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The news comes to light when Thailand is in the middle of a serious economic crisis mainly due to the collapse of tourism due to the Coronavirus pandemic that has been well contained in the kingdom, but not from a social and financial point of view. This is why the case is becoming quite a hot topic, especially since thousands of students and activists took to the streets in early summer to demand radical reforms like a new constitution and the dissolution of parliament and government.
Tomorrow, Saturday, a massive protest is expected in the capital Bangkok and Thanathorn said he is “very sure” that the case of the Rama X planes will hit the streets, considering that a large group of university students in the capital has already proposed a list of 10 requests to resize the same roles, costs and functions of the House of the Prince. It is a particularly taboo subject so far, and one of the first to raise it was Thanathorn himself, excluded from Parliament, where he had won more than 17 percent of the seats with his disbanded Future Forward party, inspiring, direct. and indirectly. – the “Free Youth” movement, or the Free Youth movement that leads most of the student demonstrations.
Thanathorn’s complaint had already been reported in the local press, but without comment in a country where all members of the royal family are protected by the strict Lesa Majà law that provides for up to 15 years in prison. Encouraged by his great popularity and the support of a new group called Move Forward, the politician told the financial newspaper in no uncertain terms that “people are getting angry” over the waste of public money.
“Thailand’s GDP growth – he said – should be negative 8% if all goes well” and “that’s why we need all the resources to spend on the recovery.” But the actual fleet in the next fiscal year will cost Bath 2 billion ($ 64 million) in “maintenance, fuel, ground handling and other costs alone.” To these must be added the budget of the Privy Council, the “Office of the Royal Family” and that of the “Royal Security” merged into a single body by the new sovereign who according to official data has a personal budget of almost 9 billion Bath – figure increased by more than 100% since 2018, plus assets worth more than $ 30 billion. “It’s taxpayers’ money,” Thanathorn explained, “so spending should be transparent. But they’re not.” Hence the request for clarification entrusted to the Foreign Ministry, which has not yet commented.
After the king’s death Bhumibol Adulyadej Four years ago, the new ruler continued to live in Bavaria by increasing control at home over assets and companies such as the Crown Property Bureau, which owns large fortunes, land, real estate and skyscrapers in the center of the capital and elsewhere, making it which makes him one of the richest men. of the world. But to increase the personal power of the monarch there were also other measures such as the transfer of several elite units of the army with 7000 Royal Guards directly under his command and an increasingly wide influence in the army, which is about to elect the new commander. general.
Intended for a pro-royalist, the high-ranking military post could even mark an unprecedented split between the Royal Palace and the government, also led by a former general, accused by the Conservatives of not having responded with adequate firmness to student protests. Despite the arrests of some promoters and the recent letter to universities to threaten young people who will criticize the monarchy with consequences, Prime Minister Prayut and the current army summit that supported his 2014 coup have opted for a policy smooth and relatively. tolerant.
But it will all depend on the level of tension that can be created in Bangkok’s square if students – also inspired by the Hong Kong youth movement – raise posters or shout excessively harsh slogans against the ruling house. On several occasions, young Thais have limited themselves to using characters from Japanese cartoons, those from movies and literature such as Harry Potter and The Hunger Games to attack power with obvious implications for the monarch himself. But an indication of the royal fleet’s spending could be the classic fuse capable of detonating the powder keg of protests and provoking a still unpredictable reaction from the police. Among the requests there is in fact that of a general cut of the expenses of the “Palace” of Rama X and the separation of the property of the crown from the personal property of the king. A heresy only until a few months ago.
