Thai PM will not resign or dissolve parliament
BANGKOK: Thailand's embattled prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra will not resign or dissolve parliament, a senior official from the ruling Pheu Thai party said on Saturday, risking a prolonged political crisis in Southeast Asia's second-largest economy. Sorawong Thienthong, who also serves as Thailand's tourism minister, said in a Facebook post that the prime minister would not quit, despite growing calls for her resignation after her apparent mishandling of a border dispute with neighboring Cambodia.
'The prime minister has clearly confirmed to us that she will continue to perform her duty to resolve various crises that the country is facing to the best of her ability,' he said. 'The government confirms that it will continue to work, not resign, and not dissolve parliament.'
Paetongtarn, daughter of divisive tycoon and former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, is facing domestic anger over the leak of a phone call between her and Cambodia's influential former leader Hun Sen, in which she appeared to kowtow before the veteran politician and denigrated a senior Thai military commander.
The Bhumjaithai Party, which was the second-biggest partner in Thailand's ruling coalition, withdrew from the alliance late on Wednesday, citing the leak earlier that day. Another coalition member, the United Thai Nation party, looked set to demand Paetongtarn's resignation in return for backing the Pheu Thai-led ruling coalition and securing its narrow parliamentary majority.
Paetongtarn has apologized for the call with Hun Sen, but not commented on the crisis so far. Activists have also scheduled a protest in Bangkok starting on June 28 to ask for Paetongtarn's resignation, among them groups with a history of influential rallies against Shinawatra administrations.
Paetongtarn, 38, visited troops in northeast Thailand on Friday to patch things up with Lieutenant General Boonsin Padklang after she was caught disparaging him as an 'opponent' during the call with Hun Sen. Boonsin commands Thai forces along the border with Cambodia, where a long-running dispute flared into deadly clashes last month, and Paetongtarn's criticism of him drew accusations of disloyalty from rightwing nationalist critics.
Paetongtarn said after their meeting that the matter was settled. 'It went very well. I've spoken to the commander and there's no longer any issue,' she told reporters. For his part, Boonsin said 'everything is normal'. The meeting with Boonsin followed a public apology from Paetongtarn – at a news conference flanked by military and police chiefs – on Thursday as pressure on her mounted.
Paetongtarn was criticized as being weak and deferential in the call with Hun Sen, a veteran politician known as a wily operator, but her comments about the army commander were potentially the most damaging to her. Thailand's armed forces have long played a powerful role in the kingdom's politics and politicians are usually careful not to antagonize them. But the apology and apparent reconciliation with the army commander may not be enough to save Paetongtarn's premiership. — Agencies
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Kuwait Times
8 hours ago
- Kuwait Times
Thai PM will not resign or dissolve parliament
BANGKOK: Thailand's embattled prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra will not resign or dissolve parliament, a senior official from the ruling Pheu Thai party said on Saturday, risking a prolonged political crisis in Southeast Asia's second-largest economy. Sorawong Thienthong, who also serves as Thailand's tourism minister, said in a Facebook post that the prime minister would not quit, despite growing calls for her resignation after her apparent mishandling of a border dispute with neighboring Cambodia. 'The prime minister has clearly confirmed to us that she will continue to perform her duty to resolve various crises that the country is facing to the best of her ability,' he said. 'The government confirms that it will continue to work, not resign, and not dissolve parliament.' Paetongtarn, daughter of divisive tycoon and former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, is facing domestic anger over the leak of a phone call between her and Cambodia's influential former leader Hun Sen, in which she appeared to kowtow before the veteran politician and denigrated a senior Thai military commander. The Bhumjaithai Party, which was the second-biggest partner in Thailand's ruling coalition, withdrew from the alliance late on Wednesday, citing the leak earlier that day. Another coalition member, the United Thai Nation party, looked set to demand Paetongtarn's resignation in return for backing the Pheu Thai-led ruling coalition and securing its narrow parliamentary majority. Paetongtarn has apologized for the call with Hun Sen, but not commented on the crisis so far. Activists have also scheduled a protest in Bangkok starting on June 28 to ask for Paetongtarn's resignation, among them groups with a history of influential rallies against Shinawatra administrations. Paetongtarn, 38, visited troops in northeast Thailand on Friday to patch things up with Lieutenant General Boonsin Padklang after she was caught disparaging him as an 'opponent' during the call with Hun Sen. Boonsin commands Thai forces along the border with Cambodia, where a long-running dispute flared into deadly clashes last month, and Paetongtarn's criticism of him drew accusations of disloyalty from rightwing nationalist critics. Paetongtarn said after their meeting that the matter was settled. 'It went very well. I've spoken to the commander and there's no longer any issue,' she told reporters. For his part, Boonsin said 'everything is normal'. The meeting with Boonsin followed a public apology from Paetongtarn – at a news conference flanked by military and police chiefs – on Thursday as pressure on her mounted. Paetongtarn was criticized as being weak and deferential in the call with Hun Sen, a veteran politician known as a wily operator, but her comments about the army commander were potentially the most damaging to her. Thailand's armed forces have long played a powerful role in the kingdom's politics and politicians are usually careful not to antagonize them. But the apology and apparent reconciliation with the army commander may not be enough to save Paetongtarn's premiership. — Agencies
Arab Times
3 days ago
- Arab Times
Kyiv rescuers find more bodies as death toll from latest Russian attack climbs to 28
KYIV, Ukraine,June 19, (AP): Emergency workers pulled more bodies Wednesday from the rubble of a nine-story Kyiv apartment building demolished by a Russian missile, raising the death toll from the latest attack on the Ukrainian capital to 28. The building in Kyiv's Solomianskyi district took a direct hit and collapsed during the deadliest Russian attack on Kyiv this year. Authorities said that 23 of those killed were inside the building. The remaining five died elsewhere in the city. Workers used cranes, excavators and their hands to clear more debris from the site, while sniffer dogs searched for buried victims. The blast blew out windows and doors in neighboring buildings in a wide radius of damage. The attack overnight on Monday into Tuesday was part of a sweeping barrage as Russia once again sought to overwhelm Ukrainian air defenses. Russia fired more than 440 drones and 32 missiles in what Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said was one of the biggest bombardments of the war, now in its fourth year. Russia has launched a summer offensive on parts of the roughly 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line and has intensified long-range attacks that have struck urban residential areas. At the same time, US-led peace efforts have failed to grain traction. Also, Middle East tensions and US trade tariffs have drawn world attention away from Ukraine's pleas for more diplomatic and economic pressure to be placed on Russia. The US Embassy in Kyiv said the attack clashed with the attempts by the administration of President Donald Trump to reach a settlement that will stop the fighting. "This senseless attack runs counter to President Trump's call to stop the killing and end the war,' the embassy posted on social platform X. Kyiv authorities declared Wednesday an official day of mourning. Mourners laid flowers on swings and slides at a playground across the street from the collapsed building. On Tuesday, a man had waited hours there for his 31-year-old son's body to be pulled from the rubble. Psychologists from Ukraine's emergency services provided counseling to survivors of the attack and to family members of those who died. "Some people are simply in a stupor, they simply can't move,' Karyna Dovhal, one of the psychologists, told AP. "People are waiting for their sons, brothers, uncles ... Everyone is waiting.'
Arab Times
3 days ago
- Arab Times
Thai PM's leaked phone call with Cambodia's Hun Sen sets off political backlash
BANGKOK, June 19, (AP): Thailand's Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra apologized Thursday for the deepening political turbulence set off by a leaked recording of her negotiations with Cambodia's former leader in the two nations' latest border dispute. Calls for her resignation grew after a major coalition partner pulled out and further destabilized the already rocky 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's land' both countries claim in which one Cambodian soldier was killed. 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 "contradicted internationally accepted practices and the spirit of good neighborliness. ' 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.
