Thailand’s unpredictable king Maha Vajiralongkorn, who is suffering massive protests in Bankok, is now accused of breaking his sister’s ankles.
The shocking allegation was reported by Andrew MacGregor Marshall, the former head of the Reuters office in Bangkok, in his subscription-only newsletter, Secret Siam.
Marshall, who is free to quote his Thai sources without fear of the country’s brutal censorship laws since he left Asia, reports that the king assaulted her after being overthrown by his dogs. Insiders claimed that he either jumped on her legs or hit her with a stick.
The attack was reportedly triggered by her confronting him with his plans to turn his official consort into a second queen, alongside his current wife, Queen Suthida.
The Thai nobility has recently been rumored that King Maha X will elevate his official consort, Sineenat “Koi” Wongvajirapakdi, to full queen status.
The proposed plan apparently turned out badly on his sister, Princess Sirindhorn, who went to her brother about two weeks ago to try to change his mind.
This seems to have been a bad idea; the palace recently announced that Sirindhorn had injured both ankles in a fall and was taken to hospital, but, says MacGregor Marshall, referring to ‘well-placed sources’ in ‘informed palace networks’, that this is less than half the some story.
In fact, he claims, “ a furious argument broke out during the meeting ” and “ she was overthrown by one of Vajiralongkorn’s dogs, and while lying on the ground, he stomped on her ankles or hit them with a stick. , making them both. “
MacGregor Marshall says Sirindhorn had surgery on both ankles at Chulalongkorn Hospital and is unlikely to walk again for several months.
An announcement about Koi’s promotion to the second queen of Thailand would be on Tuesday, her birthday. In what may be a precursor to an official announcement later, the pair made a public appearance in matching blue coats as they released fish and birds in a Buddhist ceremony at Bangkok’s Wasukri pier. Contrary to a report in the German newspaper image, no official announcement of its upliftment has yet been made.
If Koi is indeed promoted to queen, it would mean a remarkable comeback for the 35-year-old former nurse.
Koi was only released in August last year after spending ten months in a correctional facility. She was accused of falling out with the queen but was subsequently declared ‘undefiled’ and given her role as the official consort of 68-year-old King Maha Vajiralongkorn.
Just as rumors of her release were circulating, more than a thousand photos of her, including alleged nudes, were sent on SD cards to MacGregor Marshall and Pavin Chachavalpongpun, a Thai academic and outspoken critic of the monarchy.
The king did not marry his current and fourth wife, Suthida, until May 2019, a few days before his coronation. He divorced his third wife in 2014. The relationship became famous through a leaked video showing her birthday cake to his poodle, Fufu, wearing only a thong and courtiers crawling on the floor in front of her and the king.
Fufu starred in a rather embarrassing incident: Cables, written by Eric John when he was the US ambassador to Bangkok and published by Wikileaks, describes the king’s strange obsession with the dog. According to diplomatic reports, he was fond of Fufu and was given the title of Air Chief Marshal. He is said to have taken the dog to an official dinner “dressed in formal evening attire complete with paw mitts,” where he drank from the guests’ water glasses.
Thailand is facing a deep recession caused by COVID-19 and the collapse of the crucial tourist trade.
Opponents of the ultra-wealthy royal family have been emboldened in recent months as rallies of student protesters against the establishment saw their numbers increase.
Protesters have recently begun to protest wearing crop tops that expose their midriff to mock the King, who has been photographed in similar clothing at airports and German shopping malls.
The protests have been sparked by reports of the king’s enormous wealth, estimated by that of London Financial times between $ 30 billion and $ 40 billion, after state funds were effectively placed under his direct control by the leaders of a successful coup in 2014.
He is believed to be the richest king in the world.
As The Daily Beast recently reported, Vajiralongkorn is also said to have built an extraordinary fleet of 38 jets and helicopters for the exclusive use of the Thai royal family.
He has lived in Germany for much of the past few years, most recently at the Grand Hotel Sonnenbichl in Garmish-Partenkirchen, where his retinue of 20 concubines who have all been given the same honorific have also damaged his national and international reputation.
Email addresses on Thai government websites were not working, and emails from The Daily Beast asking for comment were returned. However, the Thai royals generally do not comment on press inquiries, in part because criticizing the royal family in the media is a criminal offense under strict conditions. lese majesty provisions of Thai law.
According to a count by Prachatai news agency, at least 55 people are now facing the last count lese majesty cost.