A Thai court suspended the prime minister on Tuesday, plunging the country into fresh political turmoil as a border dispute with Cambodia has heated up.

       Paetongtarn Shinawatra, 38, the scion of a powerful and polarizing Thai political dynasty, is fighting for her political survival less than a year after taking office. Her crisis began last month when the Cambodian leader Hun Sen made public a private conversation they had about the border tensions.

       In the recording, Ms. Paetongtarn appeared to be deferential to Mr. Hun Sen and disparaging of her own country’s powerful military. Her perceived tone set off an uproar in Thailand, leading to calls for her to resign and a defection from her governing coalition. She apologized, but thousands of protesters took to the streets in Bangkok, stoking fears of a coup.

       In a petition to the Constitutional Court, a group of senators sought the removal of Ms. Paetongtarn, accusing her of violating ethics standards in her talks with Mr. Hun Sen. On Tuesday, the court agreed to consider the complaint and suspended her with immediate effect.

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       Ms. Paetongtarn said she accepted the court’s decision and would soon present her case.

       “I will try to prove that my intention and effort was more than 100 percent for the country,” she told reporters. She also apologized again, saying the conversation with Mr. Hun Sen was not for her personal gain.

       Ms. Paetongtarn has few options on how to proceed, said Isra Sunthornvut, who heads the Thailand office of Vriens & Partners, a government affairs consultancy. One path is to resign, he said, while the second is to dissolve Parliament and call for new elections.

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