Thai diplomacy is now in need of a reset

For the record, Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has committed the most damaging diplomatic blunder in Thailand’s modern history. The leaked 17.6-minute audio clip of a phone call between her and former Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen was not just embarrassing — it was devastating, not only for her but for the Thai people and the country.

- Kavi Chongkittavorn

The embattled prime minister has admitted she used her private phone call to hold a discussion with Hun Sen, whom she amicably called “Uncle”.

In the clip, she also berated Second Region Army Commander Lt Gen Boonsin Padklang — who is busy defending the Thai-Cambodian border amid tensions between the two nations — by calling him “the opposition’, and she offered Hun Sen “whatever he wanted”. For a sitting prime minister, even a newly minted one, this was like a likay or folk opera, as the Thais would describe it.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) now finds itself scrambling to salvage what is left of the country’s diplomatic standing. A government statement was hastily released, expressing “deep disappointment” over Hun Sen’s breach of diplomatic norms.

The Cambodian ambassador, Hun Saroeun, was summoned to acknowledge a formal protest from the Thai government. On the same day, Thai ambassador to Cambodia, Tull Traisorat, returned to Bangkok for consultations. These are standard crisis-control procedures, but the damage has been done.

According to some accounts, Ms Paetongtarn was not briefed or prepared for such a direct conversation, which reveals her character and her true depth. The audio clip shows the real side of Ms Paetongtarn.

Those familiar with her diplomatic style — or lack thereof — know she rarely strays from prepared scripts. At Asean summits, for instance, she typically reads from an iPad.

She avoids off-the-cuff questions, and her focus has thus far been limited to economic cooperation, trade promotion and soft-power hullabaloo. She has never waded into complex politics or thorny regional disputes.