The Economist on the plane saga
The Economist has a useful story that summarizes the Boeing 737 saga in Germany as the Thai government frets over the plane it claims was once public property but now is the personal property of Prince Vajiralongkorn.
The impounded 737 (BBC photo)
A couple of quotes:
The plane is the plaything of Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, 59, a military-trained pilot who is fond of extended European jaunts. Its seizure, by a German liquidator trying to recoup €36m ($52m) from the Thai government, is rather inconvenient for his highness. Luckily, the prince had another Boeing 737 on standby in Thailand, which is now parked near the impounded jet on the tarmac in Munich.
The aircraft, built in 1990 and fitted with a roomy 36 seats, originally belonged to the Thai air force. However, Thailand argues that the plane was transferred in 2007 to Vajiralongkorn and is registered in his name, and that its seizure was therefore illegal, since it is private property. The outgoing foreign minister, Kasit Piromya, who dashed to Munich to contest the ruling, has warned that Thai feelings could be hurt, because the royal family is involved.
PPT suspects that there’s rather more mirth than Kasit allows for. Most of PPT’s contacts have had a good laugh over the stupidity displayed by the government and the inconvenience caused to those who prey on state funds for their fun.
Thai newspapers hailed the ruling as a victory and reported, wrongly, that the plane had been released. In fact the government has refused to cough up the bail money, and instead seems to be pinning its hopes on another court hearing next month.
Thai taxpayers might well wonder how exactly a jumbo jet purchased by the Thai air force ended up as Vajiralongkorn’s personal property. That question seems likely to go unanswered.
It isn’t a jumbo, but the question remains valid.
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