Thai Protesters Monarch Breached German Law
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Pro-Democracy protesters turned to the German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas requesting to check whether Thai King broke the law of the land exercising his power from his estate in Bavaria.
In Thailand, demonstrators have marched to the German embassy and have asked the federal government to investigate their King Maha Vajiralongkorn - or Rama X - You should check whether the monarch exercised political power during his extended stays in Bavaria, it said in a letter. A reporter from the AP news agency estimated that 5,000 to 10,000 people took part in the march and resisted police warnings that it was an illegal gathering.
A protest leaders said they had handed embassy representatives a letter appealing to Germany to check whether King Vajiralongkorn "pursued Thai politics from German soil, making use of his royal privileges". Such an act could be seen as a violation of the territorial sovereignty of Germany. The aim is for the king to return to Thailand.
Federal Foreign Minister Mr Heiko Maas had previously threatened the king with consequences in the event that illegal behavior was found during his stay in Bavaria. "Of course I also keep an eye on the Thai king's activities in Germany," Mr. Maas stated on Monday at a press conference in Berlin. This "hustle and bustle" is "permanently" checked. "And if there are things there that we perceive to be illegal, there will be immediate consequences."
The Thai king spends a large part of his time in Bavaria, where he owns a villa in Tutzing on Lake Starnberg. But recently he stayed temporarily in a luxury hotel in Garmisch-Partenkirchen during the Wuhan virus lockdown in spring despite the ban on accommodation. He is currently in Thailand to attend some ceremonies.
Mr. Maas had already said in the Bundestag at the beginning of October that he would not tolerate the king ruling his country from Germany. "We have made it clear that politics that affect the country of Thailand should not be based on German soil," he said at the time.
Parliamentarians undecided over PM resignation
It is unclear what the parliamentary sitting, which continues on Tuesday, will achieve, as few lawmakers were in the mood for compromise.
Prime Minister Mr Prayut Chan-o-cha said at its opening on Monday: I'm confident that today, regardless of our different political views, everyone still loves the country.
Parliamentarians allied with the coalition government dismissed calls for both his resignation and monarchy reform.
Appointed senator Somchai Sawaengkarn said: The Prime Minister should not resign and I want to give him my support. Stay and fight. He alleged that politicians were masterminding the street protests. The cause of these problems are not the Constitution, the Prime Minister, nor the monarchy, he said.