(Photo : Photo by Jes Aznar/Getty Images)
BANGKOK, THAILAND - MAY 6 : Newly crowned King Maha Vajiralongkorn addresses the crowd as Queen Suthida standing beside him on a balcony at the Grand Palace on May 6, 2019 in Bangkok, Thailand. Thailand held its first coronation for the first time in nearly seven decades as King Maha Vajiralongkorn, also known as Rama X, was crowned on Saturday following an extended mourning period for King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who died in October 2016 at the age of 88. The elaborate three-day ceremony reportedly cost around $31 million as King Vajiralongkorn circled around parts of Bangkok on a royal palanquin after being presented with a gold 7.3-kilogram crown and a sacred nine-tiered umbrella.
Thailand King Maha Vajiralongkorn has called for "order and peace" in the country but remained silent regarding the recent anti-government student protests urging for reforms of the monarchy in power.
This was while he inducted a new cabinet of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha. The ceremony on Wednesday marked the King's first public engagement after the almost unprecedented calls in two student-led demonstrations for curbing the new powers he has acquired since succeeding the throne following his father's death in 2016.
The monarchy's role in a country was addressed wherein condemnation of the institution has been restricted by rigid lèse-majesté laws.
According to Panusaya Sithijirawattanakul, 21, at the protest, "In the past, there have been statements fooling us by saying that people born into the royal family are incarnations of gods and angels. With all due respect, please ask yourselves, are you sure that angels or gods have this kind of personality?" reported The New York Times.
The head of state gave his blessing to the newly-inducted cabinet members and wished them good health and knowledge to have the capability to perform their responsibilities in accordance with their oaths, reported Reuters.
Aside from order and peace, the King expressed an aim for the happiness of the public.
Meanwhile, Chan-ocha appealed for cooperation in a televised address to Thailand on Thursday in the midst of nearly daily student-led anti-government demonstrations since mid-July.
Protesters are calling for Prayuth's resignation. He was first granted power in a 2014 coup and an end to the politics' military domination.
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The Thai King did not publicly address the student-led protests. Some of them have contravene "lese majeste" laws on defying the monarchy that hold a maximum of 15-year prison sentence.
Wednesday's initiation of the new cabinet members follows the resignation on July of six ministers under the prime minister in the midst of ruling party internal dispute while the government is besieged by the rising protest movement.
According to Prime Minister Chan-ocha on Tuesday, thousands of student protesters went below the belt after some demonstrators issued a 10-point call for the revamp of the monarchy which is considered semi-divine in Thailand's reserved culture.
No protest leaders have been indicted under the lese majeste laws. However, two key leaders were arrested for sedition and violating coronavirus measures on large gatherings charges prior to being freed on bail.
According to Prayuth, he is calling to Thailand citizens to say no to the politics of hate and division and to the politics that prevails the illness of tribalism of contravening beliefs, old against young, or rich versus poor, reported Yahoo News.
He continued, "The future belongs to the young... let the young lead the way and provide the moral leadership to show us all how to take the hard path of collaboration with people who may disagree with us during times of national hardship."
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