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Thai prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has publicly apologised after a leaked call with former Cambodian leader Hun Sen sparked a political crisis that threatened to collapse her government.
Ms Paetongtarn has been under mounting pressure to resign since her 17-minute private call with Mr Hun Sen was leaked earlier this week.
In the call, she appeared to blame Thailand’s military for escalating border tensions with Cambodia and used a conciliatory tone, including referring to Mr Hun Sen as “uncle”.
The call came after a border dispute escalated into an armed clash on 28 May in a small piece of “no man’s land” claimed by both countries. The clash resulted in the death of a Cambodian soldier.
The call, leaked after the former Cambodian leader reportedly distributed it to some 80 politicians, outraged nationalists in Thailand and led to the Bhumjaithai party, Ms Paetongtarn’s largest coalition partner, quitting the government and bringing it near collapse.
“I would like to apologise for the leaked audio of my conversation with a Cambodian leader which has caused public resentment,” Ms Paetongtarn said on Thursday.
Mr Hun Sen, on his part, had taken to Facebook on Wednesday to share the entire phone conversation “to avoid any misunderstanding or misrepresentation in official matters”.
Ms Paetongtarn explained that the call to Mr Hun Sen was made from her personal phone and she had no knowledge it was being recorded or would be made public. She said her government remained fully committed to supporting the Thai military.
Ms Paetongtarn defended her “sympathetic remarks and softer tone” during the call as part of a negotiation strategy to ease border tensions. “It was just a negotiation technique. I was conducting myself with the purpose of maintaining peace and our sovereignty,” she said.
“It’s clear now that his true desire is to win popularity in his country without caring about the impact on bilateral relations,” she added, referring to the former Cambodian leader.
Ms Paetongtarn said that she would no longer engage in a private talk with Mr Hun Sen as she couldn’t trust him. “It’s now clear that all he cares about is his popularity in the country, without considering impacts on relations with other countries,” she said.
