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Malay Mail
11 hours ago
- Politics
- Malay Mail
Leaked call fallout: Thai PM meets army commander as allies threaten to walk
BANGKOK, June 20 — Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra held make-up talks today 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-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 today 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 north-east Thailand today 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 — yesterday 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 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 today that the row over the leaked call had 'shattered' more than '30 years of heartfelt bonds between our two families'. — AFP
NHK
11 hours ago
- Politics
- NHK
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.
The Standard
12 hours ago
- Politics
- The Standard
Thailand's economy teeters as political turmoil threatens recovery efforts
Thailand's Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra speaks during a press conference at the Government House, in Bangkok, Thailand, May 19, 2025. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha/File Photo
Bloomberg
13 hours ago
- Politics
- Bloomberg
Thai PM Visits Troops as Rivals Plan Protests for Her Ouster
By Updated on Save 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 also met with the region's army commander — whom she had criticized in the call leaked by former Cambodian leader Hun Sen — and thanked him for his work.
Bloomberg
13 hours ago
- Politics
- Bloomberg
Thai Premier Has Few Options and Fewer Allies
Welcome to Balance of Power, bringing you the latest in global politics. If you haven't yet, sign up here. The dysfunction of Thai politics — responsible for roughly a dozen coups since 1932 — is again on full display, with the government at risk of losing control over parliament less than a year after taking power.
