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Thailand Names Caretaker After Court Ousts Paetongtarn Over Leaked Hun Sen Call

The ethics verdict over a leaked call with Hun Sen forces out her cabinet, leaving Vice Premier Phumtham as caretaker.

Overview

  • Thailand’s cabinet on Saturday appointed Vice Premier Phumtham Wechayachai as interim prime minister following the Constitutional Court’s removal of Paetongtarn Shinawatra.
  • The nine-judge court voted 6–3 that Paetongtarn breached ethical standards in a June call with Hun Sen and ordered her entire cabinet to vacate office.
  • Parliament has been called to meet September 3–5 to elect a new prime minister from the pre-2023 candidate list, with Pheu Thai indicating it will put forward Chaikasem Nitisiri.
  • The governing coalition has been weakened after Bhumjaithai withdrew over the phone-call controversy, narrowing Pheu Thai’s margin for assembling votes.
  • The ruling stems from a call recorded and posted online by Hun Sen during a tense border dispute with Cambodia that later saw five days of fighting, dozens of deaths and mass displacement.