TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – King of Thailand Maha Vajiralongkorn is back in controversy. After living for a year in Thailand, he flew back to Germany in his luxury private jet. He brought a group of 250 people and 30 of his favorite poodles.
The 69-year-old king and his entourage pose for a photo at an airport hotel outside Munich after his private jet landed there. German tabloids The picture reported on the King’s journey last Wednesday.
Vajiralongkorn, wearing a brown and orange tracksuit, is pictured on his way to the pool at the Hilton Airport hotel in Munich.
Thailand’s King Vajiralongkorn landed in Munich last Monday and booked the entire fourth floor at Hilton Airport for 11 days. It is the king’s first official trip abroad since pro-democracy protests and public criticism of him.
Public criticism of the nobility is unprecedented. The royal family is protected by a law that punishes defamation of the monarchy with the threat of 15 years in prison.
More than 156 people have been indicted under government law related to insulting the king, according to a group of Thai Human Rights Lawyers.
The Thai king, who has lived in Germany for a long time, has drawn criticism for being invisible when Thailand was battling a spike in coronavirus cases in April-May last year. In Germany, he is staying in a hotel in the German Bavarian Alps which is closed to the public with a staff entourage and his dog.
“He’s back and feels at home with his poodle in his favorite Bavarian kingdom,” wrote The picture.
In October last year, King Vajiralongkorn returned to Thailand to mark the fourth anniversary of his father’s death amid pro-democracy protests. However, the king’s frequent trips abroad, especially Germany, drew criticism from his people.
Thailand’s King Vajiralongkorn was given the title of Crown Prince of Thailand by his father King Bhumibol Adulyadej in a ceremony in 1973. He attended English school at the age of 13. He completed his university education at the Royal Military College Australia, Duntroon.
Protests hit Thailand on the harshest “lèse-majesté” laws. The law ensnares anyone who insults the royal family with a sentence of between 3-15 years in prison.
Read: Thai Police and Protesters Clash, Dozens of People Injured
INDEPENDENT | THE TIMES.CO.UK
Always update up-to-date information. Listen breaking news and selected news from Tempo.co on the Telegram channel “Tempo.co Update”. Click https://t.me/tempodotcoupdate to join. you need toinstall Telegram application first.
– .
