Thailand’s princess Ubolratana attends wedding of Thaksin Shinawatra’s daughter in Hong Kong

Thailand’s Princess Ubolratana Rajakanya was present at the wedding of the controversial former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s youngest daughter in Hong Kong on Friday. The princess, whose bid to run as a prime ministerial candidate for the powerful Shinawatra bloc was vetoed by her brother the king last month, was greeted by Thaksin and his family members as she entered the wedding venue. Earlier this week, the princess spoke at a film festival in Hong Kong. The private wedding banquet of Paetongtarn “Ing” Shinawatra and professional pilot Pidok Sooksawas is being closely watched as it is being held just two days before Sunday’s general election, Thailand’s first since a coup in 2014. The 67-year-old princess, King Maha Vajiralongkorn’s elder sister, has long been known for her sympathies towards the ruralist Shinawatra political bloc, as opposed to the royalist-military establishment. The wedding in Hong Kong’s ultra-luxurious Rosewood Hong Kong hotel in the city’s Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront district showcased the Shinawatras’ status as among Thailand’s most prominent plutocrats. Thailand’s king declares sister’s prime ministerial bid ‘inappropriate’ and unconstitutional Security at the hotel – which opened its doors just last week – was exceptionally tight, ahead of the wedding ceremony that began at 6pm local time. The grand ballroom, where the banquet was held, was decked out with flowers, with translucent and gold streamers draped from the ceiling. A photo of the bride and groom extended across one wall and hotel staff were stationed throughout the building to ensure only invited guests entered the venue. Allies of the Shinawatras contesting Sunday’s election reportedly had made the trip to Hong Kong to attend the wedding before heading home for the polls. Top leaders of the bloc such as Sudarat Keyuraphan of the Pheu Thai Party however stayed at home to spearhead the final 24 hours of campaigning. Thaksin, whose sister Yingluck was also in attendance, was at the entrance of the hotel greeting guests, with his daughter Pintongta “Aim” Shinawatra and her husband Nattapong Kunakornwong. Photos on social media showed guests included George Yeo, chairman of the Kerry Logistics Network and a former foreign minister of Singapore; American academic and writer Tom Plate; and Jaesen Ng, who owns a hawker stall in Singapore called Thaksin Beef Noodle. In his speech during the banquet, Thaksin, on self-exile to escape criminal charges he says are trumped up by the military government, thanked guests for attending the ceremony even though it was so close to the polling date. “Thank you for coming for such a quick trip before going home to exercise your rights,” said Thaksin, prime minister from 2001 to 2006. Speeches by him as well as the bride and groom were live streamed by the Thai news portal Khaosod English. Thailand’s election explained: a battle royale for junta’s Prayuth Chan-ocha and the Shinawatras Thaksin said of his three children, he was the “closest” to Ing. “By the time she was five-years-old I was starting to do well, so I had more time to spend with her,” said the 69-year-old, who was a top police officer who later became a telecom tycoon. “The wedding was scheduled for March 23 but the rooms were booked so we moved up. If we hold the wedding after March 24, the rooms here will be insufficient because we will certainly win the election,” Thaksin added. Pidok, the groom, acknowledged the wedding was being held in Hong Kong because of Thaksin. Unable to re-enter his home country, Thaksin shuttles between major cities including Dubai, Beijing, Hong Kong, London and Singapore. Addressing Thaksin, Pidok said: “I lost my father when I was young. You will be my role model in creating a family,” he said. Ing meanwhile she was “inspired by the strong family built by my parents”. “My father said no matter what we face, we must always have a positive attitude to push on,” she said. The presence of Ubolratana, who was dressed in a knee-length dusky pink lace dress with a sheer top, affirms her close ties with the Shinawatras. Her abortive prime ministerial bid earlier this year kicked off a political fire storm, as the party behind the move was dissolved for breaching election rules barring the inclusion of royals in campaigning. Former princess Ubolratana Mahidol, Thaksin and Yingluck Shinawatra on Friday arrive at Rosewood Hong Kong Hotel to attend the wedding of Thaksin's daughter Paetongtarn "Ung-Ing" Shinawatra and Pidok Sooksawas. pic.twitter.com/vPnsX2bCkR — Khaosod English (@KhaosodEnglish) March 22, 2019 Her brother vetoed her candidacy on the grounds that it breached the norms of constitutional monarchy. Ubolratana argued that since she had given up most of her royal titles in the 1970s upon marrying a foreigner, she should be considered a commoner who is eligible to participate in politics. Sunday’s poll is the first since junta chief Prayuth Chan-ocha seized power from a Shinawatra-led government in 2014. Additional reporting by Jitsiree Thongnoi

Thailand’s princess Ubolratana attends wedding of Thaksin Shinawatra’s daughter in Hong Kong

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;} The princess, whose bid to run as a prime ministerial candidate was vetoed by her brother the king last month, was greeted by the Shinawatra family as she entered the Rosewood Hotel

The princess, whose bid to run as a prime ministerial candidate was vetoed by her brother the king last month, was greeted by the Shinawatra family as she entered the Rosewood Hotel