Paetongtarn downplays leaked call with Hun Sen over border tensions

Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra today sought to play down a recorded conversation with Cambodia’s strongman Hun Sen, in which she described the 2nd Army Region commander as being aligned with the opposition and capable of saying anything to make himself look cool.

In the recording, Paetongtarn was heard telling Hun Sen that she was willing to do whatever he asked, including reversing the closure of the Thai-Cambodian border checkpoint, to help return the border situation between the two countries to normal.

She also urged Hun Sen not to listen to the opposition, saying it might make him unhappy or angry — which was not Thailand’s intention.

"As for the opposition to the Thai government, such as the 2nd Army Region commander (Lt Gen Boonsin Padklang), he could say anything that doesn’t benefit the country — anything just to make himself look cool," she was heard saying.

Read : Profile : Lt Gen Boonsin Padklang: Thai enforcer in new border struggle with Cambodia

In her press briefing urgently arranged after the recording went viral, Paetongtarn said the opposition she meant was the Cambodians who disagreed with the Thai government.

“What we want now is peace — the peace that existed before the May 28 clash between our troops,” she said through an interpreter.

Referring to herself in familial terms, she said: “Please have sympathy for this niece, as almost all Thai people now want me to be Prime Minister of Cambodia.”

“In fact, just tell me what you want, and I’ll do it for you. I agree with you that the shared border should return to normal as before,” she added.

Paetongtarn was also heard attempting to clarify that it was not true that Thailand would cut off electricity or internet services to Cambodia.

“It was merely a step we said might come at the end — it’s not something we’re doing now,” she said.

She asked that both governments should announce the reopening of the border together.

Hun Sen responded, through an interpreter, that if the Thai government revoked its border closure order, Cambodia would follow suit.

He also complained that Cambodia had done everything the Thai military asked, including repositioning its troops, but the Thai military had not honored its commitments.

“The Cambodian side agreed to all the requests, but once they were fulfilled, the Thai military closed the border — which is unacceptable,” Hun Sen said.

When the recording was leaked to the public, many initially believed it was fake, but Hun Sen later confirmed its authenticity.

In a statement in both Khmer and English, Hun Sen said that on the evening of June 15, he had a 17-minute, 6-second phone conversation with the Thai Prime Minister. Khleang Huot served as the interpreter.

Hun Sen said the conversation was recorded for the sake of transparency and internal purposes, to avoid any misunderstanding or misrepresentation in official matters.

“I have since shared the audio recording of the conversation with approximately 80 individuals, including members of the party’s standing committee, Senate working groups, National Assembly teams, the foreign affairs task force, education and outreach units, border affairs groups, and members of the armed forces,” he said.

“Among these individuals, it’s possible that someone disapproved of the Thai Prime Minister.”

“A few hours after our conversation, the Thai leader publicly accused the Cambodian leadership of conducting ‘unprofessional’ politics and engaging in political activity via Facebook — an action that contradicts their own words.”

Hun Sen said he was prepared to release the entire 17-minute, 6-second audio recording.