Thai King Maha Vajirilongkorn has not named an heir apparent since ascending to the throne in 2016 and analysts say the surprise trip to the country by his estranged sons Vacharaesorn and Chakriwat Vivacharawongse is therefore especially significant.
When an estranged son of Thailand’s King Maha Vajirilongkorn turned up in the capital Bangkok earlier this month after a three decade-long absence, it caught many in the kingdom by surprise. Vacharaesorn Vivacharawongse, 42, is the King’s second oldest son but had been living and working in the United States with his mother and siblings ever since his family’s estrangement from the royal family following his parents’ divorce in 1996.
Vajiralongkorn had consolidated his power by expanding his own appointed military unit, the King’s Guard. And following a repeal of the Crown Property Act, billions of dollars’ worth of royal assets held by the Thai Crown were transferred to be directly under his name. Elections in May in saw progressive party Move Forward turn those protest demands into a successful political campaign that resonated with the Thai public, winning the party the most seats in parliament.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Thai ex-PM Thaksin to return from exile Tuesday, daughter saysThailand's self-exiled former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra plans to return to the country on Tuesday, his daughter said on Saturday, amid prolonged political uncertainty after a May national election.
Read more »
Former Thai PM Thaksin set to return amid key parliamentary vote: daughterThaksin Shinawatra was ousted in a 2006 military coup and faces multiple criminal charges, which he says are politically motivated.
Read more »
Taiwan VP in eye of the storm as China drills to protest US visitTaiwan's vice president and front-runner to be the island's next president, William Lai, is in the eye of the storm after China launched widely expected drills near Taiwan in an angry response to his brief visits to the United States this month.
Read more »
China begins drills around Taiwan after William Lai's visit to USChina's military says the drills are a 'serious warning' against Taiwan's independence separatist forces in response to William Lai's stopover by the US.
Read more »
Japan's Kishida to visit Fukushima plant before deciding date to start controversial water releaseJapanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida says he will visit the tsunami-wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant on Sunday before setting a release date for its treated radioactive wastewater, as his government continues working to promote understanding over the controversial plan at home and abroad.
Read more »
Japan's Kishida to visit Fukushima plant before deciding date to start controversial water releaseJapanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida says he will visit the tsunami-wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant on Sunday before setting a release date for its treated radioactive wastewater, as his government continues working to promote understanding over the controversial plan at home and abroad.
Read more »