Thai protesters shun parliament, ask Germany to probe king

BANGKOK: Prodemocracy demonstrators in Thailand have expanded their protests internationally, marching to the German Embassy to appeal to Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government to investigate whether Thailand’s king has exercised political power during his extended stays in Bavaria. The protesters acted while criticizing their own Parliament, which began a special twoday session earlier Monday to address political tensions resulting from the neardaily prodemocracy protests demanding the prime minister’s resignation, constitutional changes and reforms to the monarchy. They believe the king wields an inordinate amount of power in what is nominally a democracy under a constitutional monarchy. The scrutiny and public criticism of the monarchy displayed by some of the protesters is unprecedented in a country where the royal institution has been considered sacrosanct. It has also led royalists to stage counterrallies and to denounce the protesters for raising the issue, increasing the risk of confrontation. The protesters, estimated by an Associated Press journalist to number between 5,000 and 10,000, defied police warnings that they constituted an illegal assembly and marched to the embassy in an effort to bring attention to the time King Maha Vajiralongkorn spends in Germany. The king in recent weeks has been in Thailand with a busy schedule of ceremonial events. A statement from the protest group said they presented a letter to embassy officials asking that Germany investigate whether the king “has conducted Thai politics using his royal prerogative from German soil or not.” It said such action could be considered a violation of Germany’s territorial sovereignty, and suggested that its government consider the protesters’ request with the aim of bringing the king back to Thailand to restore the country “to the path of the truthful constitutional monarchy.” In addition to asking whether the king is carrying out his official royal duties in Germany, the letter provocatively echoed points on which the protesters have previously criticized the king. Germany is seen as receptive to their entreaties. The German government already brought up the issue in early October, when Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, responding to a question in Parliament, expressed concern over any political activities the king might be conducting in the country.