Another royal decree, on April 4th, spelled out greatly expanded powers for Prince Vajiralongkorn’s own special army: the Royal Guard 904 Corps, or Ratchawallop, an infantry regiment under the prince’s command since 1978. The corps will now protect anyone the prince chooses and engage in any mission he feels necessary to protect national security. Commanding your own army carries risks. King Vajiravudh (Rama VI) formed the Wild Tiger Corps on his accession to the throne in 1910. Two years later resentful army officers attempted a coup.
The prince’s troops are better paid than regular soldiers. Increasingly, they are recruited in Thailand’s rural north and north-east—heartland of the Shinawatra clan. That may be no coincidence. To rule, the crown prince may feel he needs to tap into Mr Thaksin’s popular legitimacy. Likewise, to become prime minister again Mr Thaksin may need the crown prince. He is thought in the past to have paid off the prince’s gambling debts.