Thousands demand Thai prime minister quit over border dispute
Anti-government protesters gather at the Victory Monument during a protest calling for Thailand's Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra to resign after her leaked phone call with former Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on the Thailand-Cambodia border dispute, in Bangkok, Thailand, June 28, 2025. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha
BANGKOK - Thousands of protesters rallied in the Thai capital Bangkok on Saturday to demand the resignation of Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, piling pressure on a government at risk of collapse over a border dispute with neighboring Cambodia.
In the largest such rally since the ruling Pheu Thai party came to power in 2023, crowds braved heavy monsoon rain to demonstrate against Paetongtarn, 38, who is also battling to revive a faltering economy and keep a fragile coalition together ahead of a potential no confidence vote next month.
"She should step aside because she is the problem," Parnthep Pourpongpan, a protest leader, said.
The latest dispute started with a skirmish between Thailand and Cambodia over a disputed patch of border territory in May. Thai nationalist groups called for Paetongtarn to go after she appeared to criticize a Thai army commander and kowtow to Cambodia's former leader, Hun Sen, in a leaked phone call with him.
Public criticism of the army is a red line in a country where the military has significant clout. Paetongtarn apologized for her comments after the call.
Parnthep, the protest leader, said many Thai people felt the prime minister and her influential father, Thaksin Shinawatra, were being manipulated by Hun Sen, a former ally of the family who has turned against them.
'Ung Ing, get out'
Blocking the busy intersection at Victory Monument, a war memorial, crowds including many elderly people waved flags bearing Thailand's national tricolor.
'Ung Ing, get out,' the crowd occasionally chanted in unison, calling the premier by a nickname.
Thapanawat Aramroong, 73, said Paetongtarn's comments about the army commander and seeming eagerness to please Hun Sen were unacceptable.
The demonstration was organized by the United Force of the Land, a coalition of largely nationalist activists who have rallied against other Shinawatra-backed governments over the last two decades.
In a statement read aloud before the crowds, the group said "the executive branch" and parliament were not working "in the interest of democracy and constitutional monarchy".
Remaining coalition partners should quit immediately, they said.
While past protests against the Shinawatras did not directly cause the downfall of those governments, they built up pressure that led to judicial interventions and military coups in 2006 and 2014.
Protester Somkhuan Yimyai, 68, said he did not want the military to end up staging a coup and that previous military takeovers had not "provided solutions for the nation in terms of solving corruption or the government's administration of the country."
Economic turmoil
The political turmoil in Thailand threatens to further damage the country's struggling economic recovery.
The prime minister now controls a slim majority coalition following the exit of former partner Bhumjaithai Party last week. Protesters on Saturday called for other coalition partners to quit.
Paetongtarn also faces judicial scrutiny after a group of senators petitioned the Constitutional Court and a national anti-graft body with a wide remit to investigate her conduct over the leaked phone call.
Decisions from either bodies could lead to her removal.
Hun Sen also launched an unprecedented public attack on Paetongtarn and her family, calling for a change of government, in an hours-long televised speech on Friday, which the Thai foreign ministry described as "extraordinary" while insisting that Thailand prefers to use diplomacy. — Reuters
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
GMA Network
3 hours ago
- GMA Network
Trump slams Israel's prosecutors over Netanyahu corruption trial
US President Donald Trump welcomes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the entrance of the White House in Washington, US, February 4, 2025. REUTERS/Leah Millis/File photo President Donald Trump on Saturday lashed out at prosecutors in Israel over the corruption trial that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has faced, saying Washington, having given billions of dollars worth of aid to Israel, was not going to "stand for this". Netanyahu was indicted in 2019 in Israel on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust – all of which he denies. The trial began in 2020 and involves three criminal cases. "It is INSANITY doing what the out-of-control prosecutors are doing to Bibi Netanyahu," Trump said in a Truth Social post, adding that the judicial process was going to interfere with Netanyahu's ability to conduct talks with Palestinian militants Hamas, and Iran. Trump's second post over the course of a few days defending Netanyahu and calling for the cancellation of the trial went a step further to tie Israel's legal action to US aid. "The United States of America spends Billions of Dollar [sic] a year, far more than on any other Nation, protecting and supporting Israel. We are not going to stand for this," Trump said. Netanyahu "right now" was in the process of negotiating a deal with Hamas, Trump said, without giving further details. On Friday, the Republican president told reporters that he believes a ceasefire is close. Hamas has said it is willing to free remaining hostages in Gaza under any deal to end the war, while Israel says it can only end if Hamas is disarmed and dismantled. Hamas refuses to lay down its arms. Interest in resolving the Gaza conflict has heightened in the wake of the US and Israeli bombing of Iran's nuclear facilities. A ceasefire to the 12-day Israel-Iran conflict went into effect early this week. —Reuters
_2025_05_03_18_17_29.jpg&w=3840&q=100)
GMA Network
5 hours ago
- GMA Network
Suicide bombing kills 13 Pakistani soldiers near Afghan border, army says
A suicide bomber rammed an explosive-laden car into a Pakistani military convoy on Saturday in a town near the Afghan border, killing at least 13 soldiers, the army said. The convoy was attacked in Mir Ali area of North Waziristan district, the army said in a statement. "In this tragic and barbaric incident, three innocent civilians including two children and a woman also got severely injured," it said. Fourteen militants were killed by the army in an operation launched after the attack in the region, it said. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack and termed it a "cowardly act", a statement from his office said. Pakistan's army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir said in a statement any attempt to undermine Pakistan's internal stability would be met with swift and decisive retribution. "It was huge, a big bang," a local administrator told Reuters, adding that residents of the town could see a large amount of smoke billowing from the scene from a great distance. One resident said that the explosion rattled the windowpanes of nearby houses, and caused some roofs to collapse. No one has so far claimed responsibility. The Pakistani military said the attack was carried out by militants backed by arch-rival India, an allegation New Delhi rejected. The attack was executed by an Indian proxy, the army's statement said. The lawless district, which sits next to Afghanistan, has long served as a safe haven for different Islamist militant groups, who operate on both sides of the border. Islamabad says the militants run training camps in Afghanistan to launch attacks inside Pakistan, a charge Kabul denies, saying the militancy is Pakistan's domestic issue. India's ministry of external affairs on Sunday said it rejects a statement by the Pakistan Army seeking to blame India for the attack in Waziristan. Pakistani Taliban, also known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, an umbrella group of several Islamist militant groups, has long been waging a war against Pakistan in a bid to overthrow the government and replace it with its own Islamic system of governance. The Pakistani military, which has launched several offensives against the militants, has mostly been their prime target. —Reuters
GMA Network
13 hours ago
- GMA Network
Thousands demand Thai prime minister quit over border dispute
Anti-government protesters gather at the Victory Monument during a protest calling for Thailand's Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra to resign after her leaked phone call with former Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on the Thailand-Cambodia border dispute, in Bangkok, Thailand, June 28, 2025. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha BANGKOK - Thousands of protesters rallied in the Thai capital Bangkok on Saturday to demand the resignation of Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, piling pressure on a government at risk of collapse over a border dispute with neighboring Cambodia. In the largest such rally since the ruling Pheu Thai party came to power in 2023, crowds braved heavy monsoon rain to demonstrate against Paetongtarn, 38, who is also battling to revive a faltering economy and keep a fragile coalition together ahead of a potential no confidence vote next month. "She should step aside because she is the problem," Parnthep Pourpongpan, a protest leader, said. The latest dispute started with a skirmish between Thailand and Cambodia over a disputed patch of border territory in May. Thai nationalist groups called for Paetongtarn to go after she appeared to criticize a Thai army commander and kowtow to Cambodia's former leader, Hun Sen, in a leaked phone call with him. Public criticism of the army is a red line in a country where the military has significant clout. Paetongtarn apologized for her comments after the call. Parnthep, the protest leader, said many Thai people felt the prime minister and her influential father, Thaksin Shinawatra, were being manipulated by Hun Sen, a former ally of the family who has turned against them. 'Ung Ing, get out' Blocking the busy intersection at Victory Monument, a war memorial, crowds including many elderly people waved flags bearing Thailand's national tricolor. 'Ung Ing, get out,' the crowd occasionally chanted in unison, calling the premier by a nickname. Thapanawat Aramroong, 73, said Paetongtarn's comments about the army commander and seeming eagerness to please Hun Sen were unacceptable. The demonstration was organized by the United Force of the Land, a coalition of largely nationalist activists who have rallied against other Shinawatra-backed governments over the last two decades. In a statement read aloud before the crowds, the group said "the executive branch" and parliament were not working "in the interest of democracy and constitutional monarchy". Remaining coalition partners should quit immediately, they said. While past protests against the Shinawatras did not directly cause the downfall of those governments, they built up pressure that led to judicial interventions and military coups in 2006 and 2014. Protester Somkhuan Yimyai, 68, said he did not want the military to end up staging a coup and that previous military takeovers had not "provided solutions for the nation in terms of solving corruption or the government's administration of the country." Economic turmoil The political turmoil in Thailand threatens to further damage the country's struggling economic recovery. The prime minister now controls a slim majority coalition following the exit of former partner Bhumjaithai Party last week. Protesters on Saturday called for other coalition partners to quit. Paetongtarn also faces judicial scrutiny after a group of senators petitioned the Constitutional Court and a national anti-graft body with a wide remit to investigate her conduct over the leaked phone call. Decisions from either bodies could lead to her removal. Hun Sen also launched an unprecedented public attack on Paetongtarn and her family, calling for a change of government, in an hours-long televised speech on Friday, which the Thai foreign ministry described as "extraordinary" while insisting that Thailand prefers to use diplomacy. — Reuters
