Thailand protests: pressure mounts on German government over king’s residence

Name: Thai protesters rally at German embassy, calling for Berlin to investigate Thai king
Uploaded: 2020-10-28T10:30:19.000Z
Duration: 2 min 27 s
Description: Thai protesters rally at German embassy, calling for Berlin to investigate Thai king

King Maha Vajiralongkorn’s residence in Bavaria has come under the spotlight amid growing protests against the Thai government and royalty

Berlin says it is investigating but legal experts say it would be hard to prove that the monarch is violating any laws by issuing orders for Thailand from Germany

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Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn and Thai Queen Suthida greet supporters outside the Grand Palace in Bangkok. Photo: EPA

Erik Kirschbaum

Published: 6:30pm, 28 Oct 2020Updated: 9:28pm, 25 Nov 2020

As Thailand’s pro-democracy demonstrations present an unprecedented challenge to the power of the monarchy, King Maha Vajiralongkorn’s long-term residence in the German state of Bavaria is becoming a headache for the government.

Demonstrators this week appealed to Berlin for support, stirring debate about whether the Thai king conducting affairs of state while in Germany would constitute a violation of his visa and therefore grounds for expulsion.

They asked if the king, who first arrived in Germany in 2007 while still the crown prince and ascended the throne after the death in 2016 of his father, Bhumibol Adulyadej, would need to pay inheritance tax given his long stay in Germany. They also called for an investigation into the monarch’s human rights record.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas this week reiterated that he was looking into the matter and warned of “immediate consequences” if the monarch was engaging in activities found to be against the law, but legal experts said there were limits to what the government could actually do.

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Thai protesters rally at German embassy, calling for Berlin to investigate Thai king

Stefan Talmon, the director of Public International Law at the University of Bonn, said: “It would be very hard to prove that he is violating any laws. He would be able to conduct affairs of state in Thailand from Germany without violating German territorial sovereignty.”