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BANGKOK, November 2 (The Nation Thailand / ANN): Thailand is the land of commitment, His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn announced to foreign media on Sunday night (November 1).
The King made the brief remarks to reporters from Britain’s Channel 4 and CNN during a public appearance after the costume change ceremony at Wat Phra Si Rattana Satsadaram, or Temple of the Emerald Buddha, in Bangkok’s Phra Nakhon district.
In response to a question from a CNN reporter about what he would say to pro-democracy protesters who have been in the streets calling for monarchy reform for more than four months, the King said: “No comment.” before adding: “We love you all the same. We love you all the same. We love you all the same.”
When asked if there was any scope for compromise with protesters demanding curb their powers, the king said: “Thailand is the land of compromise.”
The King was accompanied by Her Majesty Queen Suthida and her two daughters, Her Royal Highness Princess Bajrakitiyabha Narendiradebayavadi and Her Royal Highness Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana Rajakanya.
The royals were greeted by more than 12,000 people waiting on Na Phra Lan Road and Rajdamnoen Avenue, wearing yellow T-shirts and holding Thai national and royal flags.
Princess Sirivannavari told CNN that Thailand is a peaceful country and said, “We love the Thai people, whatever happens.”
These are the 68-year-old monarch’s first comments to foreign media since 1979 when he was crown prince.
The CNN reporter was close to a former monk, Phra Buddha Isara, a former leader of the yellow shirt protesters who had shut down Bangkok and which led to the 2014 military coup that toppled the Yingluck Shinawatra administration.
The reporter apparently expected the king to come to greet Isara Buddha and saw the possibility of asking the monarch a question, according to a report shared on social media. Buda Isara was expelled from office due to criminal charges.
He was also received by the King at a meeting on October 23, Chulalongkorn Day.
The incident had sparked controversy as many interpreted the king’s action as siding with the royalists, contradicting the neutral role prescribed for the monarch in the Constitution.
On Sunday night, Bin Bunluerit, an actor and well-known rescue volunteer, also joined the meeting.
He was previously accused of having benefited from political participation. He has denied the accusations against him.
Buddha Isara and Bin accused the pro-democracy protesters of wanting to overthrow the monarchy, even though the pro-democracy protesters said they only want a reform of the monarchy and not a change in the political system.
Another controversial character facing criminal charges, Apirak Chat-arnon, also known as the player Sai Po, was seen wearing a yellow shirt at Sunday’s meeting.
The crowd cheered for him to “fight … fight”. He was recently granted bail in an attempted murder case. He also faces a charge of possessing a weapon.
A group of yellow shirts with short hair was also seen, believed to be soldiers and policemen.
A short VDO clip shared among netizens also showed a man in a yellow shirt saying angrily that the conflict would not be resolved until there was bloodshed and a lady said she was ready to die for the monarchy.
The ruling Palang Pracharath party had reportedly previously told its MPs to mobilize royalists to counter pro-democracy protesters demanding the resignation of the government, a new constitution and a reform of the monarchy.
In response to the King’s statements about Thailand as “a land of compromise”, supporters of democracy posted their comments on their Facebook pages.
National artist Suchart Sawadsri posted that “in the land of compromise, there are 80 arrest warrants issued by the police against pro-democracy leaders, and the police will even arrest them in hospital.”
He was referring to three leaders of the protest at Praram 9 Hospital after the chaos on Friday night due to police delaying their release despite a court order.
Pavin Chachavalpongpun, an academic who has critical views on the monarchy and lives in exile in Japan, posted on his Facebook page that the King’s statement “Thailand is a land of compromise” is contradicted by the gathering of staunch political figures like Buddha Isara. and Warong Dechgitvigrom, a politician and ultra-realist.
He predicted that pro-democracy protesters and royalists would continue their protests.
Youth-led pro-democracy protesters have proposed a 10-point manifesto to reform the monarchy, including removing the lese majesty law, which is seen as a major source of human rights abuse.
Local and international rights groups, including UN human rights experts, have demanded the release of protest leaders who are demonstrating peacefully and exercising their rights in accordance with the Constitution and international law.
On Sunday, Free Youth and other pro-democracy groups posted on their Facebook pages that they will not stop pushing their demands. – The Nation / Asian News Network
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