Thai PM Paetongtarn faces calls to quit after leaked phone call
Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra's coalition government is on the brink of collapse after a leaked phone call between her and Cambodia's strongman ex-leader Hun Sen.They were discussing a border dispute that has ramped up tensions between the two neighbours in recent weeks after a Cambodian soldier was killed in a clash in May.Paetongtarn appeared to dismiss a Thai military commander in the 17-minute call shared by Hun Sen on Facebook on Wednesday. She said the officer "just wanted to look cool and said things that are not useful". She defended the call as a "negotiation technique" but opposition figures are calling for her to resign, saying she has undermined the Thai army.
Bhumjaithai, the second-largest party in her ruling coalition, quit the alliance on Wednesday after the leaked phone call, dealing a major blow to her Pheu Thai party's position in parliament.The coalition now holds a slim parliamentary majority - which will be lost if more of its partners decide to leave.Two other parties in Pheu Thai's coalition are set to hold meetings on Thursday to discuss the situation.The Shinawatras' friendship with Cambodia's Hun family goes back decades, with Hun Sen and former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin - Paetongtarn's father - known to consider each other "godbrothers".Earlier this month, Paetongtarn said the close ties between the two political clans did not stand in the way of her defending Thailand's interests.But critics have taken issue with her apparent deference during her call with Hun Sen, in which she addressed him as "uncle" and promised to "take care" of his needs.Paetongtarn has said that she would no longer engage in private talks with the Cambodia leader.Hun Sen said he had shared the audio clip with 80 politicians and one of them leaked it. The border dispute has sent bilateral ties have plunging to their lowest in more than a decade.Earlier this week, Cambodia banned a range of imports from Thailand, ranging from fruit and vegetables to electricity and internet. Cambodia had also earlier banned Thai dramas from TV and cinemas as a result of the border dispute. Both countries have imposed border restrictions on each other.The dispute between them dates back to more than a century, when the borders were drawn after the French occupation of Cambodia. Tensions have flared up on a handful of occasions in the past. And in May this year, troops from both countries briefly exchanged fire at a contested part of the border, leading to the death of a Cambodia soldier. Both countries have blamed each other for the incident, claiming self-defence.
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The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
Thai prime minister's leaked phone call with Cambodia's Hun Sen sparks outrage and political turmoil
Thailan d's Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra faced growing calls for her resignation in a deepening political crisis set off by a leaked recording of her negotiating with Cambodia 's former leader in the two nations' latest border dispute. Paetongtarn apologized to the public on Thursday, after a major coalition partner used the leaked phone call to pull out of the fragile government led by her Pheu Thai Party. Paetongtarn has already been criticized for a perceived soft stance toward Cambodia, especially by right-wing nationalists who are longtime foes of her father, former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. The latest border dispute involved an armed confrontation May 28 in a relatively small no-man'- land both countries claim in which one Cambodian soldier was killed. Outrage over the leak Cambodia's Senate President Hun Sen posted the full, 17-minute phone call on his Facebook page after a shorter version was leaked Wednesday. He said he recorded the conversation 'to avoid any misunderstanding or misrepresentation in official matters,' adding that he shared the recording with at least 80 people. In the recording, Paetongtarn was heard calling Hun Sen 'uncle' as they discussed through translators whether they should lift border restrictions imposed after the deadly clash. Backlash revolved around her calling a Thai army commander in charge of the border area where the clash happened as 'an opponent.' Critics said she was trying to please Hun Sen too much and made Thailand look weak. Paetongtarn said her comments were a negotiation tactic and that her goal was to bring peace between the countries. However, she said she would no longer engage in a private talk with Hun Sen as she could not trust him. 'It's now clear that all that he cares about is his popularity in the country, without considering impacts on relations with other countries,' she said. Thailand's Foreign Affairs Ministry said it submitted a protest letter over the leaked recording with the Cambodian ambassador, saying that Cambodia's actions were unacceptable and 'a breach of diplomatic etiquette, a serious violation of trust, and undermines conduct between two neighboring countries.' Paetongtarn has described the two families as having close, longtime relationships. Her father Thaksin and Hun Sen reportedly regard each other as 'godbrothers.' In 2009, Hun Sen appointed Thaksin as a Cambodian government adviser, but Thaksin soon resigned the position. Mounting pressure Hours after the leak, the Bhumjaithai party, the biggest partner in Paetongtarn's ruling coalition, said it would quit because of the leaked phone call. The party's statement said the recording 'posed an impact on Thailand's sovereignty, territory, interests and the army.' The party called for Paetongtarn to take responsibility for the damage, although they did not say how. There has already been a rift between Bhumjaithai and Pheu Thai over reports that the former would be shuffled out of the powerful Interior Ministry. Several Bhumjaithai leaders are also under investigation over the alleged rigging of the Senate election in which many figures who are reportedly close to the party claimed a majority of seats. The departure of Bhumjaithai left the 10-party coalition with 255 seats, just above the majority of the 500-seat house. Opposition leader Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut of the People's Party on Thursday called for Paetongtarn to dissolve Parliament and hold a new election. He said the leaked phone call was 'the last straw' that destroyed people's faith in her administration. Dozens of nationalists protesters gathered near the Government House on Thursday, holding Thai national flags and signs calling for Paetongtarn to resign. Some senators said they will file a motion to impeach her, and several other individuals also filed complaints over the matter to law enforcement agencies. People have also expressed concern that Paetongtarn's comment towards the local army commander could potentially lead to a military coup. Her father, Thaksin, was ousted in a coup in 2006, and Thaksin's sister, Yingluck Shinawatra, became prime minister in 2011 and was also toppled by the military in 2014. The military said in a statement Thursday that it would like the people to 'maintain confidence in the Royal Thai Army's steadfast commitment to constitutional monarchy and its readiness to execute its constitutional mandate of protecting national sovereignty through established legal frameworks and institutional mechanisms."
The Independent
3 hours ago
- The Independent
Aung San Suu Kyi's supporters strive to set world record to honor her 80th birthday
Thousands of supporters of Myanmar's jailed former leader Aung San Suu Kyi celebrated her 80th birthday Thursday by attempting to set a world record for the most birthday greeting videos, while others took to the streets in demonstrations against the military government that ousted her. Kalo Say Htoo, an organizer of the birthday video campaign, said the original goal was to collect 80,000 greeting videos to honor Suu Kyi and achieve a recognized Guinness World Record. The number of videos collected surpassed 103,000 on Thursday, tripling the current record of 32,207 achieved in 2017, organizers said. Suu Kyi was arrested in February 2021 when the military seized power from her democratically elected government. She was convicted on more than a dozen charges for offenses that her supporters say were concocted to keep her out of politics. She remains regarded by many in Myanmar as the country's legitimate leader while serving a 27-year prison term. Kim Aris, Suu Kyi's son living in London, said in a statement on Facebook Thursday that the campaign is a powerful testament to his mother's global support. 'It's my hope this achievement brings urgent attention to her plight and that of the people of Burma,' said Aris, using the country's former name. 'Her voice may be silenced, but her flame will never be extinguished.' Aris planned to run 80 kilometers (49.7 miles) to honor his mother's birthday, while encouraging others to show support with the numerical theme, such as walking for 80 minutes or making 80 recipes. More than 6,800 civilians are estimated to have been killed by security forces during a widespread armed struggle against military rule that began after generals seized power from Suu Kyi's elected government, according to figures compiled by nongovernmental organizations. Pro-democracy street protests in Suu Kyi's honor were held Thursday in areas that are not under military control including northern Kachin state, the central regions of Mandalay, Sagaing and Magway and in Tanintharyi in the South. Photos on social media showed demonstrators carrying flowers, birthday cakes and posters of Suu Kyi, as well as banners reading 'Happy Birthday' and urging supporters to strive for "the liberation of the entire nation, including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.' The military government's supporters posted calls for the arrest of protesters. Several Western embassies posted pictures and illustrations on social media of red roses, with some issuing statements calling for Suu Kyi and all other political prisoners to be released. The Suu Foundation, a nonprofit humanitarian organization, and the law firm Zimeray & Finelle said in a joint statement Thursday that Suu Kyi was thought to have suffered an injury to her left arm during the 7.7 magnitude earthquake that hit the country in March.
Reuters
4 hours ago
- Reuters
Paetongtarn Shinawatra, Thailand's prime minister, under siege
BANGKOK, June 19 (Reuters) - After less than a year in office, Thailand's Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has her back to the wall - and little room left to manoeuvre. For months, the 38-year-old - the second woman and the youngest Thai to hold the position - has grappled with a faltering economy that has stalled her Pheu Thai party's flagship economic scheme while coping with an unwieldy ruling coalition. But the leaked audio of a phone call with Cambodia's former leader Hun Sen, after weeks of bickering between the two Southeast Asian neighbours over a disputed border, could be the final blow to her 10-month term. "Paetongtarn is untenable now," said Thitinan Pongsudhirak, a political scientist at Bangkok's Chulalongkorn University. "The leaked conversation is deeply compromising to her position as prime minister and deeply damaging for Thailand. I think there's no way she's going to last." In her June 15 call with Hun Sen, who she referred to as "uncle", Paetongtarn not only appeared to kowtow before the veteran Cambodian politician but also denigrated a senior Thai military commander - seen as red lines by her critics and allies alike. Facing an unprecedented backlash, Paetongtarn - a political novice who held no government position before becoming premier - delivered a public apology on Thursday, insisting that she did not know the call with Hun Sen would be recorded. "This was a private call from my personal phone," she told reporters. But it came after the conservative Bhumjaithai party - the third largest in parliament's lower house - pulled out of the ruling coalition late on Wednesday, citing the audio of the call, which was released in full by Hun Sen after the initial leak of a clip. The Pheu Thai party now only holds a narrow majority in Thailand's 495-member parliament, and the exit of some other coalition partners, some of which are due to hold individual meetings to decide their respective positions, could swiftly bring down the government. Thailand's main opposition, the People's Party, underlined the lack of public trust in Paetongtarn on Thursday and called on the government to dissolve parliament, which would trigger fresh elections. "Paetongtarn needs to take responsibility for what has happened," said Pavin Chachavalpongpun, a Thai academic at Japan's Kyoto University, referring to the audio in which she described a prominent Thai army commander as being part of "the opposite side". "She may not trust the army. But she should not be telling this to foreign leaders." Paetongtarn, educated at Chulalongkorn University and Britain's University of Surrey, was primarily involved in the Shinawatra family businesses before becoming prime minister but has spent much of her life exposed to the tumult of Thai politics. She was 8 when her father, Thaksin Shinawatra, entered politics in 1994 and began a meteoric rise to become prime minister by a landslide in 2001 - only to be ousted in a coup five years later. In 2011, her aunt and Thaksin's sister, Yingluck, also found her way to the premiership but was ejected by a court ruling, followed by a military coup. On the campaign trail in 2023, seeking to resuscitate her family's political fortune, Paetongtarn harked back to the track record of previous Shinawatra administrations and promised robust government policies to kick-start Southeast Asia's second largest economy. Paetongtarn, who is married with two children, also made no bones about her closeness to her father, Thailand's most influential but divisive politician who returned to the country in 2023 after over a decade-and-a-half in self-exile to avoid a prison term. Since she became prime minister last August, following the abrupt removal of her predecessor by a court order, Paetongtarn has struggled to deliver on her party's promises, even as she operated under the long shadow of her father, who is himself facing court cases that could see him return to prison. In particular, a decision last month to freeze a $14 billion cash handout programme, a key plank in the 2023 election, in the face of potential U.S. tariffs has hit Pheu Thai's popularity. But this crisis will likely damage the party's standing further, making it even more challenging to head into fresh polls, according to analysts. A snap election, however, may not be amenable to some current and former members of the ruling coalition, including Bhumjaithai, and instead favour the People's Party, said Olarn Thinbangtieo, a political science lecturer at Burapha University. "This is more about pressuring the prime minister to resign than dissolving parliament," said Olarn, outlining the possibility of parliament picking Bhumjaithai's leader Anutin Charnvirakul to replace Paetongtarn. Move Forward, a forerunner of the People's Party, won most seats in the 2023 election but was blocked from taking power by an unelected senate, paving the way for second-place Pheu Thai to cobble together a coalition and form a government. Still, there is a possibility that Pheu Thai can engineer a survival strategy to retain power, but Paetongtarn's actions may also determine the future of Thailand's most prominent political dynasty. "This could be the end of the Shinawatra brand," said Chulalongkorn University's Thitinan. "She has really damaged it."
