Thailand PM Shinawatra Apologises For Leaked Phone Call With Cambodian Leader
“I apologize for the audio leak of my conversation with the Cambodian leader, which has caused public outrage,” Prime Minister Phetongtarn said, as demands for her resignation intensified.
Leaked call with Cambodian leader reveals Thai PM’s words: Thailand’s 10-month-old government led by Prime Minister Petongtarn Shinawatra is in deep crisis. A phone conversation between her and Cambodia’s former Prime Minister Hun Sen was leaked, sparking public outrage. An important partner party left the government with this incident.
In the audio, Petongtarn refers to Hun Sen as “uncle”, insulting a senior officer in the Thai army. “I regret that my words have caused so much trouble for the people,” she said on Thursday. However, the demands for her resignation are being heard loudly.
The Bhumjaithai Party, the second largest party in the ruling coalition, broke with the government on Wednesday, losing its grip on parliament. The two remaining coalition parties met on Thursday to decide their future.
According to the BBC, Petongtarn’s words of respect for Hun Sen, as well as her comments about the Thai military — “They just want to look stylish, but they say useless things” — were heavily criticized.
Petongtarn defended the conversation as a “negotiation tactic.” However, the audio leak has eroded public confidence in her. The close ties between the Shinawatra family and the Hun family Thaksin (Petongtarn’s father) and Hun Sen call each other “divine brothers” — have long been a source of suspicion for Thai nationalists.
Hun Sen sent the phone call to 80 political leaders and later posted the entire 17-minute audio on his Facebook page. Thailand’s foreign ministry wrote to the Cambodian ambassador, expressing “deep disappointment” over the leak, calling it a “private conversation.It warned that the incident would have a serious impact on the efforts of both countries to resolve the issue in good faith.
Border tensions rose last month after a Cambodian soldier was killed in a clash along the border. In response, the Cambodian government banned imports of goods from Thailand, including electricity and television, sending bilateral ties to their lowest point in a decade. Both countries have also imposed strict border controls.
Pettongtharam is the youngest leader in Thailand’s history to hold the office of prime minister. She is the second woman to hold the office after her mother-in-law Yingluck. Pettongtharam came to power last August after then-prime minister Sreeta Thawisin was removed from office by a court ruling.
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