According to Xinhua News Agency, the Constitutional Court of Thailand announced on July 1 that it has accepted a petition concerning the investigation into whether Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha’s actions are unconstitutional and has decided to suspend his powers as Prime Minister.
Prayut Chan-ocha was elected as the new Prime Minister of Thailand in August 2024. She is the second female Prime Minister in Thai history following her sister Thaksin Shinawatra, and the youngest Prime Minister in the country’s history.
A phone call sparked a professional crisis
A phone recording led to the biggest professional crisis for Prayut Chan-ocha since taking office.
On May 28, a brief conflict occurred between Cambodian and Thai troops at a border dispute area, with the firefight lasting about 10 minutes and resulting in the death of one Cambodian soldier. Both Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen expressed their desire not to escalate the conflict and to ease the tension at the border through dialogue. High-level talks between the two military leaders were scheduled for later on the same day.
For many years, there have been unresolved boundaries between Thailand and Cambodia. In 2000, both sides signed a memorandum of understanding opposing unilateral actions that could change the status quo.
On June 18, Cambodian and Thai media reported a phone conversation between Prayut Chan-ocha and former Prime Minister and current Senate President Hun Sen. In the conversation, Prayut Chan-ocha requested Hun Sen’s assistance in alleviating the tension at the Thai-Cambodian border. Hun Sen subsequently confirmed on social media that he had recently spoken with Prayut Chan-ocha.
This phone call did not resolve the tension at the Thai-Cambodian border but instead plunged Prayut Chan-ocha into a political crisis.
In the recording, Prayut Chan-ocha referred to Hun Sen as “uncle” and herself as “niece,” smilingly asking for Hun Sen’s sympathy for her “niece.” Additionally, she described the commander of the Second Army of Thailand, Ben Sinh, as “crazy,” referring to someone from her adversary’s side.
She also told Hussein that the so-called “water and electricity cutoff” from Thailand to Cambodia was merely a plan, not an actual execution, and apologized to him for this.
Petatan held a press conference, admitting the authenticity of the recorded conversation but emphasizing that she was only trying to resolve the border dispute between the two countries. She also stated that the conversation was private in nature and should not be leaked.
Photo credit: (Source: Xinhua News Agency)
The Pitatan family is closely related to the Hussein family. In February last year, Hussein personally visited Phetbong in Thailand to see his father, who had just been released from prison, the former Prime Minister of Thailand, Thaksin. The two men referred to each other as brothers-in-arms, and Hussein had provided shelter to him during his exile. After the recording of the conversation was exposed, Phetbong said, “I will no longer have private conversations with Hussein, but I am unsure whether the friendship between the Pitatan family and the Hussein family still exists.”
Can she pass this time smoothly?
Professor Zhu Zhenming from the China (Kunming) South Asia and Southeast Asia Research Institute told Zhixin News that Phetbong’s inappropriate remarks derogated the military forces that uphold national sovereignty and territorial security, touching on the red lines of national dignity and national interests. “Thailand’s politics are complex, with numerous parties and constantly changing situations. The implementation of this crisis is not because of a policy issue within Phetbong’s home country, but rather it involves the big issues of national territorial sovereignty.”
Zhu Zhenming pointed out that the Thaksin family has been friends with the Hussein family for over thirty years, and it is not excluded that Phetbong might want to use this relationship to ease the tension at the Thai-Cambodian border. However, in the conversation, Phetbong placed personal emotions above national interests, showing her lack of understanding of the complexity and authority of diplomatic struggles, and her handling of affairs was too hasty. This also reflects her lack of governance experience, becoming one of the main reasons for opposition to her.
On the day the recording of the conversation was exposed, the largest party in the ruling coalition, the Joyful Thai Party, announced its withdrawal from the governing alliance led by Phetbong.
The party stated that the call recording incident has sparked widespread concern in society, potentially impacting Thailand’s democratic system, national interests, and military. Pekton should be held accountable for the damage caused to the dignity of the nation, democracy, and the military by his actions.
On June 23rd, the Thai National Anti-Corruption Commission convened a meeting where all participants unanimously decided to further investigate the content of the call between Prime Minister Pekton and Hung Seng regarding their communication, with the aim of determining whether Pekton had seriously violated ethical standards.
On June 28th, thousands of protestors gathered in Bangkok, the capital city, demanding Pekton’s resignation.
On March 26th this year, the House of Representatives of Thailand voted on a motion of no confidence against Pekton. After voting, 319 votes were against the motion of no confidence, leading it to be rejected. Pekton passed the test smoothly.
Zhu Zhenming analyzed that the last motion of no confidence was more about governance issues, while this time it involves issues related to national sovereignty and relations with neighboring countries. “Pekton is facing loyalty tests to the country, the position of the military in defending the country’s sovereignty, and the maintenance of national interests. If he fails these fundamental major issues, Pekton’s political risk will significantly increase.”