Thailand’s prime minister has reassured the nation that Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn is to succeed his late father and be crowned king after a royal funeral, which is likely to take months to prepare.
Thailand’s King Bhumibol Adulyadej died on Thursday after seven decades on the throne.
He was 88.
The prospect of complications in the succession in the politically divided country could alarm financial markets and the military government has been quick to quash any such speculation.
The head of the royal advisory council, 96-year-old former Thai army chief and prime minister Prem Tinsulanonda, is standing in as regent while the prince and the nation grieves.
Prince Vajiralongkorn held an audience with Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha on Saturday evening and asked them to pass on his reassurance to the people, Prayuth said.
“He asked the people not to be confused or worry about the country’s administration or even about the succession,” Prayuth said in a televised address. “He said at this time everyone is sad, he is still sad, so every side should wait until we pass this sad time ... When the religious ceremony and funeral have passed for a while, then it will be an appropriate time to proceed.”
Mourners dressed in black from across Thailand have flocked to Bangkok’s gilded Grand Palace to pay homage to the only king most of them have ever known.
Buddhist monks have been chanting prayers beside his coffin in an imposing throne hall. Monks are to chant for 100 days as part of the funeral rites.
The government has not set a date for the funeral, but in the past, royal cremations have taken months to prepare.
The government has declared a year of mourning and asked everyone to wear black or white, and to cancel outdoor festivities for the next 30 days.
Although almost everyone has donned black and the mood is somber, shopping malls, markets, cinemas and even some bars have been open.
The king, who was the world’s longest-reigning monarch, has long been revered as a father figure and symbol of unity in a nation riven by political crises over the years, most recently by a power struggle between the military-led establishment and populist political forces.
Many Thais worry about a future without him.
Prince Vajiralongkorn does not enjoy the same adoration his father earned over a lifetime on the throne. He has married and divorced three times, and has spent much of his life outside Thailand, often in Germany.
Although the king designated his only son crown prince in 1972, he also raised the possibility of the eligibility of a princess. Thailand’s strict lese-majeste laws have left little room for public discussion of the succession.
Prayuth, a former army chief who overthrew a populist government in 2014, has promised an election next year. The government has not said if it might postpone the vote because of the year of mourning.
The military has for decades invoked its duty to defend the monarchy to justify its intervention in politics and it recently oversaw the drafting of a new constitution that grants it oversight of civilian governments.
The king’s promotion and funding of charitable work throughout rural Thailand endeared him to the population.
“Everyone should take this time to keep the memories of the past 70 years,” Prayuth said.
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
Beijing is continuing to commit genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in its western Xinjiang province, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a report published on Monday, ahead of his planned visit to China this week. The State Department’s annual human rights report, which documents abuses recorded all over the world during the previous calendar year, repeated language from previous years on the treatment of Muslims in Xinjiang, but the publication raises the issue ahead of delicate talks, including on the war in Ukraine and global trade, between the top U.S. diplomat and Chinese
HYPOCRISY? The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday asked whether Biden was talking about China or the US when he used the word ‘xenophobic’ US President Joe Biden on Wednesday called for a hike in steel tariffs on China, accusing Beijing of cheating as he spoke at a campaign event in Pennsylvania. Biden accused China of xenophobia, too, in a speech to union members in Pittsburgh. “They’re not competing, they’re cheating. They’re cheating and we’ve seen the damage here in America,” Biden said. Chinese steel companies “don’t need to worry about making a profit because the Chinese government is subsidizing them so heavily,” he said. Biden said he had called for the US Trade Representative to triple the tariff rates for Chinese steel and aluminum if Beijing was