Monthly Archives: December 2008

Happy Birthday to His Majesty

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King Emblem Today is the 81st birthday of His Majesty the King of Thailand, Buhmibol Adulyadej.  Born in 1927 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, HMTK has reigned over the Kingdom of Thailand for more than 62 years, making him the longest-reigning current monarch in the world.

Those of you who haven’t been to Thailand may have a difficult time fully appreciating the level of respect Thais have for their fatherly monarch.  His image appears on all the currency, there are portraits of the King and the Queen in almost every home and business, and the royal anthem is played before movies and all performances.

Unlike many countries where the leader’s visage is so widespread (what was that European country where the leader named one of the days after himself?), the Thai people’s affection seems very sincere and genuine. 

This seems difficult for most foreigners to believe and I regularly encounter people – both expats and visitors – who insist on asking about “the truth about the King”, and usually do so in public and in front of Thais.  Needless to say, this is highly taboo, not to mention illegal.  If you want to show good manners while in Thailand, please don’t make Thais uncomfortable by asking them probing questions about the monarchy, especially in public and in front of other Thais.

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After six decades of leading the nation, the King is seen as a beacon, something constant amidst the ever changing tides of Thai politics.

To that end, he annual birthday message, which he delivers on the eve of his birthday, is widely anticipated.  What will he say?  What guiding lessons will we receive?  The anticipation was all the higher this year after the resolution of the airport seige just three days ago.

So it was with great disappointment that the public learned that His Majesty was feeling unwell and did not have the strength to make a public address.  He sent two of his children, the Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn and the Crown Princess Maha Chakri, to receive the public’s well-wishes and to return them.

So we will wait with baited breath until HMTK is well enough to address his subjects.

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This morning while out on an early morning bike ride, I came across a community event in a dead-end street down near the river.  The local emergency corp and all their volunteers were celebrating HMTK’s birthday.  After a short parade they made merit for the King, said an oath of loyalty to him, and then sang the royal anthem.

Happy Birthday, Your Majesty!

 

Audio Postcard

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As a former college radio DJ and a long time radio buff, I’m fascinated by audio’s ability to transport us without the use of pictures.  The past several months, in addition to my camera I have carried around a digital audio recorder.  So far I haven’t done much to edit and share the “audio postcards” I’ve collected, but I’m going to start sharing them so you can get a sense of what this country sounds like.

Since moving here more than three years ago, I’ve noticed that Thailand is a country of sounds.  Here in Khrungthep it is often very loud, with overlapping noises competing for your attention.  But beyond the sheer volume is the uniqueness of the sounds, sounds that weave together as part of the Thai life.

BBC: Airport Protests Called Off

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As of 7 pm Bangkok time Tuesday, the BBC was reporting that the protests that have closed the Thai capital’s two civilian airports for the past week, stranding hundreds of thousands of passengers, has been called off.  Here’s the BBC report:

Thai anti-government protesters have agreed to end their occupation of Bangkok’s airports, allowing thousands of stranded tourists to leave.

Passenger flights from the main international airport are to resume on 4 December, say correspondents.  Protests had shut down Thailand’s two main airports for more than a week.

The deal follows a court ruling that forced Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat to step down over election fraud and disbanded his governing party.

The constitutional court ordered Mr Somchai’s governing People Power Party and two of its coalition partners to disband. The parties’ leaders were also barred from politics for five years.

The ruling came after months of protests led by the anti-government People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) that have crippled the political process in Thailand.  They had vowed to continue their protests until the entire government stepped down.

They accused Mr Somchai’s administration of being corrupt and hostile to the much-revered monarchy, and too close to ousted former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

If this proves to be true, I’m greatly relieved the protesters have come to their senses.  I’m confused, though: based on everything I have read locally, the constitutional court’s ruling was fully anticipated, the date of the ruling was fixed well in advance, and the chain of events – court ruling followed by government dissolution – was widely expected. 

If this is the case, then why didn’t the PAD simply allow the court to act, following due process?  Why didn’t the PAD let the wheels of justice – wheels they knew were already turning in their favor – turn on their own rather than do untold damage to their country and fellow citizens?

Anyone have any good answers?

 

An Auspicious Sign?

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Leaving my Thai lesson early Monday evening, Khru Kitiya (my tutor) and I noticed a smiling face low on the western horizon: the conjunction of Jupiter, Venus and the moon. 

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Here in Thailand, text messages were being sent between people almost as fast as rumors of a coup.  “Look in the sky!  Look in the sky!” Tawn’s father called and told him.  Many said – and the newspaper captions Tuesday morning accompanying pictures of the event agreed – that perhaps this was an auspicious sign pointing to a bloodless end to Thailand’s political difficulties.

This pairing of the two planets will happen again in February 2010, but will be too close to the sun to see.  According to National Geographic, some historians think that a similar conjunction between the planets in 2 B.C. may have been the source of the “Star of Bethlehem” in the Bible.  The pair of stars would have been so close together, they may have appeared as a single source of light.

My father is a moon-watcher.  For as long as I can remember, he’s written the full moons on his calendar and knows the names of the different moons.  When my oldest niece, Emily, was just a few years old he would show her the full moons.  Now she is a moon-watcher, too.

Let’s hope that this conjunction is an auspicious sign.