Playboy Crown Prince
Three senior members of Thailand's powerful privy council, a group of advisers appointed by the king, make clear their preference for an alternative to Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, who is considered a political liability because of his extramarital affairs in several European countries.
The succession is of pressing concern as King Bhumibol Adulyadej, 83, is in poor health. Revered by most Thais, he is one of the few unifying figures in a country deeply divided between an urban elite and a rural poor.
The councillors' fear is that with the divisive figure of the crown prince as king, any future political turbulence could split Thailand in two. The military and the police rely on loyalty to the crown to maintain control and without it their authority would be greatly weakened.
This year Thailand experienced its worst political violence in decades. Ninety-one people died as protesters who support Thaksin Shinawatra, ousted as prime minister in a military coup in 2006, called for the dissolution of parliament and new elections. A state of emergency is still in force.
The cable, written by the US ambassador, Eric John, in January, reports on his conversations with General Prem Tinsulanonda, the head of the Privy Council and a former prime minister; Anand Panyarachun, another former prime minister; and Air Chief Marshal Siddhi Savetsila.
''All three had quite negative comments about Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn,'' the cable reads. ''While asserting that the crown prince will become king, both Siddhi and Anand implied the country would be better off if other arrangements could be made. Siddhi expressed preference for Princess Sirindhorn; Anand suggested only the king would be in a position to change succession and acknowledged a low likelihood of that happening.''
There are repeated references to the prince's affairs. When the US ambassador asked where the prince was, General Prem is quoted as saying: ''You know his social life, how he is,'' which Mr John says is a ''presumed reference to Vajiralongkorn's preference to spend time based out of Munich with his main mistress, rather than in Thailand with his wife and son''.
Apart from their concerns over the prince's behaviour, the privy councillors also express unease over his ties with Thaksin, who spends most of his time in Dubai in self-imposed exile. ''Prem acknowledged Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn probably maintained some sort of relationship with fugitive former PM Thaksin, 'seeing him from time to time'.''
General Prem, clearly no fan of either man, cautioned that Thaksin ran the risk of self-delusion if he thought the prince would act as his friend or supporter in the future merely because of Thaksin's monetary support: ''He does not enjoy that sort of relationship.''
Despite their reservations about the crown prince, Mr John's interlocutors seemed resigned to his becoming king.
''Anand said that he had always believed that the crown prince would succeed his father, according to law. However, there could be complicating factors - if Vajiralongkorn proved unable to stay out of politics, or avoid embarrassing financial transactions … The consensus view among many Thais was that the crown prince could not stop either, nor would he be able, at age 57, to rectify his behaviour,'' the cable reads.
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