https://www.dw.com/en/thailands-king-can-be-expelled-if-he-rules-from-germany-parliament/a-55690987
Upon first glance, the King of Thailand, Maha Vajiralongkorn, is a deeply comical and absurd person. However, to many of the people of Thailand, the King’s escapades of excess and luxury in the Bavarian alps thousands of miles away from Thailand is far from a laughing matter. As the successor to his revered father, Bhumibol, who had the second longest monarchical reign in history from 1946 to his death in 2016, Vajiralongkorn has failed to garner anywhere near the same quasi-religious adoration of his father. As a result, pro-democratic protests have erupted across the country, calling for the destruction of the country’s monarchy and the building of a new democratic system in its place. Vajiralongkorn over the 4 years of his reign has reportedly viciously cracked down on many of his country’s biggest opposition leaders and voices, effectively causing many to inexplicably disappear from public sight. Yet, as he continues to live luxuriously in his mansion in the Bavarian Alps, along with his wives and countless mistresses, he is facing mounting opposition from various sides that will prove as immense challenges going forward.
In an interesting development, beyond the domestic opposition within Thailand, Vajiralongkorn has started to face pushback from some members of the German parliament asking for his immediate expulsion from the country. While German parliament has no power to prosecute the Thai King (who happens to be the richest monarch in the world), it does have the power to expel him from the country if he continues ruling his nation from the safe distance of the Bavarian Alps, ignoring the pro-democracy protests in his own nation. As of now, this has only been proposed by members of the German left-wing Party, but as time goes on, it will undoubtedly start to take greater shape.
From an outside perspective, this situation is very bizarre and troubling. On one level, the Thai King’s absurdly extravagant lifestyle is the stuff of tabloids and reality television; but on a more serious one, his excessive living and indifference to domestic affairs is causing immense turmoil within Thailand that seems to have only begun in its intensity.