Putin T-shirts, robots and the Taliban — but few Westerners at Russia’s Davos


B yAFP
June 18, 2025


Hundreds of Western companies sold-off, abandoned or gave away their Russian operations - Copyright AFP Olga MALTSEVA

Russia’s flagship economic forum kicked off Wednesday with stalls selling Vladimir Putin-themed merchandise and humanoid robots, but Westerners were few and far between — despite warming ties between Moscow and Washington under Donald Trump.

Once dubbed “Russia’s Davos”, the annual Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) is designed to attract foreign investment and is the biggest showcase of Russian technology and business.

Some 20,000 guests from 140 countries are set to take part in the forum over the next four days, both online and in person, according to the Kremlin.

But for the fourth year running high-profile European and American representatives have been absent amid Moscow’s offensive on Ukraine, a stark contrast to before the conflict, when some Western leaders would attend.

Among the states sending high-level government figures this year are the likes of China, Vietnam, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, the Central African Republic and Burkina Faso.

Taliban officials were also spotted at the expo, amid Russia’s push to normalise ties with the militant Islamist group.

Russian officials said some Western executives will attend.

“American business representatives, but I can’t say at what level,” Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters at a briefing Tuesday.

According to the official programme, not a particularly high one.

A panel on Thursday, titled simply “Russia-USA”, will feature the head of the American Chamber of Commerce in Russia, some private investors, the founder of a microphone manufacturer and head of a crypto project.

But in one high-profile win for Putin, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto skipped an invitation to the G7 in Canada, choosing instead to meet Putin and attend SPIEF.



– Humanoid robot –



Among the events on the first day of the forum were panels focused on artificial intelligence and investment in the Global South.

Russia has channelled its economic interests away from the West and towards emerging markets in Asia and Africa due to sanctions over the Ukraine conflict.

One stand handed out T-shirts featuring quotes from Vladimir Putin and other government officials.

One from Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov read: “Why the hell did I come here?”

Technology was also on display. A humanoid robot flaunting a Dior handbag was seen walking around the exhibits.

The forum comes amid intense speculation in Russia about the prospect of sanctions relief and the return of Western firms that left the country after Moscow launched its offensive on Ukraine in February 2022.

Hundreds of companies sold off, abandoned or gave away their Russian operations — ranging from McDonald’s and Nike to Ford and Goldman Sachs.

Putin has at times blasted them for departing, warned they will not be allowed to return and said Russia is better off without them.

He has also introduced punitive counter-sanctions, restricting the ability of firms from so-called “unfriendly” countries from accessing their profits and imposing huge exit fees and taxes on any wishing to leave.

Trump’s return to the White House and opening of diplomacy with Russia led to a frenzy of headlines in Russian media about whether he would ease US sanctions.

Russia’s top economic negotiator, Kirill Dmitriev, said Wednesday that the United States may “in the next couple of months” announce joint projects with Russia in the Arctic, without elaborating.

“The very important process of improving relations between American society and American companies towards Russia is currently underway,” he was quoted as saying by state media.

Once a fixture of Europe’s business calendar, SPIEF was where Western leaders, CEOs and major investors gathered to seal deals on entering and expanding their footprint in Russia.

Then-German Chancellor Angela Merkel attended in 2013, as did Mark Rutte, the Netherlands’ prime minister and now the Secretary General of NATO — the man marshalling the military alliance’s response to Putin’s Ukraine offensive.

Its prestige started to dip after 2014, when Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula from Ukraine and was hit with the first tranche of Western sanctions.

But even as recently as 2018, French President Emmanuel Macron and Japan’s then-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe sat on stage alongside Putin.

Nippon, US Steel say they have completed partnership deal


By AFP
June 18, 2025


A year and a half after announcing the original merger, Nippon and US Steel said they had closed their partnership deal, affecting legacy industrial sites such as those near Pittsburgh - Copyright GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP/File Drew Angerer

John BIERS

Nippon Steel and US Steel announced Wednesday they have completed a partnership deal in which the US government will essentially have veto power over significant decisions affecting US jobs.

The agreement modifies a transaction originally announced in December 2023 in which Nippon Steel of Japan had agreed to acquire US Steel for $14.9 billion.

But the outright acquisition of the iconic US company sparked bipartisan political opposition, including from President Donald Trump, whose administration worked with the companies on a revamped deal in which the US government will have a “golden share” of the company that gives it a say on Nippon’s plans for the assets.

Trump, who railed against the proposed deal throughout the 2024 presidential campaign, last month announced a pivot he described in a May 23 social media post as a “planned partnership” in which Nippon pledged to invest billions of dollars and retain its headquarters in Pittsburgh.

On Wednesday, US Steel filed a notice with US securities regulators to delist its shares on the New York Stock Exchange. The NYSE halted trading, pointing to a “merger effective” order.

“The Companies have now completed the transaction as contemplated by their merger agreement,” Nippon and US Steel said in a joint press release. “The Companies have also entered into a National Security Agreement with the US Government, and US Steel will issue a Golden Share to the US Government.”



– Post-election window of opportunity –



Under the December 2023 transaction, Nippon agreed to pay $55 per share for US Steel, an all-cash deal that included a 40 percent premium. While the transaction included a pledge to maintain the name US Steel and the company’s Pittsburgh headquarters, industry watchers expected an exodus of US Steel executives.

But after the deal sparked opposition from the United Steelworkers Union and a broad range of politicians, including then president Joe Biden and former Ohio senator JD Vance — now Trump’s vice president — Nippon stepped up its lobbying efforts in Washington and Pittsburgh to win support for the transaction.

In early January, shortly before leaving office, Biden blocked the transaction, saying that placing “one of America’s largest steel producers under foreign control and create risk for our national security and our critical supply chains.”

But backers of the deal had been hoping the shift in political climate following the presidential election might revive the deal’s prospect.

Besides agreeing to the Pittsburgh headquarters and to maintaining US production, the revamped deal’s National Security Agreement calls for a majority of the US Steel’s board to be US citizens and for key leaders, including the CEO, to be US citizens.

The US government’s “golden share” will allow it the right to appoint one independent director and grant it consent rights for proposed capital budget cuts, the redomiciling of activities outside the United States and on acquisitions in the United States.

“I am delighted that we have made this day a reality,” said Nippon Vice Chairman Takahiiro Mori, who will serve as Chairman of US Steel. “We share President Trump’s commitment to protect the future of the American steel industry, American workers, and American national security, and we look forward to building a stronger and brighter future for US Steel.”

Representatives of the US Steelworkers Union did not immediately reply to a request for comment. But USW expressed deep skepticism in a message to members on Sunday, saying the deal appeared to be “no more than smoke screen to allow a wholly owned privately held subsidiary of a Japanese corporation to be called ‘American.'”

Brazil says free of bird flu, will resume poultry exports


By AFP
June 18, 2025


This May 17, 2025 image shows the grounds of the commercial poultry farm in Brazil's Rio Grande do Sul state that saw an outbreak of "highly pathogenic avian influenza" (HPAI) - Copyright AFP/File SILVIO AVILA

Brazil said Wednesday it was free of bird flu, paving the way for it to resume chicken exports to China and 20 other countries after a month-long suspension.

The world’s top exporter of chicken meat was forced to halt exports to its main client China, the European Union and fellow Latin American countries over an outbreak of “highly pathogenic avian influenza” (HPAI) on a farm in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul.

A case was also later confirmed at Brasilia’s zoo, where a pigeon and a duck were found dead, but it did not lead to new restrictions on the poultry industry as it involved wild birds.

On Wednesday, the government said it had informed the World Organisation for Animal Health that the 28-day quarantine period without any new cases being detected had passed.

“The country is declaring itself free of highly pathogenic avian influenza,” the agriculture ministry said in a statement.

Agriculture Minister Carlos Favaro announced a “gradual resumption” of poultry exports.

Avian flu has spread globally in recent years, leading to mass culling of poultry, some human deaths, and rising egg prices.

Infections in humans can cause severe disease with a high mortality rate, according to the World Health Organization, but the virus does not appear to move easily from person to person.

Human cases detected so far were mostly in people who had close contact with infected birds and other animals, or contaminated environments.

POLITICAL PRISONER

‘Argentina with Cristina’: Thousands rally for convicted ex-president


By AFP
June 18, 2025


Argentina's former president Cristina Kirchner is serving a six-year sentence for fraud - Copyright AFP Tomas CUESTA
Leila MACOR

Tens of thousands of Argentines took to the streets Wednesday in support of former president Cristina Kirchner, who vowed to make a comeback as she serves a six-year fraud sentence under house arrest.

In a recorded speech played for supporters amassed on Buenos Aires’s Plaza de Mayo square, Kirchner said: “We will be back with more wisdom, more unity, more strength.”

Backers of the polarizing leftist massed on the square and spilled into surrounding streets for a demonstration called by the 72-year-old’s Justicialist Party.

Under the slogan “Argentina with Cristina,” protesters sang and beat drums, waving national flags and banners with messages such as “The motherland is not for sale.”

“We came because it’s an attack on democracy to outlaw someone like Cristina who the people want to vote for,” Rocio Gavino, a 29-year-old public employee, told AFP.

Kirchner supporters had been holding a vigil outside her home in Buenos Aires since the Supreme Court last week upheld her conviction and sentence for “fraudulent administration” while president, along with a lifelong ban on her holding public office.

On Tuesday, a court ruled she could serve her sentence at home under electronic surveillance.

She will be allowed limited visits, principally from family members, lawyers and doctors.

In 2022, Kirchner’s conviction sparked demonstrations in several cities, some of which ended in clashes with police.



– ‘Justice. End.’ –



Kirchner rose to prominence as one half of a political power couple with her late husband Nestor Kirchner, who preceded her as president.

Both are associated with the center-left Peronist movement founded by post-war president Juan Peron.

After two terms at the helm herself between 2007 and 2015, Kirchner served as vice president from 2019 to 2023 in the last center-left administration before the presidency of libertarian Javier Milei, whose austerity policies she has criticized.

Milei had welcomed the court’s dismissal of her appeal, writing on X: “Justice. End.”

Kirchner and her backers claim the case was a plot to end her career and unravel her legacy of protectionist economics and social programs.

“We are here because the national government, together with the judiciary, made the decision to ban Cristina from elections,” protester Federico Mochi, a Peronist youth leader, told AFP.

Lara Goyburu, a political scientist from the University of Buenos Aires, told AFP that Wednesday’s protest “demonstrates that the broader Peronist movement still retains some capacity for street mobilization” in a time of deep political polarization.



– ‘Harassment’ –



In preparation for the protests, police set up checkpoints on major roads to the capital, searching cars and buses — much to the annoyance of citizens.

Under a special protocol adopted Tuesday, they also erected barriers at the main train station and performed identity checks on anyone carrying pro-Kirchner placards or other political paraphernalia.

The protocol allows police to detain any citizen without an ID document for up to 10 hours without a court order.

“It’s harassment that makes no sense,” Daniel Catalano, a leader of the state workers’ union, told Radio El Destape.

Correpi, an NGO fighting police repression, said the measures amounted to the “destruction of the country’s democratic freedoms.”

Presidential spokesperson Manuel Adorni defended the operation.

“When you detect there might be some additional danger to society, you try to neutralize it. And that doesn’t go against the Constitution or the rule of law,” he told reporters.

US approves Gilead’s twice-yearly injection to prevent HIV


By AFP

June 18, 2025


The Gilead logo is displayed on a sign at Gilead headquarters on March 20, 2025 in Foster City, California - Copyright GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP/File JUSTIN SULLIVAN

The US Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday approved Gilead Sciences’ twice-yearly injection to prevent HIV, a move the company hailed as a major breakthrough in the fight against the sexually transmitted virus.

Drugs to prevent HIV transmission, known as pre-exposure prophylaxis or PrEP, have existed for more than a decade. But because they typically require taking a daily pill, they have struggled to make a significant dent in global infections.

“This is a historic day in the decades-long fight against HIV,” said Daniel O’Day, Gilead’s chairman and chief executive officer, in a statement.

Lenacapavir, marketed under the brand name Yeztugo, has been shown in clinical trials to reduce the risk of HIV transmission by more than 99.9 percent in adults and adolescents — making it functionally akin to a powerful vaccine.

But optimism may be tempered by the drug’s expected eye-watering price tag.

While the company has not disclosed specifics, analysts estimate the US launch price could be as high as $25,000 per year.

Activists are calling for the price to be slashed to $25 per person annually to help end the HIV pandemic.

The approval also comes as President Donald Trump’s administration has slashed funding for HIV treatment and prevention programs both overseas and within the United States.

Waymo looks to test its self-driving cars in New York


By AFP

June 18, 2025


Human drivers will remain at the wheel in Waymo self-driving cars once the path is cleared for a test phase of operations in New York City - Copyright GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP Eric Thayer

Google-owned Waymo on Wednesday said it has applied for a permit to start testing its self-driving cars in New York City, a first for the Big Apple.

Waymo’s autonomous vehicles have become part of the everyday landscape in a growing number of US cities, serving as safe transport options, tourist attractions, and symbols of a not-so-distant future.

Waymo plans to begin operating a small fleet of autonomous vehicles in Manhattan next month, with human drivers at the wheel until regulators allow otherwise, a spokesperson told AFP.

Waymo operations in New York, once properly permitted, will be in a test phase, according to the company.

Waymo first ventured into New York in late 2021, but did not let its cars operate autonomously then either.

New York State law limits the use of autonomous cars to testing and does not allow Waymo to offer the kind of robotaxi services it provides in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix and Austin, a Waymo spokesperson said.

New York officials said they are making safety a priority “which is why we have put in place safeguards and conditions for any type of autonomous vehicle to ensure that this technology is deployed appropriately.”

Founded in 2009, Waymo now has a fleet of 1,500 vehicles and provides more than 250,000 paid rides a week in the United States.

Waymo plans to launch its robotaxi service in Atlanta this summer, followed by Miami and Washington in 2026.

The collapse of Waymo’s main competitor, Cruise — due to high costs and following poor crisis management in response to a San Francisco accident — has propelled Waymo to market leadership.

Amazon subsidiary Zoox has a few dozen prototype vehicles on the road, and is not planning its first commercial launch until later this year in Las Vegas.

As for Tesla, it has promised to debut its robotaxi service on Sunday in Austin, Texas, after several postponements.

Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi marks 80th in junta jail

By AFP
June 18, 2025


A protester holds a poster of Aung San Suu Kyi during a candlelight vigil to honour those who have died during demonstrations against the military coup in Yangon on March 13, 2021 - Copyright AFP STR

Myanmar’s deposed democratic leader Aung San Suu Kyi marked her 80th birthday in junta detention on Thursday, serving a raft of sentences set to last the rest of her life.

Suu Kyi was the figurehead of Myanmar’s decade-long democratic thaw, becoming de facto leader as it opened up from military rule.

But as the generals snatched back power in a 2021 coup, she was locked up on charges ranging from corruption to breaching Covid-19 pandemic restrictions and is serving a 27-year sentence.

“It will be hard to be celebrating at the moment,” said her 47-year-old son Kim Aris from the UK.

“We’ve learned to endure when it’s been going on so long.”

He is running 80 kilometres (50 miles) over the eight days leading up to her birthday, and has collected over 80,000 well-wishing video messages for his mother.

But Suu Kyi will not see them, sequestered in Myanmar’s sprawling capital Naypyidaw from where the military directs a civil war against guerilla fighters.

Aris said he has heard from his mother only once via letter two years ago since she was imprisoned.

“We have no idea what condition she’s in,” he said.

While she remains hugely popular in the majority Buddhist country, her status as a democracy icon abroad collapsed before the military takeover after she defended the generals in their crackdown against the Rohingya Muslim minority.

Hundreds of thousands were sent fleeing to neighbouring Bangladesh under her rule, though some argued she was powerless against the lingering influence of Myanmar’s military.

Nonetheless institutions and figures that once showered Suu Kyi with awards rapidly distanced themselves, and her second round of imprisonment has received far less international attention.



– Locked away birthday –



Suu Kyi, the daughter of Myanmar independence hero Aung San, became a champion of democracy almost by accident.

After spending much of her youth abroad, she returned in 1988 to nurse her sick mother but began leading anti-military protests crushed by a crackdown.

She was locked up for 15 years, most of it in her family’s Yangon lakeside mansion where she still drew crowds for speeches over the boundary wall.

The military offered freedom if she went into exile but her poised refusal thrust her into the spotlight and won her the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize.

This time, she disappeared from the public eye on the eve of the coup.

Aris said he fears she is suffering from untreated medical problems with her heart, bones and gums.

Myanmar’s junta offers only intermittent updates on her status and the conditions of her incarceration.

“She is in good health,” junta spokesman Zaw Min Tun told reporters in March, adding that she was provided with routine medical check-ups but was not unwell.

Suu Kyi was freed from her first confinement in 2010 and led her National League for Democracy party to electoral victory in 2015, never formally in charge as army-drafted rules kept her from the presidency.

The military has promised new elections at the end of this year, but they are set to be boycotted by many groups comprised of former followers of Suu Kyi’s non-violent vision who have now taken up arms.

If the octogenarian were released, Aris predicts she would likely step back from a “frontline position” in Myanmar politics.

Czechs sign record nuclear deal but questions remain


By AFP
June 19, 2025


A contract between Prague and South Korea's KHNP to build two nuclear units is shrouded by uncertainty following a complaint by France's EDF - Copyright AFP JACK GUEZ

Jan FLEMR

The Czech Republic signed a contract earlier this month with South Korea’s KHNP to build two nuclear reactors, but experts question its future over complaints raised by KHNP’s French rival EDF.

The deal is crucial for the EU member country of 10.9 million people, relying on nuclear power produced by the southern Dukovany and Temelin plants for 40 percent of its electricity consumption.

KHNP beat EDF in a tender last year to supply the two units for Dukovany, and Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala insisted its bid was “better in all criteria assessed”.

Prague expects construction to begin in 2029 and the first new reactor launched in trial operation in 2036.

But the biggest contract signed by a Czech state company since the country became independent in 1993 is currently under the scrutiny of both a Czech court and the European Commission.

EDF delayed the deal by months as it questioned the transparency of the tender in a complaint at the Czech antitrust office and later in court.

The deal was signed in great haste and online, just hours after a court rejected the EDF complaint and returned it to a lower-instance court which is due to pass its verdict on June 25.

But EDF has also contested alleged state support for KHNP, illegal in the EU, in a complaint to the European Commission.

“Chances that KHNP will not build the units in the end are still considerable, despite the signature,” Petr Barton, a data economist at the Datarun analytical platform, told AFP.

“The European Commission is investigating the Korean bid. The Czech government knows about it… and yet it has signed,” Barton said, labelling the Czech side’s decision to sign as “most daring”.

EDF declined to comment on its chances to thwart the deal.



– ‘Several potential risks’ –



The crucial argument for Prague was the low price offered by KHNP — some 200 billion Czech koruna ($9 billion) per unit, but Barton said the EU is worried it was reduced by a Korean state subsidy.

“A Czech consumer would be happy to have electricity subsidised by a foreign country, but the European Union forbids this,” Barton said.

“So we are in for lengthy proceedings, shame over the signature which took place after the EU’s warning, and in the end the deal may not materialise at all,” he added.

A day after the signature, Czech Industry and Trade Minister Lukas Vlcek told Czech Radio there were “several potential risks” to the deal.

“Let’s not be naive. We have to overcome the obstacles systematically, patiently, step by step,” said Vlcek, adding he was in “close contact” with the European Commission.

He added however that the EDF complaints cannot affect the contract between Prague and KHNP, which “is simply valid”.



– ‘A complex legal problem’ –



But Jiri Gavor, who leads the Association of Independent Energy Suppliers, voiced doubts.

“From the Czech point of view, it is a done deal. But unfortunately for the Czech side or the construction itself, I don’t think it will resolve all problems,” Gavor told AFP.

He said the EU probe posed a much bigger threat than the Czech court dealings which will hardly overthrow the signature.

“There are legal doubts… what will happen if the European authorities decide EDF is right, and on the other hand you have a signed contract?” he added.

“I don’t dare estimate the legal impact on the project. I think it will constitute a rather complex legal problem. And certainly a most unpleasant one,” said Gavor.

Barton said Prague will also have to ask the EU for a go-ahead on a Czech government subsidy for the construction in a so-called notification.

The EU has already approved this, but the government then changed the financing model and has had to ask for the permit again.

“And it’s not certain if they will get it, especially as the Korean bid is under scrutiny. And you can’t pay for the construction without a notification and you can’t expect the Koreans to build it for free,” Barton said.

Mutilation ban and microchips: EU lawmakers vote on cat and dog welfare

Painful mutilations, like cutting tails or ears, will also be banned in most cases and so will electric, choke and spiked collars.

By AFP
June 19, 2025


The EU wants a set of common rules for dogs and cats across the bloc - Copyright AFP JACK GUEZ

Adrien VICENTE

Compulsory microchipping, as well as bans on ear-cropping and tail-docking, are among a set of new rules to protect cats and dogs that European lawmakers are due to vote on Thursday.

The European Union is home to more than 72 million dogs and 83 million cats, according to the European Commission, which so far has only regulated health requirements for them related to travel within the bloc.

But an uptick in trafficking pushed the EU to propose a set of common rules for breeding, housing and handling the animals, whose sales generate an estimated 1.3 billion euros ($1.5 billion) annually.

The European Parliament in Strasbourg is to vote on a text put forward by the commission in 2023, which introduces minimum welfare criteria for dogs and cats in kennels, shelters and pet shops.

The bill says all dogs and cats should be identified with a subcutaneous microchip when they are sold — a system already in use in some member states — and registered in an EU database.

That would boost traceability and tackle illegal traffic, predominantly of dogs, with animal protection groups singling out eastern EU countries like Romania and Bulgaria.

– Hunting exception –

Painful mutilations, like cutting tails or ears, will also be banned in most cases and so will electric, choke and spiked collars.

The law also seeks to prohibit inbreeding and the breeding of animals with accentuated traits, such as overly short legs, that could affect their welfare.

The measures enjoy broad consensus among political groups but the extent of their application has been the cause of contention, for those keeping a small number of animals will be exempt.

“For the time being, 80 percent of breeders would not be covered,” lamented Green lawmaker Tilly Metz.

Other exemptions have upset animal rights activists.

Strays will not be covered by the microchipping requirement, for example, and the ban on mutilations is less stringent for hunting dogs.

Similarly, coercive collars will still be allowed to train police, military and border patrol dogs.

“This text lays some interesting foundations, but it does not go to the heart of the matter,” said Christophe Marie of French animal protection group Fondation 30 Millions d’Amis.

If adopted by lawmakers, the legislation will need to be approved by EU member states before coming into force.

Thailand’s ‘Yellow Shirts’ return to streets demand PM quit


By AFP
June 19, 2025


Anti-government protesters demand Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra resign over a leaked phone call - Copyright AFP Lillian SUWANRUMPHA
Montira RUNGJIRAJITTRANON

Hundreds of anti-government protesters gathered outside Thailand’s Government House on Thursday, demanding Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra resign over a leaked phone call with former Cambodian leader Hun Sen that triggered public outrage.

The scandal rocked Paetongtarn’s coalition after the Bhumjaithai party, a key partner, pulled out on Wednesday, accusing her of undermining the country and insulting the dignity of the military.

The leaked call, in which Paetongtarn referred to the Thai army’s northeastern commander as her opponent and addressed Hun Sen as “uncle” has drawn strong public backlash.

The protest, held in scorching tropical heat, drew mostly elderly demonstrators wearing yellow shirts — the colour strongly associated with Thailand’s monarchy — who accused the 38-year-old leader of “lacking diplomatic skills” and “endangering national interests”.

“I was very disappointed when I heard the (leaked) audio,” Kanya Hanotee, 68, a temple worker told AFP.

“She lacks negotiation skills. Who does she think she is? This country is not hers.”

Protesters waved Thai flags and placards labelling Paetongtarn a “traitor”, and chanted “Get out!” and “Go to hell!” while dozens of riot police stood nearby.

Many in the crowd were longtime supporters of the conservative, pro-royalist “Yellow Shirt” movement, which has fiercely opposed the Shinawatra political dynasty since the 2000s.

Kaewta, 62, a housewife from Bangkok said she joined Yellow Shirt protests near Bangkok’s Democracy Monument two decades ago.

“I didn’t support any political party. All I knew was that I hated Thaksin and his family,” she told AFP.

“Our politicians are all corrupt.”

– 20-year battle –

The battle between the conservative pro-royal establishment and Thaksin’s political movement backed by its own “Red Shirt” supporters has dominated Thai politics for more than 20 years.

Yellow Shirts, backed by Royalists and business elites, led 2008 protests that shut Bangkok’s airports, stranded tourists, and helped topple a Thaksin-linked government.

In 2010, pro-Thaksin “Red Shirt” protesters rallied in Bangkok in opposition to the military-backed government, ending in a bloody crackdown that left more than 90 people dead.

“The power has been passed from her father to her aunt, and now to her,” said Mek Sumet, 59, an electrical equipment seller who took part in the 2008 Don Mueang airport occupation.

“She doesn’t think of the country but only of herself,” he told AFP.

The kingdom has had a dozen coups since the end of absolute monarchy in 1932, and the current crisis has inevitably triggered rumours that another may be in the offing.

Despite Thailand’s long history of coups, some protestors openly welcomed the idea of another military intervention.

“I want the military to take control,” Kanya told AFP.

“We are thinking long-term. It will be positive for the country.”

Thai PM faces growing calls to quit in Cambodia phone row


By AFP
June 18, 2025


Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra is facing calls to resign after a leaked phone call with former Cambodian leader Hun Sen - Copyright AFP STR
Thanaporn PROMYAMYAI

Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra faced mounting calls to resign on Thursday after a leaked phone call she had with former Cambodian leader Hun Sen provoked widespread anger and a key coalition partner to quit.

The coalition government led by Shinawatra’s Pheu Thai party is on the brink of collapse, throwing the kingdom into a fresh round of political instability as it seeks to boost its spluttering economy and avoid US President Donald Trump’s swingeing trade tariffs.

The conservative Bhumjaithai party, Pheu Thai’s biggest partner, pulled out on Wednesday saying Paetongtarn’s conduct in the leaked call had wounded the country and the army’s dignity.

Losing Bhumjaithai’s 69 MPs leaves Paetongtarn with barely enough votes to scrape a majority in parliament, and a snap election looks a clear possibility — barely two years after the last one in May 2023.

Two coalition parties, the United Thai Nation and Democrat Party, will hold urgent meetings to discuss the situation later on Thursday.

Losing either would likely mean the end of Paetongtarn’s government and either an election or a bid by other parties to stitch together a new coalition.



– Resignation calls –



The Palang Pracharath party, which led the government up to 2023 and is headed by General Prawit Wongsuwan — who supported a coup against Paetongtarn’s aunt Yingluck — called for the premier to resign.

The party’s statement said the leaked recording showed Paetongtarn was weak and inexperienced, and incapable of managing the country’s security.

“This already has proved that Thailand has a leader who will lead the country to a bad situation and weakness,” the statement said.

Another opposition party, Thai Sang Thai, also called for Paethongtarn to step down, saying her conversation with Hun Sen had damaged the kingdom’s sovereignty and the army.

In the leaked phone call, Paetongtarn is heard discussing an ongoing border dispute with Hun Sen — who stepped down as Cambodian prime minister in 2023 after four decades but still wields considerable influence.

She addresses the veteran leader as “uncle” and refers to the Thai army commander in the country’s northeast as her opponent, a remark that sparked fierce criticism on social media, particularly on Pheu Thai page and Royal Thai Army page.

Thailand’s armed forces have a long played a powerful role in the kingdom’s politics, and politicians are usually careful not to antagonise them.

The kingdom has had a dozen coups since the end of absolute monarchy in 1932, and the current crisis has inevitably triggered rumours that another may be in the offing.

If she is ousted she would be the third member of her family, after her aunt Yingluck and father Thaksin Shinawatra, to be kicked out of office by the army.



– Awkward coalition –



Paetongtarn, 38, came to power in August 2024 at the head of an uneasy coalition between Pheu Thai and a group of conservative, pro-military parties whose members have spent much of the last 20 years battling against her father.

Growing tensions within the coalition erupted into open warfare in the past week as Pheu Thai tried to take the interior minister job away from Bhumjaithai leader Anutin Charnvirakul.

The loss of Bhumjaithai leaves Pheu Thai’s coalition with just a handful more votes than the 248 needed for a majority.

The battle between the conservative pro-royal establishment and Thaksin’s political movement has dominated Thai politics for more than 20 years.

Former Manchester City owner Thaksin, 75, still enjoys huge support from the rural base whose lives he transformed with populist policies in the early 2000s.

But he is despised by Thailand’s powerful elites, who saw his rule as corrupt, authoritarian and socially destabilising.

Thaksin returned to Thailand in 2023 as Pheu Thai took power after 15 years in self-exile overseas.

The current Pheu Thai-led government has already lost one prime minister, former businessman Srettha Thavisin, who was kicked out by a court order last year, bringing Paetongtarn to office.