On July 2, 2025, at Parliament, Dr. Tul Sitthisomwong, a lecturer at the Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, submitted a letter to Mr. Mongkol Suratsajja, President of the Senate, requesting that the Senate file a petition with the Constitutional Court to rule on removing Ms. Paetongtarn Shinawatra from her position as Minister of Culture.
Dr. Tul stated that the Senate President had previously filed a petition signed by 36 senators with the Constitutional Court, seeking a ruling to remove Ms. Paetongtarn from the office of Prime Minister on grounds of lacking qualifications under the 2017 Constitution of the Kingdom of Thailand, Section 160 (4) and (5), namely lacking manifest integrity and engaging in conduct that seriously violates ethical standards. Earlier today, the Constitutional Court accepted the petition and ordered Ms. Paetongtarn to suspend her duties as Prime Minister pending a final ruling.
Dr. Tul continued that since Ms. Paetongtarn has now been royally appointed as Minister of Culture, it is necessary to determine whether she lacks the qualifications to serve in this role and whether she can continue holding the position.
He proposed that no fewer than one-tenth of the senators co-sign the petition asking the Constitutional Court to rule whether Ms. Paetongtarn’s ministerial status should be terminated under Section 170 paragraph one (4), in conjunction with Section 160 (4) and (5) of the Constitution, and to order her suspension from the Minister of Culture position until the court issues its decision.
Additionally, Dr. Tul thanked the 36 senators who previously filed the petition regarding the audio clip, which he said demonstrated a lack of integrity and a serious constitutional breach. He noted that it is questionable that despite this pending issue, the Prime Minister nominated herself for royal appointment, raising doubts nationwide about her fitness to serve as Minister of Culture.
Dr. Tul asserted that the Constitutional Court has jurisdiction to consider this matter, as the opposition and government parties are unlikely to file a complaint themselves, though he does not know their reasons. Therefore, he requested that the senators consider gathering at least 20 signatures—ideally repeating the same 36—to file the petition. He emphasized that he is pursuing this action in his personal capacity, not on behalf of any group, including the Ruam Palang Phaendin movement.
When asked about the likely outcome, Dr. Tul pointed out that the court unanimously (9–0) accepted the petition and voted 7–2 to order the suspension, noting that even the minority opinion only supported a partial suspension. He compared the case to that of Pol. Col. Tawee Sodsong, Minister of Justice, regarding oversight of the Department of Special Investigation.
Dr. Tul stressed that such orders aim to prevent harm to government administration, assigning the Acting Prime Minister to carry out duties except for dissolving parliament or appointing new ministers. He declined to prejudge the court but expressed his expectation that the court will ultimately decide on removal.
Asked what would happen if Ms. Paetongtarn chose to resign, Dr. Tul replied that the matter should proceed democratically. Parliament could elect a new Prime Minister from the remaining candidates or exercise its constitutional authority to select an external candidate. If the Pheu Thai Party nominates another candidate, that process should continue as usual. However, he noted that the opposition or People’s Party did not submit multiple nominees, so options are limited. If the situation mirrors that of former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, the people could use their constitutional rights if governance problems arise.
“Many from the opposition and related figures—Thanathorn, Piyabutr, Pannika, Rangsiman—keep talking about ‘lawfare.’ I think lawfare is a tool of the people to hold politicians accountable. That’s all we have left. I want to say that if politicians or the government do their duty properly, there is nothing to fear from lawfare. Even if complaints are filed with the Constitutional Court, the NACC, or the Election Commission, no penalties will follow. So any government or politician should not worry about lawfare. Just fulfill your duty sincerely to serve the nation and the people as you claimed when campaigning. The only case where the people will use lawfare is if you grossly fail to do your duty,” Dr. Tul concluded.