The People’s Party today (19 June) called on Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra to dissolve the House following the leak of an audio clip conversation between Paetongtarn and Hun Sen, the former Cambodian Prime Minister and current President of the Cambodian Senate, and Bhumjaithai Party’s subsequent announcement that it will withdraw from the coalition government.

Party leader Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut said in a press conference that yesterday’s events (18 June) were “the last straws” and that Paetongtarn has completely ruined the public’s trust in her ability to govern the country.

Noting that the People’s Party previously warned that Pheu Thai Party’s decision to form a coalition government would cause problems, he said that over the past two years the government had failed to deliver on its policies, from proposed constitutional amendments and military reform, to addressing economic issues. These shortcomings, he said, have now extended to international relations, trade disputes and border issues.

Natthaphong and other People’s Party MPs insisted that the current crisis must be resolved through democratic means. He said that they will not be joining the government coalition, and that the best solution is to dissolve the House of Representatives to allow the people to choose new representative and leader.

As for calls for Paetongtarn’s resignation, Natthaphong said it is unclear whether the Prime Minister’s resignation would be a better alternative for the country, given the current political situation, the number of MPs each party has, and the list of prime ministerial candidates submitted to the election commission during the 2023 election.

He asked that all citizens firmly opposed any deviation from the democratic principles, such as a military coup. While recognising that public trust in the Prime Minister had significantly eroded, he called on people to adhere to democratic principles and to ask themselves what they really want. He believes that everyone wants a government capable of solving country’s problem, and the only way of obtaining one is through legitimate democratic processes. A coup, he stressed, is not the answer.

He also called upon the remaining government coalition parties to withdraw from the coalition, pointing out that continuing to rely on undemocratic power or changing the Prime Ministerial candidate was not the way to restore public trust.