Thailand’s King Wears Out his Welcome

Vajiralongkorn’s unpopularity presents a dilemma for the army

The tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters taking to the streets in Bangkok, which have turned on the monarchy in dramatic fashion, are there in large measure because King Maha Vajiralongkorn has lost what the Chinese call the mandate of heaven. And now the Thai military, one of the most corrupt and incompetent in Asia, which has bet everything o…