Thread by @zenjournalist

In another shocking change to the royal quarter in Bangkok, the historic Vimanmek Mansion has been demolished on the orders of King Vajiralongkorn. 1/10

Vimanmek was built in 1900 as a 72-room palace in Dusit Garden for King Chulalongkorn.

The striking mansion was built entirely out of golden teak wood, in a European style with Thai influences. 2/10

It became one of the most popular landmarks in Thailand for tourists and Thais to visit, and was said to be the largest golden teak structure in the world.

Since 1982 it was also used as a museum honouring the reign of Rama V. 3/10

In 2016 the Royal Household Bureau announced that the mansion would be "closed for renovation". brh.thaigov.net/brh-2011/conte… 4/10

But satellite imagery from Google Earth shows that it was completed demolished between April and November 2018. Here is a video showing satellite images from early 2018 to now. 5/10

Here are four still images from Google Earth showing the changes since 2018.

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It remains unknown if it will be rebuilt at a new site elsewhere. When it was built in 1900, the palace was partially constructed from materials taken from an older building at Phra Chuthathut Palace at Ko Si Chang in Chonburi province. 7/10

Rama X has been making huge changes in the royal quarter of Bangkok, where he wants to create a vast palace complex for himself — Vajiralongkorn's Versailles — even though he spends almost all of his time living in a luxury hotel in a German resort town. 8/10

A vast amount of land in the royal quarter has been reclaimed by the king. Dusit Zoo and the Royal Turf Club have being forced to relocate, and so has the national parliament. Suan Dusit University and Suan Sunandha Rajabhat University have been told to find a new location. 9/10

Vajiralongkorn is acting as an absolute monarch and nobody dares stop him as he creates a private royal city in the heart of Bangkok. 10/10