According to Xinhua News Agency, the Constitutional Court of Thailand announced on July 1 that it had accepted a petition concerning the investigation into whether Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha’s actions were unconstitutional and 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. On the same day, both the Prime Minister of Thailand, Prayut Chan-ocha, and the Prime Minister of Cambodia, 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 are scheduled to take place later on the 29th.
For many years, there has been an unresolved boundary 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, media from Cambodia and Thailand 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,” laughingly asking for Hun Sen’s sympathy for her “niece.” Additionally, she described General Ben Sinh, commander of the Second Army of Thailand, 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 planned measure, not an actual execution, and apologized for this.
Pintara 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 and should not be leaked.
Photo credit: (Source: Xinhua News Agency)
The Pintarat family, closely related to the Hussein family, had a close relationship. In February last year, Hussein personally visited Thailand to see his father, who had just been released from prison, the former Prime Minister of Thailand, Thaksin Shinawatra. 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, Pintarat said, “I will no longer have private conversations with Hussein in the future, but I do not know if the friendship between the Pintarat and Hussein families is still intact.”
Can she pass this time smoothly?
Professor Zhu Zhenming from the China (Kunming) South Asia and Southeast Asia Research Institute told Zhixin News that Pintarat’s inappropriate remarks derogated the military that upholds 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 Pintarat’s home country, but rather it involves the big issues of national territorial sovereignty.”
Zhu Zhenming pointed out that the Thaksin family has been in good standing with the Hussein family for over thirty years, and he does not rule out the possibility that Pintarat might want to use this relationship to ease tensions along the Thai-Cambodian border. However, in the conversation, Pintarat placed personal emotions above national interests, showing a lack of understanding of the complexity and authority of diplomatic struggles and acting too hastily in handling affairs. This also reflects her insufficient 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 Patriotic Party, announced its withdrawal from the governing alliance led by Pintarat.
The party stated that the call recording incident has garnered widespread attention 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 participants unanimously decided to further investigate the content of the call between Prime Minister Pekton and Hung Seng, with the aim of determining whether Pekton had seriously violated ethical norms.
On June 28th, thousands of protesters 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, there were 319 votes against the motion, leading to its rejection. 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 questions of national sovereignty and relations with neighboring countries. “Pekton is facing loyalty tests to the country, positions regarding the defense of national sovereignty, and the maintenance of national interests. If he fails these fundamental major issues, Pekton’s political risk will significantly increase.”