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Maha Vajiralongkorn becomes the king of Thailand
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December 4, 2016
Original URL: https://en.wikinews.org/wiki/Maha_Vajiralongkorn_becomes_the_king_of_Thailand



On Thursday, Thailand Prince Mara Vajiralongkorn was crowned as king of
Thailand. Vajiralongkorn is the tenth king of the Chakri dynasty, to
also be known as King Rama X.

At a formal ceremony at Dusit Palace Vajiralongkorn, 64, accepted an
invitation from the National Legislative Assembly. He said "I would like
to accept [this] invitation for the benefit of the Thai people."

King Vajiralongkorn's father King Bhumibol died seven weeks ago at the
age of 88 after serving as the king for more than seven decades. Two
years ago, the military gained power in a coup. King Bhumibol acted as
the unifying figure of the Kingdom.

Following King Bhumibol's death, 96-year-old Prem Tinsulanonda served as
regent. Tinsulanonda was the head of the royal advisory council. King
Vajiralongkorn was not immediately crowned as the king after his
father's death saying he needed time to grieve.

King Vajiralongkorn has lived in Germany for many years. He is immune
from public criticism due to lese majeste legislation, which provides
for up to fifteen years in jail. Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha
announced the retrospective commencement of the new reign from October
13.

King Bhumibol is to be cremated around a year from his death.

== Sources ==
* http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/01/world/asia/thailand-king.html
* http://www.reuters.com/article/us-thailand-king-idUSKBN13Q4YS