Protesters gather in Bangkok to demand Thai prime minister's resignation
over leaked Cambodia call
[June 28, 2025]
BANGKOK (AP) — Thousands of protesters gathered in Thailand’s capital on
Saturday to demand the resignation of Prime Minister Paetongtarn
Shinawatra, part of the brewing political turmoil set off by a leaked
phone call with former Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen.
Paetongtarn faces growing dissatisfaction over her handling of a recent
border dispute with Cambodia involving an armed confrontation May 28.
One Cambodian soldier was killed in a relatively small, contested area.
The recorded phone call with Hun Sen was at the heart of the
demonstration Saturday and has set off a string of investigations in
Thailand that could lead to Paetongtarn’s removal.
Outrage over the call mostly revolved around Paetongtarn's comments
toward an outspoken regional army commander and her perceived attempts
to appease Hun Sen, the current Cambodian Senate president, to ease
tensions at the border.
Protesters held national flags and signs as they occupied parts of the
streets around the Victory Monument in central Bangkok. At a huge stage
set up at the monument, speakers took turns expressing love for Thailand
following the intensified border dispute. Protesters chanted, sang and
danced to songs stoking nationalist sentiment.
Tatchakorn Srisuwan, 47, a guide from Surat Thani province, said he
arrived in Bangkok by an overnight train to demand Paetongtarn’s
resignation over the leaked call.
“From a heart of a Thai person, we’ve never had a prime minister who’s
so weak,” he said. “We don’t want to invade anyone, but we want to say
that we are Thai and we want to protect Thailand’s sovereignty.”
Many of the leading figures in the protest were familiar faces from a
group popularly known as Yellow Shirts, whose clothing color indicates
loyalty to the Thai monarchy. They are longtime foes of Paetongtarn’s
father, former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who reportedly has a
close relationship with Hun Sen.
Yellow Shirts rallies turned violent and led to military coups in 2006
and 2014, which respectively ousted the elected governments of Thaksin
and Paetongtarn’s aunt, former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.
Hun Sen responds
Hun Sen on Saturday vowed to protect his country’s territory from
foreign invaders and said the action by the Thai army was a serious
violation of Cambodia's sovereignty and territorial integrity, despite
the country's good will in attempting to resolve the border issue.
“This poor Cambodia has suffered from foreign invasion, war and
genocide, been surrounded and isolated and insulted in the past, but now
Cambodia has risen on an equal face with other countries,” Hun Sen told
an audience of thousands at the 74th anniversary celebration of the
founding of his long-ruling Cambodian People’s Party in the nation's
capital, Phnom Penh.
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Protesters gather at Victory Monument demanding Thailand's Prime
Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra resign in Bangkok, Thailand,
Saturday, June 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
There is a long history of territorial disputes between the
countries. Thailand is still rattled by a 1962 International Court
of Justice ruling that awarded Cambodia the disputed territory where
the historic Preah Vihear temple stands. There were sporadic though
serious clashes there in 2011. The ruling from the U.N. court was
reaffirmed in 2013, when Yingluck was prime minister.
Political fracture and investigations
The scandal has broken Paetongtarn's fragile coalition government,
costing her Pheu Thai Party the loss of its biggest partner,
Bhumjaithai Party. Its departure left the 10-party coalition with
255 seats, just above the majority of the 500-seat house.
Paetongtarn also faces other investigations that could lead to her
removal from office.
Sarote Phuengrampan, secretary-general of the Office of the National
Anti-Corruption Commission, said Wednesday that his agency is
investigating Paetongtarn for a serious breach of ethics over the
Hun Sen phone call. He did not give a possible timeline for a
decision.
Reports said the Constitutional Court could decide as early as next
week whether it will take a petition requesting Paetongtarn's
removal due to the phone call, enabling the court to suspend her
from duty pending an investigation. The prime minister said Tuesday
she is not worried and is ready to give evidence to support her
case.
“It was clear from the phone call that I had nothing to gain from
it, and I also didn’t cause any damage to the country,” she said.
The court last year removed her predecessor from Pheu Thai over a
breach of ethics. Thailand’s courts, especially the Constitutional
Court, are considered a bulwark of the country’s royalist
establishment, which has used them and nominally independent state
agencies such as the Election Commission to cripple or sink
political opponents.
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Sopheng Cheang in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, contributed to this report.
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