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No evidence Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn broke laws while living in Germany, reports say
- The Thai king has spent the majority of his time over the past several years living in Germany
- Thai protesters asked the German embassy in Bangkok to probe whether he has exercised royal authority while living there
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The German government has found no evidence that Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn has done anything illegal while living there, the German Press Agency dpa said, citing a Foreign Ministry statement.
Vajiralongkorn has spent the majority of his time over the past several years in the European nation. In October, thousands of Thai protesters, who are demanding more accountability and transparency from the monarchy, submitted a letter to the German Embassy in Bangkok, asking the authorities to probe whether he has exercised royal authority during his time there in violation of the country’s law.
“The German government has no reliable evidence that the Thai king has taken any such decisions during his stay in Germany,” the Foreign Ministry said in a written answer to a parliamentary question.
The ministry also said it expected Vajiralongkorn not to make decisions that “contravene the German legal system, international law or internationally guaranteed human rights” while on German soil.
For nearly four months, Thailand has seen an escalating pro-democracy protest movement that has called for the government’s resignation, a rewriting of the constitution, and reform of the monarchy – the most powerful institution in the country. The protesters are breaking deeply entrenched taboos in Thailand, where insulting or criticising top royals can lead to long jail sentences.
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