailand against the Shinawatra family have been promoted by the Monarchy and by factions in the military. Former demonstrations turned violent and were used to justify military interventions, including the establishment of a military junta in 2014-2021. There has not yet been any indication of a military intervention at this point. The court has the power to make the suspension of Paetongtarn a permanent ouster.