King Bhumibol Adulyadej, Rama IX, RIP

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Very sad to report that Thailand’s King Bhumibol has passed away at age 88. He’s been king since age 18. Born in the US. Jazz musician and Swiss educa
[See the full post at: King Bhumibol Adulyadej, Rama IX, RIP]

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Sorry to hear that, Woody. I know that this is a great loss for you, because your wife is from Thailand, and because you lived there for many years.

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Yep, I’m in a state of shock, too. He was a great man, held in highest esteem by many.

I also worry about Thailand’s future. Wonderful country which has gone through some horrible times.

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Beware saying anything even slightly negative about this “great man”, because doing so can get you years in prison as many have already found out with their posts on Facebook or via SMS. Saying even something negative about his dog got one man seriously in trouble. Sounds to me more like a dictator than a “great man”.

An example and excerpt:

BANGKOK – A court in Thailand sentenced a U.S. citizen to two and a half years in prison Thursday for defaming the country’s royal family by translating excerpts of a locally banned biography of the king and posting them online.

The verdict is the latest so-called lese majeste punishment handed down in the Southeast Asian kingdom, which has come under increasing pressure at home and abroad to reform harsh legislation that critics say is an affront to freedom of expression.

The 55-year-old Thai-born American, Joe Gordon, stood calmly with his ankles shackled in an orange prison uniform as the sentence was read out at a Bangkok criminal court.

Judge Tawan Rodcharoen said the punishment, initially set at five years, was reduced because Gordon pleaded guilty in October.

The sentence was relatively light compared to other recent cases. In November, 61-year-old Amphon Tangnoppakul was sentenced to 20 years in jail for sending four text messages deemed offensive to the crown.
[…]

Source: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/thailand-jails-us-man-for-insulting-king/

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What you say is true, although it’s questionable whether the King was involved in the decision.

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Yes….. saw yesterday in the papers that they were concerned about his health and were praying for him.
I’m sorry to hear the news. LT

No man is an island
entire of itself …………..

Any man’s death diminishes me
because I am involved in mankind;
and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls;
it tolls for thee. . .
John Dunne 1624.

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Let me elaborate. The Thai system of government is a constitutional monarchy, which is to say the King has no direct involvement in the actions of the politicians or military.

While I was in Thailand, I railed loudly against the censorship, the ridiculous “maligning the monarchy” laws, and a host of other problems.

What wasn’t clear then – and isn’t clear now – is if the King was directly involved in any of those laws, or their prosecution, or the judgments or sentencing.

This kind of judgment, of which there were many, were very popular in some segments of Thai society. They were acts of “the government” moving to defend a revered monarch, which played to wild acclaim in most circles.

Thaksin Shinawatra, who was elected Prime Minister in 2001, was a former police officer who became enormously popular with the majority of Thais. He’s now living in exile. He and his family are worth something like $2 billion. You do the math.

Yingluck Shinawatra, Thaksin’s daughter, was prime minister when the events you describe happened. She, too, is enormously wealthy.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-pacific-13723451

Conversely, the King has been largely incommunicado for the past decade-plus. He’s surrounded by ministers who speak on his behalf.

I’m well aware of “The King Never Smiles” and other anti-Bhumibol compilations. I have no doubt that he was a flawed person in some respects. But whether he’s behind the despicable acts that were conducted in his name — that’s another story altogether.

No matter how you look at it, he was King for more than 70 years, and he managed to negotiate Thailand through decades of wars, catastrophes, and unimaginable change.

What happens next… is anybody’s guess. Look for the Shinawatras to take every advantage, and the military (currently in control of the government) to hold on. As for the royal family, I have no idea.

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That’s the way things are when you have a king. I am neither endorsing nor criticizing this, I’m just stating a fact.

It’s one of those “necessary evils” when one man runs the whole country. You hope he is a good king (per Woody, this one was a good king); but unfortunately that’s the government you are basically stuck with, unless you change to a different form of government.

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There is a contradiction in ur comment: Either he was not involved or negotiated – cant be both.

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And he certainly could have intervened to do smtg about the laws or waive sentences. But dd not. No excuses.

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Thailand doesn’t work that way, but… it’s very hard to explain.

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“Just saying…” Bob?
You seem to have left off the words “too much” at the end.
I think you’ll find that this is Woody’s website and if he wants to post about something that concerns him, then he can.

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And I do.

(For those wondering about samak’s comment – I decided to delete the post that he’s responding to.)

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Sad news indeed. The king did so much for the country and often calmed opposing politicians down in very inflamed circumstances.
He was truly loved by his people, many of whom will now be grief-stricken.
R.I.P.

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+1

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Woody, I just wanted to offer condolences to the man that your family liked.

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Well, for those who are interested, the Associated Press has a rather good and balanced article, presenting the pros and cons of Bhumibol’s reign, there:
http://bigstory.ap.org/article/4a263ab3f70143eea1ef5416892053e8/thailands-king-worlds-longest-reigning-monarch-dies

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Thanks.

He was, in many ways, like a father to most Thais – and some of us foreigners, too.

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I understand its a diff culture but if he was so venerated he could have influenced matters. And uninvolved and saving the country is a contradiction any way u look at it.

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It’s probably somewhat similar to the way the Japanese govt hijacked the Emperor when they went to war in the early 20th century.

To a large degree the Emperor was just a figurehead they used to push through their agenda and the Emperor had no way to push back against it, because they had such tight control over even his appearance in public.

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Thailand is full – absolutely brimming – with contradictions.

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I am not a monarchist, but I found this article about the role of the late king in the recent history of the country and this is exactly why monarchists consider that system better than a republic.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-37650466

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