[Teralogos News] Thai Monarch Urges Calm

[dlpulver@sjgames.com]

Thai Monarch Urges Calm

BANGKOK, Thailand/Teralogos	June 9, 2101 
  
In a prepared statement webcast last night, King Rama XV asked his people to "exercise restraint" following a week of violent anti-nanosocialist demonstrations.  
  
The king's statement appeared to moderate the ongoing rioting in Bangkok and other cities, which started on June 2 outside the Indonesian embassy, but soon spread throughout the Kingdom. Hundreds of homes and workplaces owned by suspected nanosocialist sympathizers have been destroyed by monarchist radicals. The death toll stands at 32, with over 600 reported injured.  
  
The violence flared up after a blunt statement from the Indonesian government on June 1 denied all knowledge of the whereabouts of the missing Thai royal regalia. The regalia, including the Great Crown of Victory, the Sword of Victory, the Royal Staff, the Royal Fan, and the Royal Slippers, disappeared in the closing stages of the Pacific War in 2085. Thai monarchists have long accused ministers of the former nanosocialist government fled the country to Indonesia, taking the regalia with them. For years, Thai diplomats and agents of the royal family have used all available channels to seek the return of the regalia, but Indonesia and other members of the Transpacific Socialist Alliance have been uncooperative.  
  
The missing regalia have become symbolic of the trials Thailand has endured during the former nanosocialist dictatorship and the Pacific War. Much of the king's ceremonial role has been curtailed by the absence of the regalia, which also traditionally play a vital role in the coronation of any new monarch. Although King Rama XV is an Alpha genetic upgrade and is expected to enjoy several more decades in good health, the question of ensuring a legitimate succession remains a serious concern. Without the regalia, many monarchists believe that no legitimate successor to Rama XV can be crowned.  
  
- filed by Jon F. Zeigler