[ad_1]
King Rama X of Thailand spends much of his time in Germany. That has become a political problem in Bangkok. But the dazzling monarch also guarantees a higher operating temperature in Berlin.
Ironic protest: protesters march with the German flag to the government headquarters in Bangkok. In the background, a portrait of King Ramas X is emblazoned on the façade.
In recent days, two Royal Thai Air Force planes took off from Munich airport bound for Thailand. On Friday, a Boeing 737 headed for Bangkok via Zurich and Dubai. Three days later, a luxury Airbus A340 flew directly to the Thai capital. Thai King Rama X returned home on the first jet. His son, Prince Dipangkorn, is said to have been in the second machine.
The brisk air traffic illustrates the close, and sometimes complicated, connection between the Thai royal family and Germany: it deals with eccentric appearances, luxurious residences, tax issues and, more recently, the political implications of the monarch’s intense love for Germany.
A birthday away from home
The king spends much of his time in Bavaria. In 2020, he has only made brief visits to Thailand so far. He didn’t even attend his 68th birthday celebrations in late July. Protesters at the anti-monarchical protests in Bangkok interpreted this as King Ramas X’s apparent disinterest in his country. On social media, criticism of the absent king has increased in recent weeks, despite strict laws against lese majesty. This also did not go unnoticed in Germany: the Berlin government recently came under some pressure to justify the matter.
Chancellor Heiko Maas had to make it clear to the Bundestag last week that the Thai king was not allowed to do politics from Germany. If the constitutional monarch really did pursue his state affairs from German soil, then the Federal Republic would have to “clearly counter this.” Looking ahead to the Thailand-EU trade talks, which only resumed in July, Maas said he wanted to reserve the right to freeze them in case the government of former General Prayut Chan-ocha, who was sworn in in June, continues to aggressively oppose it. to the democratization of Thailand.
12 million euros for the “Villa Stolberg” on Lake Starnberg
Ramas X.’s weakness for Bavaria has long been an open secret. Already in 2011 he made headlines, then as Crown Prince, when one of his planes was seized in Munich. An insolvent Augsburg construction company had pending claims against the Thai state worth € 36 million. Only when the Bangkok government agreed to provide security was the seized Boeing released.
In 2016, the Crown Prince in Tutzing on Lake Starnberg bought the “Villa Stolberg” for around 12 million euros. The 5,600 square meter property has direct access to the lake and its own jetty. Singers Peter Maffay and Leslie Mandoki live in the neighborhood. The teenage prince Dipangkorn is staying at a similar property in the neighboring village of Feldafing. The 15-year-old is the king’s youngest son and trades himself as the Crown Prince. However, he suffers from autism and has been attending a Waldorf school in the region for several years.
Thai democracy activists in front of the “Villa Stolberg” in Tutzing at the end of September.
After the then King Bhumibol died in October 2016, his son inherited the crown, the kingdom and the estimated 50 billion euros of the Thai royal family as Rama X. Thus, the village of Tutzing was quickly declared a diplomatic residence. According to article 34 of the “Vienna Convention”, diplomats are not subject to the tax laws of their host countries. This also applies, with certain restrictions, to inheritance taxes. An alleged demand from the Bavarian tax authorities for three billion euros seemed in vain.
But that’s not all: this spring, the Thai king and his entourage moved from Tutzing to the Grand Hotel Sonnenbichl in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Despite the crown blockade, the monarch rented an entire apartment there with special permission and has since been invited to Germany on business trips. According to tax experts, the king is thus circumventing the rule that foreigners are subject to tax after 180 days of residence in Germany.
Always good for a story
Meanwhile, the eccentric king is now a hit with the German tabloids. Images of the monarch, lightly dressed in skinny jeans and a short tank top, are known throughout Germany. The “Thai-Kini”, as the locals call it, has already been a sporty cyclist and intrepid shopper in furniture stores and garden centers. A constant companion even then: Suthida Tidjai, a former flight attendant who was appointed commander of his bodyguard in 2014, rose to the rank of general, married the king and has been the queen of Thailand since May last year.
King Rama X, Queen Suthida and behind her Prince Dipangkorn last Wednesday in Bangkok.
But while the Upper Bavarians are not bothered by the eccentric way of life of the permanent guest from the Far East, the trained fighter pilot recently fired up the Hamburger – during the Corona lockdown, he is said to have trained with his Boeing 737 landing maneuvers. in Hamburg, during which the plane lands on the runway and starts over, a “tap and play” maneuver that has now called the left in the Hamburg Senate. He complains about noise pollution from neighbors and pollution caused by the actual plane. It is unclear if the king even noticed.
