Princess running for high office in Thailand
Princess Ubolratana Rajakanya, who spent 26 years in the US and studied at MIT, is back home and eyeing a place in politics
Bangkok — She is one of the most high profile members of Thailand’s royal family. Now Princess Ubolratana Rajakanya — the sister of current monarch King Maha Vajiralongkorn and eldest child of former King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who died in 2016 — is stepping into the country’s political fray, announcing, on Friday, her candidacy for prime minister in the upcoming election. She has been named the candidate for a party linked to former premier Thaksin Shinawatra in a significant shake-up before the March 24 poll. Thaksin was ousted in a coup in 2006, and his sister Yingluck — also a former prime minister — was overthrown by the military in 2014. The princess’s social media profile shows she agreed with a Thaksin tweet that appeared to be a veiled criticism of the junta after Yingluck was forced to flee the country in 2017. When Thaksin’s youngest daughter Paetongtarn reposted his tweet on her Instagram page, Princess Ubolratana wrote: ‘I agree!!! Su Su’. (Su means “fight” in Thai).” Prin...
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