Thailand’s prime minister, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, is facing mounting pressure to resign after she appeared to disparage her own country’s powerful military and to take a deferential tone in a private conversation with the de facto leader of Cambodia.
That talk was supposed to tamp down tensions over a border dispute with Cambodia that has been simmering for weeks. Instead, it has unleashed new turmoil in Thailand, which in recent years has reeled from one political crisis after another.
On Sunday, Ms. Paetongtarn discussed the border issue with Hun Sen, the former prime minister of Cambodia and the father of the current leader. Mr. Hun Sen posted a recording of their conversation — conducted with Thai and Khmer language interpreters — on his Facebook page on Wednesday.
In the recording, she is heard addressing Mr. Hun Sen, who remains head of the ruling Cambodian People’s Party, as “uncle” in English. She also urged him to ignore “the opposite side,” a reference to the Thai military, which she said was trying to look “cool” by making statements that were not beneficial.
“Tell him that actually if he wants something, he can say it and we will arrange it for him,” Ms. Paetongtarn, referring to Mr. Hun Sen, says to the Thai interpreter.
Her comments drew condemnation from lawmakers, both those in her coalition and in the opposition, who all called on Ms. Paetongtarn to resign.
The conversation has become the latest focus for a growing dissatisfaction with Ms. Paetongtarn’s government and her family. She is the youngest daughter of Thaksin Shinawatra, a former prime minister who has been a force in Thai politics for more than two decades.
Conservatives who distrust the Shinawatras as a power-hungry dynasty see it as fresh evidence for their narrative that the family is ready to sell out Thailand for personal gain.
Ms. Paetongtarn was visibly angry when she addressed reporters on Wednesday, saying her “sympathetic remarks and softer tone” were a “negotiation technique.”
That explanation did little to assuage public anger. Late Wednesday, the second-largest member of her governing coalition, the Bhumjaithai Party, said it would withdraw from the alliance. That leaves the prime minister’s Pheu Thai party with a slim majority in Parliament.
“This spells the beginning of the end for the Paetongtarn administration,” said Napon Jatusripitak, a Thailand expert at the ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore.
On Thursday, protesters gathered outside Ms. Paetongtarn’s office in Bangkok.
“It’s not the time to fight each other,” Ms. Paetongtarn said during a news conference Thursday. “For what happened, I’m sorry.”
She did not directly address calls for her resignation, and she said it was “unacceptable” for Mr. Hun Sen to make their conversation public.
The tumult comes as Thailand is negotiating tariffs with the Trump administration, and as the border tension with Cambodia shows no signs of easing. It has increased fears that the military, which has a history of staging coups, could intervene, though analysts said they believe the establishment would prefer to use the courts as a first resort.
The opposition leader, Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut, has called on Ms. Paetongtarn to dissolve Parliament.
“We also call on the members of the current government coalition: changing the prime minister by using an external power is not the solution,” Mr. Natthaphong said, an oblique reference to the military.
In a statement on Thursday, Thailand’s army chief said the paramount imperative is for “Thai people to stand united,” and that national interests remain “the supreme priority.”
Ms. Paetongtarn took office in 2024 after the Constitutional Court removed her predecessor, Srettha Thavisin, ruling that he had violated ethics standards. At 37, she became Asia’s youngest premier.
Her appointment appeared to cap a stunning comeback for Mr. Thaksin, 75, her father. He had returned to Thailand in 2023 after spending 15 years in exile following a conviction on charges of corruption and abuse of power. Many analysts believe that his return was the result of a grand bargain that he had struck with the royalist-military establishment to block the progressive Move Forward Party from taking power.
But in recent months, Ms. Paetongtarn has come under mounting pressure to account for how her father did not serve a day in prison after he returned home. He spent his detention in a V.I.P. hospital suite being treated for high blood pressure, low oxygen and tightness in his chest; the majority of his sentence was subsequently commuted.
This month, the Medical Council of Thailand affirmed a finding that there was no clear evidence that Mr. Thaksin’s condition warranted treatment at the Police General Hospital for six months. The Supreme Court, which has been looking into whether the hospital stay was legitimate, and a proper enforcement of his sentence, will hear evidence against Mr. Thaksin on Monday.
Muktita Suhartono and Kittiphum Sringammuang contributed reporting.
Sui-Lee Wee is the Southeast Asia bureau chief for The Times, overseeing coverage of 11 countries in the region.
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