Thai protesters urge suspended Premier Paetongtarn to step down

ISTANBUL

Protesters gathered at the Victory Monument in Bangkok on Saturday, demanding the immediate resignation of suspended Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra.

The demonstration, which drew about 1,000 participants according to the Bangkok Post, was triggered by recent tensions along the Thai-Cambodian border and the recent leak of a phone call between Paetongtarn and former Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen in June.

The Constitutional Court is expected to deliver a verdict in the coming weeks on a petition seeking Paetongtarn’s removal from office on ethical grounds. The court had suspended her over the conversation.

Paetongtarn had called the former Cambodian leader "uncle" and criticized a Thai military commander. It sparked public anger and the petition for her dismissal.

Protesters demanded of Paetongtarn to step down without waiting for the court's decision, and called on coalition parties to withdraw from the Pheu Thai Party-led government.

Pichit Chaimongkol, a protest leader, accused Paetongtarn of compromising national security.

Many who joined Saturday's protest had also participated in a larger rally on June 28, where multiple groups united in calling for Paetongtarn's removal.

Ties between Thailand and Cambodia have deteriorated in recent weeks, with tensions escalating into five days of cross-border airstrikes and rocket fire that killed and injured dozens before ending with a ceasefire on July 28.