(Patrick Martin’s post from the ABC NEWS AUSTRALIA on 19 June 2025.)
Thailand's government on brink of collapse after key coalition party withdraws support following leaked call: The phone call between Hun Sen and Paetongtarn Shinawatra has had massive political repercussions in Thailand.
Political leaks are usually damaging but rarely
bring a government to the brink of collapse. A leaked phone call has done just
that in Thailand. The chat between Thailand's prime minister and a former
Cambodian leader comes as the relationship sours over a border dispute that has
stemmed from the death of a soldier. Here's how that death and a leaked phone
call have brought a government to its knees.
What happened at the 'Emerald Triangle? Late last month, a Cambodian soldier was killed in a skirmish in a contested zone known as the "Emerald Triangle", where the borders of Cambodia, Thailand and Laos meet. Both the Thai and Cambodian armies said they acted in self-defence.
The dispute dates back to the early 20th Century
and the drawing up of the 800-kilometre frontier during the French occupation
of the region. An old stone temple sits against a bright white and blue sky
with a monk dressed in orange walking past it. The Preah Vihear temple is a key
place of dispute between Thailand and Cambodia. Parts of the border are not
defined, with three temples also forming part of the dispute.
Cambodia on Sunday asked the International Court of
Justice (ICJ) to rule on the dispute. It has repeatedly called on Thailand to
join the proceedings, but Bangkok does not recognise the ICJ's jurisdiction.
What was the reaction?
The killing of the soldier by Thai forces prompted
a mobilisation on both sides of the border. Both countries called for calm
while also vowing to defend their sovereignty. Thailand tightened border
controls with Cambodia, prompting former Cambodian leader Hun Sen — father of
current Prime Minister Hun Manet — to speak out. He blamed Thai
"extremists" and the Thai army for stoking tensions and said the Thai
government was "unable to control its military the way our country
can".
Thousands of people hold red and blue Cambodian
flags at a rally outside on a sunny day. Cambodians have taken to the streets
in support of the government's decision to send troops to the border with
Thailand.
When Thailand did not reinstate normal border
activity, Cambodia banned imports of fruit and vegetables along with all Thai
drama from TV and cinemas, closed a popular border checkpoint, and cut internet
bandwidth from its neighbour.
Both sides had held meetings at the weekend to try
and diffuse the situation. Thailand said progress had been made to de-escalate
tensions. But after Hun Sen's remarks on Monday, Thai Prime Minister
Paetongtarn Shinawatra said her country would not be bullied or threatened, and
warned that "unofficial" communication would harm diplomatic efforts.
Hun Sen remains a prominent political figure and is
the father of current Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet. Ms Paetongtarn has
faced criticism over her diplomatic response to the crisis, which contrasts
with the military's tough rhetoric.
Thailand's prime minister came to power in 2024 as
head of an awkward coalition made up of the Pheu Thai Party and a group of
conservative, pro-military parties whose members have spent much of the last 20
years battling against her father, former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
What was said in the leaked phone call?
The phone call between Thailand's prime minister
and Hun Sen was leaked to the media on Wednesday, but was held on Monday. Hun
Sen said the leak came from one of the 80 politicians he shared the audio
recording with.
In the conversation, Ms Paetongtarn is heard
discussing the border crisis and complains about the bad publicity she was
facing as a result. She called Hun Sen "uncle" and urged him not to
listen to "the opposite side", including a prominent Thai military
commander at the border.
"He [the Thai general] just want to look cool
and saying things that are not useful to the nation, but in truth what we want
is peace," she told Hun Sen through a translator in the leaked audio clip.
Ms Paetongtarn later told reporters her
conversation with Hun Sen was part of a negotiation tactic and she had no
problem with the Thai army. "I won't be talking privately with him [Hun
Sen] anymore because there is a trust problem," she said.
Lieutenant General Boonsin Padklang, commander of
Thailand's Second Army Area overseeing the eastern border, on Wednesday told
local media that Ms Paetongtarn had called him to explain the leak. "I
don't have any issue, I understand," Lieutenant General Boonsin said. However,
the damage was done and the reaction to the call was swift.
What happened to her alliance?
The second-biggest member of the Thai government's
ruling alliance, the conservative Bhumjaithai Party, pulled out of the
coalition on Wednesday. In a statement, it said Ms Paetongtarn had
"damaged the sovereignty and well-being of the country and Thai
Army".
"Bhumjaithai party calls on Paetongtarn to
show responsibility for her actions that have made the country people and army
lose dignity," the statement said. Thailand's ruling coalition lost 69
active members immediately, leaving Ms Paetongtarn's
Pheu Thai Party with barely enough votes to form a majority.
If any other coalition partner withdrew, it would
put Thailand on course for another election. Thailand's opposition leader,
Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut, also called on Paetongtarn to dissolve parliament
following her handling of cross-border relations.
"This is to return the power to the people and
prevent some groups from using this mistake to create situations that will hurt
our democratic system," he said in a statement. The last poll was barely
two years ago in 2023.
(Blogger’s notes: (24 billion US dollars betrayal) The hidden reason behind the deadly friction between Thailand and Cambodia is the annual US$ 24 billion illegal earning from the Cambodia-based Chinese-Mafia-controlled Cyber Scam Centers. Since a couple of years ago, Thai PM Paetongtarn had been under heavy pressure from China to destroy the Cyber Scams, operating by Thai borders by using resource like electricity and fuel and Internet from Thaliand, mainly hurting Chinese nationals.
Since last year the Royal Thai Government has been taking drastic actions against Myanmar, Lao, and Cambodia. First the electricity supply and merchandise flows across the Thai Border to Myanmar were cut. Because the Scam Compounds in Myanmar are under the protection of KNA the Karen National Army (formerly the Border Guard Force – BGF) Thais didn’t face any significant resistance. The poor Karens just clammed up and bitterly took the loss of US$ 4 billion annually from the sudden shut-down of their cyber scam compounds on the Thai-Myanmar borderline.
Then the Thais tried to take drastic actions
against Cambodia and what they did really hurtful was closing nearly 500,000
bank accounts held by Cambodian nationals. Most are Hunsun family members and
their associates. The bank accounts were used to launder scam profits and out
of those 24 billion dollars Thai banks reaped 60 billion Thai Bahts annually as the washing fees.
Understandably the Cambodia’s Strongman Hunsun was dangerously
pissed off. Despite he is filthy rich from being in absolute power for a very very long time since the late 1980s, the 24 billion dollars is still a lot of
money to let go. So now he is trying to punish the ruling Shinawatra family by first
leaking Paetongtarn’s humiliating phone call and now slowly revealing the dirty laundry between
him and her father Taksin, his long time dear friend and a former Thai PM.
He is publicly snitching on Taksin’s divisive and wellknown dislike
of Thai Royal Family. He is the Leader of Cambodian Senate and he called himself an elder international statesman, but he truly is a stupidly disrespectful thug and a terrible fucking
arsehole!)
