Senior palace official dismissed for wrongful conduct

Former grand chamberlain Distorn Vajarodaya has been dismissed from his current post at the Royal Household Bureau for immoral behaviour. (File photo by Apichit Jinakul)

The Royal Household Bureau has dismissed a senior official, former grand chamberlain Distorn Vajarodaya, for disciplinary violations and "severely immoral acts".

Mr Distorn was removed from the position of grand chamberlain and appointed Special Grade attached to the Royal Household Bureau on Nov 15 last year. The appointment was published in the Royal Gazette on Jan 22 this year.

In an order this week dated Nov 6 and signed by Lord Chamberlain Chirayu Isarankura Na Ayudhya, the Royal Household Bureau said Mr Distorn, also chairman of the Rajaprajanugroh Foundation under royal patronage, committed four serious wrondoings that cost him his job, which was serving the royal family.

As the chairman of the foundation, which was established to help afflicted people, Mr Distorn abused his power by instructing a foundation official to issue a document certifying the donation of 25 million baht by a person, even though the donation did not occur.

Ms Distorn later used the certificate to ask for a royal decoration for that person.

He was also found taking soil leftover from the construction of the new parliament for sale to a land developer and for use as fill at his own place, even though the Lower House gave the soil to the foundation for its own use.

The former grand chamberlain also used a royal car that was involved in an accident. He then made a "false claim of the monarch's signature" to import a car without paying tax in order to replace the damaged vehicle.

All was done without royal permission, the announcement said.

The Royal Household Bureau also discovered very unpleasant behaviour in his personal affairs. Mr Distorn had an intimate relationship with a woman who was not his wife. When she became pregnant, he forced her to have an abortion and eventually forced her to marry another man, according to the Royal Household Bureau.

In light of his wrongful conduct, the bureau had decided to exercise its power under the 2017 act and royal decree on royal service administration to dismiss Mr Distorn from his post.

The order is effective from Nov 6.