Thai court suspends prime minister over leaked call

Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has been suspended, pending an ethics investigation

Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra
Paetongtarn, 38, is the third prime minister from her 'powerful and polarizing' family
(Image credit: Lillian Suwanrumpha / AFP via Getty Images)

What happened

Thailand's Constitutional Court Tuesday suspended Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra as it adjudicates an ethics complaint triggered by a leaked phone conversation between her and influential senior Cambodian lawmaker Hun Sen about a smoldering border dispute that had left a Cambodian soldier dead. In the June 15 call, recorded and shared by Hun Sen, Paetongtarn called him "uncle" and criticized a Thai army commander, a "red line in a country where the military has significant clout," Reuters said.

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.