Thousands of demonstrators have convened in Bangkok, the Thai capital, to demand the resignation of Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra following the leak of a phone conversation between her and former Cambodian leader Hun Sen.
In the leaked call, addressing a recent border incident, Shinawatra referred to Hun Sen as “uncle” and described a Thai military commander involved in the dispute as someone who “just wanted to look cool and said things that are not useful.”
The conversation has ignited public outrage. While Shinawatra has apologized, she defended the call as a “negotiation technique.”
Before departing for a visit to flood-affected areas in northern Thailand, Shinawatra told reporters that citizens have the “right to protest, as long as it’s peaceful.”
Saturday’s demonstration marks the largest of its kind since the ruling Pheu Thai party assumed power in 2023.
Thousands of protesters defied monsoon rains, blocking roads at the Victory Monument war memorial in Bangkok while waving Thai flags and displaying placards with slogans such as “PM is enemy of state.”
Protest leader Parnthep Pourpongpan stated that the prime minister “should step aside because she is the problem.”
Seri Sawangmue, 70, traveled overnight by bus from northern Thailand to participate in the protest.
Speaking to AFP news agency, he stated his presence was “to protect Thailand’s sovereignty and to say the PM is unfit.”
“I’ve lived through many political crises and I know where this is going,” he added.
While Shinawatra has stated she will no longer engage in future calls with the former Cambodian leader, Pourpongpan told Reuters that many Thai citizens feel she and her influential father are being manipulated by Hun Sen.
Shinawatra, 38, is the daughter of Thaksin Shinawatra, the former prime minister who returned to Thailand last August after 15 years in exile. She has been in office for 10 months and is the country’s second female prime minister, following her aunt Yingluck Shinawatra.
Protesters are advocating for an end to Shinawatra leadership.
The rally was organized by a coalition that has protested against Shinawatra-led governments for over two decades.
The group said in a statement read to crowds that the executive branch and parliament were not working “in the interest of democracy and constitutional monarchy,” Reuters reported.
Alongside flags and placards, protesters carried umbrellas for protection from the rain. As the rain subsided, a rainbow appeared over Victory Monument.
On Tuesday, the Constitutional Court will decide whether to consider a petition by senators seeking Shinawatra’s removal for alleged unprofessionalism related to the Hun Sen call.
Hun Sen stated that he shared the audio clip with 80 politicians, one of whom leaked it. He subsequently shared the entire 17-minute recording on his Facebook page.
The call pertained to a recent dispute between Cambodia and Thailand, which saw heightened tensions in late May after a Cambodian soldier was killed in a border clash, straining relations to their lowest point in over a decade.
Tensions between the two nations date back over a century, to the drawing of borders following the French occupation of Cambodia.
Both countries have imposed border restrictions, with Cambodia banning Thai imports ranging from food to electricity, as well as Thai television and cinema dramas.
Despite the tensions between their countries, the Shinawatra family’s friendship with the Hun family spans decades, with Hun Sen and Shinawatra’s father considering each other “godbrothers.”