Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has declared that his once-close relationship with Cambodia’s strongman Hun Sen is over, expressing shock over what Hun Sen did to his daughter, current Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra.
“I used to be close to him—like brothers. But after what he did to my daughter, I was shocked. How could this even happen? As for the relationship... let it end. I don't care anymore,” Thaksin said.
The falling-out between the Shinawatra family and Hun Sen occurred after Hun Sen released a recorded conversation between himself and Paetongtarn, in which the two discussed the rising border tensions between the countries.
In the recording, Paetongtarn was heard referring to Hun Sen as “uncle” and expressing her willingness to do whatever he asked. She also referred to a Thai military commander overseeing the Thai-Cambodian border as “an opponent who will say anything to make himself look good.”
Paetongtarn was widely criticised for appearing to kowtow to Hun Sen in a manner deemed unbecoming of a prime minister discussing a matter of national interest.
She was later suspended from the premiership by order of the Constitutional Court for allegedly committing ethical misconduct, pending investigation into the matter.
Thaksin told the audience at a seminar hosted by Nation Group that his daughter had been lured into speaking with Hun Sen alone and was unaware that the conversation was being recorded.
Thaksin explained that, following the border tension, it was Hun Sen who had requested a talk.
Paetongtarn therefore went to a Bangkok hotel, accompanied by Deputy PM Phumtham Wechayachai, Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa, and PM’s adviser Prommin Lertsuridej, where they waited for a phone call from Hun Sen.
“They waited there for three hours while Huot, a translator, claimed that Hun Sen had fallen asleep,” Thaksin said.
“So I told my daughter by phone to go home—no need to wait. They eventually left. But then Hun Sen called my daughter’s personal number. He wasn’t asleep—maybe he was planning to record her.”
“The PM (Paetongtarn) was trying to compromise because of the personal ties. But I was wrong to trust someone like Hun Sen,” Thaksin said.
This is the first time, following the escalation of the Thai-Cambodian border tension and the court order, that Thaksin has publicly reacted to both matters.
He continued that his relationship with Hun Sen ended after the leaked recording, adding that he had tried to understand what went wrong and speculated that he may have unknowingly offended Hun Sen.
Referring to the border conflicts, Thaksin recalled his anger upon learning that 12,000 troops had been mobilised to the Thai-Cambodian border.
He said he called Huot and told him, “You tell your boss—our children are prime ministers of both countries. Are we going to war now?”
He added that he refrained from calling Hun Sen directly because he feared losing his temper.
When asked if he had spoken with Hun Sen after Paetongtarn’s suspension, Thaksin said he had only sent one message: “What you did damaged both you and me.”
He added that Hun Sen did not respond and admitted he never thought the situation would escalate to this level.
“He didn’t destroy us—he destroyed himself. He has no credibility left. No one talks to him now,” Thaksin said.
Thaksin insisted the current border conflicts between Thailand and Cambodia will not escalate into a full-blown conflict. “Thailand and Cambodia are not at war. It’s a border conflict, and we can still talk,” he said.
Accompanying Thaksin to the function included Paetongtarn and her husband.
