Spanish
Bangkok, June 28 (EFE).- Hundreds of Thais called on the streets of Bangkok this Saturday for the resignation of Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, who is facing a political earthquake due to the loss of support after the leak of a conversation with the president of the Cambodian Senate, Hun Sen, in which she criticizes a military chief.
Displaying flags and banners, hundreds of protesters gathered around the Victory Monument in the Thai capital, where student representatives and political leaders gave speeches criticizing the ruler, as well as the influence that -they claim- her father, former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, exerts over her.
The demonstration, which disrupted part of two public roads in Bangkok, lasted for several hours and included a religious ceremony, musical performances, the display of long flags, and the reiteration of slogans against the leader and in defense of the military, especially those who guard the border with Cambodia. This activity was convened after it became known that Shinawatra, in a telephone conversation with Hun Sen to address the historic border conflict with Cambodia, labeled a commander of the powerful Thai Army stationed on the border as an "opponent", which triggered a political crisis. The conservative Bhumjaithai party, with significant influence among senators, abruptly left the governing coalition and announced that it plans to present a no-confidence motion next Thursday, which, for the moment, would not have the support of the rest of the opposition. Instead, the Constitutional Court, whose decisions have removed four government leaders in recent decades - the last being Paetongtarn's predecessor in August 2024 - is scheduled to begin analyzing on Tuesday a petition from the Senate, which could lead to the temporary suspension or dismissal of the 38-year-old leader, if found guilty. Asked by journalists before traveling to Chiang Rai to address the damage caused by the rains in this region, the Prime Minister said today that she is open to peaceful debate and that citizens have the right to demonstrate. The public chain Thai PBS assured that other protests were replicated in parallel to the Bangkok demonstration in 10 other provinces of the country, where dozens of people made the same request for resignation and claims for economic performance, in view of the downward adjustments made by the Executive in the GDP growth for this year. While local media say the ruling party is preparing a cabinet reshuffle and will continue its activities, some of the opponents who took to the stage today in Bangkok remarked that the protest is "only the beginning" of a fight against Shinawatra's dolphin and that they will announce new steps in the coming days.
