Kaiserly Exile

Bundled off from Bangkok into exile last week was His Royal Highness Prince Paribatra, half-brother of King Prajad-hipok and Regent of Siam while His Majesty was in the U. S. having a cataract extracted from his left eye (TIME, April 27-Oct. 26, 1931).

Siamese understood why the King's half-brother was exiled, though there was no official explanation. In the first place His Royal Highness was brought up partly at the German Court of Kaiser Wilhelm II. Prussian military drill built him up robustly to more than average Siamese size. His neck is thick, hair clipped in bristling Prussian pompadour, manner stern. As Minister of Interior, bristling Prince Paribatra fairly hounded his lazy Siamese underlings, forced upon them alien efficiency.

Naturally the dictatorial Prince is the very man to head a counterrevolution against the recent coup d'etat by Siamese army officers who deprived King Prajad-hipok of absolute power, made him a constitutional monarch (TIME, July 4). Last week His Majesty "graciously assented" to the exile of Prince Paribatra & family who will sojourn in Europe, perhaps calling on Wilhelm II at Doom to chat over old times.

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