Comments

  1. Alex says:

    Dear mr.or mrs. Thai royalist, aka “Mike Johnson”, please sign with your real thai name so as for us to understand better your grotesque defending of this derelict figure, thank you.

  2. Chris Beale says:

    I totally agree with Herb B and Bernd Weber – the CP has set a new fashion standard. I once chanced upon David Beckham somewhat similarly attired, in Ratchaprasong’s Gaysorn fashion mall. The women went wild. This could be as big as the Beatles !!

  3. […] 1: The pictures of the prince are parts of two posts at New Mandala, one by Paul Handley and the other by Christine Gray. Both worth reading in the context of the Bild stories. The comments are interesting on the Handley […]

  4. […] 1: The pictures of the prince are parts of two posts at New Mandala, one by Paul Handley and the other by Christine Gray. Both worth reading in the context of the Bild stories. The comments are interesting on the Handley […]

  5. Herb B says:

    Quite right bernt. Just because a man has reached a certain age it doesn’t mean he can’t keep up to fashion. I remember when his father appeared in a pink suit we couldn’t wait to be seen in our new pinks.
    I expect something similar now it won’t be long before we see ‘good people’ everywhere in the new fashion.
    I’m 10 years older than the prince and tried out the new fashion at the meeting market this morning and received many admiring glances.

  6. Des Matthews says:

    as an observer of the royal butt in the kingdom of the fit and the fat, this is much more Srirasmi than Suthida

  7. TomV says:

    What a train wreck of an article. Any attempt to draw parallels between Thailand and another country — especially one as jarringly different as the US — is almost always ridiculous, but this article takes the cake for sheer lunacy.

    Take the premise stated in the very first sentence: ‘Both Donald Trump and Thailand’s Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn share something in common — the use of their “families-of-the-moment” for political gain.’ The hyphenated term in quotes brings to mind disposable towel, to be used and discarded. But does it make any sense?

    According to the author, the prince’s “family-of-the-moment” includes the only child from his first marriage, a child from his second marriage, but not the one from his third and most recent marriage. It’s as though the disposable towel were being drawn from inside out… or something. It’s impossible to find an analogy for this false narrative.

    Trump’s case is even worse, since, unlike the prince, he has no estranged children and apparently not even estranged ex-wives (both have good things to say about him now). So the “family-of-the-moment” that was out in full force for him at the RNC was all of his three children from his first marriage, the only child from his second marriage, but not the child from his current marriage (who made just a brief appearance as behooved a 10-year-old, the author’s insinuation notwithstanding). Indeed, even his mother, Melania, had played a minor role the campaign until the convention. It would be truer to say Trump has been using all of his family for this campaign *except* his newest one.

    The article then intoned darkly of those supposedly *not* included the prince’s “family-of-the-moment,” namely Princess Sirindhorn and the prince’s ex-wife. But why is it curious that a sister is not taking part in a brother’s undertaking? Do you know what Mark Zuckerberg’s sister is doing? Last I heard, she’s working for Google. Of course, it would noteworthy if, as rumors have it, the prince and the princess didn’t get along and were vying for the throne. Still, that would be a simple case of human nature and sibling rivalry, not evidence of familial machiavellianism alleged in that first sentence. All this applies even more so to the ex-wife. Besides, an alternative explanation cannot be ruled out. Being out-of-shape and not young anymore, perhaps the two women just don’t feel like participating? I’m a lot fitter and younger and even I wouldn’t be biking around in Thailand’s climate.

    There’s simply no parallel here for Donald Trump. By all accounts, he loves his siblings, and in fact still speaks movingly of his late brother. They don’t appear on the campaign trail, as siblings of a presidential candidate normally don’t (unless they’re in politics themselves like RFK). Trump, especially, has a sister who’s a federal judge, for whom it would be inappropriate to play any role.

    With the premise shot, what is left? The two men cannot me more different in substance and style. Trump is a workaholic who doesn’t drink alcohol or even coffee. The prince, well, you know the prince. And can you imagine Trump in that outfit? It would surprise me if he owned even one pair of jeans, never mind that tank top.

    If you really want a Thai analogue to Trump, then there’s a much more obvious candidate: Thaksin Shinwatra. Billionaire, populist, business-minded, loathed by the political establishment, derided by the media foreign and domestic, and likened to Berlusconi. The comparison is not perfect, obviously. Thaksin has never been a playboy, and Trump’s kids are far more competent. As I said from the beginning, this kind of analogy is a fool’s errand. That said, at least the Trump-Thaksin comparison wouldn’t be laughable on its face, as this article is.

  8. Marie Farbar says:

    Both President Obama and the King of Thailand are leaders of their own countries and should be considered equals. Only someone in a lower position like a Secretary of State would “Wai” (greeting to a superior). Place hands palms together in a prayerlike position and bow.

  9. falang says:

    good news , stay safe Andrew

    you must know you’re dealing with an unstable foe ….

  10. falang says:

    pics are real , tatts aren’t .

  11. Politics - maniac says:

    You can not stop the party boy going to a party…it’s pretty much too late to change a 63 years old man so let the party boy enjoys the parties…the sister, the beloved daughter of daddy, and his guards will do the management job behind!

    Recently the sister just moved in (not sure if she is really live in) to a new house in the remote upcountry like Udonthani…I think this is a part of political strategies…she will be the most important key to maintain the power in Thai society after the king dies! They know most of Thai people still revere the king now and in the future and plus her picture of down to Earth (looks like ..like upcountry fellows) will save the monarchy.

  12. bernd weber says:

    nobody buys a house for approximately 12 million € and renovated it for more millions to then not to live in it – so also no thai crown prince..- it seems that he will not change his style of life……….

  13. Politics - maniac says:

    This hot royal tattoos issue raised lots of interesting arguments and opinions..from my point of view I think he the prince is just like many Thai wealthy kids (even he is 63 years old) who have gotten spoiled from all the privileges – life is so easy…don’t have to work..it must be boring for them if they do nothing.. the only thing they would do is entertain themselves with all such exciting and new things, especially outside the Thai spotlight and rules! Who care what he wears or even being naked…but what raises the problem here is…. the stupid Thai authority threatening people with the article 112 …he should know if he doesn’t want people talk and gossip about..then don’t do it like a pop star! For his future position..I don’t think he cares much about his monarch reputation…it seems like he will be just a puppet as the head of state of a group of military and some of his father’s councilors….I am afraid he will still remain his life style all his life…doing serious tasks (like his father sweating profusely) are not a spoiled kid style!

  14. bernd weber says:
  15. Andrew MacGregor Marshall says:

    They are holding Fee Fee, not Foo Foo.

    And yes, this is a serious comment.

  16. Christine says:

    Occam’s Razor — except tatto always mean something personal

  17. bernd weber says:

    perhaps everyone should just accept that his real life takes place in Germany and not in Thailand …..
    … and this since many, many years.
    … and it´s not the life most thai´s want to see…..but it´s his life…

  18. bernd weber says:

    q:Andrew MacGregor Marshall

    EXCLUSIVE — A new photograph of Thailand’s crown prince Vajiralongkorn, heavily tattooed and wearing a crop-top. This was taken in a Munich mall last week.

    Note that the tattoos are not the same as in the photographs taken at Munich airport — the arm tattoo is shorter than at the airport, and he has a tattooed belly in this photo, which he did not have at the airport. So the only plausible conclusion is that these are not permanent tattoos, they are fake tattoos, probably transfers.

    This still leaves open the question of why Vajiralongkorn is wandering around Munich in a skimpy crop-top sporting fake full-body tattoos. Maybe he is just enjoying himself. Having fun is not a crime.
    https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10154159623061154&set=a.419593026153.213934.627196153&type=3&theater

  19. MKR says:

    Get over yourself. Click on the links to the Bild articles, translate them, look at the other pictures there and give it a rest Ellery Queen.

    FYI, attempting to drag out the one time this guy managed to behave as anything other than a buffoon in public and portray that as the new normal is not helping your dubious argument.

  20. Fred says:

    A new photo from another location has just been published by AMM. So the tats are real, if possibly temporary.
    The phrase “farang kii nok” somehow has less meaning now.