Tue 27 October 2020:
Thousands of protesters marched on the German embassy in Bangkok on Monday to ask for an investigation of the Thai king’s activities during lengthy stays in Germany as months of protests give rise to growing calls for reforms of the monarchy.
Berlin has said it would be unacceptable for King Maha Vajiralongkorn to conduct politics in Germany and Foreign Minister Heiko Mass said the European country continued to look into his behaviour during long sojourns in Bavaria.
Criticising the monarchy can mean a 15-year jail sentence in Thailand, but the protests have swept away the longstanding taboo on discussing it.
Protesters accuse the monarchy of helping to enable decades of domination by military rulers. They also complain about spending on the king’s European visits at a time the coronavirus has hit the tourism-reliant economy hard.
“We are monitoring this long-term,” Maas said. “It will have immediate consequences if there are things that we assess to be illegal.”
In remarks made to the special session of parliament on Monday, opposition leader called on the Thai prime minister to stop using the monarchy to justify his hold on power and resign.
“The prime minister is a major obstacle and burden to the country. Please resign and everything will end well,” said Sompong Amornvivat, leader of the opposition Pheu Thai party, the largest single party in parliament.
Members of the opposition Move Forward party accused Prayuth of trying to use the monarchy to keep power – particularly regarding an incident around a royal motorcade that was used to justify tough emergency measures on October 15.
The demands for royal reform from some protesters include the abolition the royal defamation law, a clear accounting of the palace’s finances, and a call for King Vajiralongkorn to stay out of politics.
Pro-royalist groups have emerged in response to these unprecedented challenges, gathering in counter-rallies to pronounce their love for the king.
On Monday, dozens of supporters in yellow shirts – the royal colour – gathered outside Parliament, telling MPs not to reform the monarchy.
“We do not want the monarchy topic to be discussed in Parliament,” said Suwit Thongprasert, a prominent royalist activist. “We are ready to protect the monarchy.”
