The elites’ fear is well-grounded: In the words of a cable sent by America’s ambassador to Thailand in 2005, Mr Thaksin “long ago invested in crown-prince futures”. A Singaporean diplomat judged that the telecoms-tycoon-turned-populist-politician had been “pursuing a relationship with the Crown Prince by paying off the Crown Prince's gambling debts”. And the Germans knew of a gift that Thaksin gave the crown prince in early 2001: a Maybach, a €500,000 luxury car, which was subsequently integrated into the royal fleet. - See more at: http://www.economist.com/blogs/banyan/2014/05/future-thailands-elite#sthash.SPjKAe0k.dpuf