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Second son of Thailand’s king makes surprise return after 27 years

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Second son of Thailand's king makes surprise return after 27 years

The second-eldest son of Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn visited a child-care centre for underprivileged families on Tuesday during a surprise visit to the kingdom, the first time he has been back in his homeland in 27 years.

The trip by Vacharaesorn Vivacharawongse, 42, comes at a fraught time for the Thai royal family, with the monarch’s eldest daughter in a coma since December.

Vacharaesorn, who works at a law firm in New York, visited the Foundation for Slum Child Care, which is supported by the royal family, and greeted well-wishers.

Clad in jeans and a casual black shirt, he posed for photographs in front of portraits of his father and his grandfather, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who died in 2016 after a 70-year reign.

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“I am delighted to return … I have been away for a long time, 27 years,” Vacharaesorn told reporters at the Bangkok foundation.

“It is like a dream come true to be back,” he said.

The Royal Palace has not commented on the visit. The Palace Household Bureau did not respond to requests for comment.

Many Thais have been surprised by Vacharaesorn’s return. A picture of him in a “tuk-tuk” auto-rickshaw in Bangkok, that he posted on Monday on his Facebook page, which has more than 80,000 followers, received tens of thousands of likes.

On X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, the hashtag #SonOfTenReturnToThailand was mentioned almost 390,000 times. His father’s formal title is King Rama X.

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Those who saw Vacharaesorn were impressed.

“I am very moved, he has been away for a long time. To me he is still a member of the royal family,” said Angsana Seeprasit, 66.

Vacharaesorn is the second of four sons of King Vajiralongkorn’s second wife, Sujarinee Vivacharawongse, a former actress whom the then-crown prince divorced in 1996.

He has no formal royal title though he technically retains a status bestowed when he was a child as a grandson of a monarch.

He, his mother, three brothers and one sister were estranged after the 1996 divorce, in which his mother was publicly accused of adultery, and they moved abroad.

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Vacharaesorn’s younger sister was later re-embraced by the royal family and given the royal title Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana. She is a fashion designer and equestrian who competed in the 2014 Asian Games for Thailand.

The thrice-divorced King Vajiralongkorn has seven children. He is married to Queen Suthida, his former chief bodyguard whom he wed days before his coronation in 2019.

The 71-year-old monarch has not named an official heir.

In late December, the king’s eldest child, Princess Bajrakitiyabha Narendira Debyavati, 44, collapsed due to a severe heart condition. She remains in a coma.

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India formulate security plan for World Cup 2023

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India formulate security plan for World Cup 2023

 India have chalked out a comprehensive plan for multi-layer security and management of traffic for the upcoming ICC Men’s World Cup 2023. 

A security official told Indian media that arrangements had been made for smooth influx of fans into the stadiums and maintain uninterrupted traffic flow on roads.

He said multi-layer security plan had been designed for the mega event, adding that a communication system would also be established for seamless coordination between security agencies and local cricket association. 

The security teams would ensure the safe movement of teams from hotel to stadium and back by creating secure pathways. 

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As several stadiums, including Pune, are situated at a considerable distance from the city, seamless arrangements have been made to handle the logistical challenge in an effective way.

Commissioner of Pimpri Chinchwad police Vinoy Kumar Choubey said told Indian media, “We will be putting in place a multi-layer security cover in and around the stadium. A detailed plan for the same is in the making.

“Each layer will have a specific purpose and a pre-decided number of personnel and officers will be tasked to secure each layer. A communication channel has been established between the MCA office bearers and our team.”

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South Korea opposition leader ends 24-day hunger strike

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South Korea opposition leader ends 24-day hunger strike

 South Korea’s opposition leader ended a 24-day hunger strike on Saturday, a party spokesperson said, two days after parliament voted to let prosecutors serve an arrest warrant against him for alleged bribery.

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, will maintain a schedule including court attendance while hospitalised for the time being, the spokesman told reporters.

Prosecutors this month sought the warrant in an investigation into bribery allegations concerning a development project. Prosecutors accuse Lee of asking a company to illegally transfer $8 million to North Korea when he was the governor of Gyeonggi Province.

He is also accused of breaching his duty over losses of 20 billion won ($15 million) by a municipal development corporation when he was mayor of Seongnam city.

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Lee, who lost South Korea’s presidential election to conservative Yoon Suk Yeol last year, has denied wrongdoing, calling the allegations “fiction” and a “political conspiracy”.

He began his protest on Aug. 31, citing the government’s economic mismanagement, threats to media freedom and the failure to oppose Japan’s release of wastewater from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant, among other reasons.

Thursday’s surprise vote by parliament, controlled by Lee’s party, has caused an uproar among his supporters.

Police on Saturday detained a man in his 40s who had posted the names of more than a dozen lawmakers outside Lee’s party faction, writing “gotta search for the sniper rifle at home”, said an official with the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police. Police will seek an arrest warrant against him for intimidation, the official said.

South Korea is to hold parliamentary elections in April.

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Landslide causes large chunk of Swedish motorway to collapse

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Landslide causes large chunk of Swedish motorway to collapse

 A large chunk of a motorway in southwest Sweden collapsed overnight, causing three people to be taken to hospital with light injuries, police said on Saturday.

The landslide damaged the motorway between Sweden’s second-biggest city Gothenburg and Norway’s capital Oslo, near the small town of Stenungsund, around 50 km north of Gothenburg on Sweden’s west coast.

“The landslide has affected an area of around 100 x 150 meters, around ten vehicles, a wooded area, and a business area with a gas station and a fast food restaurant,” the Gothenburg Rescue Services said.

“A number of people have been helped out of vehicles in the slide area with the help of fire personnel and a helicopter,” they said. Several cars and one truck had fallen into holes and cracks caused by the landslide, Swedish news agency TT reported.

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A rescue services spokesperson told public broadcaster SVT all people in the vehicles had been helped out. The rescue services said specially trained staff and search dogs would now search the area, and that further slides could not be ruled out.

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