Thailand monarchy

Thai King Cleans House Over 'Extremely Evil' Acts

The royal drama continues

(Newser) - Days after demoting Thailand's first royal consort in nearly a century, King Maha Vajiralongkorn is cleaning house. Four royal guards have been fired in addition to the six palace officials let go in the aftermath of Sineenat Wongvajirapakdi 's dismissal. Two male guards who monitored palace bedrooms were... More »

Thai King Makes Rare Move With Consort

Sineenatra Wongvajirabhakdi is the first to be named royal consort in almost a century

(Newser) - Thailand's royal palace has released photos of King Maha Vajiralongkorn and his recently anointed royal consort, reports the AP , though the official website hosting the images became inaccessible within a few hours. The photos released Monday show the 67-year-old monarch and Sineenatra Wongvajirabhakdi in formal regalia as well as... More »

Princess Photographs, Doesn't Use Her $40K Bathroom

It was built for Maha Chakri Sirindhorn's visit to a Cambodian province

(Newser) - Most rural residents of Cambodia's Ratanakkiri province have no access to a toilet. So when Thailand's Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn chose to visit Yeak Lom Lake, officials were told to make her as comfortable as possible. Over 19 days, a Thai construction company built an 86-square-foot bathroom specifically... More »

Thai Woman Gets 7 Years for Facebook Post

She said a coup was coming: lawyer

(Newser) - Thailand's controversial laws banning insults toward the monarchy have claimed another victim: A single mom, identified only as Chayapha, has been sentenced to seven years in prison "for posting on Facebook that a counter-coup against the junta was imminent," her lawyer tells the Bangkok Post . He adds... More »

Man Faces 32 Years for Liking Facebook Photo

Shared post was insulting to Thai king, say authorities

(Newser) - A simple thumbs up could send a Thai man to prison for the next 32 years. Thai police arrested 27-year-old factory worker Thanakorn Siripaiboon near Bangkok on Tuesday after he liked a doctored image of 88-year-old King Bhumibol Adulyadej showing the leader in a negative light, reports the Bangkok Post... More »

Thailand Bans 'Subversive' Film Adaptation of Macbeth

Thai censors sensitive to depictions of monarchy

(Newser) - Thailand's film censors have banned an adaptation of Shakespeare's Macbeth, saying it could inflame political passions in the country where it is taboo to criticize the monarchy. The Thai-language film Shakespeare Must Die is about a theater group in a fictional country resembling Thailand that is staging a... More »