Thai government hangs by a thread as leaked call shreds PM Paetongtarn’s credibility
Paetongtarn Shinawatra under pressure to resign after a coalition partner quit over a leaked conversation with Cambodia’s Hun Sen
Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra battled for political survival on Thursday after a key coalition partner abandoned her government following a leaked phone call between her and Cambodia’s former leader Hun Sen.
Demands for Paetongtarn, Thailand’s youngest-ever leader and scion of the Shinawatra political dynasty, to stand down have gathered pace since the nine-minute recording was released on Wednesday.
In it she calls Hun Sen, who was Cambodia’s strongman prime minister for three decades, “uncle” and declared that elements of her country’s army were “opponents” – a red flag to Thai nationalists who have accused her of selling out the kingdom’s interests.
Paetongtarn’s father – the divisive billionaire and two-time Thai premier Thaksin – has widely advertised the close family ties with Hun Sen, whose son Hun Manet is now Cambodia’s leader.
Late on Wednesday, a key royalist coalition ally Bhumjaithai pounced on the call and said it would withdraw its 69 lawmakers from the government coalition, dominated by Paetongtarn’s Pheu Thai party, as well as eight ministers.