Spotlight on the next Thai king
Crown prince Vajiralongkorn faces a challenging reign in deeply divided nation
BANGKOK: The heir to the Thai throne, Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, was for years known for his colourful private life and frequent trips overseas, but as his father’s health declined he adopted a more prominent public role in the politically febrile kingdom.
All eyes are now on the 64yearold prince after the death yesterday of his father King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who was the world’s longestreigning monarch.
He inherits one of the world’s richest monarchies, protected by one of the harshest royal defamation laws on the planet.
But the twicedivorced prince will also sit as the constitutional head of a deeply polarised nation, which is trapped in a seemingly endless cycle of coups, protests and bouts of political violence.
Bhumibol was widely adored and seen by many as a semidivine figure in a rule that arched over the lives of most Thais.
Vajiralongkorn has yet to attain such popularity and unlike his father, his ability to operate as a unifying force ostensibly above the political fray is untested.
For years the crown prince was rarely heard from in public. But in the twilight of his father’s reign – and with Thailand ruled by the military – he assumed many official duties.
Befitting his role, the prince has not publicly backed any side in the bitter politics that have engulfed his country in recent years.
But some of the “Red Shirt” supporters of ousted billionaire premier Thaksin Shinawatra and his family held the crown prince’s portrait aloft at their rallies before the 2014 coup.
Experts say Thailand’s political turmoil is driven by concerns among competing elites over their stakes in the future of the kingdom after Bhumibol’s death.
An elite aligned to the monarchy, including much of the army and judiciary, have repeatedly crushed Thai democracy movements, fuelled by a hatred of Thaksin.
Born on July 28, 1952, Vajiralongkorn completed his secondary education in Britain before training at Australia’s Royal Military college and joining the Thai military.
He developed a passion for flying after learning the skill in the United States, piloting fighter jets in Thailand and steering planes for national carrier Thai Airways.
But little is reported about the only son of Thailand’s deceased king, for fear of breaching a strict royal defamation law which heavily restricts all conversation on the monarchy.
That law carries up to 15 in years in jail on each count of defaming the king, queen, heir or regent.
Prosecutions – and the length of jail terms – have surged since last May’s coup with some imprisoned for more than 20 years, usually for comments made online.
Experts say the heir’s approach to enforcing the lese majeste legislation will illustrate much about his vision for the monarchy.
A fan of the outdoors, the crown prince led mass cycling events through Bangkok in August last year. A second mass bike ride took place in December last year.
But the events were tainted by a corruption scandal when a number of senior officials were charged with lese majeste for allegedly using their connections to the prince to profit from the events.
That murky episode came several months after the dramatic fall from grace of Vajiralongkorn’s exwife Princess Srirasmi.
At least eight of the former princess’s family members were imprisoned on lese majeste charges. They were also accused of using their ties to the monarchy for personal gain.
While she was not jailed, Srirasmi was swiftly stripped of her royal title and divorced by the prince.
The pair had married in 2001 and welcomed a boy four years later.
The crown prince also has a daughter from his first marriage to Princess Soamsavali Kitiyakara. They divorced in the 1980s.