https://www.scmp.com/rss/509169/feed From the kings of Cambodia and Thailand to the Japanese emperor and the sultans of Malaysia and Brunei, here is everything you need to know about Asia's monarchies. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com The Thai army said on Monday it will ban its 245,000 members from using one of Southeast Asia’s biggest e-commerce websites for official purposes after royalists said a promotional video appeared to mock the royal family. Thailand has strict lese-majesty laws and courts can hand down jail terms of up to 15 years for each offence of defaming, insulting or threatening King Maha Vajiralongkorn, the queen, heir or regent. Citizens loyal to the king complained that a video on Lazada’s Facebook page... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3177100/thai-army-boycotts-online-retailer-after-video-enrages?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3177100/thai-army-boycotts-online-retailer-after-video-enrages?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 May 2022 15:20:34 +0000 Although the K in K-pop stands for “Korean”, K-pop idols actually hail from all over the world. One such star is Thai-born idol Minnie, who rocked the recent hit song Tomboy as (G)I-dle’s main vocalist. From being besties with Blackpink’s Lisa to being multilingual and even having a royal link in Thailand, there’s lots to learn about this multifaceted star. She comes from an affluent background Nicha Yontararak – better known by her stage name Minnie – originally hails from Thailand, and as... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3175636/what-know-about-gi-dles-minnie-thai-born-k-pop-idol-best?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3175636/what-know-about-gi-dles-minnie-thai-born-k-pop-idol-best?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 28 Apr 2022 04:04:16 +0000 He was once the world’s richest person and currently has a net worth estimated at around US$28 billion. The Sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah, is also the country’s prime minister. The sultan has a degree from the Royal Military Academy in Sandhurst (the same one Princes William and Harry attended) and is known for his extravagant spending. From his love of gold (even his sinks are made of the stuff), to flying his barber from the UK to Brunei to make sure his locks are in order, the sultan... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3174250/how-sultan-brunei-hassanal-bolkiah-spends-his-billions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3174250/how-sultan-brunei-hassanal-bolkiah-spends-his-billions?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 16 Apr 2022 02:00:19 +0000 Following a quiet wedding ceremony in Tokyo on October 26, 2021, newlyweds Mako and Kei Komuro seem to have finally settled down in their New York home with new jobs, apparently happily enjoying their rather more low key lives as commoners. Before their big day, the two had faced much controversy due to Mako’s giving up her royal status for true love and the bad press faced by Kei. Still, their years-long romance endured and the two now look forward to better days. Reports have also revealed... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3174283/princess-makos-new-life-new-york-japans-former-royal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3174283/princess-makos-new-life-new-york-japans-former-royal?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 14 Apr 2022 22:00:23 +0000 Princess Aiko, the only child of Japanese Emperor Naruhito, said on Thursday that taking part in rituals as an adult member of the imperial family remained “rather tense” for her, and marriage is still far in the future. Japan’s imperial family became the centre of global attention last year when Aiko’s 30-year-old cousin Mako defied widespread opposition to marry her college sweetheart after being diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) due to the stresses of her tumultuous... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3170855/japanese-emperors-daughter-says-its-rather-tense-being-adult?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3170855/japanese-emperors-daughter-says-its-rather-tense-being-adult?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 17 Mar 2022 11:42:01 +0000 Is settling down and living in the United States a wise decision for royals seeking a “normal” life? Prince Dimitri of Yugoslavia thinks so. The European prince, who has lived in New York since 1984 and has a self-named jewellery brand based there, says that the city is the best place to live because it allows anonymity. The prince grew up in Paris but prefers the US to Europe. He feels America is a much more free society, and since Europe is an older world, everything is more complicated, he... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3168952/6-royals-who-moved-america-japans-princess-mako-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3168952/6-royals-who-moved-america-japans-princess-mako-and?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 02 Mar 2022 22:00:15 +0000 A new public opinion poll shows more than 70 per cent of Japanese people are open to legal changes that would permit a female member of the imperial family to sit on the nation’s Chrysanthemum Throne. Conducted by the Mainichi newspaper and the Social Survey Research Centre of Saitama University, the poll comes weeks after an advisory panel set up by the government to consider the future of the world’s longest-lived monarchy came up with two suggestions to solve the problem of a dire shortage of... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3168390/7-10-japanese-happy-empress-so-why-are-women-still-blocked?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3168390/7-10-japanese-happy-empress-so-why-are-women-still-blocked?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 25 Feb 2022 08:26:52 +0000 A Thai court on Thursday freed a prominent pro-democracy protest leader on bail after almost 200 days in detention. Student-led demonstrations in 2020, calling for Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha’s resignation and making unprecedented calls for reform to Thailand’s untouchable monarchy, drew tens of thousands at their peak. But the movement petered out as Covid-19 case numbers surged and the authorities detained most of the leaders. Thailand’s young protesters face wrath of the state with royal... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3168301/thai-pro-democracy-student-leader-parit-chiwarak-freed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3168301/thai-pro-democracy-student-leader-parit-chiwarak-freed?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 24 Feb 2022 15:16:24 +0000 Princess Akshita M Bhanj Deo says growing up royal in India among “dilapidated” palaces was similar to how Downton Abbey characters constantly try to ensure the survival of their family home. Akshita traces her royal lineage through the Bhanja dynasty and her grandmother, daughter of the late King Tribhuvan of Nepal. She returned to her home state of Orissa in 2016, after graduating from New York’s Bard College, and started working with her older sister Princess Mrinalika Bhanj Deo on converting... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3165725/growing-modern-indian-royal-downton-abbey-says-princess?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3165725/growing-modern-indian-royal-downton-abbey-says-princess?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 03 Feb 2022 11:56:42 +0000 Jenna Norodom, the little princess of the Kingdom of Cambodia, is known for not only her sweet and delicate looks, but also for her singing, dancing and acting talents. At just nine years old, she has already been in the entertainment industry for three years, building her career and fame both at home and abroad. She has become one of the most sought out young talents in the country and an inspiration for the younger generation. So, what else do we know about this pride of Cambodia? Her family... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3165390/who-cambodias-singing-princess-jenna-norodom-blackpink?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3165390/who-cambodias-singing-princess-jenna-norodom-blackpink?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 01 Feb 2022 00:00:26 +0000 Princess Fadzilah Lubabul Bolkiah of Brunei’s highly anticipated royal wedding kicked off on January 16 and wrapped up on the January 25. Unlike her siblings, Princess Fadzilah has lead rather a private life, which only served to make her nuptials all the more intriguing as her big day drew closer. And it’s not just Brunei royal family weddings we’re obsessed with. Here’s why we at STYLE can’t get enough of one of the world’s wealthiest families, as seen in our four biggest stories on them to... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3165133/princess-fadzilah-bruneis-10-day-royal-wedding?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3165133/princess-fadzilah-bruneis-10-day-royal-wedding?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 28 Jan 2022 22:00:20 +0000 The bride was radiant in red and the groom dashingly draped in gold jewellery in a wedding that lit up Brunei. Princess Fadzilah Lubabul Bolkiah, the daughter of Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah who is one of the world’s wealthiest people and royals, married Awang Abdullah Nabil Mahmoud Al-Hashimi in a ceremony of events spread out over days. Not much information about Princess Fadzilah’s new husband has been disclosed to the public, and the world has been on the alert since December 31 last year, when... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3164791/what-did-bruneis-princess-fadzilah-wear-her-wedding?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3164791/what-did-bruneis-princess-fadzilah-wear-her-wedding?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 26 Jan 2022 09:14:53 +0000 As Princess Fadzilah’s 10 day-long marriage rites continue, the world has their eyes set on Brunei’s royal brood. They are, after all, children of mega-rich Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, who has a reported net worth of US$28 billion. We’ve come to know of the sporty Princess Fadzilah’s netball playing skills and her “heart of gold”, now let’s take a closer look at her three siblings and the many interesting titbits about them. Inside Brunei’s lavish royal weddings, from Malik to Majeedah Prince... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3164554/meet-bruneis-crazy-rich-royal-siblings-princess-fadzilah?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3164554/meet-bruneis-crazy-rich-royal-siblings-princess-fadzilah?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 24 Jan 2022 22:00:20 +0000 Queen Elizabeth stripped her second son, Prince Andrew of his royal titles last week as a result of the ongoing sexual assault lawsuit against him brought by Virginia Roberts in New York State. This means Prince Andrew will no longer be known as His Royal Highness or have any royal military affiliations or charitable patronages. He will still be known as the Duke of York, a title gifted to him by his mother on his wedding day, and is still a prince of the United Kingdom. But he is hardly the... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3164240/14-royals-who-lost-or-declined-their-titles-prince-andrew?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3164240/14-royals-who-lost-or-declined-their-titles-prince-andrew?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 22 Jan 2022 22:00:19 +0000 Thousands of Balinese braved pandemic restrictions and flooded the streets of the resort island’s capital on Friday to send off the king in a lavish cremation ceremony. The extensive ritual for Anak Agung Ngurah Manik Parasara, who died in late December at the age of 76, started on January 2 and continued until the main event on Friday. Enthusiastic locals and tourists crowded the ceremony in Denpasar on the Hindu-majority island for the traditional royal cremation ceremony – or “pelebon” – held... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3164309/bali-bids-king-pemecutan-goodbye-grand-cremation-ceremony?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3164309/bali-bids-king-pemecutan-goodbye-grand-cremation-ceremony?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 21 Jan 2022 14:38:26 +0000 The much-awaited wedding of Princess Fadzilah, daughter of the Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, begun on January 16, and she has been showered with well wishes from across the globe. As per reports, a royal banquet commenced the 10-day long rites that end on the evening of January 24. View this post on Instagram A post shared by @bruneiroyals As the world awaits more news about the ceremony, we look back at the fancy details of the Brunei royal family’s most recent... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3164076/bruneis-lavish-royal-weddings-princess-fadzilah-gets?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3164076/bruneis-lavish-royal-weddings-princess-fadzilah-gets?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 20 Jan 2022 08:24:14 +0000 Norway’s Princess Ingrid Alexandra is turning 18 on January 21, and much like other young princesses around the world, her coming of age signals big changes in her role as a member of the royal family. Find out what Princess Ingrid has to look forward to and how the lives of other teen princesses changed when they reached adulthood. Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway While her father Crown Prince Haakon, the only son of King Harald V and Queen Sonja, is next in line to the throne over his... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3163958/how-do-royal-lives-change-age-18-norways-future-queen?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3163958/how-do-royal-lives-change-age-18-norways-future-queen?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 19 Jan 2022 19:00:21 +0000 Unlike her siblings (her late brother Prince Azim is a familiar name among Hollywood’s elite and her hunky heartthrob younger brother Prince Mateen is Instagram-famous for obvious reasons), Princess Fadzilah Lubabul Bolkiah – or, simply, Princess Fadzilah – is rather private and seems to keep to herself. Here’s what we know about the royal, who is the daughter of Brunei’s Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah from his second marriage, and who is getting married this month in a 10-day ceremony that kicked off... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3163783/meet-sporty-princess-fadzilah-brunei-or-fad-national?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3163783/meet-sporty-princess-fadzilah-brunei-or-fad-national?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 18 Jan 2022 05:19:08 +0000 The diagnosis of former princess Mako’s post-traumatic stress disorder before her controversial marriage in October has once again highlighted the intense pressure that women in the Japanese imperial family face, with some other members also plagued by mental health issues. The former princess, 30, who is a niece of Emperor Naruhito, came under massive public scrutiny after it became known that the family of her commoner husband Kei Komuro was involved in a financial dispute. Her aunt Empress... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3161829/makos-ptsd-former-empress-michikos-collapse-mental-health?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3161829/makos-ptsd-former-empress-michikos-collapse-mental-health?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 02 Jan 2022 02:14:15 +0000 Japan’s Emperor Naruhito offered prayers for those who died during the pandemic, taking to video for the second straight year for his New Year’s greeting on Saturday, having cancelled public palace gatherings to curb coronavirus infections. Sitting before a bonsai tree with his wife Masako, Naruhito praised and thanked doctors and other health care workers, and expressed concern for countries lacking access to vaccines and adequate hospital systems. “By treasuring more than ever the connections... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3161776/japans-emperor-naruhito-prays-pandemic-dead-new-year-message?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3161776/japans-emperor-naruhito-prays-pandemic-dead-new-year-message?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 01 Jan 2022 03:12:58 +0000 A destitute Indian woman who claims she is heir to the dynasty that built the Taj Mahal has demanded ownership of an imposing palace once home to the Mughal emperors. Sultana Begum lives in a cramped two-room hut nestled within a slum on the outskirts of Kolkata, surviving on a meagre pension. Among her modest possessions are records of her marriage to Mirza Mohammad Bedar Bakht, purported to be the great-grandson of India’s last Mughal ruler. His death in 1980 left her struggling to survive,... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3161492/slum-dwelling-heir-indias-mughal-dynasty-claims-ownership-new?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3161492/slum-dwelling-heir-indias-mughal-dynasty-claims-ownership-new?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 Dec 2021 04:34:13 +0000 An acrimonious legal battle between descendants of one of India’s richest royal families – the former ruling dynasty of the princely state of Jaipur – over assets worth millions of US dollars has finally reached an end, thanks to an out-of-court settlement. Shuttled from court to court for decades, the 900-year-old royal family’s arbitration at long last came to a close this week when a state-appointed mediator brokered a truce among its squabbling descendants. The combined wealth of the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3161000/devraj-singh-and-lalitya-kumari-ambalika-devi-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3161000/devraj-singh-and-lalitya-kumari-ambalika-devi-and?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 26 Dec 2021 04:00:23 +0000 Princess Aiko, daughter of Japan’s emperor has officially come of age after turning 20 on December 1. The only child of Emperor Naruhito and his wife Empress Masako, Aiko currently studies Japanese literature at Gakushuin University in Tokyo, according to Royal Central. Who are Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s closest celebrity friends? Aiko is coming of age at a tipping point for Japan’s Imperial Household According to Japanese online magazine Nippon.com, Aiko will hold a press conference in... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3158367/japans-princess-aiko-destined-same-fate-princess-mako?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3158367/japans-princess-aiko-destined-same-fate-princess-mako?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 06 Dec 2021 02:00:25 +0000 If you’re a royal watcher or celebrity hound fascinated with the lives of the rich and fabulous, social media is a great way to get glimpses into their daily lives. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex famously shut down their @sussexroyal Instagram account in March 2020 when they stepped back from royal life, opting to live a more private existence. But could they be missing out on another form of revenue by not being on social media? A recent survey by money.co.uk in collaboration with Influencer... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3158359/10-royals-highest-instagram-earning-potential-revealed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3158359/10-royals-highest-instagram-earning-potential-revealed?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 04 Dec 2021 22:00:32 +0000 Japan’s Princess Aiko celebrated her coming-of-age on Wednesday with a bland statement that observers say was deliberately calculated to avoid media hype following the departure of her cousin, the former princess Mako, from an imperial family that faces a looming succession crisis. The only daughter of Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako marked her 20th birthday – when Japanese citizens legally become adults – with a statement issued through the Imperial Household Agency alongside a profile of... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3158050/japans-princess-aiko-turns-20-what-her-boring-coming-age-reveals?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3158050/japans-princess-aiko-turns-20-what-her-boring-coming-age-reveals?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Dec 2021 10:53:39 +0000 As Japan’s ex-princess Mako shows us, mental illness can strike anyone, no matter how rich or famous. Mako married her commoner boyfriend Kei Komuro on October 26, not before the palace announced that she had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), hoping to halt the frenzied media coverage of the couple’s complex relationship. The media interest involved a long-running controversy over an outstanding 4 million yen (US$36,000) loan to Komuro’s mother from her former fiancé,... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3157721/what-ptsd-experts-symptoms-treatment-and-causes-japans-ex?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3157721/what-ptsd-experts-symptoms-treatment-and-causes-japans-ex?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 29 Nov 2021 08:15:12 +0000 A French national who is known for mocking the Thai government was denied re-entry to Thailand on Saturday for being “a danger to society,” his lawyer said. Yan Marchal, who has lived in Thailand for nearly 20 years, arrived in Thailand on Saturday morning, but immigration handed him a notice barring him entry citing behaviour that was a danger to society, Nadthasiri Bergman said. The notice did not give further details. A government spokesman did not respond to a Reuters request for... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/3157632/frenchman-known-mocking-thai-government-denied-entry-country?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/3157632/frenchman-known-mocking-thai-government-denied-entry-country?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 27 Nov 2021 17:16:54 +0000 https://www.scmp.com/news/article/3150878/woman-behind-squid-game-vivienne-tams-muse-and-more?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/article/3150878/woman-behind-squid-game-vivienne-tams-muse-and-more?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 01 Oct 2021 07:10:23 +0000 1. Does Malaysia have a king? Since independence, the country’s monarchs have mainly performed ceremonial functions, but King Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad has emerged as a major political force amid recent turmoil. Learn more 2. Who is the queen of Thailand? Thailand's King Maha Vajiralongkorn is married to Queen Suthida, but has a consort named Sineenat. Learn more 3. How do you marry a Malaysian prince? A long line of Malaysian royals have married non-Malays, sometimes controversially. Learn... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/3125161/15-things-you-may-not-know-about-asian-royalty?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/3125161/15-things-you-may-not-know-about-asian-royalty?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 26 Mar 2021 10:41:44 +0000 In countries with historic ties to Britain, allegations by Prince Harry and his wife Meghan that an unnamed member of the royal family had “concerns” over the colour of their unborn baby’s skin have raised a thorny question: do those nations really want to be so closely connected to Britain and its royal family any more? It was expected that the couple’s interview with American chat show host Oprah Winfrey would expose more rifts in the royal family. Now it seems to be risking divisions within... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3124864/harry-and-meghans-oprah-interview-and-racism-storm-commonwealth?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3124864/harry-and-meghans-oprah-interview-and-racism-storm-commonwealth?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Mar 2021 09:45:03 +0000 Social media users from across Asia have hit out at a former butler to the British royal family after he said on Twitter that people should not eat rice with their “hands or fingers”. Grant Harrold, a self-proclaimed “etiquette expert” who previously worked for Britain’s Prince Charles and his sons William and Harry, made the offending post on Saturday. It has since garnered more than 10,000 replies. “Ladies and gentlemen, remember we always use a knife and fork or chopsticks to eat rice,” he... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/3124790/prince-harrys-ex-butler-tells-world-eat-rice-knife-and-fork-or-chopsticks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/3124790/prince-harrys-ex-butler-tells-world-eat-rice-knife-and-fork-or-chopsticks?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Mar 2021 04:48:21 +0000 Hundreds of demonstrators gathered in the Thai capital on Saturday evening to demand that authorities release some protest leaders from jail, defying an order on late Friday banning public gatherings in the city. A youth-led protest movement sprang up last year calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, a former junta leader, and reform of the powerful monarchy. Thai courts have denied recent requests for bail for some of the jailed protest leaders. “Release our friends,”... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3124387/thailand-protesters-rally-demand-release-leaders-defying?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3124387/thailand-protesters-rally-demand-release-leaders-defying?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 06 Mar 2021 14:10:46 +0000 Thousands of pro-democracy demonstrators marched on the army barracks home of Thailand Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha on Sunday in a procession filled with the flags and signs of the #MilkTeaAlliance, the trans-Asia movement of youthful protesters fighting back against authoritarian leaders. The protesters – mostly Thais, with some from Myanmar – gathered at Victory Monument in Bangkok for the noisy rally, the first organised for months by the Thai protest group Free Youth, which has rebranded... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3123498/milkteaalliance-springs-life-thailand-pro-democracy-protesters?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3123498/milkteaalliance-springs-life-thailand-pro-democracy-protesters?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 28 Feb 2021 12:18:27 +0000 Thailand’s pro-democracy protesters took to the streets anew on Tuesday, massing around police headquarters in Bangkok after seizing on revelations of a pay-to-play promotion culture within the Thai police force to rev up their flagging movement. Evidence of the so-called “Tua Chang” (which translates to Elephant Ticket) list of police officers to be fast-tracked through the ranks through favours or connections – was produced in parliament last week by an opposition lawmaker who accused Prime... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3122842/thailand-protesters-swarm-streets-anew-police-and-elephant?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3122842/thailand-protesters-swarm-streets-anew-police-and-elephant?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 23 Feb 2021 14:30:09 +0000 A list of Thai police officers who allegedly vaulted up the ranks of seniority has gone viral after an opposition lawmaker revealed it during the four-day debate on a no-confidence motion against the army-aligned administration of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha. Move Forward Party’s Rangsiman Rome, who accused the administration of Prayuth and his deputy Prawit Wongsuwon of promoting a culture of patronage and cronyism inside the force, presented the so-called “Tua Chang” – or elephant ticket... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3122506/thailand-elephant-ticket-trends-twitter-amid-talk-police?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3122506/thailand-elephant-ticket-trends-twitter-amid-talk-police?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 20 Feb 2021 13:50:35 +0000 Rung, 23, is the bookish-looking student leader whose demands for royal reform roused a kingdom. Sainam, 16, has electric-blue hair and is in big trouble for wearing a crop top to mock a king. Both are facing the full weight of the law as members of Thailand’s younger generation who are calling to limit the power of the country’s generals and its monarchy. The crowds on Bangkok’s streets have ebbed amid a resurgence of Covid-19 and a loss of direction between the disparate protest groups whose... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3122051/thailands-protest-movement-ebbs-young-people-are-caught-teeth?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3122051/thailands-protest-movement-ebbs-young-people-are-caught-teeth?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Feb 2021 09:45:27 +0000 Thai pro-democracy protesters scaled a massive Bangkok monument on Saturday, draping it in a crimson cloth and calling for the kingdom to abolish its draconian royal defamation laws. Momentum for the youth-led movement calling for an overhaul to Premier Prayuth Chan-ocha’s government has slowed in recent months due to a fresh wave of coronavirus infections in Thailand. But the recent detention of four prominent leaders has spurred protesters into action, bringing hundreds back to the Democracy... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3121671/thai-protesters-scale-democracy-monument-calling-abolition?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3121671/thai-protesters-scale-democracy-monument-calling-abolition?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 13 Feb 2021 14:48:45 +0000 The absence of Thailand’s Queen Suthida from public engagements has roused some anxiety within the country, where the 42-year-old has her own supporters among diehard royalists. Information about the Thai monarchy is heavily sanitised by the country’s lèse-majesté law, which punishes criticism of the royal family with up to 15 years in prison. As a result, most Thais rely on the royal news broadcast, which runs on television every night, to keep up with the monarchy’s activities – but Suthida... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3120317/thailand-queen-suthidas-absence-raises-anxiety-among-royalists-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3120317/thailand-queen-suthidas-absence-raises-anxiety-among-royalists-and?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Feb 2021 03:30:13 +0000 A Buddhist monk known for his support for LGBT+ rights has sparked outrage among conservatives after he called for Thailand to decriminalise abortion. Phra Shine Waradhammo was among about 20 pro-choice activists who protested in front of the Thai parliament this week, calling for all penalties to be revoked for women who choose to terminate a pregnancy. “People were calling me ‘garbage’ and a ‘hungry ghost in a saffron robe’ on Facebook,” the 52-year-old monk said on Friday, referring to... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3119910/thai-monk-faces-online-backlash-conservatives-over?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3119910/thai-monk-faces-online-backlash-conservatives-over?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 30 Jan 2021 09:10:40 +0000 A day after a court in Thailand handed a record four-decade jail sentence to a former government official for insulting the monarchy, one of the kingdom’s ministries said it had filed a criminal complaint against banned opposition politician Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit under the royal defamation law. The ministry of digital economy and society’s move against Thanathorn, a charismatic billionaire popular with the country’s social-media-savvy youth, shows the extent of the government’s intention... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3118560/thailand-ramps-use-its-royal-defamation-law-will-protesters-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3118560/thailand-ramps-use-its-royal-defamation-law-will-protesters-and?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 21 Jan 2021 01:00:06 +0000 After political and economic instability saw unprecedented demands for reform of the Thai monarchy, King Maha Vajiralongkorn is seeking to burnish his image in what is shaping up as another year of tension in the country. Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha oversees an economy with tourism decimated by the coronavirus pandemic, factories shedding workers and exporters slammed. Farmers have struggled under the worst drought in four decades. Gross domestic product contracted an estimated 6.6 per cent... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3118468/thailands-king-works-bolster-his-image-protests-set?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3118468/thailands-king-works-bolster-his-image-protests-set?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 20 Jan 2021 06:25:30 +0000 A Thai woman accused of insulting the royal family was jailed Tuesday for more than 43 years, a legal rights group said, the harshest punishment ever handed out under the country’s strict lese majeste laws. The verdict comes as Thailand ramps up its use of the controversial legislation against democracy protesters, whose demands include reforms to the ultra-powerful monarchy. Ostensibly meant to shield the royal family from defamation, insults or threats, section 112 of the penal code is... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3118360/thailand-jails-woman-more-43-years-insulting-monarchy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3118360/thailand-jails-woman-more-43-years-insulting-monarchy?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 19 Jan 2021 10:54:08 +0000 Police in Thailand said on Monday that they were investigating a complaint by a political activist who claimed he had been abducted by a group of unknown men and then questioned inside a van for 12 hours before being dumped on the street. Mongkol Santimetakul, 25, a volunteer guard for the protest movement, said he was bundled into a van by the men, who placed a hood over his head and confiscated his phone at around 11pm on Saturday on a street near his home in a province south of Bangkok. He... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3118227/thailand-anti-government-protester-says-he-was-abducted?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3118227/thailand-anti-government-protester-says-he-was-abducted?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 18 Jan 2021 11:54:53 +0000 Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn does not need a visa to re-enter Germany, where the monarch has spent much of his time since taking the throne in 2016, the Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday. The king, 68, returned to Thailand in October amid mass student-led protests demanding curbs to new powers he has taken, plus the resignation of the ultra-royalist prime minister, who first seized power in a military coup. It is unclear whether the king plans to return to Bavaria – where he spent much... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3116708/thai-king-maha-vajiralongkorn-can-return-germany-without?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3116708/thai-king-maha-vajiralongkorn-can-return-germany-without?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 06 Jan 2021 23:00:19 +0000 The government led by the now-defunct Democratic Party of Japan unofficially proposed that then Emperor Akihito evacuate to Kyoto or somewhere further in the west from Tokyo immediately after the start of the Fukushima nuclear disaster in March 2011, a former administration official has said. However, the Imperial Household Agency flatly dismissed the idea, saying there was “no way” the emperor would do it at a time when people were not evacuating from Tokyo, leading to the government of Prime... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3116224/debate-over-emperor-akihitos-evacuation-kyoto-days-after?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3116224/debate-over-emperor-akihitos-evacuation-kyoto-days-after?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 02 Jan 2021 23:27:35 +0000 Outside a Bangkok police station, pro-democracy protest leader Attapon Buapat counts out on his fingers the charges against him. “Eight … no, maybe nine,” he said, listing the likes of sedition, unlawful assembly and the once-dreaded royal defamation law. If convicted, he faces long years in jail – just like many of the cast of young political newcomers who have been fast-tracked into erudite, fearless leaders of a reform movement that has changed Thailand. In the six months since small rallies... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3115717/thailand-protests-pro-democracy-movement-hits-pause?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3115717/thailand-protests-pro-democracy-movement-hits-pause?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 30 Dec 2020 00:00:12 +0000 Some of Thailand’s highest profile protest leaders dressed in crop tops and paraded at a central Bangkok shopping centre on Sunday in a jibe against King Maha Vajiralongkorn to demand the repeal of the law against insulting the monarchy. The crop top is a reference to pictures showing the king dressed in one which have appeared in European tabloids in recent years. Among at least 35 activists currently facing charges under the lèse-majesté law is 16-year-old Naphasin Trirayapiwat, who wore a... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3114713/thailand-protests-activists-stage-crop-top-protest-against?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3114713/thailand-protests-activists-stage-crop-top-protest-against?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 20 Dec 2020 13:22:28 +0000 Framed by a giant poster of himself, Wittaya Khunpleum, who belongs to one of Thailand’s most successful – and notorious – family political clans, takes the microphone and leads the crowd of mainly middle-aged supporters in chants of “We love Chonburi!” Much of Thailand is run by such clans, dubbed Baan Yai or “Big Houses” – dynasties enmeshed in local government, business and society who trade favours, award contracts, intimidate rivals and win elections. But by playing money politics, these... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3114653/thailand-pro-democrats-take-aim-big-house-political-dynasties?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3114653/thailand-pro-democrats-take-aim-big-house-political-dynasties?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 20 Dec 2020 02:00:09 +0000 Thai police are hunting for members of a flash-mob group who unfurled banners at a luxury Bangkok mall with strong establishment links, ripping into inequality, capitalism and the harsh royal defamation law being used to smother pro-democracy protests challenging the monarchy. Mass rallies that have targeted every aspect of the Thai establishment have, for now, dissolved into impromptu public shows of defiance, echoing their Hong Kong peers, whose creative social-media organised demonstrations... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3114581/thailand-police-hunt-hong-kong-style-pro-democracy-flash-mob?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3114581/thailand-police-hunt-hong-kong-style-pro-democracy-flash-mob?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 18 Dec 2020 13:43:10 +0000 Japan is considering stepping up discussions on ways to secure a stable imperial succession by establishing an advisory panel to solicit views from experts on the issue, government and ruling party sources said on Friday. The plan is part of the government’s efforts to address concerns that the imperial household could run out of heirs in the not-so-distant future, as conservative lawmakers and academics seek to maintain male-only succession rules while the public widely supports allowing women... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3113676/japan-considers-setting-panel-ways-secure-stable-imperial?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3113676/japan-considers-setting-panel-ways-secure-stable-imperial?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 11 Dec 2020 20:21:53 +0000