A 'dangerous' July for the Shinawatras

The Hun Sen effect - caused by a controversial private telephone call recording between Cambodia's de facto leader and Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra - has thrown Thai politics into disarray. Ms Paetongtarn is in treacherous waters as calls for her resignation grow. Her opponents are to gather today in a bid to throw her out of office.

- Chairith Yonpiam

The telephone conversation, believed to have been leaked by the Cambodian former prime minister Hun Sen, cast Ms Paetongtarn in a very bad light. Questions about her leadership, or lack thereof, are getting louder and louder, while public trust in her is rapidly eroding.

Due to her limited experience, she was not an ideal leader from the start. Although the 38-year-old prime minister is trying to fight back by switching into tough mode, public confidence in her continues to dip.

To flex her political muscles, PM Paetongtarn has instructed authorities to target call centre scams at the border town of Poipet that have for a long time harmed innocent people. The decision reportedly hit Cambodian leaders hard as it's believed that those behind the scam operation are supporters of the Hun family.

The fact is, Ms Paetongtarn could have declared a war against scammers along the Thai border long ago, but chose not to. Critics say she let family ties between her family and Hun Sen's affect the decision.

With the telephone recording controversy, it's clear that her leadership is in crisis. Pheu Thai's popularity had already nosedived after it dumped the then Move Forward Party (MFP) and chose to instead form a coalition with parties under the ex-junta's control.