Berlin warns Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn against governing from German soil

In recent development concerning Thailand, Angela Merkel’s government has warned Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn to refrain from governing the Asian nation from "German soil". 

While addressing the German parliament on October 10, foreign minister Heiko Maas was questioned about the Thai monarch. The German foreign minister, in his response, said that it has been made clear that Thai politics should not be conducted from German soil.

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Spends time in Bavaria

Vajiralongkorn, who has been in power since 2016, spends most of his time in Bavaria where he has also rented a hotel, as per The Telegraph reports. The 68-year-old monarch is also believed to have frequented between Thailand and Germany during the lockdown, drawing flak from Thai people. 

Over the past few months, thousands of people in Thailand have taken to the streets to protest against the monarchy. Protesters have been demanding curbs on the king's powers, removal of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha,  a new constitution and fresh elections. 

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At first, the European Union had severed relationships with Thailand at all levels following the 2014 coup. The sanction was lifted after Thailand held parliamentary elections and reinstated Prayuth as a civilian prime minister. However, Thailand is facing a fresh wave of protests again.

Highlighting the growing protests in the Asian nation, German lawmaker Frithjof Schmidt asked Maas whether Germany was ready to discuss freezing free trade talks with Thailand at the EU. Answering the question, Maas said that halting negotiations was certainly "an option" to exert pressure. 

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 Image: HeikoMaas/Twitter