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ABC News
05-07-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
Shinawatra dynasty dominated Thailand, but it may have run out of power
Paetongtarn Shinawatra has lived a life straight out of a Hollywood film. As the photogenic daughter of a billionaire political patriarch, she made history when she followed in her father's footsteps and became the leader of Thailand. She was the country's youngest prime minister — and only the second woman, after her aunt, to hold the office. Like her father and aunt, the 38-year-old's stint as prime minister looks set to end in scandal. Only a year into the job, Paetongtarn was taken down by one of her famous father's close friends, who happens to be the former strongman ruler of neighbouring Cambodia. Now there is talk her fall from grace could spell the end of the Shinawatra's powerful political dynasty and its influence on Thai politics. The Shinawatra family has dominated the Kingdom's politics for 25 years. During that time, they have amassed immense wealth. According to Forbes, patriarch Thaksin is Thailand's 11th richest person, worth more $3 billion. For her part, Paetongtarn and her husband declared 13.9 billion baht ($650 million) worth of assets earlier this year. That included two homes in London, two pieces of land in Japan, more than 200 designer handbags and at least 75 luxury watches. Thaksin built the family fortune leasing computers to the police before moving into telecoms. When he turned to politics, Thaksin was beloved by his rural base and the working class for policies aimed at lifting living standards. But he was despised by urban elites and military conservatives. They accused him and his sister Yingluck, who also served as prime minister, of abuse of power, nepotism and corruption. While prime minister from 2001 to 2006, Thaksin's businesses benefited from government concessions, much to the anger of the public. The Shinawatra family also sold a $2.88 billion stake in a major telecommunications company without paying any capital gains tax. He was ousted as prime minister in a military coup in 2006 while overseas. The family's wealth became the subject of multiple legal probes. Thaksin fled Thailand in 2008 and lived in exile for 15 years. He went back in 2023, despite facing an eight-year jail term for abuse of power, which he had been convicted of in absentia. Thaksin's return was well timed. It coincided with the election of his ally, real estate mogul Srettha Thavisin. The ousted prime minister was immediately moved from jail to hospital, and his term was commuted to one year by the King of Thailand. After six months Thaksin was released on parole. He now faces new legal battles, and is being prosecuted under Thailand's strict lèse-majesté laws, which prevent most discussion and certainly criticism of the Thai Royal Family. Thaksin's sister Yingluck, Thailand's first female prime minister, followed a similar trajectory. She was removed from office by the Constitutional Court in 2014. She too has been living in self-exile and has been convicted of negligence and sentenced to five years in prison over a failed rice subsidy scheme, which lost the country billions of dollars. When a court order ended Srettha Thavisin's time in office prematurely last year, Paetongtarn was appointed prime minister after a parliamentary vote. The Shinawatra family was back in Bangkok's Government House, once again cementing their dominance in Thailand's politics. Since becoming primer minister, Paetongtarn has been repeatedly accused of being a puppet for her father. Cambodia's former prime minster Hun Sen and Paetongtarn's father Thaksin reportedly refer to each other as god-brothers and their friendship has a long history. Hun Sen visited Thaksin in Thailand only last year, after he was released from detention. They had been close allies during Thaksin's years long exile. Hun Sen had provided him sanctuary, and named him a special adviser. This caused consternation for many in Thailand, who saw it as political interference from a neighbouring country. Hun Sen has even preserved and named two rooms in his grand residence after Thaksin and his sister, Yingluck, which he says he showed to Paetongtarn on her last official visit to Cambodia. Cambodian media also reported he had helped Yingluck escape Thailand when she was facing prosecution using a Cambodian passport. Hun Sen ruled Cambodia for nearly 40 years, in which time its fragile young democracy disintegrated. Even though he is no longer prime minister, Hun Sen maintains huge political power and authority, according to UNSW researcher Vu Lam. Exactly why he has now decided to blow up the longstanding close relationship is unclear and the subject of much rumour and speculation — but he has placed the blame on Paetongtarn. "I regret that a 30-year friendship was destroyed by a friend's daughter," he said, referring to Paetongtarn. At the centre of Paetongtarn's demise is a phone call between her and Hun Sen about a dispute over the Thai-Cambodian border. Hun Sen leaked the call, and posted it in full to his Facebook page after admitting he had already shared it with around 80 people. He said he had recorded the conversation "to avoid any misunderstanding or misrepresentation in official matters" and for "the sake of transparency". Paetongtarn's deferential tone towards Hun Sen during the call struck a nerve in Thailand. She was accused of kowtowing to the former strongman. In the phone call, Paetongtarn calls Hun Sen uncle and refers to a senior member of her own military as an opponent. "She complains that the military did not really want to solve the border conflict and they want to show that they are our hero," says Punchada Sirivunnabood, the dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities at Mahidol University in Bangkok. "Also [Paetongtarn] offers a lot of things to the former prime minister Hun Sen … and she said that 'if you want anything, you can tell me what you want'. "This kind of message, when it reached other people, they feel this is not the right way that you should offer the country to another country that we have a conflict with right now." Once the call was made public, Thailand's Constitutional Court accepted a petition from 36 senators accusing Paetongtarn of ethical misconduct. She was suspended from duty while it investigates. This episode exposes a unique feature of diplomacy in South-East Asia, which on this occasion has left Paetongtarn vulnerable. "That informality is really core to the Asian way — the way they do business, the way they do diplomacy — if you have some sort of close connection with someone you lean on that," Dr Lam says. "Because of the close ties between the two families, it would feel natural for Paetongtarn to reach out to Hun Sen, calling him uncle, invoking some sort of familial ties. "Hun Sen, for some weird reason, decided to actually violate the unspoken rules — but actually there's no norms against that." This latest controversy might be the final blow for the Shinawatra family's political dynasty in Thailand, according to Dr Sirivunnabood. "We have been with this dynasty for about 20 years already," she told the ABC. "People come and go, maybe it's time for the Shinawatra family to finish their roles in the politics of Thailand. "Thaksin himself has done a lot of things that are not acceptable for the people … so I think it's difficult for this family to win the next election and to survive and to maintain their power in politics." But Dr Lam thinks the family might be resilient enough to withstand this test. "This will deal a serious blow to the Shinawatra dynasty," he said. "But if history has taught us anything the lesson would be that this family are survivors, they've come back from exile, from coups. "The scandal will weaken the family's influence … [but] they will still be in the game in some capacity, it's not the end of the dynasty." Either way, this will certainly be a test for Thailand's democracy. Since the country established its constitutional monarchy in 1932, there have been more than 10 military coups, the most recent in 2014. "I think most of the people in Thailand, we don't want coups anymore," Dr Sirivunnabood says. "The last 20 years has proved that having the new military government does not really change the country."
The National
02-07-2025
- Politics
- The National
A phone call has shaken Thailand, but could it also spell the end of a political dynasty?
On Tuesday Thailand's Constitutional Court suspended Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra from office, pending an enquiry into a leaked phone call between her and former Cambodian leader Hun Sen. In the conversation, she referred to Hun Sen as 'uncle' and made derogatory remarks about a top Thai army commander, words which in the context of heightened tensions in the Emerald Triangle border area between the two countries triggered mass protests in Thailand and the exit of the Bhumjaithai Party, her governing coalition's second-largest member. This could bring to a premature end Ms Paetongtarn's short-lived political career – she only became prime minister last August. But the bigger question is: does this herald the beginning of the end for the whole Shinawatra dynasty? For the last 25 years, the family, headed by Thaksin Shinawatra, who was prime minister from 2001 to 2006, has almost completely dominated electoral politics in the country. He was ousted in a coup backed by Thailand's powerful army, and his sister Yingluck was also forced from office in 2014 after three years as prime minister. But time after time, when elections were held, Thaksin-backed parties kept on winning. In 2023, Mr Thaksin returned from self-imposed exile, on the same day a new government led by his supporters' party, Pheu Thai, was formed. Since the new coalition included parties aligned with the royalist-military establishment previously deeply opposed to Mr Thaksin – whose critics have accused him of irresponsible populism and corruption – it seemed that an accommodation had finally been reached between the country's two most important blocs. On his arrival in Thailand, Mr Thaksin was arrested and taken into custody, but the convictions to which he had been sentenced in absentia were reduced days later to just one year in jail, and after spending six months in a luxury hospital he was released on parole. Appearances were satisfied. Mr Thaksin was home. And months later, his youngest daughter Paetongtarn became prime minister. The rapprochement between Mr Thaksin's supporters and the country's conservative institutions may have been a shaky alliance of convenience. But it could not last after details of Ms Paetongtarn's call with Hun Sen came out. In the conversation, which both sides have confirmed as authentic, Ms Paetongtarn referred to her country's military as 'the opposite side' and accused a general at the border of just wanting 'to look cool and saying things that are not useful'. Cambodia's longtime former prime minister, whose son Hun Manet succeeded him in 2023, has since gone further. According to the Khmer Times, this week Hun Sen accused the Thaksins of insulting their country's king in private conversations with him and said Ms Paetongtarn 'conspiring with foreigners to denigrate one's own military', as he put it, was tantamount to treason. For the last 25 years, the family headed by Thaksin Shinawatra has almost completely dominated electoral politics Why did Hun Sen make such incendiary comments and release a full recording of the phone call, especially since he had been close to Mr Thaksin for decades? The border issue is highly sensitive – a Cambodian soldier was killed in clashes with Thai forces in May – and some speculate it was an attempt to rally patriotic sentiment around Hun Manet. The former Cambodian leader also accused the Thaksins of having a history of saying one thing to him about the border disputes and then another in public. Either way, the damage has been done. And it's not just Ms Paetongtarn who's in trouble. On the same day that she was suspended from office, her father was in a Bangkok court to hear prosecution testimony over a lese-majeste charge he faces relating to an interview he gave in South Korea in 2015. Mr Thaksin may have thought this would just be a formality, given the understanding he believed had been reached with the royalist-military forces. But as the Thai academic Pavin Chachavalpongpun wrote in a prescient analysis published on Monday: 'The lese majeste case against Thaksin, or [the] Constitutional Court case against Paetongtarn, could be strategically used to neutralise their influence, putting them in jail or (more likely) letting them flee.' In that event, could the Thaksins still make another comeback in the future? It can't be completely ruled out, and it may be just possible that the current governing coalition holds on, as it still has a majority in Parliament. But many believe that the Thaksin coalition – low-income workers in the country's north and north-east, plus progressive-minded urban middle classes – has been irretrievably weakened. Pheu Thai has been outflanked by the social democratic Move Forward Party, which beat them into second place in the 2023 election, and severely disillusioned their progressive supporters by allying with the conservative forces who kept ousting Mr Thaksin and his successors from power. Younger voters don't remember Mr Thaksin's glory years, when he instituted universal health care and a raft of polices that helped rural voters. Paetongtarn Shinawatra is a novice who plainly owed her job solely to her surname. Her approval rating was at a meagre 9.2 per cent in March. Mr Thaksin is still a giant of Thai politics. But he's not the figure he once was, and he has run out of family proxies to take the country's top job while he remains a power behind the curtain. No one would accept one of his other two – politically inexperienced – children as prime minister. And, in any case, it's not clear they, or Pheu Thai, could command a majority in Parliament. So, is this the end for the Shinawatra dynasty? Thai politics is too unpredictable to tell. If it is the beginning of the end, however, Thailand's perennial problem will remain: how to square the views of the royalist-military establishment, who see themselves as guardians of the country, with populist or left-leaning parties that keep topping the polls. That's the democratic conundrum that has been both the blessing, and the misfortune, of the Shinawatra family.
Bloomberg
02-07-2025
- Politics
- Bloomberg
Thai Leader's Suspension Deals Fresh Blow to Battered Economy
Thailand's ruling coalition was already fraying when a court suspended Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra on Tuesday, raising fresh doubts about her survival, the country's economy and the future of a dynasty that has loomed over the Southeast Asian nation for decades. In a blow to a country long plagued by political instability, the Constitutional Court sidelined the 38-year-old leader over a complaint linked to a leaked phone call in which she appeared to criticize the army and side with Cambodia in a border dispute — a potential breach of conduct under the constitution. She has 15 days to respond. For now, Deputy Prime Minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit leads a shaky coalition.
Malay Mail
01-07-2025
- Politics
- Malay Mail
Thai court to weigh petition that could oust PM Paetongtarn over leaked call with Cambodia's Hun Sen
BANGKOK, July 1 — Thailand's Constitutional Court was due to meet on Tuesday to consider a petition seeking the dismissal of Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, as pressure mounts on a government battling to survive and under fire on multiple fronts. The petition by 36 senators accuses Paetongtarn of dishonesty and breaching ethnical standards in violation of the constitution over a leaked telephone conversation with Cambodia's influential former leader Hun Sen. If the court accepts the case, it could decide to suspend the premier from duty with immediate effect. During a June 15 call intended to defuse escalating border tensions with Cambodia, Paetongtarn, 38, kowtowed before Hun Sen and criticised a Thai army commander, a red line in a country where the military has significant clout. She has apologised and said her remarks were a negotiating tactic. The leaked conversation triggered outrage and has left Paetongtarn's coalition with a razor-thin majority, with a key party abandoning the alliance and expected to soon seek a no confidence vote in parliament, as thousands of demonstrators demand the premier resigns. Paetongtarn's battles after only 10 months in power underline the declining strength of the Pheu Thai Party, the populist juggernaut of the billionaire Shinawatra dynasty that has dominated Thai elections since 2001, enduring military coups and court rulings that have toppled multiple governments and prime ministers. It has been a baptism of fire for political novice Paetongtarn, who came to office abruptly as Thailand's youngest premier and replacement for Srettha Thavisin, who was dismissed by the Constitutional Court for violating ethics by appointing a minister who was once jailed. Paetongtarn's government has also been struggling to revive a stuttering economy and her popularity has declined sharply, with a June 19-25 opinion poll released at the weekend showing her approval rating sinking to 9.2 per cent from 30.9 per cent in March. Paetongtarn is not alone in her troubles, with influential father Thaksin Shinawatra, the driving force behind her government, facing legal hurdles of his own in two different courts this month. Divisive tycoon Thaksin has his first hearing at Bangkok's Criminal Court on Tuesday in a case centred on allegations he insulted Thailand's powerful monarchy, a serious offence punishable by up to 15 years in prison if found guilty. He denies the charges and has repeatedly pledged allegience to the crown. The case stems from a 2015 media interview Thaksin gave while in self-imposed exile, from which he returned in 2023 to serve a prison sentence for conflicts of interest and abuse of power. Thaksin, 75, dodged jail and spent six months in hospital detention on medical grounds before being released on parole in February last year. The Supreme Court will this month scrutinise that hospital stay and could potentially send him back to jail. — Reuters
Reuters
01-07-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Thai Constitutional Court to weigh petition seeking PM's dismissal
BANGKOK, July 1 (Reuters) - Thailand's Constitutional Court was due to meet on Tuesday to consider a petition seeking the dismissal of Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, as pressure mounts on a government battling to survive and under fire on multiple fronts. The petition by 36 senators accuses Paetongtarn of dishonesty and breaching ethnical standards in violation of the constitution over a leaked telephone conversation with Cambodia's influential former leader Hun Sen. If the court accepts the case, it could decide to suspend the premier from duty with immediate effect. During a June 15 call intended to defuse escalating border tensions with Cambodia, Paetongtarn, 38, kowtowed before Hun Sen and criticised a Thai army commander, a red line in a country where the military has significant clout. She has apologised and said her remarks were a negotiating tactic. The leaked conversation triggered outrage and has left Paetongtarn's coalition with a razer-thin majority, with a key party abandoning the alliance and expected to soon seek a no confidence vote in parliament, as thousands of demonstrators demand the premier resigns. Paetongtarn's battles after only 10 months in power underline the declining strength of the Pheu Thai Party, the populist juggernaut of the billionaire Shinawatra dynasty that has dominated Thai elections since 2001, enduring military coups and court rulings that have toppled multiple governments and prime ministers. It has been a baptism of fire for political novice Paetongtarn, who came to office abruptly as Thailand's youngest premier and replacement for Srettha Thavisin, who was dismissed by the Constitutional Court for violating ethics by appointing a minister who was once jailed. Paetongtarn's government has also been struggling to revive a stuttering economy and her popularity has declined sharply, with a June 19-25 opinion poll released at the weekend showing her approval rating sinking to 9.2% from 30.9% in March. Paetongtarn is not alone in her troubles, with influential father Thaksin Shinawatra, the driving force behind her government, facing legal hurdles of his own in two different courts this month. Divisive tycoon Thaksin has his first hearing at Bangkok's Criminal Court on Tuesday in a case centred on allegations he insulted Thailand's powerful monarchy, a serious offence punishable by up to 15 years in prison if found guilty. He denies the charges and has repeatedly pledged allegience to the crown. The case stems from a 2015 media interview Thaksin gave while in self-imposed exile, from which he returned in 2023 to serve a prison sentence for conflicts of interest and abuse of power. Thaksin, 75, dodged jail and spent six months in hospital detention on medical grounds before being released on parole in February last year. The Supreme Court will this month scrutinise that hospital stay and could potentially send him back to jail.
