Munich Germany Airport

German court rejects plea

A German court yesterday declined a Thai government request for an injunction to release a Thai-owned plane impounded at Germany's Munich airport early last week.

Judge Christoph Fellner said the court was not fully convinced the plane was HRH Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn's personal property as asserted by the lawyer for Thailand. The court is to sit again on the case this week.

The Royal Thai Air Force yesterday confirmed the Thai government's contention that the RTAF in 2007 presented the Boeing 737 jet to the Prince for his personal use, RTAF spokesman Air Vice Marshal Monthon Satchukorn said.

"The RTAF asserts that the plane in question does not belong to the government because it was presented for royal use. There is an official document to prove the presentation. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs asked for that document to be presented to the German authorities and the RTAF has supplied that document," the spokesman said.

The plane has been grounded by a writ in a long-running business dispute between the German building company Walter Bau AG and the Thai government.

Caretaker Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva yesterday said he had instructed relevant authorities to find out whether the documents submitted by Walter Bau AG in opposing the Thai petition was up-to-date.

"I instructed the Aviation Department director-general to verify the objection documents of the German company as I understand that they may use non-updated versions from websites saying the plane is under the supervision of the Royal Thai Air Force," Abhisit said. He also said that the German government expressed regrets about the case and facilitated the work of Thai officials.

"Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya is now in Germany to coordinate the issue. Thailand will do its best to protect the prestige and reputation of the country," the acting prime minister said.

Kasit met German foreign under-secretary Cornelia Pieper in Berlin to discuss the matter, Germany's foreign ministry spokesman Martin Schaefer told reporters yesterday.

Pieper expressed regret over "the inconvenience caused to the crown prince by this seizure" but she reiterated German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle's position that the matter was in the hands of the German courts. Before the Thai minister's arrival, however, the spokesman said the government could not comment on the affair "because we respect the independence of the judicial authorities" handling the case.

Mimi's Corner!: Welcome to Munich, Germany!!

&Nbsp;The subway station we came out of led us onto  the Odeonsplatz square, one of the focal points of this square is this magnificent Church called the Theatinerkirche. It's construction began in 1663, and took about 100 years to complete. It has an Italian Baroque style and is noted for it's wide open space and the dome and the all white interior except for the Black pulpit. More pics of the inside will be featured later.

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