Thai PM faces growing calls to step down

Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra is under growing pressure to step down, after a phone call was leaked in which the leader appears to undermine a Thai army commander.
The prime minister had been speaking last weekend with former Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, who is currently senate president. The conversation delved into a border dispute between their countries, and Paetongtarn referred to a regional commander of the Thai army as the "opposite side."
She later apologized and described her comments as a negotiation tactic.
Paetongtarn on Friday met with the commander in an apparent show that the two sides have patched things up. He has said there is no issue as the prime minister had already explained what she meant in the talks with Hun Sen.
But the audio clip has already triggered Bhumjaithai, the then-second largest party of her ruling coalition, to quit the alliance.
Executives of the next largest United Thai Nation party, or UTN, say Paetongtarn should resign, while some of the party members oppose this. The coalition would lose majority in the lower house if UTN withdraws.
The largest opposition, People's Party, demanded the prime minister take political responsibility for the leak and urged the dissolution of parliament.

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Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra is under growing pressure to step down, after a phone call was leaked in which the leader appears to undermine a Thai army commander. The prime minister had been speaking last weekend with former Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, who is currently senate president. The conversation delved into a border dispute between their countries, and Paetongtarn referred to a regional commander of the Thai army as the "opposite side." She later apologized and described her comments as a negotiation tactic. Paetongtarn on Friday met with the commander in an apparent show that the two sides have patched things up. He has said there is no issue as the prime minister had already explained what she meant in the talks with Hun Sen. But the audio clip has already triggered Bhumjaithai, the then-second largest party of her ruling coalition, to quit the alliance. Executives of the next largest United Thai Nation party, or UTN, say Paetongtarn should resign, while some of the party members oppose this. The coalition would lose majority in the lower house if UTN withdraws. The largest opposition, People's Party, demanded the prime minister take political responsibility for the leak and urged the dissolution of parliament.

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