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Just a bit ago my wife woke me up crying. I couldnt really understand her she was crying so hard. Finally I heard "died" and my first thought was something happened to our son. I got her to cald down and tell me who died.
Her King had died. And it crushed her.
The Thai people revered him almost as a living god. Did you see how North Korean people were crying and screaming when Kim Jung Il died? This will be like that. People all over the country will break down in tears.
It is something as an American I cannot comprehend. Other than immediate friends and family I dont think there is anyone whos death would effect me in that manner.
Here is the link the the CNN news source.
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Hoping for peaceful times.
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RIP. It'll be interesting how Thailand will develop with the military junta and the impopularity of the crown price (now to be king I guess).
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Well, he was a huge stabilizing force in Thai politics. He was almost universally loved by the population, so throughout every coup d'etat, the king stayed in place and was able to steer the country (a bit) from one trainwreck of a parliament to the next. So his role in modern Thai culture is pretty huge.
I have no idea what the general opinion is of his son. Useless trivia: this also means that now Queen Elizabeth is the longest reigning monarch. Honestly, I already thought she was.
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On October 13 2016 22:42 Acrofales wrote: Well, he was a huge stabilizing force in Thai politics. He was almost universally loved by the population, so throughout every coup d'etat, the king stayed in place and was able to steer the country (a bit) from one trainwreck of a parliament to the next. So his role in modern Thai culture is pretty huge.
I have no idea what the general opinion is of his son. Useless trivia: this also means that now Queen Elizabeth is the longest reigning monarch. Honestly, I already thought she was.
I know my wife doesnt like the prince and she says that is the popular opinion. They prefer the princess.
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Hopefully the Prince can prove himself and possibly even have a peaceful progressive reign.
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The king doesn't really reign, though. He's just there to give the military and parliament their pacifiers when they start crying too much.
Is the military still ruling Thailand or are we about to get our next coup? When I visited almost 3 years ago, I think it was just a little bit before the latest coup.
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Which is why he would need to do some type of Public Works that betters the lives of the people like his father had done. I believe his father built several Dams that helped farms and prevented floods etc.
His son will have to do something on that scale.
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On October 13 2016 23:53 andrewlt wrote: The king doesn't really reign, though. He's just there to give the military and parliament their pacifiers when they start crying too much.
Is the military still ruling Thailand or are we about to get our next coup? When I visited almost 3 years ago, I think it was just a little bit before the latest coup.
Military still runs the country and refuses to give it up.
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From what I've read, he built his popularity up early on. The most and current parallel I can draw is that of the current Pope.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7128935.stm
Operative words/potential problems in bold:
What explains this extraordinary bond between people and monarch?
King Bhumibol Adulyadej is accorded an almost divine reverence, with titles like Phra Chao Yu Hua (Lord Upon our Heads) or Chao Chiwit (Lord of Life).
People prostrate themselves on the ground in his presence. Yet there is genuine affection too, and it goes both ways.
Thais talk of their love for him as though he were a cherished member of the family.
In his speeches to the nation he likes to joke and tease them.
Earlier in his reign when he was younger and travelled a lot, he clearly enjoyed meeting and mixing with people from the poorest rural communities.
People often refer to his long life of service to the nation, to his experiments with agriculture and irrigation, many of them carried out on the grounds of his palace in Bangkok.
The formidable public relations machine which manages the monarchy's image makes much of these experiments, as it does of the king's other talents as a jazz musician and sailor.
But the real measure of these achievements is impossible to know in a country where all criticism of the monarchy is curtailed by the draconian lese majeste law (offence against the dignity of the monarch), and only lavish praise for the royal family can be published.
The reverence for the king seems rooted in something less worldly.
Time after time when Thais are asked about the virtues of King Bhumibol they refer to his proper adherence to the principles of "Dhamma", Buddhist teachings and the Buddhist concept of righteousness.
Our political system has been unstable all the time. So whenever there is a political crisis people expect the King to solve the problem - Prof Suchit Bunbongkarn It is not just his practical deeds they are looking at, but his manner, his modesty, his reserve, his gentleness, and his apparent detachment from the world - qualities he has worked hard to perfect and project.
He is as much a spiritual leader as a worldly one.
During his six decades on the throne Thailand has undergone changes as wrenching as in any other country.
Per capita income has gone up 40-fold. An almost entirely agrarian society has become a substantially urban one. The economy has been swept along by the forces of globalisation.
There have been other changes as well.
The king's endorsement of the coup was essential to its success.
This king has reigned through 17 military coups and 26 prime ministers. The gap between rich and poor has widened, with conspicuous consumption and conspicuous corruption accepted as part of everyday life.
There has been a corresponding decline in traditional community and family values.
Amid this whirlwind, the king has remained a reassuring anchor, a man who embodies Thailand's history but who has also come to embody integrity and detachment from the squalid realities of day-to-day politics and business.
He has lived the myth of the virtuous monarch so well that almost the entire population believes in it and takes comfort from it.
And it gives him a unique moral authority. When he speaks, people listen.
They may, and often do, fail to act on his advice. But he has been able to use that authority to settle a number of political crises.
"If the country were in good shape politically, then the role of the constitutional monarch is not very difficult," explains Suchit Bunbongkarn, professor of political science at Chulalongkorn University.
"But in the case of Thailand it is not easy because our political system has been unstable all the time. So whenever there is a political crisis people expect the king to solve the problem."
Former Prime Minister Anand Panyarachun describes King Bhumibol's authority as "reserve power" that, because it has been used judiciously and sparingly, has been decisive in maintaining the country's stability.
This power, he says, has been accumulated through a life of dedication to his job. It cannot, he points out, be inherited or passed on.
Elsewhere I read, as was earlier pointed out, his son is nowhere near as popular...and the fear is that no one will lead like him. Interesting times.
Although the prime minister said Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn would become the new monarch, he added that the official proclamation would be made at a later date.
He said the crown prince had confirmed that he would perform his duty as heir to the throne, but had asked for time to mourn his father's death.
The crown prince, who is 64, is much less well known to Thais and has not attained his father's widespread popularity. He spends much of his time overseas, especially in Germany.
Profile: Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn
Strict lese-majeste laws mean public discussion of the succession are punishable by lengthy jail terms.
Given the pivotal role the king has played in maintaining the balance of power in Thailand's volatile political environment, the succession will be a formidable challenge for the government, says the BBC's Jonathan Head in Bangkok.
Source: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-37643326
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Well, I guess Thailand will decend into civil unrest again soon. As for public showing of grief for deaths of people outside their immediate circle, I'll never understand why people do the same for celebrities, be it Prince or Muhammed Ali. There was also a pretty large outpouring of grief for princess Diana's death as well. I suppose it is all in the same vein, only more socially acceptable.
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