When the Thai army decided last November to use a plot of land it owns near the royal resort town of Hua Hin, to construct a park containing 14 metre-high bronze statues of seven past kings, it must have seemed an ideal way for the military to demonstrate its abiding loyalty to the monarchy.
A year later, Rajabhakti Park has become a millstone around the neck of the military government, and a symbol of how their efforts to promote the monarchy - at an awkward moment as Thailand faces its first royal succession in nearly 70 years - can go wrong.
The project has been tarnished by allegations of corruption - a scourge General Prayuth promised to tackle when he seized power last year.
Other government-backed ventures intended to showcase support for the monarchy have been similarly tainted. Not just by allegations of mismanaged funds, but also by the mysterious deaths in custody, or disappearances, of people who had been close to Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn.
The monarchy is an acutely sensitive topic in Thailand, made all the more delicate by the severity of the lese majeste law which inhibits any public debate about the institution.
The officially-sanctioned view of the monarchy is that it is loved and respected by all Thais, who support the law.
In fact, there are Thais who take a different view, but who do not dare to express it publicly.
Jonathan Head reports from Bangkok.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-35069188
When the Thai army decided last November to use a plot of land it owns near the royal resort town of Hua Hin, to construct a park containing 14 metre-high bronze statues of seven past kings, it must have seemed an ideal way for the military to demonstrate its abiding loyalty to the monarchy.A year later, Rajabhakti Park has become a millstone around the neck of the military government, and a symbol of how their efforts to promote the monarchy - at an awkward moment as Thailand faces its first royal succession in nearly 70 years - can go wrong.The project has been tarnished by allegations of corruption - a scourge General Prayuth promised to tackle when he seized power last year.Other government-backed ventures intended to showcase support for the monarchy have been similarly tainted. Not just by allegations of mismanaged funds, but also by the mysterious deaths in custody, or disappearances, of people who had been close to Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn.The monarchy is an acutely sensitive topic in Thailand, made all the more delicate by the severity of the lese majeste law which inhibits any public debate about the institution.The officially-sanctioned view of the monarchy is that it is loved and respected by all Thais, who support the law.In fact, there are Thais who take a different view, but who do not dare to express it publicly.Jonathan Head reports from Bangkok.http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-35069188
การแปล กรุณารอสักครู่..
