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BERLIN • The German Foreign Minister has said that the King of Thailand, 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 Greens MP 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 been holding demonstrations in Bangkok for the past few months, calling for a reform of the monarchy to curb the powers of the King and the removal of Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, a former leader of the junta, and for a new Constitution and elections.
Greens MP Frithjof Schmidt also asked Maas if Germany was willing to discuss with the European Union 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, led by Prayut, but resumed trade talks after last year’s general elections in which Prayut was reinstated as civilian prime minister.
Maas said that stopping the negotiations was an option to exert pressure, but that it would be correct to discuss with Thailand first.
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 the German state of 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 appointing a regent.
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 powers of the King under the Constitution, which specifically allows him to exercise powers when outside of Thailand without appointing 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 Thai palace has not commented on the protests.
In the German parliament, Mr. Schmidt asked: “Why does the German government tolerate this extremely unusual, and in my opinion illegal, behavior of a foreign head of state who directs politics on German soil?”
Protesters in Thailand said yesterday that they would rally again next Wednesday and that they expected a large turnout to pressure the government to resign, as well as to pressure their calls for reform of the monarchy.
Organizers, who represent various youth-led groups, said they expected the protest to attract some 100,000 people, or twice as many participants as a demonstration last month.
REUTERS, BLOOMBERG
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