Rabat – Thousands of nationalist protesters have rallied in Bangkok this weekend to call for the resignation of Thailand’s Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra.
The protest came a few days after a phone call with ex-Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen about a border dispute.
A border dispute, dating back to the French colonial period, between Cambodia and Thailand has led to recent tensions between the two countries. This is after a violent clash that emerged in May along the 817 km border.
A recent phone call between Hun Sen and Paetongtarn emerged, where she was heard to be calling Sen “uncle” and stating that she would support him in the dispute. This has made nationalists in Thailand furious.
The phone call triggered the largest protests since the Pheu Thai party came to power in 2023. Thousands have braved the monsoon rains and blocked the roads to march on the Victory Monument.
Paetongtarn Shinawatra has been the Thai Prime Minister since she was appointed in August 2024. She is the daughter of Thaksin Shinawatra, the country’s former Prime Minister from 2001 to 2007. She is the second female Prime Minister after her aunt was removed by a coup in 2014.
Many of the protesters have been carrying Thailand’s tricolour flag and placards with slogans such as “PM is an enemy of the state” and “Ung Ing Get Out! The protests were led by the Union Force of the Land, a coalition of nationalist activists, and their leader made a statement saying “the executive branch and the parliament are not working in the best interests of democracy and our constitutional monarchy.”
In response, Paetongtarn, before visiting the northern parts of the country, which have been hit hard by flooding since the monsoon season began, stated: “The Thai people have the right to protest, as long as it’s peaceful.” She also stated that she would not hold any more phone calls with the ex-Cambodian leader.
However, the protests have been larger in both their scope and demands. This has triggered a constitutional crisis, and there is now a Supreme Court case against her, as well as a parliamentary vote of confidence that will take place.
With these protests, the future of this Southeast Asian nation’s democracy has been left in question.
