Who is Paetongtarn Shinawatra? Sacked from Thailand PM post due to..., check her Cambodia connection
Bangkok: In a major political development in Thailand, the country's Constitutional Court on Tuesday has suspended Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra from the top post. She has been suspended over a leaked phone call with a former Cambodian leader.
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Mint
2 hours ago
- Mint
Paetongtarn Shinawatra Net Worth: Handbags, watches & properties - A look at suspended Thailand PM's $400 million assets
Paetongtarn Shinawatra Net Worth: Thailand Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, who was suspended on Tuesday, had declared over $400 million in assets, with a reported net worth of 8.9 billion baht ($258 million) earlier this year. The Thai PM's asset filing posted by local media and sourced from the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC), also noted liabilities of nearly five billion baht, giving her a net worth of 8.9 billion baht ($258 million). Paetongtarn Shinawatra's assets include over 200 designer handbags worth over $2 million and at least 75 luxury watches valued at almost $5 million, Bloomberg had reported in January 2025. The Thai PM was suspended from office by the nation's Constitutional Court over a leaked phone call with Cambodian PM Hun Sen. In January 2025, the Thai PM was obliged to declare her assets and liabilities to the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC). According to the NACC reports shared by Thailand media outlets, Paetongtarn Shinawatra declared liabilities worth nearly five billion baht. Her investments were worth 11 billion baht. Shinawatra had also declared another billion baht in deposits and cash, as per her declaration, reported Bloomberg. She had 75 luxury watches – 162 million baht, and 217 handbags worth 76 million baht. The Thai PM had also declared properties in Japan and London. The Thai PM's supension centers around a leaked call. On Tuesday, Thailand's Constitutional Court unanimously agreed to accept a petition accusing Paetongtarn of breaching political ethics. Critics claim the call revealed compromising remarks and an overly conciliatory approach to Cambodia, amid Thailand's growing border disputes with the nation. The leaked call allegedly criticised a regional army commander and suggested appeasing Cambodian officials to de-escalate tensions. The fallout has led to intense political pressure and renewed scrutiny of the Thai PM's leadership style. Thai stocks and the Baht gained with the Constitutional Court's move to suspend Shinawatra boosting investor confidence that political tensions in the Southeast Asia nation may ease. 'Previously, the market was unnerved by fears of potential violence or even military intervention,' said Piriyapon Kongvanich, investment strategist at Bualuang Securities in Bangkok. 'The court's decision defused those fears and the market reacted positively," he told Forbes. Thailand Deputy PM Suriya Juangroongruangkit has assumed the role of acting prime minister while suspended Shinawatra Paetongtarn has 15 days to respond to the ethics charges, reported Reuters.
Indian Express
4 hours ago
- Indian Express
‘Uncle', ‘other side' and more: Inside the leaked phone call with Cambodian leader that got Thai PM suspended
Thailand's political and diplomatic landscape was thrown into turmoil on Tuesday when Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra was suspended by the country's Constitutional Court. The decision came amid an ethics probe triggered by a leaked phone call with Cambodian Senate President Hun Sen, following a deadly border skirmish. Thailand's Constitutional Court ordered Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra's suspension from office pending an investigation into whether she violated ethical standards during a phone conversation with Hun Sen. The call, made on June 15, came weeks after a border clash between Thai and Cambodian forces on May 28, which left one Cambodian soldier dead. The leak of the call caused a political firestorm in Thailand, with critics accusing Paetongtarn of compromising national interests and undermining military authority. The call was recorded by Hun Sen and later leaked. Hun Sen claimed he had shared the recorded conversation with more than 80 people. In the conversation, Paetongtarn and Hun Sen were heard discussing how to resolve Thailand-Cambodia border tensions and whether to ease restrictions imposed after the clash. According to multiple reports, Paetongtarn referred to Hun Sen as 'uncle' in the phone call. Hun Sen is a close friend of Paetongtarn's father, Thaksin Shinawatra, who too was a Prime Minister of Thailand. She reportedly urged Hun Sen not to listen to 'the other side' in Thailand and singled out an outspoken Thai army commander who had criticized Cambodia. In the leaked phone call, Paetongtarn is also heard labelling the army commander as 'an opponent.' Paetongtarn reportedly did not stop at that. Referring to the army commander, she said he 'just wants to look cool'. She also told Hun Sen to let her know what he wanted, promising to try to manage that, the AP reported. The remarks were seen by critics as excessively conciliatory, potentially damaging Thailand's diplomatic and military posture. Though Paetongtarn apologised, she defended her words as part of a negotiating strategy, denying any harm to national interests, an AP report said. The conflict stems from a brief firefight on May 28 in a disputed area along the Thai-Cambodian border. Both sides blamed each other and claimed self-defense. The incident reignited long-standing territorial tensions, though both governments later expressed intent to de-escalate. Despite this, retaliatory actions continued. Thailand imposed severe border restrictions, allowing only limited crossings for essential needs, Cambodia responded by banning Thai media, halting fruit and vegetable imports, and boycotting Thai electricity and internet connections. The country also suspended fuel imports from Thailand. Thailand and Cambodia share over 800 km of land border, but parts remain unmarked or contested. Much of the disagreement traces back to a 1907 map drawn under French colonial rule, which Cambodia uses to assert its claims. Thailand disputes the map's accuracy. In February, tensions flared when Cambodian troops entered a disputed temple area and sang their national anthem, provoking Thai soldiers. Historically, the most violent clashes occurred around the Preah Vihear temple, a 1,000-year-old site claimed by both nations. In 1962, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled in Cambodia's favour regarding the temple. After deadly clashes in 2011, the ICJ reaffirmed Cambodia's sovereignty over the area in 2013—a decision that remains contentious in Thailand. Cambodia has submitted the latest border issue to the ICJ, seeking a legal resolution for multiple contested areas, including the site of the May 28 clash. Thailand, however, has rejected ICJ jurisdiction, favouring resolution through a bilateral mechanism established in 2000—a joint committee responsible for land demarcation. Cambodia insists it will no longer engage through bilateral discussions, escalating the standoff. Nationalistic rhetoric has surged on both sides, further complicating diplomacy. The friction between Thailand and Cambodia is not just about overlapping border claims. Deep-seated cultural enmity between the two countries dates back centuries, when they were large and competing empires. In more recent times, bad feelings have lingered as Cambodia's development, hindered by French colonialism and, in the 1970s, the brutal rule of the communist Khmer Rouge, has fallen well behind Thailand. Both countries have fought over claims to cultural products ranging from boxing and mask dancing to traditional clothing and food.
News18
6 hours ago
- News18
Who Is Paetongtarn Shinawatra? Thailand PM Suspended Over Leaked Call With Cambodian Leader
Thailand's Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, the political heiress of one of the country's most influential families, was suspended from office by the Constitutional Court, which opened an inquiry into her conduct during a recent diplomatic row with neighboring Cambodia. The court said in a statement, 'The Constitutional Court with a majority of 7-2 suspends the respondent from Prime Ministerial duty from 1 July until the Constitutional Court has made its ruling." The ruling comes after a group of conservative senators accused Paetongtarn Shinawatra, 38, of breaching ministerial ethics during a call with Cambodian statesman Hun Sen amid tensions over a deadly border clash in May that left one Cambodian soldier dead. In a leaked recording, Paetongtarn Shinawatra was heard referring to Hun Sen as 'uncle" and to a Thai military commander as her 'opponent"- that sparked outrage among conservative factions and military loyalists.
