Bangkok [Thailand], June 30: Thousands of protesters have gathered in the Thai capital Bangkok, calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra after a phone call she had with the former Cambodian leader Hun Sen was leaked.
In the call, which was about a recent incident on their border, she addressed Hun Sen as "uncle" and said a Thai military commander handling the dispute "just wanted to look cool and said things that are not useful".
The call has sparked public anger. Paetongtarn apologised, but defended the call as a "negotiation technique".
Before leaving to visit flood-hit northern Thailand, Paetongtarn told reporters it is the people's "right to protest, as long as it's peaceful".
Saturday's rally was the largest of its kind since the ruling Pheu Thai party came to power in 2023.
Thousands braved the monsoon rain and blocked the roads at the Victory Monument war memorial in Bangkok, waving Thai flags and holding placards with slogans such as "PM is enemy of state".
Protest leader Parnthep Pourpongpan said the prime minister "should step aside because she is the problem".
Seri Sawangmue, 70, travelled overnight by bus from the country's north to join the protest.
He told AFP news agency that he was there "to protect Thailand's sovereignty and to say the PM is unfit".
"I've lived through many political crises and I know where this is going," he added.
Paetongtarn has said she will no longer hold future calls with the former Cambodian leader, but Parnthep told Reuters that many Thai people felt she and her influential father were being manipulated by Hun Sen.
Source: Fijian Broadcasting Corporation
