Exclusive: Thailand 'making preparations'
for December 1 succession
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[October 31, 2016]
BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand is
making preparations for Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn to ascend the
throne on Dec. 1, two senior military sources with knowledge of the
matter said.
The death of King Bhumibol Adulyadej on Oct. 13 at the age of 88 has
plunged the Southeast Asian nation of 67 million people into a year of
mourning.
News of the December timeframe follows the prince's departure for
Germany at the weekend where he had personal business to attend to, one
senior military source told Reuters, adding that the prince would return
in November.
"We are making preparations. Everything is being prepared for Dec. 1,"
said another senior military source who declined to be identified. "But
this timeframe also depends on His Royal Highness."
Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha had said the prince's formal ascension
could be within seven to 15 days of the king's death, or later.
Speaking on behalf of the prince hours after King Bhumibol's death,
Prayuth said the prince wanted to grieve with the people and leave the
formal succession until later, when parliament will invite him to ascend
the throne.
His formal coronation, however, cannot take place until after the king's
cremation in a year's time.
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FACE OF ESTABLISHMENT
Prem Tinsulanonda, 96, who was head of the powerful Privy Council and is
known as the face of Thailand's traditional establishment, is acting as
regent until the new king is named.
Thailand's strict lese-majeste laws have left little room for public
discussion about the succession. The laws have also severely curbed
public discussion about the prince, who does not enjoy the same level of
public support as his father.
Thailand has weathered more than a decade of political upheaval that has
pitted the royalist-military establishment against populist political
forces.
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![](../images/103116pics/news_q32.jpg)
Thailand's Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn attends an event
commemorating the death of King Chulalongkorn, known as King Rama V,
as he joins people during the mourning of his father, the late King
Bhumibol Adulyadej, at the Royal Plaza in Bangkok, Thailand, October
23, 2016. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha
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The latest chapter was a May 2014 military coup which removed the
government of prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra and which the
military said it carried out to end Thailand's cycle of political
instability.
Kan Yuenyong, executive director of the Siam Intelligence Unit
think-tank, said he did not foresee any political violence over the
next year but added that political divisions would resurface if the
succession did not go smoothly.
"Political tensions might warm up again and struggles could follow,"
he said.
Thailand's baht has slid 0.9 percent throughout October amid concern
the king's death may increase political uncertainties and hurt
economic activity in the near term.
(Reporting by Amy Sawitta Lefevre; Editing by Bill Tarrant, Robert
Birsel)
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