BANGKOK — New legislation passed Sunday by the junta’s rubber stamp parliament appointed His Majesty the King as the sole authority over royal assets.
Under the bill, the power to appoint a board of directors to manage the crown property rests solely with King Vajiralongkorn, and not a government official as delineated in previous laws. It was the latest move by the military government to cement King Vajiralongkorn’s control over palace affairs.
There is no defined qualification for the board membership and the king can appoint or remove any member at his discretion.
The law also prohibits any effort to take away any part of the royal assets without the king’s approval.
It’s the first amendment to laws that govern the crown property since 1948. Under the previous law, the board of directors for the crown assets answered to the finance minister.
King Vajiralongkorn inherited the royal holdings from his father, King Bhumibol, who died in October at 88.
In May, the interim parliament passed a law that transferred five state agencies that manage palace security and other matters to the King’s oversight.
Note: The content of this article has been been self-censored due to sensitivity of the issue.
