‘Extremely Evil Misconduct’: Thailand’s Palace Intrigue Spills Into View – By Hannah Beech (New York Times) / Nov 6 2019
BANGKOK — The denunciations have swirled through Thailand’s gilded palaces with the rhetorical extravagance of a Shakespearean history.
© Lillian Suwanrumpha/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha at a celebration of the king’s birthday in July.
The official consort to the king was accused of trying to upstage the queen and “undermining the nation,” leading to the stripping of her royal titles after less than three months on the job.
A grand chamberlain was removed for “severely immoral acts” that allegedly included forcing a paramour to undergo an abortion.
And last week, four more courtiers, two of whom were described as bedchamber pages, were removed for “extremely evil misconduct.”
Nearly half a year ago, King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun was crowned in a lavish spectacle culminating in the placement of a 16-pound crown on his head. Since then the 67-year-old king has assembled a court whose intrigue frequently spills onto the pages of the Royal Thai Government Gazette, which normally records more anodyne matters.
© Athit Perawongmetha/Reuters Preechapol Pongpanich, a Thai politician, with the candidacy application of the king’s elder sister, Ubolratana Rajakanya Sirivadhana Varnavadi. The king put a stop to her campaign for prime minister.
The explosive details of the palace purges stand in contrast to the reserved tenor of the seven-decade reign of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, his father. At the time of his death in 2016, King Bhumibol was the world’s longest-serving royal. He did not leave Thailand for decades, and he was often pictured in rice paddies or factories with his subjects.
King Maha Vajiralongkorn spends much of his time in Germany and has not continued the tradition of communing with ordinary Thais, at least in photos that have been made public. The king has taken high-profile steps that appear to have bolstered his authority.
Last year, he assumed oversight over the Crown Property Bureau, whose fortune, believed to be upward of $30 billion, helps make him one of the world’s wealthiest royals.
In February, he quashed the political candidacy of his elder sister, Ubolratana Rajakanya Sirivadhana Varnavadi, calling her attempt to run for prime minister “highly inappropriate.”
Last month, he ordered two infantry units in Bangkok, the capital, moved from normal military command to that of his royal corps.
“This direct taking of control is something that we haven’t seen since the end of absolute monarchy in 1932,” said Tamara Loos, the chair of the history department at Cornell University and an expert on Thai monarchic traditions. “It’s a slide toward something that is very different from his father’s behind-the-scenes way of operating.”
The recent announcement that four palace insiders were being stripped of their royal and military titles capped a tumultuous week, which began when the king’s official companion was publicly purged.
On Oct. 21, an announcement in the Royal Thai Government Gazette stated that Sineenat Wongvajirapakdi had been divested of her title of noble consort. She was accused of “ingratitude” and of scheming against Queen Suthida Vajiralongkorn Na Ayudhya, the king’s fourth wife.
Ms. Sineenat’s actions “caused the royal household staff to be discordant,” the official statement said.
A nursing college graduate, Ms. Sineenat had enjoyed her official position, which is separate from that of wife, for only a matter of weeks. The title of noble consort had not been used since Thailand abolished absolute monarchy and polygamy more than eight decades ago.
Two days after Ms. Sineenat was stripped of her title, several other courtiers, including a senior representative of the king in many ceremonies, a nurse and a veterinarian from the royal canine division were dismissed for what was termed “severely evil misconduct using their government positions to seek benefits for themselves.”
Similar phrasing was used last week to describe the purported misdeeds of four others. Two of the courtiers were accused of adultery, which was deemed “an offense of the principles of the royal household staff.”
“You wouldn’t imagine that this is the language of a government gazette,” Ms. Loos said. “It’s more like a tabloid.”
The king, who is known in some official pronouncements as “the sacred lord over all heads,” has been married four times. His first wife, who is also his first cousin, retained the title of princess even after their divorce in 1991. They had one daughter.
His second wife, with whom he had five children while still married to his first wife, was an actress. She and their four sons live overseas, but their daughter, Sirivannavari Nariratana, carries out royal duties in Thailand.
A fashion designer, Princess Sirivannavari made headlines last year after a Thai entertainment host who panned a gown she had designed was threatened with criminal prosecution.
Thailand has strict laws against criticism of the royal family. Offenders can be sentenced to up to 15 years in prison for each count of lèse-majesté. Because complaints can be lodged by anyone, not only the police, human rights groups say the law, meant to protect the monarchy, has been twisted to suppress political dissent.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, multiple academics and political commentators in Thailand declined to comment on the slew of firings recorded in the Royal Thai Government Gazette.
The king’s third wife, Srirasmi Suwadee, was considered a princess until she and at least nine of her relatives were purged five years ago, after the palace alleged that they had used their royal connections to illegally burnish their wealth. Ms. Srirasmi’s parents were jailed for lèse-majesté.
The pair had one son, Dipangkorn Rasmijoti, who is considered the heir apparent to the throne.
The king’s marriage to his fourth wife, Queen Suthida, a former flight attendant, was made public in May, three days before he was crowned.
It was on the king’s birthday this year, July 28, that he named Ms. Sineenat his noble consort.
The Royal Household Bureau later released pictures of the two together, including images of Ms. Sineenat flying a plane while wearing a camouflage-printed sports bra and another of her cradling a white poodle, which was wearing what appeared to be a black leather onesie.
The king has owned a number of pet poodles, one of which was granted the military rank of air chief marshal.
Several women associated with the king have also attained high military positions. Queen Suthida was named a general in the king’s bodyguard corps, while Ms. Sineenat was a major general before her downfall.
