[ad_1]
Thai protesters have accused King Maha Vajiralongkorn of conducting state business, including signing royal decrees, while on German soil.
Germany does not believe that Thailand’s king has so far violated his ban on politics during his long stints in the country, a parliamentary source told Reuters news agency, after the government briefed lawmakers on the matter.
Following a meeting of the Bundestag Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday, the source said the government had told MPs that it believed the king was allowed to make occasional decisions, as long as he did not continuously conduct business from German soil.
“The German government has opined that it is still not of the opinion that the Thai king has continuously conducted business,” the source said.
King Maha Vajiralongkorn, 68, has spent much of his time in the southeastern state of Bavaria since he assumed the throne. Thai protesters previously asked the German government to investigate whether he had conducted state business, such as signing royal orders and the annual spending law while on German soil.
Berlin has already said that it would be unacceptable for the king to do politics from Germany, and Foreign Minister Heiko Maas says he will continue to monitor his behavior when in Bavaria.
When asked about the king’s immigration status, the government told the committee that the Thai monarch has a visa that allows him to stay in Germany for several years as a private person and that he also enjoys diplomatic immunity as head of state.
Diplomatic headache
Thailand’s political crisis has made the presence of the king a challenge for Germany, but revoking the visa of a visiting head of state could cause a considerable diplomatic incident.
“It is very obvious that many find what the Thai king is doing very problematic, but the government says it is not yet the problem of continuing government business,” the source told Reuters.
Protests led by youth and students began in Thailand in July to call for the resignation of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, a former army ruler, and a new constitution, but they have increasingly sought reforms to the monarchy, an unprecedented move. in a country where the royal family is protected by strict laws.
Pro-democracy protesters have accused the king of being involved in the country’s politics.
Prayuth has ignored demands to resign and said the crisis should be discussed in parliament, where he has a majority.
The opposition parties told him that he should resign for the good of the country and stop using his proclaimed support for the monarchy as an argument to stay in power.
Prayuth’s opponents say he managed to stay in office after last year’s elections, thanks to new electoral rules and a constitution drawn up by the military government that he led after a coup in 2014. He says the vote was fair .
On Monday, more than 1,000 people demonstrated in support of the king, a day after thousands of people marched to demand reforms from the monarchy.
Many realists believe that student protesters are being manipulated by older activists with their own political agendas.
[ad_2]
