Thai PM under pressure to quit after phone call leak
The government of Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra is hanging by a thread following the withdrawal of a major coalition partner, building pressure on her to resign after just 10 months in power.
Political neophyte Paetongtarn, the 38-year-old daughter of influential former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, is facing dwindling popularity, a stuttering economy and a territorial row with Cambodia that has sparked fears of military clashes.
The second-biggest partner in the alliance, the Bhumjaithai Party, withdrew from the coalition late on Wednesday, citing damage caused to Thailand's integrity, sovereignty and its army after an embarrassing leak hours earlier of a phone call between the premier and Cambodia's influential former leader Hun Sen.
The United Thai Nation, Chart Thai Pattana and Democrat parties announced separate meetings on Thursday to decide their next steps.
A decision to withdraw by either the Democrats or UTN would leave Paetongtarn with a minority government and in an untenable position.
The premier has not commented on Bhumjaithai's exit.
In the leaked June 15 call, Paetongtarn is heard pressing former Cambodian leader Hun Sen for a peaceful resolution to the territorial dispute, and urging him not to listen to "the other side" in Thailand, including an outspoken Thai army general who she said "just wants to look cool".
She later told reporters that was a negotiation tactic and there were no issues with the military.
Paetongtarn met top security officials on Thursday to discuss the crisis with Cambodia.
Flanked by the defence minister, army chief and armed forces commander, she apologised over the leak and called for unity.
"We don't have time for infighting. We have to protect our sovereignty. The government is ready to support the military in all ways," she told reporters.
If Paetongtarn were to resign, parliament must convene to choose a new prime minister to form the next government, from a pool of only five remaining eligible candidates nominated before the 2023 election.
Another option would be to dissolve parliament and call an election, a move that could favour the opposition People's Party, the largest force in parliament and the country's most popular party according to opinion polls.
The People's Party, the reincarnation of the Move Forward Party that won most votes in the 2023 election but was disbanded in 2024 by a court, said Thailand was paralysed by problems that only a new election could solve.
"The situation yesterday on the leaked phone call is the last straw," People's Party leader Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut told a news conference.
"I want the prime minister to dissolve parliament."
Paetongtarn's administration has also been dogged by criticism from opponents about the influence of her divisive tycoon father Thaksin, who holds no official position but often comments on policy and has maintained a high profile since his return from self-exile in 2023.
The turmoil and the army's assertiveness over the border dispute with Cambodia have again put the spotlight on Thailand's politically powerful military and its animosity with the Shinawatra family, whose governments it overthrew in 2006 and 2014 coups.
The army on Thursday issued a statement affirming its "commitment to democratic principles" while emphasising Thai unity.
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News.com.au
13 hours ago
- News.com.au
Thai PM apologises as crisis threatens to topple government
Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra apologised Thursday for a leaked phone call with former Cambodian leader Hun Sen that has provoked widespread anger and put her government on the brink of collapse. Her main coalition partner has quit and calls are mounting for her to resign or announce an election, throwing the kingdom into a fresh round of political instability as it seeks to boost its spluttering economy and avoid US President Donald Trump's swingeing trade tariffs. The conservative Bhumjaithai party pulled out on Wednesday saying Paetongtarn's conduct in the leaked call had wounded the country and the army's dignity. As pressure grew on Thursday Paetongtarn, the daughter of Thaksin Shinawatra -- Thailand's most influential but controversial modern politician -- apologised at a press conference alongside military chiefs and senior figures from her Pheu Thai party. "I would like to apologise for the leaked audio of my conversation with a Cambodian leader which has caused public resentment," Paetongtarn told reporters. In the call, Paetongtarn is heard discussing an ongoing border dispute with Hun Sen -- who stepped down as Cambodian prime minister in 2023 after four decades but still wields considerable influence. She addresses the veteran leader as "uncle" and refers to the Thai army commander in the country's northeast as her opponent, a remark that sparked fierce criticism on social media. The loss of Bhumjaithai's 69 MPs left Paetongtarn with barely enough votes to scrape a majority in parliament, and a snap election looks a clear possibility -- barely two years after the last one in May 2023. Two other coalition parties, the United Thai Nation and Democrat Party, will hold meetings to discuss the situation later Thursday. Paetongtarn will be hoping her apology and show of unity with the military are enough to persuade them to stay on board. Losing either would likely mean the end of Paetongtarn's government, and either an election or a bid by other parties to stitch together a new coalition. - Resignation calls - Thailand's military said in a statement that army chief General Pana Claewplodtook "affirms commitment to democratic principles and national sovereignty protection". "The Chief of Army emphasised that the paramount imperative is for 'Thai people to stand united' in collectively defending national sovereignty," it added. Thailand's armed forces have long played a powerful role in the kingdom's politics, and politicians are usually careful not to antagonise them. The kingdom has had a dozen coups since the end of absolute monarchy in 1932, and the current crisis has inevitably triggered rumours that another may be in the offing. If Paetongtarn is ousted in a coup she would be the third member of her family, after her aunt Yingluck and father Thaksin Shinawatra, to be kicked out of office by the military. The main opposition People's Party, which won most seats in 2023 but was blocked by conservative senators from forming a government, urged Paetongtarn to call an election. "What happened yesterday was a leadership crisis that destroyed people's trust," People's Party leader Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut said in a statement. The Palang Pracharath party, which led the government up to 2023 and is headed by General Prawit Wongsuwan -- who supported a 2014 coup against Paetongtarn's aunt Yingluck -- said the leaked recording showed she was weak and inexperienced, incapable of managing the country's security. Hundreds of anti-government protesters, some of them veterans of the royalist, anti-Thaksin "Yellow Shirt" movement of the late 2000s, demonstrated outside Government House Thursday demanding Paetongtarn quit. - Awkward coalition - Paetongtarn, 38, came to power in August 2024 at the head of an uneasy coalition between Pheu Thai and a group of conservative, pro-military parties whose members have spent much of the last 20 years battling against her father. Growing tensions within the coalition erupted into open warfare in the past week as Pheu Thai tried to take the interior minister job away from Bhumjaithai leader Anutin Charnvirakul. The loss of Bhumjaithai leaves Pheu Thai's coalition with just a handful more votes than the 248 needed for a majority. The battle between the conservative pro-royal establishment and Thaksin's political movement has dominated Thai politics for more than 20 years. Former Manchester City owner Thaksin, 75, still enjoys huge support from the rural base whose lives he transformed with populist policies in the early 2000s. But he is despised by Thailand's powerful elites, who saw his rule as corrupt, authoritarian and socially destabilising. The current Pheu Thai-led government has already lost one prime minister, former businessman Srettha Thavisin, who was kicked out by a court order last year that brought Paetongtarn to office.
Canberra Times
14 hours ago
- Canberra Times
Thai PM under pressure to quit after phone call leak
In the leaked June 15 call, Paetongtarn is heard pressing former Cambodian leader Hun Sen for a peaceful resolution to the territorial dispute, and urging him not to listen to "the other side" in Thailand, including an outspoken Thai army general who she said "just wants to look cool".
Perth Now
14 hours ago
- Perth Now
Thai PM under pressure to quit after phone call leak
The government of Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra is hanging by a thread following the withdrawal of a major coalition partner, building pressure on her to resign after just 10 months in power. Political neophyte Paetongtarn, the 38-year-old daughter of influential former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, is facing dwindling popularity, a stuttering economy and a territorial row with Cambodia that has sparked fears of military clashes. The second-biggest partner in the alliance, the Bhumjaithai Party, withdrew from the coalition late on Wednesday, citing damage caused to Thailand's integrity, sovereignty and its army after an embarrassing leak hours earlier of a phone call between the premier and Cambodia's influential former leader Hun Sen. The United Thai Nation, Chart Thai Pattana and Democrat parties announced separate meetings on Thursday to decide their next steps. A decision to withdraw by either the Democrats or UTN would leave Paetongtarn with a minority government and in an untenable position. The premier has not commented on Bhumjaithai's exit. In the leaked June 15 call, Paetongtarn is heard pressing former Cambodian leader Hun Sen for a peaceful resolution to the territorial dispute, and urging him not to listen to "the other side" in Thailand, including an outspoken Thai army general who she said "just wants to look cool". She later told reporters that was a negotiation tactic and there were no issues with the military. Paetongtarn met top security officials on Thursday to discuss the crisis with Cambodia. Flanked by the defence minister, army chief and armed forces commander, she apologised over the leak and called for unity. "We don't have time for infighting. We have to protect our sovereignty. The government is ready to support the military in all ways," she told reporters. If Paetongtarn were to resign, parliament must convene to choose a new prime minister to form the next government, from a pool of only five remaining eligible candidates nominated before the 2023 election. Another option would be to dissolve parliament and call an election, a move that could favour the opposition People's Party, the largest force in parliament and the country's most popular party according to opinion polls. The People's Party, the reincarnation of the Move Forward Party that won most votes in the 2023 election but was disbanded in 2024 by a court, said Thailand was paralysed by problems that only a new election could solve. "The situation yesterday on the leaked phone call is the last straw," People's Party leader Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut told a news conference. "I want the prime minister to dissolve parliament." Paetongtarn's administration has also been dogged by criticism from opponents about the influence of her divisive tycoon father Thaksin, who holds no official position but often comments on policy and has maintained a high profile since his return from self-exile in 2023. The turmoil and the army's assertiveness over the border dispute with Cambodia have again put the spotlight on Thailand's politically powerful military and its animosity with the Shinawatra family, whose governments it overthrew in 2006 and 2014 coups. The army on Thursday issued a statement affirming its "commitment to democratic principles" while emphasising Thai unity.
