Thai Court Removes Yingluck Shinawatra From Office

Niwattumrong Boonsongpaisan Appointed New Caretaker Prime Minister.

A Thai court ousted Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra for the relatively obscure offense of improperly removing a senior bureaucrat from his job three years ago.

The verdict from Thailand’s Constitutional Court, which came after six months of antigovernment street protests, riots and occupations of government buildings, marks anticlimactic end to the government of Ms. Yingluck, the 46-year-old sister of the country’s former leader, Thaksin Shinawatra. The court also removed several other cabinet ministers.

It was the third time in six years that a court has removed a Thai prime minister aligned with the powerful Shinawatra clan, raising awkward questions about the practice of democracy in one of the U.S.’s closest allies in the region and stirring concerns that Bangkok could soon face a fresh wave of protests—this time from tens of thousands of Ms. Yingluck’s supporters.

Ms. Yingluck denied having done anything wrong during the two years and nine months of her administration.

“I want to reiterate I have worked with the intention and devotion to serve the people, as they have trusted me and voted for me,” Ms. Yingluck said. “I administered the country with honesty and I didn’t do anything that is dishonest or in violation of the constitution as accused.”

More From The Wall Street Journal (subscription required):