For the second time in less than a month, a royalist group gathered outside an office building owned by the family of Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit to dismiss him from the country.
The party, called the People ‘s Centre Defending the Organisation, relocated from the Southern People’s Association to the Thai Sumit Building on New Phetchaburi Road in Bangkok. Led by Jakkapong Klinkaew, the group joined a number of people in front of the building who had been waiting to join them.
According to a statement read by Mr. Jakkapong there, though born in Thailand and of Thai nationality, Mr. Thanathorn has family members who have fled overseas struggles to seek safety from Thai kings and Thailand. They built their fortunes here, making them one of the top billionaires in the world.
Mr. Thanathorn is not, however, thankful for the grace of His Majesty. He specifically declared in the latest move that he supported the reform of the monarchy at the ’44 years of Oct 6′ seminar at Chulalongkorn University.
This was the first time that he had abandoned all pretence and freely admitted it. He said the institution was an obstacle to democratization in order to turn Thailand into a democracy he is looking for in the Western style. Although Thai society did not deter him, Mr. Jakkapong added, the majority of people disagreed, signaling an imminent massive catastrophe. He added that Mr Thanathorn and his network are also inciting hatred for fundamental cultural values, as if nothing is good in this country.
For these reasons, Mr. Jakkapong went on to join forces with his party to expel this man from the land.He also said his party would pay respects to the King at Sanam Luang and would not confront the student protesters who were organizing a rally on the same day there.
HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn is also going to go simultaneously to Wat Makut Kasatriyaram and Wat Ratchapradit Sathitmahasimarama. On the other hand, Mr. Thanathorn wasn’t in the building. As his Revolutionary Movement was planning for local electoral campaigns, he was reportedly in Udon Thani province.
The same party, though with a different name, held a rally at the Thai Summit building three weeks ago in protest against Mr. Thanathorn, who they claimed was behind student rallies in recent months seeking to reform the monarchy.
