By Joshua Kurlantzick
Part two of a series, looking at the implications of the struggle to control the royal succession in Thailand.
As I noted last week, Thailand has been consumed by recent news that Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn appears to be on the verge of divorcing his third wife, Srirasmi, and erasing all remnants of her and her family from his life and from the royal palace. Of course, no Thai media are openly reporting this news, since saying almost anything at all about the crown prince or any other leading member of the royal family (or even about royal events that allegedly took place hundreds of years ago) can get one slapped with harsh lèse-majesté charges. Still, the Thai media have reported on the decisions taken by the crown prince, while delicately dancing around the implications of these decisions or how they affect the royal succession and Thai politics in general.
In addition, Thais have been talking in private, and even quietly on social media, about the arrests of many of Princess Srirasmi’s family members, who were high-ranking police officers, and of the crown prince’s recent decision to revoke the royal name given to all the of princess’s family members. The crown prince allegedly has a fourth wife waiting in Germany and has had a son with her. That son, rather than his son with Princess Srirasmi, would then be put in line to be Vajiralongkorn’s heir.
This is not the first time the crown prince has gotten rid of a wife, and disowned her whole family to boot, but this time the crown prince’s actions are far more consequential. The crown prince could inherit the throne at any time, given the state of King Bhumibhol’s health. With King Bhumibhol not well enough even to appear at his own 87th birthday celebration last Friday, the crown prince appears to be taking these actions in order to bolster his reputation among Thailand’s royalist elites and the Thai military before a royal succession takes place. The crown prince essentially seems to be sending a message that he will distance himself from his third wife’s allegedly corrupt relatives in the police, and will settle down with his fourth wife and raise his heir.
Read the full story at The Diplomat