Updated: Another day in Bangkok

As we write, another special and taxpayer-funded Thai Airways flight is approaching Bangkok, bringing King Vajiralongkorn and Queen Suthida from Zurich. This is the king’s third short visit to Thailand since the virus crisis began.

Vajiralongkorn took one of his taxpayer-funded 737s from Munich to Zurich and he and the queen boarded TG971, which departed for Bangkok just before 6pm.

He’s apparently returning for Mahidol Day, usually “celebrated” at Siriraj Hospital (last year), and is meant to reinforce the hugely inflated claim that the king’s grandfather made “contributions to the development of medical education in Thailand and his selfless devotion to the well-being of Thai people.”

Of course, following the weekend’s rally and protesters rallying at parliament today, it is an interesting time to be in Bangkok. Yet the king seems unconcerned; he’s flying back to Zurich later in the day.

At his Facebook page, Andrew MacGregor Marshall, states that Vajiralongkorn is scheduled to “return again around October 9 and stay for several weeks.”

Update:  TG970 departed Bangkok at about 3am om 25 September, bound for Zurich. Hooray for the Thai taxpayer!