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5h ago

Coalition Rift Deepens After PM’s Leaked Call With Cambodia’s Hun Sen

She seeks to shore up military support to persuade coalition members against forcing early elections.

Thailand's Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, center, talks to reporters at Government house in Bangkok, Thailand, on June 19, 2025.
Thailand's Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra speaks during a press conference about tensions following the incident in an undemarcated area on May 28, after a cabinet meeting at the Government House in Bangkok, Thailand, June 10, 2025. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha/File Photo
Anti-government protesters gather in front of Government house demanding Thailand's Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra resign in Bangkok, Thailand, on June 19, 2025.

Overview

  • The conservative Bhumjaithai Party withdrew on June 18, stripping Paetongtarn’s government of 69 MPs and leaving it with only a wafer-thin majority in the 500-seat House.
  • Audio from the June 15 call showed Paetongtarn addressing Hun Sen as “uncle” and dismissing a Thai army commander as “the other side,” provoking nationalist backlash and outrage within her own ranks.
  • On June 19, Paetongtarn publicly apologised alongside top military chiefs, describing her remarks as a negotiation tactic and reaffirming her support for the armed forces.
  • Opposition leaders, including the People’s Party and Palang Pracharath Party, have called for her resignation or for parliament to be dissolved and a snap election held barely two years after the last poll.
  • Hundreds of royalist Yellow Shirt protesters rallied outside Government House demanding her ouster, with some demonstrators openly welcoming military intervention given Thailand’s history of coups.