Hundreds of protesters flooded Bangkok’s Victory Monument on Saturday, demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra over her handling of an escalating border dispute with Cambodia, in what has become the largest anti-government demonstration since her Pheu Thai Party returned to power in 2023.
The protest, led by the nationalist group United Force of the Land, comes amid mounting political and economic challenges for the 38-year-old prime minister. These include a pending no-confidence vote, a fractured coalition, and growing public discontent over her perceived missteps in foreign policy and military relations.
Chanting anti-government slogans and waving Thai flags, demonstrators accused Paetongtarn of compromising national sovereignty following the leak of a phone call in which she appeared to criticise a senior Thai military commander while speaking with Cambodia’s former leader Hun Sen. The remarks sparked outrage in a country where the military remains a powerful political force.
Although Paetongtarn has since apologised and described the protest as a legitimate expression of democracy, political analysts say her grip on power is slipping. “It’s within people’s rights and I will not retaliate,” she told reporters on Saturday.
The fallout from the leaked call intensified last week when the Bhumjaithai Party withdrew from the ruling coalition, citing sovereignty concerns. The exit has left the government with a narrow parliamentary majority and heightened the risk of a no-confidence motion when lawmakers return to session next week.
Further compounding her troubles, a group of senators has filed petitions with the Constitutional Court and the National Anti-Corruption Commission, seeking investigations into Paetongtarn’s conduct—moves that could lead to her disqualification or removal from office.
Diplomatic tensions have also worsened. In an unusually hostile televised address on Friday, Hun Sen launched a fierce personal attack on Paetongtarn and her family, calling for regime change in Thailand—an extraordinary breach of diplomatic norms. Thailand’s foreign ministry responded by describing his remarks as “extraordinary,” while reaffirming that diplomatic engagement remains its preferred method of resolving the border dispute.
The crisis has rattled investor confidence and threatens to derail Thailand’s fragile economic recovery. Analysts warn that the current unrest mirrors previous episodes of political instability linked to the Shinawatra family, which led to military coups in 2006 and 2014.
With pressure mounting from all sides—protesters, political rivals, and regional tensions—Prime Minister Paetongtarn now faces the most significant test of her leadership since taking office.
