Thai PM clings on as crisis threatens to topple govt

BANGKOK: Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra apologised on Thursday for a leaked phone call with former Cambodian leader Hun Sen that provoked widespread anger and threatened to topple her government.

Her main coalition partner quit and she faced calls to resign or hold an election, throwing the kingdom into a fresh round of political instability as it seeks to boost its spluttering economy and avoid US President Donald Trump´s swingeing trade tariffs.

The conservative Bhumjaithai party pulled out on Wednesday, saying Paetongtarn´s conduct in the leaked call had wounded the country and the army´s dignity. As pressure grew on Thursday, Paetongtarn apologised at a news conference alongside military chiefs and senior figures from her Pheu Thai party. “I would like to apologise for the leaked audio of my conversation with a Cambodian leader which has caused public resentment,” Paetongtarn told reporters.

The Thai stock market fell 2.4 percent on Thursday as the crisis raged, but by the evening Paetongtarn, daughter of billionaire ex-PM Thaksin Shinawatra, appeared to have won a reprieve as another coalition party said it would not withdraw -- for now at least.

Leaders of the Chartthaipattana, United Thai Nation and Democrat parties held urgent talks on the crisis on Thursday afternoon. Afterwards Chartthaipattana leader Varawut Silpa-archa told reporters his party would remain in government and meet Paetongtarn to decide what to do.

Losing another coalition partner would likely mean the end of her government and either an election or a bid by other parties to stitch together a new coalition. In the leaked call, Paetongtarn is heard discussing an ongoing border dispute with Hun Sen, who still holds significant power in Cambodia despite leaving office in 2023.

She addresses the veteran leader as “uncle” and refers to the Thai army commander in the country´s northeast as her opponent, a remark that sparked fierce criticism on social media. The Thai foreign ministry summoned the Cambodian ambassador on Thursday to deliver a letter complaining about the leaking of the call.

The loss of Bhumjaithai´s 69 MPs left Paetongtarn with barely enough votes to scrape a majority in parliament and a snap election could be on the cards -- barely two years after the last one in May 2023.

Thailand´s military said in a statement that army chief General Pana Claewplodtook “affirms commitment to democratic principles and national sovereignty protection”. “The Chief of Army emphasised that the paramount imperative is for ´Thai people to stand united´ in collectively defending national sovereignty,” it said.

Thailand´s armed forces have long played a powerful role in the kingdom´s politics and politicians are usually careful not to antagonise them. Thailand has suffered a dozen coups since the end of absolute monarchy in 1932, and the current crisis has inevitably triggered rumours that another may be in the offing.