Protesters gather around the Victory Monument to demand Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra's resignation. Photo from Prachatai's Flickr page. CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
This article was published by Prachatai, an independent news site in Thailand. An edited version has been republished by Global Voices under a content-sharing agreement.
Protesters gathered at the Victory Monument in central Bangkok on Saturday, June 28, to demand that Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra resign over a leaked call with Cambodian Senate President Hun Sen.
Holding national flags and signs with nationalist sentiments, the protesters gathered around a stage set up in front of the Monument and on the skywalk above the roundabout.
The protest was called by a group calling themselves the Thai Sovereignty Defence Group. Many of its leading figures were well-known leaders of previous protests, which led to the military coups of 2006 and 2014 that overthrew the elected governments of Thaksin Shinawatra, Paetongtarn’s father, and his sister Yingluck Shinawatra.
The group is demanding that Paetongtarn resign and for government coalition parties to withdraw from the government. They are also calling for people to join the protest to protect Thailand's sovereignty.
Paetongtarn has been under fire for the past 10 days after a recording of her phone call with the president of the Senate of Cambodia, Hun Sen, was leaked and promptly went viral. During the call, Paetongtarn discussed the border dispute with Cambodia, admitted she is facing domestic pressure from the military, and accused the 2nd Army Region commander of being an opponent of the government. This put her in the hot seat as people accused her of being a traitor or too naïve to be a leader as the call was seen as an attempt to appease Hun Sen. As dissatisfaction over her handling of the border dispute has grown, so have the calls for her to either resign or dissolve the House to make way for a new election. Thailand and Cambodia have a long history of border disputes and disagreements, but tensions seem to be boiling over in recent days.
The Prime Minister is also facing a barrage of legal complaints seeking her removal. On Monday, June 23, it was reported that the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) will launch an investigation into the leaked call, after a group of senators filed a complaint alleging a breach of ethics. Another complaint was filed with the Constitutional Court, seeking her removal for a breach of ethics and for her to be suspended while the case is under investigation. The Court has scheduled a meeting on July 1, sooner than the original meeting dates of July 8 and 15.
Pichit Chaimongkol, leader of the Network of Students and People for the Reform of Thailand, delivered a speech at the protest, saying that Paetongtarn has failed as a Prime Minister. She failed to handle economic issues and exploited the justice system to allow Thaksin to stay at the Police Hospital instead of in prison. The leaked phone call was the “final straw” that drove the protesters to demand her resignation. If she stays in office, he said, the country will also fall.
Protesters gathered around the Victory Monument, waving national flags and holding signs calling for the Prime Minister's resignation, and some with nationalist sentiment. Photo from the Flickr page of Prachatai. CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
In Chiang Mai, members of royalist groups and residents gather at the Three Kings Monuments for a protest backing the demands made by the protesters in Bangkok for Paetongtarn to resign and for government coalition parties to withdraw. Waving national flags, protesters sang the Thai National Anthem and other nationalist songs, and they took turns giving speeches criticizing Paetongtarn's handling of the border disputes and the leaked phone call. Some also expressed support for the 2nd Army Region commander and soldiers stationed at the border. Many said they participated in the protests against former Prime Minister Yingluck's government and are now demanding the resignation of Paetongtarn, Yingluck's niece.
Theera Wisitpanit, former lecturer at Chiang Mai University's Faculty of Agriculture, delivered a speech as a representative of the Chiang Mai People Love the King Network. He criticized Paetongtarn's lack of experience, her handling of economic issues, and her belittling of Thai soldiers in her phone call with Hun Sen. He said that Thai people should rise up to demand a more capable Prime Minister.
The Constitutional Court unanimously accepted the petition filed by 36 senators against the PM on Tuesday, July 1, and then voted 7 to 2 to suspend PM Paetongtarn from her prime ministerial duties. The PM has 15 days to submit her explanation and evidence. During this time, Deputy Prime Minister Suriya Juangroongruangkit will be the Acting Prime Minister.
In her response to the Court's deliberation, Paetongtarn asserted that the phone call was made to serve the country and protect Thailand's sovereignty, expressing an apology to the Thai people who were displeased with her remarks during the call. She also affirmed that she remained determined to serve the country regardless of her position.
