Latest news with #PaetongtarnShinawatra
The Star
4 hours ago
- Politics
- The Star
United Thai Nation Party holds off on coalition decision, seeks talks with PM Paetongtarn first
BANGKOK: United Thai Nation Party to hold talks with Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra before deciding whether to withdraw from government coalition. Pirapan Salirathavibhaga, party leader and Energy Minister, made a brief statement after the party's executive committee meeting regarding the leaked audio clip of a conversation between Paetongtarn and Cambodian Senate President Hun Sen. He said, "The meeting has decided that I will report this to the Prime Minister," before walking past the group of reporters and heading to his car. The meeting was attended by only nine members of the party's executive committee. - Photo: The Nation/ANN Notably, members of the "Group 18" faction, led by Suchart Chomklin, Deputy Leader of the Party and Deputy Commerce Minister, were not invited to attend. The United Thai Nation Party's position is to withdraw from the government coalition, though there is some confusion about the exact meaning of this decision. There are two interpretations of the resolution: - The party's stance is for Prime Minister Paetongtarn to resign to take responsibility. This means that the party would notify her of the decision for her to step down, but would continue supporting the Pheu Thai-led government if a new prime minister is appointed. If Paetongtarn refuses to resign, the party will hold another meeting to decide on its next course of action. - Photo: The Nation/ANN - The party's resolution is to withdraw from the coalition and also inform the Prime Minister of the decision for her to resign, regardless of whether she agrees to step down or not. The party will hold a press conference tomorrow to announce its withdrawal from the government. However, the delay in immediately announcing the resolution suggests that the first option or approach is more likely. Alternatively, if the second approach is adopted, the party may use the withdrawal resolution to pressure the Prime Minister into resigning. If she does step down, discussions for forming a new government could resume; if not, the party will proceed with its withdrawal. - The Nation/ANN
Irish Times
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Irish Times
Thai PM under growing pressure to quit after leaked phone call
The government of Thai prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra was hanging by a thread on Thursday 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 (UTN), 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 Ms Paetongtarn with a minority government and in an untenable position. READ MORE The premier has not commented on Bhumjaithai's exit. Ms Paetongtarn was seen entering the government's headquarters on Thursday, with police surrounding the complex in preparation for possible protests against her. Thai stocks fell as much as 2.4 per cent in morning trading to the lowest level since April 9th. In the leaked June 15th call, Ms 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'. [ Travelling solo in Cambodia: Nervous, chafing and covered in mosquito bites - I loved the chaos Opens in new window ] She later told reporters that was a negotiation tactic and there were no issues with the military. Ms 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 Ms 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 last year 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 press conference. [ 'The scene was like the end of the world': Thailand reels from earthquake Opens in new window ] 'I want the prime minister to dissolve parliament. I think the people want a government that can solve problems for the people, a legitimate government that comes from a democratic process.' Ms 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. 'The chief of army has called upon the Thai people to maintain confidence in the Royal Thai Army's steadfast commitment to constitutional monarchy and ... protecting national sovereignty through established legal frameworks and institutional mechanisms,' it said. – Reuters
Bloomberg
6 hours ago
- Politics
- Bloomberg
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.
The Sun
7 hours ago
- Politics
- The Sun
Five things to know about the Thai-Cambodia border spat
BANGKOK: A Thailand-Cambodia territorial row has ignited a political crisis in Bangkok, pushing the government there to the brink of collapse. Tensions flared between the Southeast Asian countries after a Cambodian soldier was killed in a border clash at the end of May. The audio of a diplomatic call between the two sides intended to sooth the spat was leaked on Wednesday -- its contents provoking widespread anger towards the Thai leader. Here are five things to know about the border causing friction between the neighbouring nations: Colonial hangover Thailand and Cambodia's 800-kilometre-long (500-mile) border was largely drawn during the French occupation of Indochina between 1863 and the mid-1950s. Thai political scientist Thitinan Pongsudhirak said that the mapping agreed between the French and the Kingdom of Siam -- encompassing Thailand's current territory -- remains the 'crux of the problem' today. In World War II, Siam gained certain Cambodian territories but was forced to hand them back to French rule in 1946. The 1979 overthrow of Cambodia's communist Khmer Rouge regime blurred the boundaries further as its last members fled to the border region for refuge. Dozens of kilometres remain contested and in 2008 military clashes erupted over a patch of land next to Preah Vihear, a 900-year-old UNESCO-recognised temple on the border. Sporadic violence from 2008 to 2011 led to the deaths of at least 28 people and displacement of tens of thousands. A new chapter The latest crisis erupted on May 28 when a Cambodian soldier was killed in an exchange of gunfire with the Thai army at the border, with both sides claiming they had acted in self-defence. The armies agreed to reposition their troops, and restrictions were imposed on border crossings. But peace-seeking talks stalled and Cambodia banned imports of Thai fruit and vegetables, and cut off internet routed through its neighbour. On Wednesday, a weekend phone conversation between Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra and Cambodia's former prime minister was leaked, with Paetongtarn accused of appeasing Phnom Penh and undermining the Thai army. One of her key coalition partners has backed out, leaving her government teetering on the brink of collapse. International adjudication Cambodia has asked the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to settle the border dispute. The UN tribunal granted Phnomh Penh sovereignty over the Preah Vihear temple in 1962 and over a small patch of land surrounding it in 2013, but Thailand does not recognise its jurisdiction. Prime Minister Hun Manet said earlier this month that Cambodia had filed a new complaint with the ICJ over four disputed areas, but Thailand has pushed to seek a solution through a nearly 30-year-old bilateral mechanism. Political scientist Thitinan said Cambodia's fresh complaints to the ICJ would likely lead to 'an unfriendly relationship for many years'. Domestic dynamics Analysts say the conflict reveals an uneasy mood in both nations. Cambodian political analyst Ou Virak said the country is 'desperate to stand up to what could be perceived as bullying by a bigger neighbour'. But he warned the 'nationalist flame can easily be ignited and is very difficult to put out'. In Thailand analysts say the conflict is being fanned by long-standing tensions between the Shinawatra political dynasty and the Thai army, which has staged a dozen coups and remains immensely influential in periods of democratic rule. The latest border flare-up 'has allowed the Thai military to stay on top of the civilian government,' said Thitinan. Diplomatic dressing-down The dispute looked set to continue, as Bangkok summoned Cambodia's ambassador to deliver a 'protest letter' over the leaked audio. 'This action taken by the Cambodian side is totally unacceptable,' said Thai foreign ministry spokesman Nikorndej Balankura. 'It breaches diplomatic etiquette, is a serious violation of trust and undermines relations between the neighbouring countries.'
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Thai PM faces growing calls to quit following Cambodia phone row
Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra faced mounting calls Thursday to resign after a leaked phone call she had with former Cambodian leader Hun Sen provoked widespread anger and prompted a key coalition partner to quit. The coalition government led by Paetongtarn's Pheu Thai party appears on the brink of collapse, 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, Pheu Thai's biggest partner, pulled out on Wednesday saying Paetongtarn's conduct in the leaked call had wounded the country and the army's dignity. 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. Losing Bhumjaithai's 69 MPs leaves 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 coalition parties, the United Thai Nation and Democrat Party, will hold meetings to discuss the situation later Thursday. 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, called on Paetongtarn to organise 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. tp-tak-jts/fox
