Thai EC scratches off princess's name

Princess Ubolratana. Pic/AFP

Thai Princess Ubolratana was on Monday formally disqualified for running for prime minister, ending her brief and ill-fated political union with a party allied to the powerful Shinawatra clan.

A royal command from the King Maha Vajiralongkorn, her younger brother, put a pin in her unprecedented political aspirations, insisting the monarchy was above politics and describing his sister's candidacy as "highly inappropriate".

Thailand's monarchy is revered by Thais and protected by a draconian lese majeste law. The king's word is seen as final. On Monday, the Election Commission formally scratched her candidacy.

"The EC today has announced the name of candidates excluding Princess Ubolratana proposed by the Thai Raksa Chart party," it said in a statement, explaining "all royal family members are above politics."

Coup conjecture is 'fake news'
Thailand's junta chief Prayut Chan-O-Cha on Monday dismissed rumours of an impending coup as "fake news". The gruff former general, who masterminded a putsch against the government in 2014, tried to stop it short. "Rumours...? We're investigating. Fake news," he said.

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