Thai protesters march on German embassy to seek probe of king

Bangkok

THOUSANDS of protesters marched on the German embassy in Bangkok on Monday to ask for an investigation of the Thai king's activities during stays in Germany, as months of protests give rise to growing calls for reforms of the monarchy.

Germany has said it would be unacceptable for King Maha Vajiralongkorn to conduct politics in the country and Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said the European country continued to look into his behaviour during long sojourns in Bavaria.

Student-led protests that began by demanding the removal of Prime Minister (PM) Prayuth Chan-ocha, a former military ruler, have also become the biggest challenge in decades to a monarchy that the Thai constitution says must be revered.

"We have three demands - first that the PM must resign, second that we want a new constitution from the people, not the government, and third we want to reform the monarchy," said one 16-year-old student protester who declined to be named.

Criticising the monarchy can mean a 15-year jail sentence in Thailand, but the protests have swept away the longstanding taboo on discussing it.

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Protesters accuse the monarchy of helping to enable decades of domination by military rulers. They also complain about spending on the king's European visits at a time when Covid-19 has hit the tourism-reliant economy hard.

The political crisis in Thailand has also made the king's presence a challenge for Germany. "We are monitoring this long-term," Mr Maas said.

"It will have immediate consequences if there are things that we assess to be illegal."

In a special session of the Thai parliament to address the crisis, opponents of Mr Prayuth urged him to stop using the monarchy to justify his hold on power and resign. "Please resign and everything will end well," said Sompong Amornvivat, leader of the opposition Pheu Thai party.

Members of the opposition Move Forward party accused Mr Prayuth of trying to use the monarchy to keep power - particularly regarding an incident around a royal motorcade that was used to justify tough emergency measures on Oct 15.

The measures, now lifted, backfired when thousands of people took to the streets.

Mr Prayuth rejected a demand from protesters to step down and said last week it was his government's job to protect the monarchy.

"I'm confident that today, regardless of our different political views, everyone still loves the country," he said in his opening address.

Before the protesters marched on the embassy, a couple of dozen royalists assembled, shouting: "Long live the king. We will protect him with our lives." REUTERS