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Protesters in front of the German embassy in Bangkok: The king has his second home in Bavaria
Photo: Gemunu Amarasinghe / AP
The demonstrators in front of the German embassy in Bangkok had prepared well.
They wore plastic helmets, held up signs that read "We need your help" in German, had written a statement and included an open letter.
They waited in front of the well-secured building until the evening hours.
They had come to ask Germany for assistance in reforming the Thai monarchy.
It is no coincidence that they turn to Berlin for this: King Maha Vajiralongkorn has his second home in Bavaria, and this year he is said to have spent most of the time there.
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Thai demonstrators want "real democracy" and hope for support from Germany
Photo: JORGE SILVA / REUTERS
The protesters are concerned with the question of whether the king used his power from Germany and interfered in Thai politics - and whether he may have violated applicable law in the process.
Germany should indeed still be concerned with this question: The King of Thailand in Bavaria has become a political issue.
Era of change
The 68-year-old Thai king is known for his dissolute life - and his connection to southern Germany.
Here he and his harem are said to live primarily in the luxury hotel Sonnenbichl in Garmisch-Partenkirchen - pretty much untouched by the events at home.
He also owns a villa in Tutzing on Lake Starnberg.
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King Vajiralongkorn and Queen Suthida greet supporters in Bangkok in October
Photo: NARONG SANGNAK / EPA-EFE / Shutterstock
In the statement that protesters read "in the name of the people" in front of the German embassy in Bangkok, they accused the king of interfering in Thai politics - Thailand is a constitutional monarchy.
Because it was not possible to get the "royal puppet" to listen - this means Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha - one now comes to the "owner of the puppet" - the king.
The long-term goal is for Vajiralongkorn to return to Thailand and abide by the rules of the constitutional monarchy there.
The era of change is here.
The "flow of democracy" could not be stopped: "Down with feudalism. Long live the people."
Four demands on Germany
The open letter shows how Berlin could help from the demonstrators' point of view.
Germany should:
disclose when the monarch entered and left the country in order to be able to determine whether he actually conducted state business from Germany,
check whether Vajiralongkorn paid his full inheritance tax in Germany (he is said to have inherited 10 billion euros after the death of his father when he was already living in Germany),
investigate whether the allegations that the king is involved in human rights abuses and kidnapping of political dissidents and court officials are true and legal,
verify that reports of the king's lifestyle and harem in Germany were true while Thais suffered the economic fallout from the pandemic.
The letter is signed with best regards, "from fellow men, not from dust" - also a reference to the king.
An online petition with 210,000 signatories, which is no longer accessible in Thailand, calls on Germany to declare King Vajiralongkorn a persona non grata.
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Anti-government protests in Bangkok
Photo: JACK TAYLOR / AFP
The German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas assured the protesters on Monday that the "goings-on" of the Thai king were "permanently" in view.
"And if there are things there that we consider to be illegal, then there will be immediate consequences."
However, he did not say what consequences that could be.
Maas had already made it clear in the Bundestag at the beginning of October that he would not tolerate the king ruling his country from Germany.
Three fingers for the royals
Most Thai media are careful not to report that Vajiralongkorn lives mostly in Germany.
The fear of the draconian punishments for lese majesty in Thailand is too great.
But this border is also crumbling.
What is happening socially and politically in Thailand recently was unthinkable.
To understand the recent escalation of the protests in Bangkok, it is worth taking a look at mid-October.
In response to the flare-up protests, the government led by former military general Prayut Chan-o-cha declared a state of emergency.
For a short time, gatherings of more than four people were prohibited.
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Premier Prayut Chan-o-cha with royalists in Bangkok
Photo: JACK TAYLOR / AFP
The prime minister justified this with the threat to the monarchy: the day before, a royal convoy got into a protest march - demonstrators showed the passing royals three fingers in the air, a gesture of resistance taken from the film series "Hunger Games".
Three activists were then charged with "violence against the Queen".
If convicted, they face life imprisonment.
"Please step back and everything will turn out fine"
Prayut's radical strategy backfired: the protests only got bigger.
As a result, the prime minister deviated from his harsh line and offered the protest movement a dialogue.
He ignored the demands for his resignation, and the monarchy should be left out of the discussions, if he wanted.
The extraordinary parliamentary debate, which is now due to discuss Thailand's crisis, will take place earlier this week.
Will the protests then subside?
Most certainly not.
Oppositionists accuse Prayut of using the monarchy to stay in power.
"The prime minister is a significant obstacle and burden for the country," said Sompong Amornvivat, leader of the opposition Pheu Thai party, yesterday.
"Please step back and everything will turn out fine."
The king himself has not yet commented on the resistance in Thailand.
Vajiralongkorn took a position indirectly by praising a royalist who held up a portrait of his father during an anti-government protest.
His words "Well done! So brave! Thank you!"
reappeared on a protest sign in front of the German embassy.
They were written in German.
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With material from agencies