Latest news with #ThaiArmy
CNA
13 hours ago
- Politics
- CNA
Thai PM meets army commander in attempt to defuse political crisis
BANGKOK: Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra held make-up talks on Friday (Jun 20) with an army commander she criticised in a leaked phone call as she struggled to defuse a crisis threatening to topple her government. The daughter of controversial billionaire ex-prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, and in office for less than a year, Paetongtarn is facing calls to quit or announce an election as anger flares over the call with former Cambodian leader Hun Sen. Her main coalition partner, the conservative Bhumjaithai party, pulled out on Wednesday, saying she had insulted the country and the army and leaving her government on the point of collapse. She suffered another blow on Friday as reports emerged that another coalition partner was threatening to quit unless she stepped down as prime minister. The crisis has sent the Thai stock market plunging to a five-year low and comes as the kingdom struggles to fire up its sluggish economy, with United States President Donald Trump's threatened trade tariffs looming. 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 right-wing 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". ULTIMATUM 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 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. The apology and apparent reconciliation with the army commander may not be enough to save Paetongtarn's premiership. The departure of Bhumjaithai has left the government's coalition with a razor-thin majority in parliament, and losing another partner would likely see it collapse. There was a glimmer of good news for Paetongtarn on Friday morning as the conservative Democrat Party pledged to stay in the coalition. However, public broadcaster ThaiPBS reported that the United Thai Nation (UTN) party, which has 36 seats and is now the biggest party in the coalition after Pheu Thai, is considering quitting. The broadcaster said UTN was going to issue an ultimatum to Paetongtarn: either she quits as premier or they withdraw, bringing down the government. There are also suggestions of a split within UTN, but the government's majority is now so small that it could be fatal even if only half the party's MPs leave. PROTEST THREAT Paetongtarn may also be facing the prospect of street protests, as political activists involved in huge demonstrations that helped sink previous leaders linked to her family called for her to go. The activists have called for a rally in central Bangkok on Saturday and another on Jun 28, although it remains to be seen whether Paetongtarn will survive that long. She 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 prime minister, 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. Hun Sen, Cambodia's longtime ruler who stepped down in 2023 and had close ties with Thaksin, said on Friday that the row over the leaked call had "shattered" more than "30 years of heartfelt bonds between our two families".
Arab News
13 hours ago
- Politics
- Arab News
Thai PM meets army commander in attempt to defuse political crisis
BANGKOK: Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra held make-up talks on Friday with an army commander she criticized in a leaked phone call as she struggled to defuse a crisis threatening to topple her government. The daughter of controversial billionaire ex-PM Thaksin Shinawatra and in office for less than a year, Paetongtarn is facing calls to quit or announce an election as anger flares over the call with former Cambodian leader Hun Sen. Her main coalition partner, the conservative Bhumjaithai party, pulled out on Wednesday, saying she had insulted the country and the army and leaving her government on the point of collapse. She suffered another blow on Friday as reports emerged that another coalition partner was threatening to quit unless she stepped down as prime minister. The crisis has sent the Thai stock market plunging to a five-year low and comes as the kingdom struggles to fire up its sluggish economy, with US President Donald Trump's threatened trade tariffs looming. Paetongtarn, 38, visited troops in northeast Thailand on Friday to patch things up with Lt. Gen. 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 right-wing 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. The apology and apparent reconciliation with the army commander may not be enough to save Paetongtarn's premiership. The departure of Bhumjaithai has left the government's coalition with a razor-thin majority in parliament and losing another partner would likely see it collapse. There was a glimmer of good news for Paetongtarn on Friday morning as the conservative Democrat Party pledged to stay in the coalition. However, Public broadcaster ThaiPBS reported that the United Thai Nation (UTN) party, which has 36 seats and is now the biggest party in the coalition after Pheu Thai, is considering quitting. The broadcaster said UTN was going to issue an ultimatum to Paetongtarn: either she quits as premier or they withdraw, bringing down the government. There are also suggestions of a split within UTN, but the government's majority is now so small that it could be fatal even if only half the party's MPs leave. Paetongtarn may also be facing the prospect of street protests, as political activists involved in huge demonstrations that helped sink previous leaders linked to her family called for her to go. The activists have called for a rally in central Bangkok on Saturday and another on June 28, although it remains to be seen whether Paetongtarn will survive that long. She 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. Hun Sen, Cambodia's longtime ruler who stepped down in 2023 and had close ties with Thaksin, said on Friday that the row over the leaked call had 'shattered' more than '30 years of heartfelt bonds between our two families.'
Bloomberg
15 hours ago
- Politics
- Bloomberg
Thai PM Visits Troops as Rivals Plan New Protests for Her Ouster
Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra visited troops at a border post to ease public backlash over her criticism of the army in a leaked phone call, as pro-royalist groups threatened to intensify protests demanding her resignation. Paetongtarn, accompanied by government ministers and military officials, traveled to an army base near Cambodia on Friday to show support for soldiers involved in a border standoff. She was scheduled to hold a strategy meeting with the region's army commander, according to a government statement.
Business Recorder
2 days ago
- Politics
- Business Recorder
Thai govt on brink after coalition partner pulls out
BANGKOK: The second biggest party in Thailand's ruling coalition pulled out on Wednesday over a leaked phone call between Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra and former Cambodian leader Hun Sen, putting her government on the brink of collapse. The conservative Bhumjaithai party said 'the country, people and army lost dignity' because of Paetongtarn's conduct in the call about a festering border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia. The loss of Bhumjaithai's 69 active members of parliament leaves the coalition led by Paetongtarn's Pheu Thai party with barely enough votes for a majority. If any other coalition partner pulls out, it could put the kingdom on course for a general election — scarcely two years since the last one in May 2023. Bhumjaithai said in a statement announcing its withdrawal that the leaked phone call had 'damaged the sovereignty and well-being of the country and Thai Army'. 'Bhumjaithai party calls on Paetongtarn to show responsibility for her actions that have made the country people and army lose dignity,' the statement said. Paetongtarn, 38, came to power in August 2024 at the head of an awkward 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, former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. 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. Turbulent politics In the leaked phone call Paetongtarn is heard discussing the border crisis with Hun Sen — who stepped down as prime minister in 2023 after four decades but still wields considerable influence. She addresses the veteran leader as 'uncle' and complains about the bad publicity she is suffering as a result of the standoff, which flared last month when troops exchanged fire, killing one Cambodian soldier. Paetongtarn has also suffered criticism for her lack of experience and leadership, as well as the sluggish performance of the Thai economy. If her position becomes untenable, she could call a snap election, which would be held within 60 days. Alternatively, she could resign and allow other party leaders to try to organise a coalition. The 2023 election, which swept away nearly a decade of military-aligned rule in Thailand, resulted in no single party dominating the lower house. The progressive Move Forward Party won most seats but was unable to muster enough votes to get its leader approved as prime minister. This opened the door for Pheu Thai to stitch together an uneasy pact with a handful of pro-military parties long staunchly opposed to the Shinawatra family. Paetongtarn's father and aunt Yingluck were both thrown out as prime minister by the army during a two-decade power struggle between Thaksin and the kingdom's conservative pro-royal establishment.
Arab News
2 days ago
- Politics
- Arab News
Leaked call between Thai PM and Cambodia ‘strongman' stokes tensions
BANGKOK, Phnom Penh: Relations between Thailand and Cambodia suffered a major blow on Wednesday after a leak of a telephone conversation between Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra and influential former Cambodian Premier Hun Sen that could further escalate tensions. Ties between the two neighbors are at their worst in more than a decade after a row over border territory that has sparked fears of a military confrontation following a sharp rise in nationalist rhetoric and the mobilization of troops on both sides of their frontier. The leaked June 15 phone call, which has been confirmed as authentic by both Hun Sen and Paetongtarn, shows the Thai premier telling Hun Sen, whom she called uncle, that she is under domestic pressure and urging him not to listen to 'the opposite side' which includes a prominent Thai military commander at the border. 'He just want to look cool and saying things that are not useful to the nation, but in truth what we want is peace,' she told Hun Sen through a translator in the leaked audio clip, referring to the general. Paetongtarn later told reporters her conversation with Hun Sen was part of a negotiation tactic and she has no problem with the Thai army. 'I won't be talking privately with him (Hun Sen) anymore because there is a trust problem,' she said. Hun Sen said the leak came from one of the 80 politicians he shared the audio recording with. Self-styled strongman Hun Sen was Cambodia's premier for nearly four decades and has maintained a high public profile since handing over power in 2023 to his son, Prime Minister Hun Manet. The two governments had until recently enjoyed warm ties, helped by the close relationship between Hun Sen and Thailand's former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, Paetongtarn's influential father. Both former leaders are still active in politics. Fierce rhetoric The leak could put that relationship in jeopardy and will add to speculation in Thailand that Paetongtarn and the powerful Thai military are at odds on how to respond to the border crisis with Cambodia. Cambodia's rhetoric has become more fierce in the past week, with Hun Sen blaming Thai 'extremists' and the Thai army for stoking tensions, saying Paetongtarn's government was 'unable to control its military the way our country can.' The billionaire Shinawatra family has a troubled history with the army, with two of its governments ousted by generals in coups in 2006 and 2014. Lt. Gen. Boonsin Padklang, commander of Thailand's Second Army Area overseeing the eastern border, on Wednesday told local media that Paetongtarn had called him to explain the leak. 'I don't have any issue, I understand,' Boonsin said. The weeks-long standoff followed a brief border skirmish on May 28 that left a Cambodian soldier dead. Both countries have called for calm while vowing to defend their sovereignty over contested stretches of a 820-km (510-mile) land border, parts of which are undemarcated. Attempts to settle the issue have failed, with Cambodia on Sunday delivering on its vow to seek resolution at the International Court of Justice, the jurisdiction of which Thailand says it does not recognize. On Wednesday, Cambodia's defense ministry said Thailand had again violated its sovereignty with drone flights, trench digging and troop deployments, which Bangkok rejected. Thousands of Cambodians joined a state-organized march in the capital Phnom Penh on Wednesday to support the government, shouting slogans, waving national flags and holding portraits of Hun Manet and Hun Sen. 'Cambodia's land! We won't take others' land, we keep our land!' some chanted.
