Thai govt in crisis amid fallout from PM’s leaked phone call

Al Jazeera :

Thailand’s Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra addresses reporters at Government House in Bangkok, Thailand amid a political crisis.
Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra’s government has been rocked after a major coalition partner quit amid mounting public anger over a leaked phone call she had with a former Cambodian leader.
Paetongtarn faced growing calls to resign on Thursday as the kingdom was racked by renewed political instability, with fears that an ongoing border dispute with Cambodia could trigger military clashes.
The crisis engulfing Paetongtarn’s government comes after audio was leaked of a phone call she held with Cambodia’s ex-leader Hun Sen, who still wields considerable influence in his country, discussing a border dispute between the countries in which a Cambodian soldier was killed in a clash in May.
During the June 15 call, Paetongtarn pressed Hun Sen for a peaceful resolution to the dispute, calling him “uncle” and urging him not to listen to “the other side” in Thailand, including an outspoken Thai army general who she said “just wants to look cool”.
Paetongtarn, the scion of a political dynasty who had never held office before she became prime minister in August 2024, made a public apology at a press conference, flanked by high-ranking military officials.
“My intention was to help stabilise the situation and I never expected the conversation to be leaked,” she said, the AFP news agency reported.
“Moving forward, I will be more cautious with my negotiating approach.” Paetongtarn had previously said her comments were a negotiation tactic to try to ensure peace between the countries, and that she had no issue with the military. She would no longer hold private talks with Hun Sen as she could not trust him, she said.