Thai PM Paetongtarn Shinawatra meets army commander to defuse political crisis
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Thai PM Paetongtarn Shinawatra visited troops in northeast Thailand to patch things up with Lieutenant-General Boonsin Padklang (left).
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
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BANGKOK - Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra held make-up talks on June 20 with an army commander she criticised in a leaked phone call as she struggled to defuse a crisis threatening to topple her government.
The daughter of controversial billionaire and former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra has been in office for less than a year, but is already facing calls to quit
Her main coalition partner, the conservative Bhumjaithai party, pulled out on June 18,
She suffered another blow on June 20 as reports emerged that another coalition partner was threatening to quit unless she stepped down as prime minister.
The crisis has sent the Thai stock market plunging to a five-year low and comes as the kingdom struggles to fire up its sluggish economy, with US President Donald Trump’s threatened trade tariffs looming.
Ms Paetongtarn, 38, visited troops in north-east Thailand on June 20 to patch things up with Lieutenant-General Boonsin Padklang after she was caught disparaging him as an “opponent
Lt-Gen Boonsin commands Thai forces along the border with Cambodia, where a long-running dispute flared into deadly clashes in May, and Ms Paetongtarn’s criticism of him drew accusations of disloyalty from right-wing nationalist critics.
Ms Paetongtarn said after their meeting that the matter was settled.
“It went very well. I’ve spoken to the commander and there’s no longer any issue,” she told reporters.
For his part, Lt-Gen Boonsin said “everything is normal”.
Ultimatum
The meeting with Lt-Gen Boonsin followed a public apology from Ms Paetongtarn
She was criticised as being weak and deferential in the call with Mr Hun Sen, a veteran politician known as a wily operator, but her comments about the army commander were potentially the most damaging to her.
Thailand’s armed forces have long played a powerful role in the kingdom’s politics, and politicians are usually careful not to antagonise them.
The apology and apparent reconciliation with the army commander may not be enough to save Ms Paetongtarn’s premiership.
The departure of Bhumjaithai has left the government’s coalition with a razor-thin majority in Parliament, and losing another partner would likely see it collapse.
There was a glimmer of good news for Ms Paetongtarn on June 20 as the conservative Democrat Party pledged to stay in the coalition.
However, public broadcaster ThaiPBS reported that the United Thai Nation (UTN) party, which has 36 seats and is now the biggest party in the coalition after Pheu Thai, is considering quitting.
The broadcaster said UTN was going to issue an ultimatum to Ms Paetongtarn: Either she quits as premier or they withdraw, bringing down the government.
There are also suggestions of a split within UTN, but the government’s majority is now so small that it could be fatal even if only half the party’s MPs leave.
Protest threat
Ms Paetongtarn may also be facing the prospect of street protests
The activists have called for a rally in central Bangkok on June 21 and another on June 28, although it remains to be seen whether Ms Paetongtarn will survive that long.
She took office in August in 2024
Thaksin, who was twice elected as prime minister, was thrown out in a military coup in 2006 and the bitter tussle between the conservative, royalist establishment and the political movement he founded has dominated Thai politics throughout that time.
Mr Hun Sen, Cambodia’s long-time ruler who stepped down in 2023 and had close ties with Thaksin, said on June 20 that the row over the leaked call had “shattered” more than “30 years of heartfelt bonds between our two families”.
