Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra on Thursday apologized for leaking calls with former Cambodian leader Hun Sen, which sparked widespread anger and put her government on the brink of collapse.
Her main alliance partner resigned, calling on her to resign or announce an election, putting the kingdom in new political instability as it tries to strengthen its booming economy and avoid swing trade tariffs by U.S. President Donald Trump.
The conservative Bhumjaithai party withdraws on Wednesday, saying Paeton’s actions on the leaked phone have hurt the dignity of the country and the military.
As the pressure on Thursday grew on Thursday, Thaksin Shinawatra’s daughters – they are their most influential but controversial modern politicians – were forgotten in a press conference with the military chief and her senior figures of the Thai BJP.
“I want to apologize for the audio leaked from the conversation with Cambodian leaders, which has caused public resentment,” Paetongtarn told reporters.
During the call, Paetontarn was heard in an ongoing border dispute with the Hun Sen, who stepped down as Cambodia’s prime minister forty years later but still had considerable influence.
She called the senior leader “uncle” and called her Thai Army commander in the northeast of the country her opponent, a claim that she drew fierce criticism from social media.
The loss of 69 MPs at Bhumjaithai left Paeongtarn with little vote and unable to get a majority in parliament, and the SNAP election looks obvious – two years after the last match in May 2023.
The other two coalition parties, United Thailand’s National and Democratic Party, will hold a meeting to discuss what happened later on Thursday.
Paetongtarn will hope her apology and show solidarity with the military, enough to convince them to join.
Failure could mean the end of the Peyton Taal government, as well as elections or bids from other parties to splice the new alliances together.
Resignation phone number
The Thai military said in a statement that Army Chief Pana Claewplodtook “affirmed its commitment to democratic principles and national sovereignty protection.”
It added: “The Army Head stressed that the most important thing is to allow the ‘Thai people to unite’ to collectively defend national sovereignty.”
Thailand’s armed forces have long played a powerful role in the kingdom’s politics, and politicians are usually careful not to fight them.
Twelve coups have occurred in the Kingdom since the end of the Absolute Monarchy in 1932, and the current crisis inevitably sparked rumors that another crisis might be happening.
If Paetongtarn is removed in the coup, she will be the third member of the family, behind her aunt Yingluck and Thaksin Shinawatra’s father, who were kicked out of the office by the military.
The main opposition BJP won most seats in 2023 but was blocked by conservative senators urging Paetongtarn to convene the election.
“What happened yesterday was a leadership crisis that undermined people’s trust,” BJP leader Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut said in a statement.
The Palang Pracharath Party was headed by General Prawit Wongsuwan, who supported a 2014 coup against Paetontarn’s aunt Yingluck, indicating that the leaked recordings showed that she was weak, inexperienced and unable to achieve the security of the country.
Hundreds of anti-government protesters, some of whom are Royalist veterans, anti-Taxin’s “Yellow Shirt” movement, demonstrated Thursday outside the government building, demanding Pettentarn to withdraw.
Awkward alliance
Paetongtarn, 38, came to power in August 2024 at Pheu Thai with a group of conservative pro-ministerial parties whose members have fought her father for the past 20 years.
Over the past week, more and more tensions within the league have erupted open wars as Thai-style Thailand attempts to take Home Minister Job away from Boytyi’s leader, Anat Chanverakur.
Bhumjaithai’s losses resulted in more votes in the Pheu Thai league than the 248 votes required for the majority.
The struggle between conservative pro-royal institutions and Thaksin’s political movement has dominated Thai politics for more than 20 years.
Thaksin, 75, the former boss of Manchester City, still has great support from rural bases, and his life changed through populist policies in the early 2000s.
But he was despised by the powerful elite of Thailand, who regarded his rule as corruption, autocracy and social stability.
The current Thai-led government has lost a prime minister, former businessman Srettha Thavisin, who was kicked out by a court order last year, bringing Paeton to office.
