Do we like Paetongtarn Shinawatra?
Our score: 6 out of 10. Real good on marriage equality, offset by a contested Uyghur deportation and a court-ordered ouster, with little on record since 2025.
Paetongtarn Shinawatra is the third member of Thailand's most famous political family to run the country, after her father Thaksin and aunt Yingluck. She became the youngest prime minister in the nation's history in August 2024, and had never been an MP or minister before that. For many, she was always going to be judged as a Shinawatra first.
Her fall came fast. In June 2025 a phone call with Cambodia's former leader Hun Sen leaked, in which she called him “uncle” and referred to a Thai army commander as her opponent. She apologised, but the conservative Bhumjaithai party quit her coalition, saying her conduct had wounded the country and the army's dignity.
On 29 August 2025 Thailand's Constitutional Court voted 6 to 3 to remove her, finding she had seriously violated the ethical standards expected of a prime minister and put personal interests above the nation's. She said her intentions were for the benefit of the country. She was the second Thai prime minister the court toppled in a year.
On the harm check, the good is real. She invited dozens of couples and LGBTQ+ activists to Government House ahead of Thailand's first same-sex weddings in January 2025, and posted that everyone's love would be legally recognised with honour and dignity. No anti-LGBTQ+, anti-vax or climate-denial talk from her turned up in our searches.
The big mark against her is the deportation of 40 Uyghur men to China in February 2025, which drew international criticism. She defended it, saying China had assured her they would face no charges, and said Thailand had not breached UN or human rights rules. Where you land depends on whether you take Beijing's assurances at face value or think sending Uyghurs back was never safe.
The legal tail was long. In September 2025 Thai media listed complaints before the anti-corruption commission over the leaked call, budget transfers and a family share deal, none decided at that stage. The commission declined one separate complaint, over a minister's nomination, on timing grounds rather than the merits, and we found no later ruling.