His Royal Highness Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn has expressed concern over Thai people's feelings in the wake of the seizure of his private Boeing 737 by the German authorities and asked the Thai government not to pay a deposit demanded in order to retrieve the aircraft, AttorneyGeneral Julasing Wasantasing said yesterday.
He assured that documents sent to German authorities would prove the prince's private ownership of the aircraft - a key legal condition that would make the seizure of the Boeing 737400 at Munich Airport illegitimate.
"His Royal Highness has acknowledged Thai people's feelings towards the issue, and would like Thai people to understand that he has not committed any violations relating to navigational or bilateral regulations [involving his regular flights between Thailand and Germany]," he said.
The documents contained a list of explanations about insignia and other marks on the aircraft that signified the prince's private ownership of it, although the Boeing 737400 was purchased by the Royal Thai Air Force. Registration details in international records also show the prince owns the aircraft privately, he added.
Julasing said His Royal Highness had even suggested that Thailand should not make the ค20 million deposit demanded by the German authorities in exchange for the revocation of its seizure of the aircraft.
"But the Thai government will, if necessary, pay the money to secure immediate retrieval of the aircraft," he added.
Thai authorities and the Foreign Ministry have so far concluded that no money should be paid to the German authorities but a court session and subsequent trials will soon work through the dispute.
The first court session should take place by late next month. Countersuits against Walter Bau, which forced the seizure through a German court order, and its representative Werner Schneider, are being contemplated by the Office of the AttorneyGeneral.
