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BERLIN (Reuters) – Germany’s foreign minister has said that Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn should not be doing politics from the European country, where he spends much of his time.
Foreign Minister Heiko Maas responded to a question from a Green member of parliament in the Bundestag on Wednesday, at a time when King Vajiralongkorn’s monarchy is facing unprecedented calls for reform from protesters in Thailand.
“We have made it clear that policy regarding Thailand should not be conducted from German soil,” Maas told parliament.
“If there are guests in our country who conduct their state business from our soil, we would always want to act to counter that.”
Thousands of protesters have held demonstrations in Bangkok in recent months calling for a reform of the monarchy to curb the powers of the king and the removal of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, a former leader of the junta, and a new constitution and elections.
Greens MP Frithjof Schmidt also asked Maas if Germany was willing to discuss with the European Union (EU) the freezing of free trade talks with Thailand again “as long as the junta continues to block the path to democracy in Thailand.”
The EU stopped contact at all levels with Thailand after a coup in 2014, but resumed trade talks after last year’s general elections in which Prayuth was reinstated as civil prime minister.
Maas said stopping the negotiations was “an option” to apply pressure, but that it would be correct to discuss with Thailand first.
Neither the Royal Palace in Bangkok nor the Thai government immediately responded to a request for comment.
Protesters who challenged Thailand’s palace and the army-dominated establishment broke a long-standing taboo by demanding reform of the monarchy in August.
King Vajiralongkorn, 68, has been on the throne of Thailand since 2016, but spends much of his time in Bavaria, where his 15-year-old son is in school.
Thai protesters have complained about the cost of the king’s stay in Europe, as well as his absence from the kingdom.
The protesters seek to reduce the king’s powers under the constitution, which specifically allows him to exercise powers when outside of Thailand without naming a regent.
The protesters also want to take away direct control of a real fortune worth tens of billions of dollars and some units of the army. The Palace has not commented on the protests.
In the German parliament, the member of the Greens Schmidt asked: “Why does the German government tolerate this extremely unusual, and in my opinion illegal, behavior of a foreign head of state doing politics on German soil?”
Protesters in Thailand said on Thursday they would rally again next Wednesday and expected a large turnout to pressure the government to resign and press its calls for reform of the monarchy.
(Reporting by Emma Thomasson; Editing by Robert Birsel)
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