A pall of uncertainty hung over normally joyous celebrations of the Thai king’s birthday yesterday after the revered monarch failed to appear for ceremonies because of an illness that has shocked a nation reeling from political turmoil.
The ailing, 81-year-old King Bhumibol Adulyadej was scheduled to take part in a birthday ceremony at the Grand Palace’s throne hall but it was canceled because of an illness that also prevented him from delivering his annual birthday speech on Thursday, local media said.
The much-revered constitutional monarch has been a cornerstone of stability, stepping in to defuse political crises and halt bloodshed during his six decades on the throne.
Many Thais had been eagerly awaiting his address in hopes it might point a way out of political turbulence that in the past two weeks has included a seven-day seizure of Bangkok’s two airports by protesters and the ouster of the government.
Early yesterday, hundreds of Thais gathered on a field outside the ornate, walled palace to give alms to 282 Buddhist monks as a way of conveying their best wishes to the king.
“I am worried. I think all Thais are worried. Thailand needs him. He is the only one who can make people on both sides realize they are ruining the country. He is the only one who can unify Thailand,” said Rojana Duangkaew, a 28-year-old pharmacist, shortly after the king sent his son and daughter to represent him at Thursday’s event.
Princess Sirindhorn said the king was weak and suffering from bronchitis and inflammation of the esophagus but that his “condition is not serious.”
The king’s last public appearance was on Wednesday when he looked haggard while inspecting royal troops. He spoke briefly, reading hoarsely from a text, and seemed barely able to keep his head up.
Last year, the king was hospitalized for more than three weeks for symptoms of a stroke and a colon infection. He also has a history of heart trouble.
The question of royal succession has long weighed heavily on Thai politics, and ordinary Thais, but probably never more than now.
Although a constitutional monarch, Bhumibol built up his great power through decades of work on behalf of the poor, charisma and political astuteness.
His 56-year-old son, Prince Vajiralongkorn, has nowhere near the king’s talents, stature or moral authority. There is concern that Vajiralongkorn, who has married three times and fathered seven children, will have difficulty living up to Bhumibol’s record of diligence.
Sirindhorn, 53, who could technically also succeed her father, is talented and highly popular but said to lack political savvy. There is also almost no historical precedent for a woman becoming the country’s ruler.
The royal crisis could not have come at worse time for Thailand, as it struggles to recover from an anti-government campaign by the People’s Alliance for Democracy.
It started with mass protests in late 2005 to oust then prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was removed in a 2006 military coup amid accusations of gross corruption and attempting to undermine the monarchy. The coup is widely believed to have been backed by the palace.
Thaksin’s supporters won elections last December. But the protest alliance rejected the outcome, saying the new government was a proxy for Thaksin, and began another round of agitation that culminated with the seizure of Bangkok’s two airports.
The alliance ended its airport siege after a court on Tuesday ousted the government for voter fraud in the last elections.
Deep, potentially explosive, divisions in Thai society remain. A new government is likely to still include Thaksin allies and the pro-monarchy alliance has vowed to return to the streets if it does.
Although international flights have been partially restored, the crisis has knocked out the lucrative tourist industry and will also hit hard at other economic sectors.
“There were great expectations that awaited this speech and it had been a collective hope that he would be the savior of the day,” said Thitinan Pongsidhirak, a political scientist at Bangkok’s Chulalongkorn University.
The king and monarchy as an institution have been key elements in the political upheaval of recent years although much has been carried out in the shadows, given the secrecy and reverence surrounding Bhumibol as well as strict laws punishing those who move against royal family members.
Insulting the monarchy, or lese majeste, carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison.
On Thursday, Reporters Without Borders called for the release of Australian author Harry Nicolaides, who faces a lese majeste charge. The group said Nicolaides has been held in prison since August on a charge related to a book published three years ago in which he referred to the way an unnamed crown prince treated one of his mistresses.
Both the Thaksin camp and the alliance pledged their loyalty to Bhumibol — it would have been political suicide not to do so. But Thaksin’s pledges were viewed as highly suspect, although he gained, and maintains, immense popularity among the rural poor, who are generally genuine supporters of the king.
“Thaksin was seen as a competitor to the throne. His popular regime was seen as dangerous to the monarchical institution in a longer term. Monarchists worried that with the king’s passing and uncertainty of succession, the Thaksin camp would gain so they were anxious to suppress him,” said Thongchai Winichakul, a political scientist at the University of Wisconsin.
Thus the king’s mortality and the succession issue contributed to the sharpening of the political conflict and will probably continue to do so.
The new government, headed by acting Prime Minister Chaowarat Chandeerakul, is to continue searching for a permanent leader next week to be presented to Parliament for approval.
Work crews, meanwhile, were working to restore Government House.
EYE ON 2027: The US military has placed equipment, materiel and personnel on the islands near China, a US officer said while warning about the threat from China The US Army Pacific (USARPAC) is deploying forces and equipment across the region based on the assumption that Beijing could possess the military capability and the intent to invade Taiwan by next year, a top US commander said on Tuesday. Speaking at the TechNet Indo-Pacific conference in Honolulu, US General Ronald Clark said that the threat posed by the so-called “Davidson window” is “still valid,” US military newspaper Stars and Stripes reported on Wednesday. The term stems from a 2021 warning by Admiral Philip Davidson, then-head of the US Indo-Pacific Command, that the threat of Chinese military action against Taiwan could materialize
Taiwan and Japan might sign a wide-ranging trade agreement by the end of this year, which could help break a deadlock in Taiwan’s trade diplomacy if completed, Nikkei Asia reported yesterday. Japan is negotiating with the administration of President William Lai (賴清德) to reach a comprehensive economic agreement modeled after the Enhanced Trade Partnership Arrangement finalized by the UK and Taiwan in 2023, it said, citing two sources familiar with the matter. “The Enhanced Trade Partnership between the UK and Taiwan sets a precedent for Japan to follow,” one of the sources told the media outlet. The framework leaves room for future agreements
‘ONE CHINA’ DECISION: A Cabinet spokesperson said that Pakistan had pandered to Beijing, and disregarded international rules and reality with the overflight ban The first Taiwanese commercial aircraft since restrictions were lifted flew over Pakistan yesterday morning following an abrupt U-turn by authorities to approve permits that were briefly revoked due to Islamabad’s “one China” policy. EVA Airways (長榮航空) Flight 65 from Taipei to Vienna entered Pakistani airspace at about 3:30am local time, Flightradar24 tracking data showed. All other Europe-bound EVA Air and China Airlines (華航) flights that departed late on Wednesday night into early yesterday morning opted to use Russian airspace, or go via India. The airlines had been forced to detour, including flying over Russia, since Sunday, after Pakistan shut its airspace to Taiwanese
Chinese national Cheng Wanjun (程萬軍), who was at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport after arriving on a connecting flight from Thailand on Monday and sought asylum in Taiwan, was deported to Thailand early yesterday, the National Immigration Agency (NIA) said. In a video circulating on X, Cheng identified himself as a former host at China Central Television (CCTV) and said he was seeking temporary humanitarian protection in Taiwan. Cheng said he was sentenced to six years in prison after he was recorded and reported to authorities in 2019 for criticizing “a ruler who loses his country.” After his release, he was forced to go
RSS