Thai king locks self in isolation with 20 women

By , K24 Digital
On Tue, 31 Mar, 2020 18:19 | 2 mins read
The retinue of King Maha Vajiralongkorn, 67, comprised a “harem” of 20 concubines and numerous servants. [PHOTO | COURTESY]
The retinue of King Maha Vajiralongkorn, 67, comprised a “harem” of 20 concubines and numerous servants. [PHOTO | COURTESY]
The retinue of King Maha Vajiralongkorn, 67, comprised a “harem” of 20 concubines and numerous servants. [PHOTO | COURTESY]

While Thailand has recorded 1,651 coronavirus cases, with 127 registered on Tuesday alone (March 31), and ten deaths arising from the disease, the country’s leader, King Maha Vajiralongkorn, alias Rama X, is said to be locked up in a hotel building, which is at least 8, 672 kilometers, from home with 20 women inside.

The controversial Thai supremo has been self-isolating in a grand hotel in the Alpine resort town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen with his entourage, The Independent reports.

The king and his entourage are said to have booked out the entire Grand Hotel Sonnenbichl after the four-star hotel received “special permission” from the district council to accommodate his party.

The retinue of King Maha Vajiralongkorn, 67, comprised a “harem” of 20 concubines and numerous servants.

German outlet, Bild, says it is unclear if the king’s four wives are living in the hotel with the rest of the group.

Guesthouses and hotels in the region were ordered to close due to the coronavirus pandemic, but a spokesperson for the local district council told Bild that the Grand Hotel Sonnenbichl was an exception because “the guests are a single, homogenous group of people with no fluctuation”.

However, 119 members of the entourage had been reportedly sent back to Thailand on suspicions they contracted COVID-19, reports The Independent.

Thai citizens are said to have been angered by news of their leader’s “isolation” in a luxurious hotel located thousands of kilometers away.

Tens of thousands of Thai people, risked breaking the country’s lèse-majesté laws by criticising the king online, said The Independent.

Under the laws, anyone who insults or criticises the monarchy could be imprisoned for up to 15 years.

But a Thai hashtag which translated to “Why do we need a king?” appeared 1.2 million times on Twitter within 24 hours after an activist claimed Vijaralongkorn was travelling on holiday in Germany while coronavirus continued to spiral in Thailand.

Activist Somsak Jeamteerasakul, who lives in exile in France, posted a series of Facebook posts that claimed Vajiralongkorn was flying from Switzerland to various points in Germany from early March out of “boredom”.

Jeamteerasakul is a known-critic of Thailand’s monarchy and lèse-majesté laws, and said in one post: “[Vajiralongkorn will] let the Thai people worry about the virus. Even Germany is worried about the virus [but] it’s none of his business.”

According to The Times, King Maha Vajiralongkorn has not made a public appearance in his home country since February, 2020.

His reign in Thailand began in 2016 after the death of his father, Bhumibol.

Although there is no way to gauge his popularity among Thais because of severe lèse-majesté laws, it is believed he is not as well-loved as his father, who ruled for over 70 years.  

Thailand reported 127 new coronavirus cases and one death on Tuesday, March 31, a health official said.

On Monday the country reported 136 new infections and two deaths. Sixty one (61) provinces have reported virus cases in Thailand, reports The Bangkok Post.

Rumours of a Covid-19 outbreak sparked a riot and jailbreak at the Buri Ram provincial prison on Monday, but all 11 escaped inmates have been recaptured.

Among those infected in Thailand are 27 Bangkok police officers and at least 19 medical personnel.