
Thai Leader's Fate Hangs in Balance as Allies Weigh Future
The political fate of Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra remained uncertain Thursday after mounting opposition calls and street protests for her to resign following a leaked phone call in which she criticized her army.
The government was at risk of collapse after the exit of the second-largest party in the coalition, the conservative Bhumjaithai Party, on Wednesday. Three parties in the 10-member alliance, on whom the fate of the coalition hung, met on Thursday, with two of them saying they would stick with Paetongtarn's administration. The other one didn't disclose its decision.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Bloomberg
an hour ago
- Bloomberg
Why Thailand's Ruling Political Clan Faces a New Threat
Thailand's most prominent political dynasty is on the brink of losing power once again. Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra is facing street protests and growing calls to resign amid mounting anger over a leaked phone call with former Cambodian leader Hun Sen, in which she criticized the Thai army for its role in a border dispute with the neighboring country. The controversy prompted the second-largest party in Thailand's already fragile coalition government to quit on June 18, saying Paetongtarn had damaged the country's dignity. If another key ally withdraws from the alliance, Paetongtarn's coalition will be reduced to a minority in the lower house of parliament. She may be forced to step down or call an early election to avoid a prolonged crisis.


Bloomberg
2 hours ago
- Bloomberg
Political Woes Threaten to Sink Thai Economy Deeper Into Malaise
Thailand's sudden descent into a new political crisis threatens an economy that's already on the brink of a technical recession and bracing for the impact of the global trade war. Even if Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra manages to survive a widening rift in the ruling coalition, analysts said the fallout could stall key legislation, undermine US tariff talks and shake investor confidence in already-underperforming Thai assets.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Thai PM to meet army commander to defuse political crisis
Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra will on Friday visit an army commander she called an "opponent" in a leaked phone call as she battles to defuse a crisis threatening to topple her government. The 38-year-old leader, in office for less than a year, was forced to make a public apology on Thursday as anger flared over the call with former Cambodian leader Hun Sen that appeared online. Her main coalition partner, the conservative Bhumjaithai party, pulled out on Wednesday saying she had insulted the country and the army, putting her government on the point of collapse. There was better news for Paetongtarn, daughter of controversial billionaire ex-PM Thaksin Shinawatra, on Friday as another important coalition partner, the conservative Democrat Party, pledged to stay. "The Democrat Party will remain in the government to help resolve the challenges the country is currently facing," the party said in a statement. Another coalition party, Chartthaipattana, said late on Thursday that it would not withdraw, after urgent talks on the crisis with the Democrats and the United Thai Nation (UTN) party. With the departure of Bhumjaithai, the government led by Paetongtarn's Pheu Thai party now holds a razor-thin majority in parliament. Losing another major partner would likely see the government collapse, plunging the kindgom into fresh political instability as it grapples with a stuttering economy and US President Donald Trump's threatened trade tariffs. - Apology - Paetongtarn will travel to Thailand's northeast on Friday to patch things up with Lieutenant General Boonsin Padklang, the commander of the forces in northeast Thailand, where the border clashes took place. She referred to Boonsin as her "opponent" in the leaked call with Hun Sen, in which the two leaders discussed the ongoing border dispute. Thailand has formally protested to Cambodia about the leak, calling it a breach of diplomatic protocol that had damaged trust between the two sides. Paetongtarn was criticised 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 antagonise them. When she made her public apology for the leaked call on Thursday, Paetongtarn did so standing in front of army and police chiefs, in a show of unity. There were small street protests on Thursday and calls from across the political spectrum for her to quit or announce an election, but her apology and backing from some of her coalition partners appear to have shored up her position for now. But with a tiny majority she remains vulnerable, not least because of the awkward nature of her coalition. Paetongtarn took office in August last year at the head of an uneasy alliance between Pheu Thai and a group of conservative, pro-military parties whose members have spent much of the past 20 years battling against her father. Thaksin, twice elected PM, was thrown out in a military coup in 2006, and the bitter tussle between the conservative, royalist establishment and the political movement he founded has dominated Thai politics throughout that time. 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. tak-pdw/ecl