Thai King flies from Germany To Thailand for supper
The King of Thailand King Maha Vajiralongkorn has caused outrage after he took a 9,000km flight to wait a dinner party last week. King Vajiralongkorn is currently weathering the coronavirus pandemic in Germany. However, his latest trip to Bangkok represents a violation of these quarantine rules. Not to mention the lack of environmental consciousness posed by the journey.
Hardly any would ever contemplate crossing continents to wait a social gathering. Yet, that’s precisely what the Thai King did the other day. According to reports, the country’s King escaped his quarantine to attend a lavish party held in celebration of Chakri Memorial Day on April 6.
It would appear that King Maha Vajiralongkorn’s social calendar stops for no pandemic. The King is currently quarantining outside of Thailand - not even in Asia. King Vajiralongkorn is keeping himself and 20 of his mistresses in a four-star hotel resort in the German Alps.
Due to this fact, his dinner service had not been only a short drive away, but many, many countries away. Thai Airways took the Thai King from Munich AIRPORT TERMINAL (MUC) to Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) in Bangkok on a flight greater than 8,500km.
However, no celebration dinner will be complete without you to definitely go with. Because of this, the King is reported to also have arranged a flight between Germany and Switzerland to get one of is own four wives. Queen Suthida, an ex-flight attendant, has been residing in Switzerland throughout the quarantine pandemic but was still invited to the Chakri Memorial Day dinner in Bangkok. The Thai Prime Minister and Head of the Military met the group on the arrival.
However, the King didn't stay in Thailand for long. Promptly as the dinner ended, he flew his entourage back again to Munich to continue his isolation.
In times like these, it’s understandable why there has been animosity towards the King’s movements. Despite Thai law prohibiting many speaking out against the King for concern with a three to a 15-year jail term, many have already been questioning his behaviour. It is clear that the King has flouted a number of the quarantine restrictions which should apply to everyone, irrespective of socio-political status.
However, an equally pressing issue may be the environmental detriment that such an extravagant flight poses.
There continues to be an environmental impact of operating empty flights.
Airlines operating near-empty flights have been this issue of some conversations recently amid the coronavirus pandemic. While CO2 emissions have dropped because of grounded aircraft, operating empty flights does not suddenly become an acceptable practice.
Flying a few passengers, if not for emergencies such as repatriation, still represents a wasteful use of resources. The knock-on effect is our environment must handle the results of surplus CO2 emissions. For example, the Boeing 777-300 that normally operates Thai Airways’ flights between Munich and Bangkok produces 4,693kg of CO2 emission one way. That puts a round trip at over 9,000kg of CO2 deposited in to the atmosphere.
Despite what may appear like apparent counterarguments for breaking COVID-19 quarantine, King Maha Vajiralongkorn seemed largely unphased by his action. Instead, at the party, he spoke about the value of the federal government solving the pandemic. In addition, he said details about the virus would have to be communicated more effectively.
