A “prince” and his travails II

Following our most recent post on Vacharaesorn Vivacharawongse, it is worthwhile to also consider Bloomberg’s story and associated short video on the man who seems to want to be king from mid-December. As the story is paywalled, we reproduce it in full without the pictures.

It is important to read the story in the context of a restorationist effort by both “prince” and palace, reproducing myths about palace and “prince,” but still providing snippets of new information and perspective. We have added a few comments, highlights and some links:

Once-Exiled Son of Thai King Says Royals Must Allow Criticism

‘I believe in freedom of speech’: Vacharaesorn Vivacharawongse

Line of royal succession in Thailand remains unclear

By Philip Heijmans

17 December 2024 at 07:00 GMT+7

When he arrives at a school in northern Thailand, hundreds of villagers immediately spring to their feet, pressing their palms together in a traditional wai to show respect. A few even drop to their knees.

This is Vacharaesorn Vivacharawongse, suddenly one of the most intriguing men in Thailand. Once a struggling young person in America, selling hot dogs at sporting events and vacuums door-to-door to earn cash, he’s now being discussed as a possibility to become the most powerful person in Southeast Asia’s second-biggest economy – and one of the wealthiest in Asia. [PPT: it is sometimes said that Vajiralongkorn remained in contact with the exiled family]

The second son of King Maha Vajiralongkorn, 72, Vacharaesorn and his four siblings were exiled to the US when he was 16 years old. He returned to Thailand for the first time last year, sparking speculation among analysts that he was being road-tested as a potential successor to the throne after the king’s eldest daughter – another prospect – collapsed due to a heart condition in December 2022. The palace hasn’t given an update on her condition since about a month after the incident, when it said she remained unconscious. [PPT: actually maintained as the living dead by machines]

Speaking to Bloomberg in a rare interview, Vacharaesorn, 43, said his royal titles haven’t been reinstated, he hasn’t directly spoken to his father in years and he has no access to the monarch’s vast fortune estimated at more than $30 billion, including large landholdings in Bangkok and a stake in one of the nation’s biggest banks. To make a living, Vacharaesorn set up a company advising clients who want to invest in Thailand, and has been involved in projects such as helping to bring actor Mark Wahlberg’s tequila brand to Asia.

But Vacharaesorn did have government security agents accompanying him to the event in Chiang Mai to hand out scholarships and toys, and says his charitable work is inspired by his father and grandfather. Right now, he said, he isn’t focused on the possibility that one day he might follow in their footsteps and become king.

“I know people talk about it, but it’s not something that I’ve embraced, or that I’ve sought,” Vacharaesorn said at a hotel in the northern city. “I’m very happy in the position that I have now: A subject who happens to be the king’s son, who has responsibilities and duties that come from being his son.” [PPT: he’s been campaigning furiously]

“I’m keenly aware that His Majesty allows me to be in the country and to perform all the things I’ve been doing,” he added.

King Vajiralongkorn was officially designated heir apparent at age 20, when the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej gave him the title of crown prince in a 1972 Royal Gazette document. More than eight years after taking the throne, the monarch hasn’t yet named a successor among his seven children, only three of whom have royal titles.

Although Thai law excludes any royal descendants married to foreigners from the line of succession, Vacharaesorn confirmed he’s divorced from his American wife, with whom he has two daughters.

Thailand’s Bureau of the Royal Household didn’t respond to written questions.

Whether or not his royal titles are eventually restored, Vacharaesorn’s return already indicates a notable shift for an institution that remains Thailand’s most powerful body. Perceived opposition to the monarchy has been used for years by generals and political leaders to justify coups, send opponents to prison or exile, or even kill them — as happened during a massacre of student protesters at Bangkok’s Thammasat University in 1976.

Now Vacharaesorn is signaling that Thailand should see change on the biggest issue underpinning the monarchy’s power: The threat of lengthy jail sentences for anyone who criticizes it. Known as lese majeste, Article 112 of Thailand’s criminal code makes it a crime punishable with as many as 15 years in prison to defame, insult or threaten King Vajiralongkorn, the queen, heir apparent or regent. [PPT: this can be interpreted in several ways but remains a PR stunt]

In the interview, Vacharaesorn wouldn’t comment directly on whether or how to change Article 112, but he did say “there’s a place for every opinion.”

“If you don’t listen to logic or to understanding and arguments of another side, I don’t think you can really say you can reject that idea,” Vacharaesorn said when asked for his views on the law. “Anybody in a leadership role or who wants to participate in society in a meaningful way, you have to listen, you have to learn, you have to be open minded — open minded enough to accept what’s being said to you.”

Vacharaesorn spoke of student protesters who broke taboos in 2020 with unprecedented public protests calling for the monarchy to be more transparent, similar to the one in Britain. Their 10 demands included calls to allow criticism of the king, properly account for the crown’s finances, ban the sovereign from expressing political opinions and prohibit the monarchy from endorsing any coups.

In rare public comments around the time of the protests, King Vajiralongkorn called Thailand “the land of compromise” and said of the demonstrators: “We love them all the same.” [PPT: more palace buffalo manure. The regime has continued to arrest, charge, and jail the protest leaders]

“The young people’s bravery changed and led the way for expression in Thailand,” Vacharaesorn said. “I’m not going to say that they were respectful or they were lawful, or they were kind, or they were understanding. But they were brave. I will say that. And I believe in freedom of speech.”

Still, the lese majeste law remains untouchable in Thailand, contributing to political risks that have roiled markets. Thailand’s benchmark stock index has been nearly flat since a 2014 coup by royalist generals that spurred a long period of military-backed rule, one of the worst performances in the world in that time.

Move Forward, the political party that won the most seats in last year’s election after campaigning to change the law, was disbanded by the Constitutional Court in August for what judges said was an attempt to pit the monarchy against the people and make the royal institution a target of criticism.

According to Thai Lawyers for Human Rights, at least 276 people, including 20 under the age of 18, were charged with lese majeste between November 2020 and Nov. 25. Thaksin Shinawatra, the father of Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra who himself was ousted in a 2006 coup, was indicted in June under the lese majeste law for an interview he gave nearly a decade ago. He has denied wrongdoing.

Vacharaesorn said his views on the monarchy mean he’s being criticized daily on social media by both ultra-royalists and anti-monarchists alike. He said he has no political aspirations, calling politics in Thailand “very dirty and scary,” but instead is focused on getting Thais to think more critically in general.

“It’s always been the society of big guys to say something and you have to obey,” Vacharaesorn said. “You’re taught from a young age of school in Thailand to remember and regurgitate.”

“Nowadays with the internet, with social media, with the young people being able to learn and find information on anything so fast, of course people aren’t going to be the same way anymore,” he added. [PPT: in some ways, his comments are reminiscent of King Bhumibol in the late 1960s. That didn’t stop that king linking with the military in campaigns that prevented democratic government and left thousands of opponents dead]

From a young age, Vacharaesorn was ensconced in royal activity. He grew up as the grandson of the king, living in a palace with everything provided for at every turn.

Then his mother was exiled along with Vacharaesorn and his four siblings, first to the UK and then to the US, which granted him asylum and then more or less left them on their own. Suddenly they were living a working-class life, finding summer jobs, taking out student loans and driving themselves around town.

Prince, and kids in earlier times

“I remember how flabbergasted we were to learn what insurance was,” Vacharaesorn said. “That’s how sheltered our lives were. You buy a car, you needed insurance — just so many new things to learn and to discover in a hurry.”

After working menial jobs when he was younger, Vacharaesorn eventually went to law school and became a lawyer. He said he wanted to return to Thailand over the years, but wasn’t sure if he would be allowed back.

Following some inquiries, he heard from “somebody who is inside the palace” that it was alright to return. He ascribed the confusion to a “misunderstanding” of his preferences after the family moved abroad.

“I received information that it would be okay for me to come home, and I did — much to everyone’s surprise,” Vacharaesorn said, without elaborating.

Upon his return, Vacharaesorn said he was “astounded” by the wealth gap between “fantabulously wealthy people” and “very, very, very, extremely poor people.”

“This lack of a middle class, lack of a professional class, I think is something that — if it were up to me — would be my main goal to tackle,” he said.

One solution, he added, is to have more education and “less nepotism.” [PPT: quite a claim from one who wants to be king and travels Thailand with the palace’s stupendous wealth supporting him]

“If you’re somebody’s son, somebody’s nephew, or somebody’s friend, you get the position,” Vacharaesorn said. “And I’m not saying that’s only in Thailand — the US, of course, if you’re a friend, your resume is often at the top of the stack. But I think in Thailand it’s more than that. It’s really hard to be a self-made person in Thailand.”

As to whether he can actually spur change in Thailand, Vacharaesorn is both optimistic and realistic. The sensibilities of Thais are “evolving daily,” he said, but he’s also aware that it will take respect, humility and time.

“You don’t smash something with a hammer and expect everybody to be happy about it,” Vacharaesorn said. “You do things in a soft manner. You do things in a respectful manner. And then let history — and the tides of where the world is going — take you.”