His first – to his cousin – reportedly included him fathering five children with a mistress, who he then married instead. Chip in as little as $3 to help keep Vox free for all. Millions rely on Vox’s explainers to understand an increasingly chaotic world. sions among the country’s elite as to who should succeed King Bhumibol. “We’re not supposed to talk about the king,” one person whispered to me in Bangkok during a visit there in November, “but the king is what everybody talks about.”. The film showed the then-64-year-old Vajiralongkorn roaming a shopping mall in Munich, Germany, where he lived most of the time, accompanied not by his wife but his mistress. He rushed home from Germany – where he spends much of his time, reportedly with a former Thai Airways air hostess who he is planning to marry – when his father’s health deteriorated and has since requested to delay taking to the throne so, he says, he has more time to mourn. Sam, Grace, and Brett tell you why a picture of the king in a crop top is causing so much controversy. To get a sense of that, I spent a day in November in an area of fish farms and rice paddies in Chachoengsao province southwest of Bangkok to talk to members of an environmental group opposed to a planned industrial zone called the Eastern Economic Corridor. Thais who know about such things say his army is equipped with armored personnel carriers, anti-riot gear, and helicopters. “That’s the way they keep control. They have elections, some independent newspapers that even do good critical reporting, and while they do not hesitate to get rid of opponents, they also keep disappearances at low levels so as not to arouse public animosity or international sanction. Every day at Vox, we aim to answer your most important questions and provide you, and our audience around the world, with information that empowers you through understanding. Naked pictures emerge of Thai king who was filmed in tiny yellow crop top. Public criticism of the king or his family is illegal under Thailand's strict lese majeste laws, with insults to the monarchy punishable by up to 15 years in prison. Maha Vajiralongkorn has also been photographed cycling in a crop top in Switzerland and Germany, has a reputation as a womanizer, and reportedly gave his dog a four-day funeral. From fake tattoos and crop tops to making a poodle Air Force chief – the King of Thailand’s maddest moments revealed . In 2014, a senior policeman accused of insulting the monarchy mysteriously fell from a hospital window. “Yes,” he replied. But things have decidedly not worked out that way. When the dog died last year, it was given a four-day funeral complete with Buddhist rites before being cremated in an extravagant ceremony. “Any other reasons they support the government?” I asked. LONG LIVE THE KING! Some would prefer the Crown Prince’s younger sister, Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, to take the throne but Thai law forbids a female monarch. It allows our most engaged readers to debate the big issues, share their own experiences, discuss real-world solutions, and more. A glimpse into the old race track revealed a bunch of construction sheds. The Thai military government has always used a mandatory reverence for the monarchy as a tool of political control, and has carefully cultivated a very monarchical image for the new king. Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile. A furious opposition emerged, known as the Yellow Shirts — yellow being the color of the monarchy — whose claim to legitimacy was that they, with support from the military, were the defenders of the monarchy. With the Southeast Asian … The unpredictable King of Thailand, Maha Vajiralongkorn, who is suffering mass protests in Bankok, has now been accused of breaking his sister’s ankles. Thailand’s new king is a kooky crop top-wearing playboy By David K. Li. A private army would be very useful if there were ever a coup attempt, including a move against him from some dissenting faction in the army. “For the Chinese, it’s easier to deal with strongmen than with democratic governments,” one Thai businessman told me in Bangkok. Russian President Vladimir Putin appreciates spy agency after US hack controversy Jorge Silva/Reuters. Indeed, it’s difficult these days to think of a single country in Southeast Asia, with its 620 million people, that is becoming more democratic rather than more authoritarian. The Thai king, the crop top, and a poodle. He's fond of the crop top. Create a commenting name to join the debate, There are no Independent Premium comments yet - be the first to add your thoughts, There are no comments yet - be the first to add your thoughts. But that doesn’t mean he’s detached from politics back home. Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej - Life in Pictures, Crop tops, mistresses and flying poodles: meet Thailand's next king, Read more King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand dies aged 88, You may not agree with our views, or other users’, but please respond to them respectfully, Swearing, personal abuse, racism, sexism, homophobia and other discriminatory or inciteful language is not acceptable, Do not impersonate other users or reveal private information about third parties, We reserve the right to delete inappropriate posts and ban offending users without notification. If there were people hoping somehow that, being a Western-educated, cosmopolitan person living mostly in the West, he would encourage a move back in the direction of liberal values and practices, they have by now been disappointed. “It can only be successful if there are no popular protests against it, and the easiest way to achieve this is to deal with strongmen in each country.”, Another Thai, a young political activist in the country’s Democratic Party who ran unsuccessfully for a seat in parliament in the elections last March, told me, “The fact that there’s a new superpower that’s less keen on human rights in other countries reduces the American influence. Vajiralongkorn does none of that, cultivating instead an image of sternness, command, and Olympian distance from ordinary people. Bangkok: Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, 64, who is set to be crowned King of Thailand after his father King Bhumibhol died on Thursday, is a womaniser, wears crop tops … His latest book is China 1945: Mao’s Revolution and America’s Fateful Choice. There is no such regent anymore in Thailand. Thailand activists stage crop-top protest against lèse-majesté law. Marriages and issue Thai protestors chant slogans outside the king's daughter's boutique against the insult laws passed by the palace. “When he came to the throne, he looked at the past ... and he said, ‘Why should I let any of that go?’”. The leaking of the tape marked the eruption of below-the-surface tensions among the country’s elite as to who should succeed King Bhumibol. Thailand's royal family, compared to the constantly spotlighted British monarchy, is extremely secretive. Naked pictures emerge of Thai king who was filmed in tiny yellow crop top. Facebook could be shut down in Thailand today, after images of the king wandering around a shopping centre wearing a yellow crop top were circulated online. Footage of the King of Thailand wandering around a shopping mall in Munich sporting a skimpy yellow crop top and tattoos went viral last month after being uploaded to Facebook, and Thai authorities have been fighting to get the footage taken down ever since. He is famous for his dedication to his pet poodle, Foo Foo, which was awarded the rank of Air Chief Marshal in the Royal Thai Air Force and given its own Wikipedia page. THAILAND could lose all access to Facebook today after footage of its heavily-tattooed king strolling around in a crop top went viral. “I thought that Vajiralongkorn would be so lacking in moral authority that he wouldn’t get the support of the various sectors of society that he needs. “They are royalists.”. Video of the king was reportedly shot at a mall in Munich last year in July, and has been widely shared on the social … He was eating ice cream while wearing very un-monarchical jeans and a crop top, his bare midriff displaying what seemed to be elaborate temporary tattoos. And so, following the election, the former army chief who led the 2014 coup, Prayuth Chan-ocha, became the country’s prime minister. The King of Thailand held an odd ceremony Sunday where he named one of his top generals and longtime girlfriend as his official mistress, a … The king of Thailand faces new embarrassment after 1400 photos of his official consort were sent to critical journalists. Just three months later, as if to show the dangers of incurring the king’s disfavor, Sineenat was accused of ingratitude and misbehavior and stripped of her rank and titles. Thailand activists stage crop-top protest against lèse-majesté law. A diplomatic cable from 2010, released by Wikileaks, reported members of Thailand’s political elite expressing hopes that the King would override the laws in order to appoint the Princess as his heir. The gates to the old zoo are locked shut. But I was wrong,” Chachavalpongpun continued. Vox’s work is reaching more people than ever, but our distinctive brand of explanatory journalism takes resources. And whether he really did that or not, he cultivated an image of Buddhist kindness and compassion, sponsoring programs in the countryside, going to villages and meeting with ordinary people. Due to the sheer scale of this comment community, we are not able to give each post the same level of attention, but we have preserved this area in the interests of open debate. Even the most senior officials in the government and the military literally drop to their knees when in his presence. It is Prince Maha’s “playboy” personal life that has attracted most attention. “They supported the Yellow Shirts,” he said, “because they were afraid of Thaksin coming back.” We were sitting in a covered yard alongside one of his ponds, where he grows plankton for sale to nearby fish and shrimp farmers. Installing his mistress as a royal consort was certainly scandalous, but some of the measures Vajiralongkorn has taken to assert his power go well beyond nasty palace intrigue and into unprecedented territory for Thailand. Bild. Please be respectful when making a comment and adhere to our Community Guidelines. The universally held belief in Bangkok is that she was thrown into the Bangkok women’s prison; on exactly what legal authority other than the king’s demand, nobody is saying. Vajiralongkorn is clearly a product of Thai culture, but his evident authoritarianism also seems to fit a larger regional and even global pattern, the disillusionment with traditional liberal elites and the turn to strongman rule. BANGKOK — The new king of Thailand is into his fashion, but unfortunately the Thai government doesn’t want its citizens to know that. “He wants everybody to see, whether it’s taking back the land that the zoo is on or assuming direct control of military regiments. You can also choose to be emailed when someone replies to your comment. The 64-year-old Crown Prince was pictured at Munich airport earlier this year wearing a small white crop-top, faded slim-fit jeans and a fake tattoo sleeve. Updated on May 16th, 2017. Bangkok: Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, 64, who is set to be crowned King of Thailand after his father King Bhumibhol died on Thursday, is a womaniser, wears crop tops … He has clearly taken charge, doing so in a way that implicitly affirms both obedience to authority and a kind of above-the-law monarchical privilege. Thailand’s playboy king isn’t playing around. Richard Bernstein is a former foreign correspondent at Time magazine and the New York Times. In perhaps his most remarkable display of unrestricted power, after a new constitution was adopted in a referendum, Vajiralongkorn simply rewrote the clauses having to do with the power of the king. The bizarre clip of King Maha Vajiralongkorn waltzing around a shopping centre alongside a woman has gone viral, The Sun reports. Among at least 35 … This has included closing areas that were once open to the public, including the Bangkok Zoo and one of Bangkok’s two horse-racing tracks. Yingluck was accused of corruption and removed from office in 2014, and with new Red Shirt protests looming and the old, much-loved king, Bhumibol, on his deathbed, the military stepped in, seizing power in a coup and then assuring the royal succession when Bhumibol died two years later. King Maha was spotted with … Some of Thailand’s highest profile protest leaders dressed in crop tops and paraded at a Bangkok shopping mall on Sunday in a jibe against King Maha Vajiralongkorn to … I hired a car to look at the royal compound, though it’s not easy to get glimpses inside. An image taken from a video widely shared on Facebook in recent weeks appears to show King Maha Vajiralongkorn of Thailand walking through a shopping mall in a yellow crop top. The Thai monarchy has never been a powerful or outspoken champion of democracy, but many Thais believed the king’s late father, Bhumibol Adulyadej, tried to soften the harshness of military rule. BANGKOK — The new king of Thailand is into his fashion, but unfortunately the Thai government doesn’t want its citizens to know that. The King of Thailand, King Maha Vajiralongkorn, has called Bavaria his part-time home for a number of years. But there seems to be very little of that in Thailand these days. Where does Vajiralongkorn fit into this? Crop tops, tattoos and marrying his bodyguard - new Thai king's coronation sets the seal on years of eccentricity Her parents were later thrown in prison for two-and-a-half years for “royal defamation”. In what seemed to be a concession to modern sensibilities, Vajiralongkorn, according to newspaper reports, has ordered an end to prosecutions under the lèse-majesté laws. In Thailand King Vajiralongkorn is most often seen parading in his royal regalia, complete with a colourful array of medals. Are you sure you want to delete this comment? Thailand is a place where journalists, civic activists, lawyers, and others are summoned to a military base for “attitude adjustment,” as the well-known euphemism would have it. In 2011 four of the children she had with the Crown Prince published a letter claiming they had been abandoned by their father and banned from returning to Thailand. Facebook 0 Twitter 0 Reddit 0. This is partly because of skillfully applied measures of repression by the military-led government, including the disappearances and apparent killings of at least eight leading opposition figures, and surveillance of others the police feel might cause trouble. As different as day and night, New York Post has reported that the new King of Thailand was questioned for his strange behaviours and was pictured wearing a white crop top exposing his midriff and other parts of his upper body. In Thailand King Vajiralongkorn is most often seen parading in his royal regalia, complete with a colourful array of medals. In the Philippines, for example, President Rodrigo Duterte has emerged as a sort of elected strongman, carrying out a supposed war on drugs that has resulted, according to human rights groups, in more than 20,000 extrajudicial killings. BANGKOK — A few years ago, a Facebook video went viral and revealed to the world why many people in Thailand were anxious over the prospect of Maha Vajiralongkorn, then the country’s crown prince, becoming king. But when the subject turns to the king, most people lapse into an awkward silence or, if they do say something, look cautiously around them to make sure no unknown person is listening. The king’s crop tops. In one area, a row of large buildings that once housed senior members of the palace staff are empty and decaying, reportedly awaiting demolition. He’s also disturbingly authoritarian. While his day job required him to dress conservatively, King Vajiralongkorn … His son, King Maha Vajiralongkorn, ascended the throne in December. But in 2017, Thai authorities demanded that Facebook remove embarrassing footage of the king in a shopping centre, wearing a crop top and sporting fake tattoos. It does this by refusing to criticize these countries for human rights violations, by offering aid and military support when such support is withheld by the US and Europe, and, not least, by presenting a model that seems to be successful and that China itself proclaims as an alternative to Western ways of doing things. Thailand’s king has terrible fashion sense and likes wearing fake tattoos. Video of the king was reportedly shot at a mall in Munich last year in July, and has been widely shared on the social … Yet none of them are functioning as democracies. | Photo Credit: Reuters . In Thailand King Vajiralongkorn is most often seen parading in his royal regalia, complete with a colourful array of medals. Thailand is putting the squeeze on Facebook to remove dozens of pages that have video of King Maha Vajiralongkorn wearing a crop top. The footage prompted a national scandal in Thailand and attracted news coverage across the world. You can find our Community Guidelines in full here. On 16 May 2017, Thai officials warned Facebook after an online video was posted of the king wearing a crop top and with full view of his half sleeve tattoo. Thailand is putting the squeeze on Facebook to remove dozens of pages that have video of King Maha Vajiralongkorn wearing a crop top. The fears about his ascension to power go deeper than concerns about his romantic life and canine commitment. The crop top is a reference to pictures showing the king dressed in one which have appeared in European tabloids in recent years. Is Thailand threatening to sue Facebook? 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