The Asian Age

Thai King, junta tighten grip

King Vajiralong­korn signs new Constituti­on that strengthen­s Army

- P. THEPGUMPAN­AT and P. TANAKASEMP­IPAT

Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralong­korn signed a new Constituti­on at a glittering palace ceremony on Thursday, an essential step towards holding an election that the military government has promised to restore democracy after a 2014 coup.

The Constituti­on is Thailand’s 20th since the end of absolute monarchy in 1932 and critics say it will still give the generals a powerful say over Thai politics for years, if not decades.

The latest changes, made public for the first time when the Constituti­on was published in the Royal Gazette to become law, also underlined the King’s power in the event of a crisis, analysts said.

“May the Thai people be united in following and protecting the constituti­on to maintain democracy and their sovereignt­y,” an officer with the Royal Scribes Bureau said at the ceremony, on behalf of the King.

The long-awaited Constituti­on replaces an interim document put in place after the 2014 coup.

Thais approved the outline of the new Constituti­on in a referendum last August but the palace requested changes in January after King Vajiralong­korn took over from his revered late father, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who had ruled for more than seven decades.

One change allows the King to travel abroad without appointing a regent. The King has spent much of the past few years in Germany, where he has a son in school.

Another change was the removal of a clause giving power to the constituti­onal court and other institutio­ns in the event of an unforeseen crisis. Removing it, underlined the King’s role.

“In practice, the King will have more say, more power,” Kan Yuenyong, executive director of think-tank Siam Intelligen­ce Unit, said.

There are still many steps before a general election can be held, or even until a ban is lifted on party politics.

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