Respect for The King in Thailand

Monarchy & troops in Thailand

Along with Buddhism, the monarchy, the military, and the civil assistance have played an prominent role in the affairs of Thailand. Visitors from countries with separate traditions tend to overlook or misunderstand this phenomenon, partly because a Westerner's view of the Thai monarchy is bound to be colored by Yul Brynner's depiction of King Mongkut in the film The King and I. The Rodgers and Hammerstein musical may be great entertainment, but it is a work of pure fiction. True, there was a King Mongkut who engaged Anna Leonowens as an English educator for his children, but the idea that she danced nearby the palace with him or even initiated him into Western ways is far from the truth. The king in demand was not an uncouth. Oriental despot, but an enlightened ruler, as we shall see later. This episode attempts to put matters into perspective

News From Thailand

The Monarchy Today

Thailand is still a monarchy, and the gift King, Bhumibol Adulyadej, is a direct descendant of King Mongkut. He doesn't go dancing nearby the palace either, but he does play jazz. And while a casual visitor may not meet him face to face, it is impossible to be unaware of his existence. A portrait of the King, often with the Queen and h is children, graces every communal construction and the walls of many homes. The royal anthem is played in cinemas, on radio and Tv, and on communal occasions, and every person stands to attention. The King's birthday and coronation, and the Queen's birthday, are famed as communal holidays. The King's head appears on Thai banknotes, coins, and stamps. The King and other members of the royal house take an active part in ceremonial occasions. Newspapers, Tv, and radio stations give prominence to his assorted activities.

The Thais are overwhelmingly royalist, and although currents of republican sentiment no ifs ands or buts exist, republicanism has never no ifs ands or buts taken root in the country.

Respect For The King

The Thais have a vast respect for the King, as well as his consort, Queen Sirikit. King Bhumibol (known to the Thais as rachagan tee gau "the ninth reign") is the longest serving monarch in the world, having ascended the throne in 1946. Although in his portraits he looks stiff and a trifle severe-because of an eye injury sustained when he was a teenager-this outward appearance belies his true nature.

Governments come and go, troops coups seem to have occurred with monotonous regularity while his reign, but the King survives unscathed and can be regarded as a stabilizing force in a region not noted for stability. He has also been a unifying force. Past governments have tended to regard ethnic minorities, such as the hill tribes of the north, as a nuisance and have made efforts to assimilate them even when they resist the idea. The King, by contrast, has gone out of his way to aid these ethnic minorities and other impoverished groups by setting up countless agricultural projects, some of which are designed to wean them away from opium cultivation.

King Bhumibol is above politics, and can only intervene when the nation's survival is at stake. "We could be crushed by both sides, but we are impartial," he explains. However, there have been times when he saw fit to intervene-in the riots of 1973, 1976, and 1992-and thankfully defused some very ugly situations.

Although now in his late seventies he remains amazingly active, and in the eyes of many Thais he has a status similar to that of the god-kings of the past. It is difficult to find any indispensable voice raised against him. Even the staunchest republicans-and there are not many of those in Thailand-admit that he does his job well. Had he not come to be King, he might well have becorne a jazz musician: he is an exquisite saxophone player and composes music, his most beloved piece being Falling Rain (Say fon.) He also writes scholarly articles, poetry, and prose. The Queen is similarly revered. You find no gossip in the Thai media on a par with the British newspapers' treatment of the British royals. Imported newspapers are censored if they have any scurrilous reports about the king and other members of the royal family.

Respect for The King in Thailand

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