Thousands Demand Thai PM Resign After Leaked Call With Hun Sen Triggers Uproar
BANGKOK – Thousands flooded Bangkok’s streets on Saturday, demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra after a leaked phone call with former Cambodian leader Hun Sen raised questions about her judgment and loyalty.
The protest, the largest since Paetongtarn’s Pheu Thai Party came to power in 2023, centered at the Victory Monument. Demonstrators waved Thai flags and held placards reading, “PM is enemy of state,” braving heavy monsoon rain to voice their anger.
The uproar began after an audio recording surfaced of Paetongtarn referring to Hun Sen as “uncle” and criticizing a Thai military commander involved in a recent border dispute. “He just wanted to look cool and said things that are not useful,” she said in the call. The conversation was meant to address growing tensions at the Thai-Cambodian border after a Cambodian soldier was killed in May.
In the leaked recording, Hun Sen said he shared the 17-minute call with 80 officials, and later posted it in full on Facebook. Paetongtarn has since apologized but defended the conversation, calling it a “negotiation technique.” She also said she would no longer speak directly with Hun Sen.
Despite the apology, backlash has intensified. A key party in her ruling coalition withdrew support, while nationalist protest groups mobilized public dissent. “She is the problem and should step aside,” protest leader Parnthep Pourpongpan told Reuters.
Protester Seri Sawangmue, 70, traveled from northern Thailand to join the demonstration. “I’ve lived through many political crises and I know where this is going,” he told reporters. “She’s unfit to lead and has disrespected Thailand’s sovereignty.”
The United Force of the Land, a nationalist group opposing the Shinawatra family, organized the rally. In a public statement, the group accused the government of failing to uphold democratic and constitutional principles.
The controversy adds to the Shinawatra family’s long history of polarizing Thai politics. Paetongtarn, 38, is the daughter of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who returned to Thailand in 2023 after 15 years in exile. Her aunt, Yingluck Shinawatra, was Thailand’s first female prime minister.
On Tuesday, the Constitutional Court will decide whether to hear a petition filed by senators seeking Paetongtarn’s removal for alleged misconduct related to the call. If the court agrees to take the case, her political future could hang in the balance.
Border tensions between Thailand and Cambodia remain high. In recent weeks, both governments imposed trade restrictions, and Cambodia banned Thai imports including food, electricity, and entertainment content. These hostilities trace back to colonial-era boundary disputes and have escalated periodically.
Despite the worsening diplomatic standoff, ties between the Shinawatra and Hun political families remain close. Hun Sen and Thaksin refer to each other as “godbrothers,” a bond that critics say complicates national interests.
As political pressure mounts at home, Paetongtarn has maintained that citizens have a right to protest as long as it remains peaceful. Her next steps, and the court’s decision, may determine whether she can survive the growing storm.
