Thousands of anti-government demonstrators took to the streets of Bangkok on Saturday, calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra following a leaked diplomatic phone call that has fueled public outrage and shaken her already fragile administration.
The call, originally intended to ease tensions with Cambodia, was leaked by a senior Cambodian official. In the recording, Paetongtarn was heard referring to Cambodia’s former leader as “uncle” and describing a top Thai military commander as her “opponent” — remarks that critics say undermine national sovereignty and show deference to a foreign power.
The fallout has been swift. The influential Bhumjaithai Party, a key member of her governing coalition, has withdrawn its support, leaving the 38-year-old leader clinging to a narrow parliamentary majority less than a year into her premiership.
An estimated 4,000 protesters, many of them older citizens and veterans of the royalist “Yellow Shirt” movement, gathered at Bangkok’s Victory Monument. The demonstrators waved Thai flags and chanted slogans between speeches and live music performances, demanding Paetongtarn’s resignation.
“I’m here to defend Thailand’s sovereignty. The prime minister has shown she’s unfit to lead,” said 70-year-old protester Seri Sawangmue, who traveled from northern Thailand. “After hearing that call, I knew I couldn’t trust her.”
The protest, which remained peaceful under the watch of more than 1,000 police officers and 100 city officials, marks a resurgence of Thailand’s deep-rooted political divisions. Tensions have long simmered between the pro-military, monarchist Yellow Shirts and the “Red Shirts,” who support the Shinawatra political dynasty.
Among the demonstrators was Jamnong Kalana, 64, a former Red Shirt supporter who said she now opposed Paetongtarn. “She’s betrayed what we stood for,” Kalana said. “She has to go.”
The prime minister, meanwhile, was visiting flood-affected areas in northern Thailand. Speaking to reporters before departing Bangkok, Paetongtarn acknowledged the protests, saying: “It’s their right to protest, as long as it’s peaceful.”
The leaked call has not only ignited political tension at home but also strained relations with Cambodia. A border clash last month resulted in the death of a Cambodian soldier, further fueling nationalist sentiment in Thailand.
Legal challenges now loom large for the Shinawatra family. On Tuesday, the Constitutional Court will decide whether to hear a case filed by senators seeking Paetongtarn’s removal over alleged misconduct. That same day, her father and former prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, is set to face trial on royal defamation charges linked to comments he made a decade ago.
Paetongtarn assumed office in the wake of her predecessor’s court-ordered disqualification and became the fourth Shinawatra family member to lead the government after her father, aunt, and uncle-in-law. Her short tenure has been marked by controversy, coalition fractures, and growing public dissent — all of which now threaten her political survival.
