Thai Prime Minister Dismissed Over Leaked Phone Conversation

The Prime Minister of Thailand, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, has been dismissed by the country’s Constitutional Court over a leaked phone conversation with former Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen.In recent days, Prime Minister Paetongtarn had faced increasing pressure to resign following the leak of the phone call. This information was reported by the British news outlet BBC on Tuesday (1 July).According to the report, the Constitutional Court temporarily suspended Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra amid intense controversy and public outrage over the leaked phone conversation. The court issued the ruling while a case demanding her removal from office is still pending.In the leaked audio, Paetongtarn refers to former Cambodian leader Hun Sen as “Uncle” and criticizes a top officer in the Thai military. This angered nationalist and conservative groups, who then filed a petition demanding her dismissal.If upheld, Paetongtarn will become the third member of the Shinawatra family to lose power before completing a term. Previously, both her father (Thaksin Shinawatra) and her aunt (Yingluck Shinawatra) were ousted by military interventions.Paetongtarn Shinawatra was leading a coalition government headed by the Pheu Thai Party. The coalition held only a slim majority in parliament. Just two weeks ago, a powerful conservative ally withdrew from the coalition.The BBC reports that the court ruled 7-2 in favor of dismissing Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra and ordered her to respond within 15 days. During this period, Deputy Prime Minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit will serve as acting prime minister.