Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej Dies at 88
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Re: Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej Dies at 88
#2It blows my mind that someone could reign from just after WWII until this year.
I hope that Thailand will stay stable. Support of the King has been key to successful military coups and transitions. The Crown Prince is much less admired, and quite odd:
"The 63-year-old crown prince, Vajiralongkorn (pictured), is spoilt and demanding, and—to put it mildly—widely loathed. Three times divorced, he spends a lot of time abroad, often in Germany. In 2007 leaked video footage showed him and his then-consort, who was wearing nothing but a G-string and heels, holding a lavish royal party. The only guest appeared to be Foo Foo, his poodle, which before dying in 2015 enjoyed the rank of air chief marshal."
http://www.economist.com/news/asia/21702497-after-ailing-mon...
Re: Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej Dies at 88
#3It blows my mind that someone could reign from just after WWII until this year. I hope that Thailand will stay stable. Support of the King has been key to successful military coups and transitions. The Crown Prince is much less admired, and quite odd: "The 63-year-old crown prince, Vajiralongkorn (pictured), is spoilt and demanding, and—to put it mildly—widely loathed. Three times divorced, he spends a lot of time ab…
Stopped reading at the "Calm and orderly" bit - if you've ever spent any time in Bangkok or Chiang Mai, this is far from the case.
Re: Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej Dies at 88
#4The reverence that Thai people have for this King is no joking matter. They take their monarch deadly seriously and it seems fair to let them honor the King as they see fit without a lot of outsiders casually weighing in with half-baked opinions.
Re: Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej Dies at 88
#5It blows my mind that someone could reign from just after WWII until this year. I hope that Thailand will stay stable. Support of the King has been key to successful military coups and transitions. The Crown Prince is much less admired, and quite odd: "The 63-year-old crown prince, Vajiralongkorn (pictured), is spoilt and demanding, and—to put it mildly—widely loathed. Three times divorced, he spends a lot of time ab…
Stopped reading at the "Calm and orderly" bit - if you've ever spent any time in Bangkok or Chiang Mai, this is far from the case.
I'm assuming they meant this comparatively to previous times of unrest in Thailand's history.
Re: Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej Dies at 88
#6There's going to be a huge power vacuum.
Now, there's nobody with moral authority to mediate between clashing factions.
Previously, the king could just say "Guys, stop killing each other and cut it out" and they'd actually listen. The crown prince has no such power and influence over the country. Will be interesting to see who rushes in to grab influence.
Re: Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej Dies at 88
#7According to the FT ("King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand, 1927-2016"):
"Bhumibol Adulyadej ... chose not to condemn the 1976 massacre at Bangkok's Thammasat University of dozens of pro-democracy protesters ..."
Time Magazine: "Thailand Bids Farewell to Beloved King Bhumibol Adulyadej", regarding said events:
In early October of that year, demonstrations convulsed Bangkok in response to the arrest of prominent student activists. The crowd swelled to around 400,000, including many members of the public, owing to the military’s heavy-handed response that resulted in at least 100 civilian deaths. Bhumibol intervened, ordering the doors of Chitrlada Palace opened to provide the students refuge, and persuaded Thanom and his cohorts to go into temporary exile.
In September 1976, Bhumibol allowed Thanom to return to Thailand, even visiting him with Sirikit in Wat Bovornives — the Chakri dynasty’s personal temple — where he had ordained as a monk. Thousands of furious students gathered inside Thammasat University to oppose Thanom’s return. On Oct. 5, spurred on by radio broadcasts accusing the students of threatening the crown prince and communism, thousands of royalist paramilitaries massed outside the campus.
The killing began the following dawn. First, a rocket-propelled bomb was fired into the throng of students, reportedly killing four and injuring dozens. Military weapons wreaked a heavy toll until around 9 a.m., and at least two students were dragged out, tortured and lynched. Three others were seen dumped on tires, drenched in petrol and burned alive. A junta headed by the Defense Minister, Admiral Sa-ngad Chaloryu, seized power immediately after the massacre. Another flirtation with democracy had been crushed.
"New photos of 6 Oct 1976 massacre emerge" (NSFW, but apparently safe enough for the U.S. to consider Thailand among its staunchest asian allies for the past several decades):
Re: Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej Dies at 88
#8N.B. gov.uk has updated its official travel advice (it's always useful check this before travelling, especially if you're UK-based) [1]
"...there is now an official period of mourning of one year from 14 October 2016; you should respect the feelings and sensitivities of the Thai people at this time; access to entertainment, including restaurants, bars, and shopping areas may be restricted and you should behave respectfully when in public areas; if possible, wear sombre and respectful clothing when in public; check local media regularly and follow the advice of the local authorities"
Re: Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej Dies at 88
#9RIP. His daughter became the patron of the World Sanskrit Conference, when the Indian state itself considered Sanskrit far too dead to be worth funding.
(The whole new-age wave in the West seems to have brought a change of heart to "wannabe Brittania".Indic languages are generally entropically dead to be fair.)
Re: Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej Dies at 88
#10The reverence that Thai people have for this King is no joking matter. They take their monarch deadly seriously and it seems fair to let them honor the King as they see fit without a lot of outsiders casually weighing in with half-baked opinions.
Many of us don't limit ourselves based on how seriously others take things, and we don't really have or need a reason. It's just as fair as considering royalty to be sacred.