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THAILAND-POLITICS-ROYALS
Thai king sacks six palace officials for ‘evil actions’
BANGKOK, Oct 23, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – Thailand’s king has fired six senior
palace officials for their “evil actions”, the palace announced Wednesday,
days after the monarch stripped his consort of all her titles for
“disloyalty”.
In a week of palace intrigue which has gripped the Thai public, King Maha
Vajiralongkorn has stripped his consort, 34-year-old former royal bodyguard
Sineenat Wongvajirapakdi, of her noble title and military ranks.
Her public fall from grace comes just three months after he bestowed on
her the title, the first in nearly a century by a Thai monarch.
Nicknamed “Koi”, Sineenat was condemned Monday in a royal command aired on
national television for “acting against the appointment of the queen”.
On Wednesday six high-ranking palace officials were fired, including “a
nurse at the bedroom guard service” and a veterinarian, according to two
separate announcements released by palace mouthpiece the Royal Gazette.
“They have severely breached disciplinary conduct for their evil actions
by exploiting their official positions for their own or other people’s gain,”
said the gazette.
Thailand’s royal family is protected by a draconian defamation law that
makes scrutiny of it, or debate over its role, almost impossible inside the
kingdom.
The public is often able to glean clues to the inner workings of the
palace through its use of symbolic imagery and the fates of royal aides.
Sineenat, who has not been seen in public since Monday, has been trending
on Thai social media with the hashtag #SaveKoi.
Vajiralongkorn ascended the throne in 2016 following the death of his
beloved father, who was regarded by Thais as a figure of moral authority.
BSS/AFP/BZC/2016HRS