600 BC Bronze age culture at Ban Chiang, near Udon. This is possibly the oldest Bronze Age culture on Earth.
600 B.C. Chinese T'ai migration recorded
300 B.C. Indian migration recorded
01 AD - 1000 AD By the 1st century AD Indian traders to the Indochina peninsula had brought the Hindu religion to Thailand. By the tenth century the Mons, from what is today Burma, had established themselves in Central Thailand and had established small Buddhist kingdoms in an area from Nakhon Pathon ( on the Korat Plateau ) to Chiang Mai.
1150 Suriyavarman II built Angkor Wat, just south and east of Thailand in today's Cambodia.
1238 First Thai Kingdom without Khmer domination, "Dawn of Happiness", Sukhothai, in the North Central region of present Thailand.
1283 Thai Alphabet, using as a basis the Mon, Khmer and Indian scripts.
1350 - 1767 Ayutthaya Period. Capital, 55 kms north of present day Bangkok.
1498 Vasco de Gama sailed round the Cape of Good Hope and across the Indian Ocean
1516 Portuguese envoy to Thai Court
1529 - 1569 Ayutthaya became involved continual war with Burma, with the result that Ayutthaya fell to the Burmese
1571 The Spaniards had made Manila as their Far Eastern capital in 1571. Spain spread out to economically dominate & christianize the neighboring countries.
The European colonial imperialist were busily dividing Asia,
1584 Thai King declares independence from Burma & suppresses several attacks from Burma.
1593 After the Burmese made several unsuccessful attempts to reclaim Ayutthaya a resolution was determined by a duel on elephants in which Naresuan slew the Burmese Crown Prince at Nong Sa Rai near Suphan Buri in January, 1593.
1594 Naresuan was victorious in a war with Cambodia.
1598 Spain signed a treaty of friendship and commerce with Siam. This was the second treaty which Siam made with a European country. The terms of the treaty were similar to those in the Portuguese treaty of 1516.
1601 - 1605 In 1601 the Dutch ( Netherlands ) received permission to build a trading station in southern Thailand. Three years later, in 1604, they proceeded to Ayutthaya where their arrival was marked by an audience which King Naresuan granted to their chief negotiator.
1607 First Thai Ambassador to Europe, the Netherlands. 7 month ocean voyage.
1611 British factory established in Thailand.
1617 First treaty with the Netherlands. No exclusive trading privileges.
1610-1628 Both Kong Ekatotsarot and King Songtham exchanged ambassadors with Japan, the Shogun of Tokugawa
1661 - 1664 The Dutch adopted a war like policy towards the Thais. In typical imperialist fashion, they were not satisfied with the fair trade treaties they negotiated, in good faith, with King Naresuan.
First they pirated a Thai merchant vessel, then some Dutch warships blockaded the mouth of the Chao Praya river, thus forcing Siam to sign another treaty, whereby the Dutch obtained a monopoly on the export of deer and cow hides.
1662 - 1687 The French appeared on the scene of Thai history in the reign of King Narai(1657-1688) Siam and France exchanged embassies.
In 1685, Louis XIV dispatched Chevalier de Chaumont as the first French ambassador to Ayutthaya, to be followed b y a second ambassador accompanied by 1400 French soldiers and 300 skilled workmen in 1687.
1687 King Narai declared war against the British East India Company. The British goal of using the Indian opium in Thailand like the British did in China was unacceptable.
1688. King Narai turned to the French in order to counterbalance the Dutch. He succeeded in signing a new treaty with the Dutch that contained the same terms as those found in the treaty of 1617.
1688. Expelled the French soldiers from the country, after the Dutch renegotiated.
1767 Ayutthaya destroyed by Burmese army.
1767 Capitol moved to Thon Buri on the opposite side of the Chao Praya River from today's Bangkok. Well preserved examples of Ayutthayan architectural art is less than an hour by taxi from downtown Bangkok.
1800 Bangkok is now the capitol.
1833 - 1847 Rama III sent an army into Cambodia with a mission to clear it of the Annamese ( Vietnam ) troops, thus causing a Thai-Vietnam war to break out in . The war dragged on for fourteen years and eventually both sides made peace.
Cambodia had in the meantime become submissive to Siam again, due to the installation of a pro-Thai prince on the Cambodian ( Khmer ) throne. Nevertheless the Cambodian King continued to present tribute to the Annamese ( Vietnam ) Emperor, and this was to complicate the relationship between Siam and Cambodia when France embarked on an imperialist policy in Vietnam in the middle of the nineteenth century.
1833 First American envoy to the Thai Court.
1850 American & British are angered & threaten Thailand " with drastic measures" when the Thai King, Rama III, refuses to be bullied by the western powers.
1855 - 1868 King Ram IV began a new era of diplomacy some Thailand had treaties with most of the World Powers. The British & the United States of America by 1856. Treaties of the same Bowring pattern were signed with France, Denmark, Portugal, Netherlands in 1860, Germany, Sweden-Norway (1868), Belgium (1868), Italy (1868). Japan 1898.
1886 - 1907 In order to maintain her independence, Siam during the reign of King Rama V had to cede to France considerable territory to satisfy the French King's desire to dominate Indo China. On 4 separate occasions France demanded & received territory from Thailand.
1905 The king abolished slavery.
1909 Great Britain demanded territory in order for Siam to remain independent. Britian got Kedah, Perlis, Kelantan and Trengganu from Siam, which England turned into protectorates.
1897 - 1907 King Rama V, Chulalongkorn, was the first Thai monarch to visit Europe, for the first time in 1897 and again in 1907. The visits were primarily intended to promote friendly relations with the European countries and stop the European imperial colonization of Indo China.
1917 Thailand joined the Allies in the First World War on July 22,1917 making the country better known abroad, in hopes of befriending the land hungry, aggressive Farang Imperialist.
1932 On June 24,1932, a revolution broke out, ushering in a new era of constitutional government and overthrowing the obsolete monarchy which had prevailed in Thailand since Sukhothai.
1933 - 1935 Civil unrest and turmoil. King advocates from Europe in 1935.
1940 - 1941 In 1940Thailand makes a demand for the return of some territories from French Indo-China.
The French authorities rejected it and fighting broke out. Finally the dispute between Thailand and French Indo-China was settled with the assistance of Japan, which acted as mediator. In May 1941, the Tokyo Convention was signed, returning to Thailand some territories, namely, Battambong, Siamrap, Champasak and Lanchang.
1941 The outbreak of the Second World War and was followed by the conclusion of Thailand's alliance with Japan and declaration of war against the U.S.A. and Great Britain on January 25,1942.
1941 - 1945 Thailand declared war on the Allies under the Government of Phibul Songkhram, he sent Seni Pramoj to hand the declaration to Hull. Seni went to the office and said that he had something to give Mr Hull from his Government that he didn't want to give, Mr. Hull said then don't give it. Therefore it is considered by some that Thailand was neutral during the war.
1946 Thailand then sought admission to the United Nations Organization and became its 55th member on December 16,1946.
1951 - 1957 Focus of American foreign policy in Southeast Asia. Financial aid helped Thailand achieve great financial success.
1975 Communist victories in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia led to another political coup. This time an extreme conservative, anti communist, government prevailed.
1988 First elected Prime Minister since 1977. First non military leader since the conservative take over.
1990's Thailand had become one of the leaders of industrialized Asia. Joining Japan, Singapore and Hong Kong among the economic successful stories of the post World Cold War era.
1997 Crash of the Thai Baht preceded the economic Asian Flu.
2000 Bangkok Sky Rail opened.
Much of the construction boom of the early 1990s remains vacant & unfinished.
Thailand's History
It is difficult to determine the type of culture which existed in Thailand before the Christian era, since no written records or chronologies exist but archeological excavations in the area north of Nakorn Ratchasima indicate that there were people living here over 4000 years ago.
However, by the 6th century AD thriving agricultural communities were established from as far north as Lamphun to Pattani in Southern Thailand. Theravada Buddhism was flourishing, and probably entered the region around the 2nd or 3rd centuries BC when Indian missionaries were said to have been sent to a land called "Suvarnabhumi". (An area comprising Burma, Central Thailand and Cambodia).
The Dvaravati period, a loose collection of city states, centred around the Nakhon Pathom area, and lasted until the 11th century when it quickly declined under the political domination of invading Khmers.
During the 12th century A.D. and is set on top of Phanom Rung Hill in Ta Pek in the Chaloem Phra Khiat District of Buri Ram province which is the location of a long extinct volcano. Phanom Rung is the original name and is mentioned in stone inscriptions excavated at the area. It is a religious site dedicated to the God Shiva, the supreme Hindu deity. It symbolises Mount Kailasa, the heavenly abode of Shiva.
During the 13th century several Thai principalities in the Mekong valley united and took Haripunchai from the Mons and the Sukhothai area from the Khmers. The Sukhothai kingdom declared its independence in 1238 and quickly began to expand. At its height the kingdom stretched from Nakhon Si Thammarat in the south to Vientiane in Laos, and Pegu in Burma. Sukhothai is considered by most Thai historians to be the first true Thai kingdom. King Rham Khamhaeng, the second king of the Sukhothai era, organised a system of writing which became the basis for modern Thai. He also codified the Thai form of Theravada Buddhism.
During the 14th and 15th centuries the Thai kings of Ayuthaya became very powerful and began to expand their kingdom eastward until they took Angkor from the Khmers in 1431. By the mid-16th century Ayuthaya and the independent kingdom of Chiang Mai had came under the control of the Burmese, but the Thais regained control of both areas by the end of the century.
Burma again invaded Ayuthaya in 1765 and fought a fierce battle with the Thais for two years before gaining control of the capital. During the process the Burmese destroyed large numbers of manuscripts, religious sculptures, and many temples.
The Burmese made no further inroads into Thailand and, in 1769, a new Thai capital was established at Thonburi, on the banks of the Chao Phraya river opposite Bangkok, by general Phya Taksin. The Thais quickly regained control of their country and began to further unite the provinces in the north and south of the country.
The Monarchy
In 1782 king Rama I was crowned. He moved the capital across the river to Bangkok, and ruled as the first king of the Chakri dynasty. In 1809 Rama II, son of Rama I, took the throne and ruled until 1824. King Rama III (1824-1851) began to develop trade with China and increase domestic agricultural production.
When king Mongkut (Rama IV) took the throne in 1851 he quickly established diplomatic relations with European nations, while at the same time astutely avoiding colonisation. He also began a period of trade reform and modernisation of the Thai education system. His son, King Chulalongkorn (Rama V 1868-1910), continued this tradition with the modernisation of the legal and administrative systems, and the construction of railways. During his 15 year reign from 1910 to 1925 king Vajiravudha (Rama VI) introduced compulsory education and other reforms.
In 1925 the brother of king Vajiravudha, king Prajadhipok (Rama VII 1925-1935) ascended the throne. Seven years later a group of Thai students living in Paris mounted a successful bloodless coup d'etat which led to the establishment of a constitutional monarchy similar to that which existed in Britain. A key military leader in the coup, Phibul Songkhram, took power and maintained control until after the end or WW II. Rama VIII, Ananda Mahidol, became king in 1935 but was assassinated in rather mysterious circumstances in 1946. He was succeeded by his younger brother Bhumipol Aduldej who became Rama IX. His Majesty King Bhumipol Adujdej remains on the throne today, and he commands great respect in both Thailand and throughout the rest of the world.
Early years
The Thais, most historians believe, began migrating from southern China in the early part of the Christian era. At first they formed a number of city-states in the northern part of what is present-day Thailand, in places like Chiang Saen, Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai, but these were never strong enough to exert much influence outside the immediate region. Gradually the Thais migrated further south to the broad and fertile central plains, and expanded their dominance over nearly the entire Indochina Peninsula. Contradictory as it may seem, however, recent archaeological discoveries around the northeast hamlet of Ban Chiang suggest that the world's oldest Bronze Age civilization was flourishing in Thailand some 5,000 years ago.
Sukhothai Period(1238-1438)
Sukhothai was the first Thai kingdom. It was founded in 1238 by two Thai governors, Khun Bang Klang Thao (Sri Inthrathit) and Khun Pha Muang who rebelled against the Khmers; and gave independence to the region. Sukhothai period was the most flourishing period of Thailand. It gained independence in 1238 and quickly expanded its boundary of influence. Sukhothai period was considered to be a golden age of Thai culture.
During that time in the history, everybody could say that "There are fish in the water and rice in the fields". The boundary of Sukhothai stretched from Lampang in the north to Vientiane, in present day Laos and the south to the Malay Peninsula. During this time Thai had strong friendship with neighboring countries. It absorbed elements of various civilizations which they came into contact. Thai maintained and advanced their culture with China. The potters entered Thai artistry and extensive trade was established with Cambodia and India.
After the death of Khun Pha Muang in 1279, Ramkhamhaeng King, the third son of Si Inthrahit, ascended to the throne. Under the Ramkhamhaeng King, Sukhothai had strong friendship with neighboring China. Ramkhamhaeng King organized a writing system which became the basis for writing and eventually developed to be the modern Thai alphabet.
Ayutthaya Period(1351-1767)
Ayutthaya, the capital of the Thai Kingdom was found by U-Thong King in 1350. Ayutthaya as an island is formed by the gathering of three rivers, the Chao Phraya, the Pasak, and the Loburi and surrounded by rice terraces. It is easy to see why the Ayutthaya area was settled prior to this date since the site offered a variety of geographical and economic advantages. The Thai kings of Ayutthaya became powerful in the 14th and 15th centuries, taking over U-Thong, Lopburi, and Ayutthaya.
King U-Thong and his immediate successors expanded Ayutthaya's territory, especially northward towards Sukhothai and eastward towards the Khmer capital of Angkor. The greater size of government could not remain the same as during the days of King Ramkhamhaeng. The society during the Ayutthaya period was strictly hierarchical. There were, roughly, three classes of people king at the top of scale. At the bottom of social scale were commoners and the slaves.
In the early 16th century, the European visited Ayutthaya, and a Portuguese embassy was established in 1511. Portugal's powerful neighbor Spain was the next European nation to arrive in Ayutthaya forward the end of the 16th century. In he early 17th century they saw the arrival of two northern European, the Dutch and the British, and France in 1662.
In the mid-16th century, Ayutthaya and the independent kingdom in Chiang Mai was put under the control of the Burmese, but Thais could regain both of the capitals by the end of the century.
The Burmese invaded Ayutthaya again in 1765. This time Burmese caused much fear to Thais. Burmase soldiers destroyed everything, including temples, manuscripts, and religious sculpture. After the capital fell in their hands for two years, the Burmese effectiveness could not further hold the kingdom. Phaya Taksin, a Thai general, promoted himself to be the king in 1769. He ruled the new capital of Thonburi on the bank of Chao Phraya River, opposite Bangkok. Thais regained control of their country and thus scattered themselves to the provinces in the north and central part of Thailand. Taksin eventually turn himself to be the next Buddha and was dismissed and executed by his ministers who did not approve his religious values.
Thonburi Period(1767-1782)
After the fall of Ayudthaya, General Taksin, a general of Aydthaya, drafted an army of patriots to take revenge for his country. He successfully chased away the Burmese troops. After the Burmese were gone, he decided to build a new capital along the Chaopraya river and named it "Thonburi". King Taksin has reined a peaceful country for over 15 years and extended diplomatic relationship with many countries from overseas including China. Unfortunately, King Taksin, who devoted his life to protect his beloved country, was over stressed from the wars and eventually became insane. Thonburi was collapsed because of the coup in 1782 by General Chakri. King Taksin's achievements have caused prosperity to bestow on him the epithet "the Great"
Rattanakosin Period
(1782-Present)
After Taksin's death, General Chakri became the first king of the Chakri dynasty, Rama I, ruling from 1782 to 1809. His first action as king was to transfer the royal capital across the river from Thonburi to Bangkok and build the Grand Palace. Rama II (1809-1824) continued the restoration begun by his predecessor.
King Nang Klao, Rama III (1824-1851) reopened relations with western nations and developed trade with China. King Mongkut, Rama IV, (1851-1868) of "The King and I" concluded treaties with European countries, avoided colonialization and established modern Thailand. He made many social and economic reforms during his reign.
King Chulalongkorn, Rama V (1869-1910) continued his father's tradition of reform, abolishing slavery and improving the public welfare and administrative system. Compulsory education and other educational reforms were introduced by King Vajiravudh, Rama VI (1910-1925). During the reign of King Prajadhipok, (1925-1935), Thailand changed from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional monarchy. The king abdicated in 1933 and was succeeded by his nephew, King Ananda Mahidol (1935-1946). The country's name was changed from Siam to Thailand with the advent of democratic government in 1939.
From absolute monarchy to constitutional monarchy
The politics of Thailand took some significant turn on 24 June 1932 when a group of young intellectuals, educated abroad and imbued with the concept of Western democracy, staged a bloodless coup, demanding a change form absolute to a constitutional monarchy, Determined to avoid any bloodshed, His Majesty King Prajadhipok (Rama VII) agreed to the abolition of absolute monarchy and the transfer of power to the constitution-based system of government as demanded.
To some, this demand was premature, but fortunately with the far-sightedness of King Prajadhipok and his predecessors in particular King Chulalongkorn the Great (Rama V) and King Vajiravudh (Rama VGI), Thailand was not unprepared for this transition. While continuing the process launched by the two previous kings, King Prajadhipok had every intention of accustoming the Thais to the Western system of constitutional monarchy and had considered the eventuality of altering such form of government to the people at an appropriate moment. Popular readiness, the King believed, was an important Ingredient to success for such transition. It was only a matter of waiting for the right time.
On 10 December 1932, His Majesty King Prajadhipok signed Thailand first constitution and thus ended 700 years of Thailand absolute monarchy. Despite the number of successive constitutions that followed in the span of just over half a century, the basic concepts of constitutional government and monarchy laid down in the 1932 constitution have remained unaltered.
History of Thailand (1768-1932)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
From 1768 to 1932 the area of modern Thailand was dominated by Siam, an absolute monarchy with capitals briefly at Thonburi and later at Rattanakosin, both in modern-day Bangkok. The first half of this period was a time of consolidation of the kingdom's power, and was punctuated by periodic conflicts with Burma, Vietnam and the Lao states. The later period was one of engagement with the colonial powers of Britain and France, in which Siam managed to be the only southeast Asian country not to be colonised by a European country. Internally the kingdom developed into a centralised nation state with borders defined by its interaction with the Western powers. Significant economic and social progress was made, with an increase in foreign trade, the abolition of slavery and the expansion of education to the emerging middle class. However, there was no substantial political reform until the monarchy was overthrown in a military coup in 1932.
Thonburi period
In 1767, after dominating southeast Asia for almost 400 years, the Ayutthaya kingdom was brought down by invading Burmese armies, its capital burned, and its territory occupied by the invaders.
Despite its complete defeat and occupation by Burma, Siam made a rapid recovery. The resistance to Burmese rule was led by a noble of Chinese descent, Taksin, a capable military leader. Initially based at Chanthaburi in the south-east, within a year he had defeated the Burmese occupation army and re-established a Siamese state with its capital at Thonburi on the west bank of the Chao Phraya, 20 km from the sea. In 1768 he was crowned as King Taksin (now officially known as Taksin the Great). He rapidly re-united the central Thai heartlands under his rule, and in 1769 he also occupied western Cambodia. He then marched south and re-established Siamese rule over the Malay Peninsula as far south as Penang and Terengganu. Having secured his base in Siam, Taksin attacked the Burmese in the north in 1774 and captured Chiang Mai in 1776, permanently uniting Siam and Lanna. Taksin's leading general in this campaign was Thong Duang, known by the title Chaophraya Chakri. In 1778 Chakri led a Siamese army which captured Vientiane and re-established Siamese domination over Laos.
Despite these successes, by 1779 Taksin was in political trouble at home. He seems to have developed a religious mania, alienating the powerful Buddhist monkhood by claiming to be a sotapanna or divine figure. He also attacked the Chinese merchant class, and foreign observers began to speculate that he would soon be overthrown. In 1782 Taksin sent his armies under Chakri to invade Cambodia, but while they were away a rebellion broke out in the area around the capital. The rebels, who had wide popular support, offered the throne to Chakri. Chakri marched back from Cambodia and deposed Taksin, who was secretly executed shortly after. Chakri ruled under the name Ramathibodi (he was posthumously given the name Phutthayotfa Chulalok), but is now generally known as King Rama I, first king of the Chakri dynasty. One of his first decisions was to move the capital across the river to the village of Bang Makok (meaning "place of olive plums" ), which soon became the city of Bangkok. The new capital was located on the island of Rattanakosin, protected from attack by the river to the west and by a series of canals to the north, east and south. Siam thus acquired both its current dynasty and its current capital.
Bangkok period
Rama I
Rama I restored most of the social and political system of the Ayutthaya kingdom, promulgating new law codes, reinstating court ceremonies and imposing discipline on the Buddhist monkhood. His government was carried out by six great ministries headed by royal princes. Four of these administered particular territories: the Kalahom the south; the Mahatthai the north and east; the Phrakhlang the area immediately south of the capital; and the Krommueang the area around Bangkok. The other two were the ministry of lands (Krom Na) and the ministry of the royal court (Krom Wang). The army was controlled by the King's deputy and brother, the Uparat. The Burmese, seeing the disorder accompanying the overthrow of Taksin, invaded Siam again in 1785. Rama allowed them to occupy both the north and the south, but the Uparat led the Siamese army into western Siam and defeated the Burmese in a battle near Kanchanaburi. This was the last major Burmese invasion of Siam, although as late as 1802 Burmese forces had to be driven out of Lanna. In 1792 the Siamese occupied Luang Prabang and brought most of Laos under indirect Siamese rule. Cambodia was also effectively ruled by Siam. By the time of his death in 1809 Rama I had created a Siamese Empire dominating an area considerably larger than modern Thailand.
Rama II
The reign of Rama I's son Phuttaloetla Naphalai (now known as King Rama II) was relatively uneventful. The Chakri family now controlled all branches of Siamese government — since Rama I had 42 children, his brother the Uparat had 43 and Rama II had 73, there was no shortage of royal princes to staff the bureacracy, the army, the senior monkhood and the provincial governments. (Most of these were the children of concubines and thus not eligible to inherit the throne.) There was a confrontation with Vietnam, now becoming a major power in the region, over control of Cambodia in 1813, ending with the status quo restored. But during Rama II's reign western influences again began to be felt in Siam. In 1785 the British occupied Penang, and in 1819 they founded Singapore. Soon the British displaced the Dutch and Portuguese as the main western economic and political influence in Siam. The British objected to the Siamese economic system, in which trading monopolies were held by royal princes and businesses were subject to arbitrary taxation. In 1821 the government of British India sent a mission to demand that Siam lift restrictions on free trade — the first sign of an issue which was to dominate 19th century Siamese politics.
Rama III
Rama II died in 1824, and was peacefully succeeded by his son Chetsadabodin, who reigned as King Nangklao, now known as Rama III. Rama II's younger son, Mongkut, was ordered to become a monk to remove him from politics.
The Wat Pho temple complex in Bangkok, legacy of King Rama IIIIn 1825 the British sent another mission to Bangkok. They had by now annexed southern Burma and were thus Siam's neighbours to the west, and they were also extending their control over Malaya. The King was reluctant to give in to British demands, but his advisors warned him that Siam would meet the same fate as Burma unless the British were accommodated. In 1826, therefore, Siam concluded its first commercial treaty with a western power. Under the treaty, Siam agreed to establish a uniform taxation system, to reduce taxes on foreign trade and to abolish some of the royal monopolies. As a result, Siam's trade increased rapidly, many more foreigners settled in Bangkok, and western cultural influences began to spread. The kingdom became wealthier and its army better armed.
A Lao rebellion led by Anouvong was defeated in 1827, following which Siam destroyed Vientiane, carried out massive forced population transfers from Laos to the more securely held area of Isan, and divided the Lao mueang into smaller units to prevent another uprising. In 1842–1845 Siam waged a successful war with Vietnam, which tightened Siamese rule over Cambodia. Rama III's most visible legacy in Bangkok is the Wat Pho temple complex, which he enlarged and endowed with new temples.
Rama III regarded his brother Mongkut as his heir, although as a monk Mongkut could not openly assume this role. He used his long sojourn as a monk to acquire a western education from French and American missionaries, one of the first Siamese to do so. He learned English and Latin, and studied science and mathematics. The missionaries no doubt hoped to convert him to Christianity, but in fact he was a strict Buddhist and a Siamese nationalist. He intended using this western knowledge to strengthen and modernise Siam when he came to the throne, which he did in 1851. By the 1840s it was obvious that Siamese independence was in danger from the colonial powers: this was shown dramatically by the British Opium Wars with China in 1839–1842. In 1850 the British and Americans sent missions to Bangkok demanding the end of all restrictions on trade, the establishment of a western-style government and immunity for their citizens from Siamese law (extraterritoriality). Rama III's government refused these demands, leaving his successor with a dangerous situation. Rama III reportedly said on his deathbed: "We will have no more wars with Burma and Vietnam. We will have them only with the West."
Mongkut
Mongkut came to the throne as Rama IV in 1851, determined to save Siam from colonial domination by forcing modernisation on his reluctant subjects. But although he was in theory an absolute monarch, his power was limited. Having been a monk for 27 years, he lacked a base among the powerful royal princes, and did not have a modern state apparatus to carry out his wishes. His first attempts at reform, to establish a modern system of administration and to improve the status of debt-slaves and women, were frustrated. Rama IV thus came to welcome western pressure on Siam. This came in 1855 in the form of a mission led by the Governor of Hong Kong, Sir John Bowring, who arrived in Bangkok with demands for immediate changes, backed by the threat of force. The King readily agreed to his demand for a new treaty, which restricted import duties to 3%, abolished royal trade monopolies, and granted extraterritoriality to British subjects. Other western powers soon demanded and got similar concessions.
The king soon came to consider that the real threat to Siam came from the French, not the British. The British were interested in commercial advantage, the French in building a colonial empire. They occupied Saigon in 1859, and 1867 established a protectorate over southern Vietnam and eastern Cambodia. Rama IV hoped that the British would defend Siam if he gave them the economic concessions they demanded. In the next reign this would prove to be an illusion, but it is true that the British saw Siam as a useful buffer state between British Burma and French Indochina.
Chulalongkorn
King Chulalongkorn was the fifth king of the Chakri dynasty.Rama IV died in 1868, and was succeeded by his 15-year-old son Chulalongkorn, who reigned as Rama V and is now known as Rama the Great. Rama V was the first Siamese king to have a full western education, having been taught by an English governess, Anna Leonowens - whose place in Siamese history has been fictionalised as The King and I. At first Rama V's reign was dominated by the conservative regent, Chaophraya Si Suriyawongse, but when the king came of age in 1873 he soon took control. He created a Privy Council and a Council of State, a formal court system and budget office. He announced that slavery would be gradually abolished and debt-bondage restricted.
At first the princes and other conservatives successfully resisted the king's reform agenda, but as the older generation was replaced by younger and western-educated princes, resistance faded. The king could always argue that the only alternative was foreign rule. He found powerful allies in his brothers Prince Chakkraphat, whom he made finance minister, Prince Damrong, who organized interior government and education, and his brother-in-law Prince Devrawongse, foreign minister for 38 years. In 1887 Devrawonge visited Europe to study government systems. On his recommendation the king established Cabinet government, an audit office and an education department. The semi-autonomous status of Chiang Mai was ended and the army was reorganised and modernised.
Territorial claims abandoned by Siam in the late 19th and early 20th centuriesIn 1893 the French authorities in Indochina used a minor border dispute to provoke a crisis. French gunboats appeared at Bangkok, and demanded the cession of Lao territories east of the Mekong. The King appealed to the British, but the British minister told the King to settle on whatever terms he could get, and he had no choice but to comply. Britain's only gesture was an agreement with France guaranteeing the integrity of the rest of Siam. In exchange, Siam had to give up its claim to the Tai-speaking Shan region of north-eastern Burma to the British.
The French, however, continued to pressure Siam, and in 1906–1907 they manufactured another crisis. This time Siam had to concede French control of territory on the west bank of the Mekong opposite Luang Prabang and around Champasak in southern Laos, as well as western Cambodia. The British interceded to prevent more French bullying of Siam, but their price, in 1909 was the acceptance of British sovereignty over of Kedah, Kelantan, Perlis and Terengganu under Anglo-Siamese Treaty of 1909. All of these "lost territories" were on the fringes of the Siamese sphere of influence and had never been securely under their control, but being compelled to abandon all claim to them was a substantial humiliation to both king and country (historian David K. Wyatt describes Chulalongkorn as "broken in spirit and health" following the 1893 crisis). In the early 20th century these crises were adopted by the increasingly nationalist government as symbols of the need for the country to assert itself against the West and its neighbours.
Meanwhile, reform continued apace transforming an absolute monarchy based on relationships of power into a modern, centralised nation state. The process was increasingly under the control of Rama V's sons, who were all educated in Europe. Railways and telegraph lines united the previously remote and semi-autonomous provinces. The currency was tied to the gold standard and a modern system of taxation replaced the arbitrary exactions and labour service of the past. The biggest problem was the shortage of trained civil servants, and many foreigners had to be employed until new schools could be built and Siamese graduates produced. By 1910, when the King died, Siam had become at least a semi-modern country, and continued to escape colonial rule.
Vajiravhud and the ascent of elite nationalism
King Rama VIOne of Rama V's reforms was to introduce a western-style law of royal succession, so in 1910 he was peacefully succeeded by his son Vajiravudh, who reigned as Rama VI. He had been educated at Sandhurst military academy and at Oxford, and was a thoroughly anglicised Edwardian gentleman. Indeed one of Siam's problems was the widening gap between the westernised royal family and upper aristocracy and the rest of the country. It took another 20 years for western education to extend to the rest of the bureaucracy and the army: a potential source of conflict.
There had been no political reform under Rama V: the king was still an absolute monarch, who acted as his own prime minister and staffed all the agencies of the state with his own relatives. Vajiravhud, with his British education, knew that the rest of the nation could not be excluded from government for ever, but he was no democrat. He applied his observation of the success of the British monarchy, appearing more in public and instituting more royal ceremonies. But he also carried on his father's modernisation programme. Polygamy was abolished, primary education made compulsory, and in 1916 higher education came to Siam with the founding of Chulalongkorn University, which in time became the seedbed of a new Siamese intelligentsia.
Another solution he found was to establish the Wild Tiger Corps, a paramilitary organisation of Siamese citizens of good character united to further the nation's cause. The King spent much time on the development of the movement as he saw it as an opportunity to create a bond between himself and loyal citizens; a volunteer corps willing to make sacrifices for the king and the nation.
At first the Wild Tigers were drawn from the king's personal entourage (it is likely that many joined in order to gain favour with Vajiravhud), but a genuine widespread enthusiasm rapidly arose.
Of the movement, a German observer wrote in September 1911:
This is a troop of volunteers in black uniform, drilled in a more or less military fashion, but without weapons. The British Scouts are apparently the paradigm for the Tiger Corps. In the whole country, at the most far-away places, units of this corps are being set up. One would hardly recognise the quiet and phlegmatic Siamese.
Vajiravhud's style of government differed greatly from that of his father. In the beginning of the sixth reign, the king continued to use his father's team and there was no sudden break in the daily routine of government. Much of the running of daily affairs was therefore in the hands of experienced and competent men. To them and their staff Siam owed many progressive steps, such as the development of a national plan for the education of the whole populance, the setting up of clinics where free vaccination was given against smallpox, and the continuing expansion of railways.
However, senior posts were gradually filled with one of the King's coterie when a vacancy occurred through death, retirement, or resignation. By 1915, half the cabinet consisted of new faces. Most notable was Prince Damrong's absence. He resigned from his post as Minister of the Interior officially because of ill health, but in actuality because of friction between himself and the king.
In 1917 Siam declared war on Germany, mainly to gain favour with the British and the French. Siam's token participation in World War I gained it a seat at the Versailles Peace Conference, and Foreign Minister Devrawongse used this opportunity to argue for the repeal of the 19th century treaties and the restoration of full Siamese sovereignty. The United States obliged in 1920, while France and Britain delayed until 1925. This victory gained the king some popularity, but it was soon undercut by discontent over other issues, such as his extravagance, which became more noticeable when a sharp postwar recession hit Siam in 1919. There was also the fact that the king had no son; he obviously preferred the company of men to women (a matter which of itself did not much concern Siamese opinion, but which did undermine the stability of the monarchy).
Thus when Rama VI died suddenly in 1925, aged only 44, the monarchy was already in a weakened state. He was succeeded by his younger brother Prajadhipok.
Prajadhipok
Unprepared for his new responsibilities, all Prajadhipok had in his favour was a lively intelligence, a certain diplomacy in his dealings with others, a modesty and industrious willingness to learn, and the somewhat tarnished, but still potent, magic of the crown.
Unlike his predecessor, the king diligently read virtually all state papers that came his way, from ministerial submissions to petitions by citizens. Within half a year only three of Vajiravhud's twelve ministers stayed on, the rest having been replaced by members of the royal family. On the one hand, these appointments brought back men of talent and experience, on the other, it signalled a return to royal oligarchy. The King obviously wanted to demonstrate a clear break with the discredited sixth reign, and the choice of men to fill the top positions appeared to be guided largely be a wish to restore a Chulalongkorn-type government.
The initial legacy that Prajadhipok received from his elder brother were problems of the sort that had become chronic in the Sixth Reign. The most urgent of these was the economy: the finances of the state were in chaos, the budget heavily in deficit, and the royal accounts an accountant's nightmare of debts and questionable transactions. That the rest of the world was in deep economic depression following World War I did not help the situation either.
Virtually the first act of Prajadipok as king entailed an institutional innovation intended to restore confidence in the monarchy and government, the creation of the Supreme Council of the State. This privy council was made up of a number of experienced and extremely competent members of the royal family, including the long time Minister of the Interior (and Chulalongkorn's right hand man) Prince Damrong. Gradually these princes arrogated increasing power by monopolising all the main ministerial positions. Many of them felt it their duty to make amends for the mistakes of the previous reign, but it was not generally appreciated.
With the help of this council, the king managed to restore stability to the economy, although at a price of making a significant amount of the civil servants redundant and cutting the salary of those that remained. This was obviously unpopular among the officials, and was one of the trigger events for the coup of 1932.
Prajadhipok then turned his attention to the question of future politics in Siam. Inspired by the British example, the King wanted to allow the common people to have a say in the country's affair by the creation of a parliament. A proposed constitution was ordered to be drafted, but the King's wishes were rejected, perhaps wisely, by his advisers, who felt that the population was not yet ready for democracy.
In 1932, with the country deep in depression, the Supreme Council opted to introduce cuts in official spending, including the military budget. The King foresaw that these policies might create discontent, especially in the army, and he therefore convened a special meeting of officials to explain why the cuts were necessary. In his addressed he stated the following:
I myself know nothing at all about finances, and all I can do is listen to the opinions of others and choose the best... If I have made a mistake, I really deserve to be excused by the people of Siam.
No previous monarch of Siam had ever spoken in such terms. Many interpreted the speech not as Prajadhipok apparently intended, namely as a frank appeal for understanding and cooperation. They saw it as a sign of his weakness and evidence that a system which perpetuated the rule of fallible autocrats should be abolished. Serious political disturbances were threatened in the capital, and in April the king agreed to introduce a constitution under which he would share power with a prime minister. This was not enough for the radical elements in the army, however. On June 24, 1932, while the king was holidaying at the seaside, the Bangkok garrison mutinied and seized power, led by a group of 49 officers known as "the Promoters." Thus ended 150 years of Siamese absolute monarchy.
Kingdom of Sukhothai (1238-1368)
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Thammaracha III ( Phaya Sai Luthai) พระมหาธรรมราชาที่ 3 (ไสลือไท ) (1399 - 1419)
Thammaracha IV (Borommapan) พระมหาธรรมราชาที่ 4 (บรมปาล ) (1419 - 1438)
Kingdom of Ayutthaya (1350-1767)
Uthong Dynasty (first reign, 1350-1370)
Ramathibodi I (formerly Prince U Thong) สมเด็จพระรามาธิบดีที่ 1 1350-1369
Ramesuan 1369-1370 สมเด็จพระราเมศวร (abdicated)
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Prasat Thong (Sanphet V) สมเด็จพระเจ้าปราสาททอง (สมเด็จพระเจ้าสรรเพชญ์ที่ 5) 1630-1655
Chao Fa Chai (Sanphet VI) สมเด็จเจ้าฟ้าไชย (สมเด็จพระเจ้าสรรเพชญ์ที่ 6) 1655
Si Suthammaracha (Sanphet VII) สมเด็จพระศรีสุธรรมราชา (สมเด็จพระเจ้าสรรเพชญ์ที่ 7) 1655
Narai, the Great สมเด็จพระนารายณ์มหาราช 1656-1688
Ban Phlu Luang Dynasty (1688-1767)
Phet Racha สมเด็จพระเพทราชา 1688-1703
Luang Sorasak or Phrachao Sua ('The Tiger King' ) (Sanphet VIII) สมเด็จพระเจ้าสรรเพชญ์ที่ 8 (หลวงสรศักดิ์ - พระเจ้าเสือ ) 1703-1709
Tai Sa (Sanphet IX) สมเด็จพระเจ้าสรรเพชญ์ที่ 9 (พระเจ้าท้ายสระ ) 1709-1733
Boromma Kot (Borommaracha Thirat III) สมเด็จพระเจ้าอยู่หัวบรมโกศ (สมเด็จพระบรมราชาธิราชที่ 3) 1733-1758
Uthumphon (Borommaracha Thirat IV) สมเด็จพระเจ้าอุทุมพร 1758
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Kingdom of Thonburi (1769-1782)
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Modern Kingdom of Thailand (1782-Present)
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Buddha Yodfa Chulalok, the Great (Rama I) พระบาทสมเด็จพระพุทธยอดฟ้าจุฬาโลกมหาราช, 1782-1809
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Nangklao (Rama III) พระบาทสมเด็จพระนั่งเกล้าเจ้าอยู่หัว, 1824-1851
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Vajiravudh (Rama VI) พระบาทสมเด็จพระมงกุฎเกล้าเจ้าอยู่หัว, 1910-1925
Prajadhipok (Rama VII) พระบาทสมเด็จพระปกเกล้าเจ้าอยู่หัว, 1925-1935
Ananda Mahidol (Rama VIII) พระบาทสมเด็จพระเจ้าอยู่หัวอานันทมหิดล, 1935-1946
Bhumibol Adulyadej, the Great (Rama IX) พระบาทสมเด็จพระเจ้าอยู่หัวภูมิพลอดุลยเดชมหาราช, 1946-present
Ananda Mahidol
King Ananda Mahidol (Rama VIII)
King of Thailand
Early life
Prince Ananda Mahidol Mahidol (Mom Chao Ananda Mahidol Mahidol — หม่อมเจ้า อานันทมหิดล มหิดล ) was born in Heidelberg, Germany. He was the first son of Prince Mahidol Adulyadej of Songkhla (son of King Chulalongkorn) and Mom Sangwal (last title Somdej Phra Sri Nakarindhara Boromaratchachonnani) who were studying there at the time. King Vajiravhud, his uncle, sent a telegram on October 13, 1925 auspiciously naming him "Ananda Mahidol" (อานันทมหิดล ), meaning "the joy of Mahidol". ("Ananda Mahidol" is one word and is his first name. It is pronounced "Ananta Mahidon". When he held his birth rank of "Mom Chao" -- the lowest rank of Thai princes, he used the surname of "Mahidol" from his father; his name at this point was thus "Mom Chao Ananda Mahidol Mahidol" ).
He followed his parents to Paris, Lausanne, and then to Massachusetts when, in 1927, another uncle, King Prajadhipok issued a royal edict exalting him to the higher princely class of Phra Worawong Ther Phra Ong Chao. (This edict also benefited other "Mom Chao" who were the children of Chao Fa and their commoner wives, among them his elder sister Mom Chao Galyani Vadhana and his younger brother who, upon his birth later in the year, was born Phra Worawong Ther Phra Ong Chao Bhumibol Adulyadej).
The family returned to Thailand in 1928 after Prince Mahidol finished his medical studies at Harvard University. Prince Mahidol died at age 37 in 1929, when Ananda Mahidol was just 4 years old. His widowed mother was thus left to raise her family alone.
A coup d'etat in 1932 ended the absolute monarchy and raised the possibility that King Prajadhipok might abdicate. Queen Savang Vadhana, his grandmother, was concerned about Prince Ananda Mahidol's safety, since he was one of the likely heirs to the throne. It was then suggested that the Mahidol family again move to Lausanne. The official reason given was for the health and further education of the princes. They left Thailand in 1933 and Prince Ananda Mahidol spent most of his youth in Switzerland.
However, when King Prajadhipok's abdication appeared imminent, the Prince's mother was approached by a member of government, asking for her opinion about Ananda Mahidol becoming the next Thai monarch.
Circumstance of succession
It was an interesting turn in the history of succession when King Prajadhipok (Rama VII) abdicated in 1935 due to political quarrels with the new quasi-democratic government as well as health problems, and abstained from exercising his right to name a successor. By that time, the crown had already passed from Prince Mahidol's line to that of his half-brothers when his eldest full brother, Crown Prince Maha Vajirunhis, died as a teenager during King Chulalongkorn's reign. A half-brother, Prince Vajiravhud replaced Prince Vajirunahis as the Crown Prince, and Vajiravhud's mother was later made Queen Regent when King Chulalongkorn left for a European tour. The implication of these was that the princes born to the same mother as Prince Vajiravhud (Queen Saovabha) thus had higher claim to the throne than other princes. This was what took place on the death of King Vajiravhud — the crown was passed to his youngest brother, Prince Prajadhipok.
Offering the throne to Prince Prajadhipok was not without a debate. In doing so, another strong candidate was bypassed: Prince Chulachakrapongse, son of the late Field Marshal Prince Chakrapongsepoovanat of Phitsanulok, who before his death had been the heir-apparent to King Vajiravhud. It was questioned whether the Succession Law enacted by King Vajiravhud actually barred Prince Chakrapongsepoovanat (and for that matter, Prince Chulachakrapongse) from succession on the ground that he married a foreigner (Russian). However, his marriage took place before this law was enacted and had been endorsed by King Chulalongkorn himself. There was no clear resolution, but in the end the young nephew was passed over and Prince Prajadhipok was enthroned.
When King Prajadhipok later abdicated, since he was the last remaining son of Queen Sri Pacharindra, the crown went back to the sons of the Queen whose rank was next to hers: Queen Savang Vadhana, mother of the late Crown Prince Vajirunahis. Besides the late Crown Prince, she had two more sons who survived to adulthood: Prince Sommootiwongwarothai of Nakhon Si Thammarat, who had died without a son, and Prince Mahidol who, although deceased, had two living sons. It thus appeared that Prince Ananda Mahidol would be the first person in line of royal succession.
Nevertheless, the same debate over the half-foreign Prince Chulachakrapongse occurred again. It was argued that King Vajiravhud had virtually exempted the Prince's father from the ban in the Succession Law, and the crown might thus be passed to him.
Since the kingdom was now governed under a constitution, it was the Cabinet who would decide. Opinion was split on the right to succession of Prince Chulachakrapongse. A key figure was Pridi Phanomyong, who persuaded the Cabinet that the Law should be interpreted as excluding the Prince from succession, and that Prince Ananda Mahidol should be the next king. It also appeared to be convenient for the government as well to have a monarch who was only 9 years old and was attending school in Lausanne, Switzerland. On March 2, 1935 Prince Ananda Mahidol was elected by the Thai parliament and government to succeed his uncle, King Prajadhipok.
See also King Prajadhipok's circumstance of succession
Life as King
As the new King was still a child and was then studying in Switzerland, the parliament appointed Colonel Prince Anuwatjaturong, Lieutenant Commander Prince Artit Thip-apa, and Chao Phraya Yommaraj (Pun Sukhum) as his regents.
At age 13, he visited Thailand for the first time as monarch, accompanied by his mother and his younger brother Bhumibol Adulyadej. Only after the end of World War II did he return, in December 1945, with a degree in Law, for a second visit. Despite his youth and inexperience, he quickly won the hearts of the Thai people, who had continued to revere the monarchy through the upheavals of the 1930s and 1940s. He was a handsome young man and Thais were delighted to have their King amongst them once again. One of his well-remembered activities was a highly successful visit to Bangkok's Chinatown, which was calculated to defuse the post-war tensions that lingered between the ethnic Chinese and the Thais.
Foreign observers, however, believed that Ananda Mahidol did not really want to be King and felt his reign would not last long. Louis Mountbatten, Earl Mountbatten of Burma, the British commander in South-East Asia, visited Bangkok in January 1946 and described the King as "a frightened, short-sighted boy, his sloping shoulders and thin chest behung with gorgeous diamond-studded decorations, altogether a pathetic and lonely figure." At a public function, Mountbatten wrote, "his nervousness increased to such an alarming extent, that I came very close to support him in case he passed out."
A mysterious death
Statue of Ananda Mahidol, Wat Suthat, Bangkok, erected in 1959 by King Bhumibol Adulyadej as a tribute to his brother On June 9, 1946, the King was found shot dead in his bedroom in the Grand Palace, only four days before he was scheduled to return to Switzerland to finish his doctoral degree in Law at the University of Lausanne. His brother Bhumibol Adulyadej succeeded him. Ananda Mahidol was never crowned as king, but his brother posthumously gave him the full royal title of the nine-fold umbrella.
Events of 9 June 1946
Keith Simpson, pathologist to the British Home Office and founding Chair of the Department of Forensic Medicine at Guy's Hospital London, performed a forensic analysis of the King's death and recounted the following sequence of events on the morning of 9 June 1946:[1]
King Ananda was woken by his mother at 6am. At 7.30am, his page, But Pathamasarin, came on duty and began preparing a breakfast table on a balcony adjoining the King's dressing room.
At 8.30, But saw the King standing in his dressing room. He brought the King his customary glass of orange juice a few minutes later. However, by then the King had gone back to bed and refused the juice.
At 8.45am, the King's other page, Chit Singhaseni, appeared, saying that he had been called to measure the King's medals and decorations on behalf of a jeweller who was making a case for them.
At 9am, Prince Bhumibol visited King Ananda. He said afterwards that he had found the King dozing in his bed. At 9.20am, a single shot rang out from the King's bedroom. Chit ran in and then ran out along the corridor to the apartment of the King's mother, crying "The King has shot himself"
The King's mother followed Chit into the King's bedroom and found the King lying face up in bed, bloodied from a wound to the head.
Aftermath
An initial radio announcement on 9 June surmised that the King was accidentally killed while toying with his pistol.[2]
In October 1946, a Commission of Inquiry reported that the King's death could not have been accidental but that neither suicide nor murder was satisfactorily proved.
In November 1947, Field Marshal Plaek Pibulsonggram staged a coup against the elected government and ordered a trial. King Ananda's secretary Senator Chaleo Patoomros and the pages, But and Chit, were arrested and charged with conspiracy to kill the King.
The trial began in August 1948. The prosecution's case was supported by 124 witnesses and such voluminous documentary evidence that the defense counsel asked for an adjournment to give them time to consider it. When this was refused the counsel resigned, and new counsel were found. Later, two of the defense counsel were arrested and charged with treason. Of the remaining two counsel, one resigned, leaving only one young lawyer for the defence, Fak Na Songkhla. Towards the end of the case he was joined by Chaleo Patoomros's daughter, who had just graduated.
The trial ended in May 1951. The court found that King Ananda had been assassinated, but that Chaleo had not been proved guilty and that neither of the pages could have fired the fatal shot. However, they found Chit guilty of being a party to the crime. The charges against Chaleo and But were dismissed and the two released.
Chit appealed his conviction, and the prosecution appealed against the acquittal of Chaleo and But. After another fifteen months of deliberation, the Appeal Court dismissed Chit's appeal and, undeterred by the legal doctrine of double jeopardy, found But guilty too.
Chit and But appealed to the Supreme Court, which deliberated for ten more months before finally upholding the convictions, and also convicting Chaleo.
In February 1955, Chaleo Patoomros and the two pages, Chit Sinhaseni and But Paramasrin, were executed by Pibulsonggram's regime on charges of conspiracy to kill the King. Today it is acknowledged that these charges were baseless, but the truth of the matter remains a mystery.
Alternative explanations of the death
The King's death is still a mystery. Since this subject is never openly discussed in Thailand, the best current account is in William Stevenson's The Revolutionary King, written with the co-operation of King Bhumibol Adulyadej. This account exculpates those executed and suggests that Ananada Mahidol was murdered by Tsuji Masanobu, a former Japanese intelligence officer who had been active in Thailand during the war.
It is clear from Stevenson's account that Ananda Mahidol cannot have killed himself, either by suicide (as is sometimes suggested) or accidentally. He was found lying on his back in his bed, not wearing his glasses, without which he was almost blind. He had a small bullet wound in his forehead and a somewhat larger exit wound in the back of his head. His gun, a Colt .45 given to him as a gift by an American Army officer, was not nearby. The Colt .45 is not a gun prone to accidental discharge - it will fire only if considerable pressure is applied to the safety plate at the back of the butt at the same time as the trigger is depressed. The Colt is also a heavy pistol and difficult to use by a person without training. It would have been virtually impossible for Ananda Mahidol, a frail 20-year-old, to lie on his back and shoot himself in the forehead with such a pistol. If he had done so, the impact would have blown his skull apart, not caused the small wound seen by many witnesses. No cartridge casing was found, and subsequent inquiries ordered by King Bhumibol, but suppressed by later governments, found that the Colt had not been fired.[citation needed]
Dr. Keith Simpson, a forensic pathologist who investigated the King's death found it highly unlikely that the death was due to suicide,[3] noting that:
The pistol was found by the King's left hand, but he was right-handed
The direction of bullet fired was not inward towards the centre of the head.
The wound, over the left eye, was not in one of the elective sites, nor a `contact' discharge.
The King was killed while lying flat on his back. Simpson noted that in twenty years' experience he never known of any suicide shooting himself whilst lying flat on his back.
If Ananda Mahidol did not kill himself, he must have been murdered. It must therefore be asked who stood to benefit from his death. The most obvious beneficiary was his brother Bhumibol, who was next in line to the throne. The possibility that the current King murdered his brother is so shocking as to be unthinkable, let alone mentionable, in modern Thailand, but it was commonly rumoured during the 1950s. The possibility can, however, be dismissed on several grounds. First, if, as seems clear, the King's own pistol was not the murder weapon, Bhumibol would have had to obtain and use another gun, then successfully conceal it in the few seconds before other witnesses arrived on the scene. Secondly, all accounts agree that Bhumibol was summoned to the King's bedchamber by their mother, who was first on the scene. Third and most importantly, Ananda Mahidol and Bhumibol were very close, and Bhumibol had absolutely no desire to be King (according to some accounts, he still does not have).[citation needed] His only desire was to return to his quiet life in Switzerland.
The King's murderer must therefore have come from outside the Royal Palace. Here there is no shortage of suspects. Thai politics at this time was dominated by two figures who had led the 1932 revolution against the absolute monarchy, but who had subsequently fallen out. These were Field Marshal Pibulsonggram, who had been the pro-Japanese dictator of Thailand during World War II but who in 1946 was seeking to rehabilitate himself as a client of the United States, and Pridi Phanomyong, a left-wing civilian politician who had been an underground British agent during the war and was regarded as a supporter of British interests. At the time of the King's death Pridi was Prime Minister, and Britain and the U.S. were conducting a clandestine battle for influence in postwar Thailand.
The role of the monarchy was of central importance to Thai politics, and the virtual vacancy of the throne which had existed since 1932 had been of great value to Pibulsonggram's wartime regime. It is possible that he saw the re-emergence of a strong monarchy under King Ananda Mahidol as a threat to his prospects of returning to power under U.S. patronage. It is therefore plausible that Pibulsonggram could have used the Japanese officer Tsuji Masanobu, who had avoided war crimes prosecution by making himself useful to the Americans, as his agent to bring about the King's death, in the hope that Bhumibol would be a more pliant King. A royal murder also served to discredit Pridi's government, to Pibulsonggram's benefit.
Alternatively, it is possible, though less likely, that Pridi saw the re-establishment of a strong monarchy as a threat to his hopes of establishing a left-wing government in Thailand. Although he was not a communist, Pridi was strongly sympathetic to the Chinese Communists, and later lived in exile in the People's Republic of China. Since Britain had a Labour government at this time, Pridi saw no contradiction between his left-wing policies and his role as a British agent. Killing the King, according to this theory, would weaken the monarchy and make a left-wing revolution easier. In the Cold War atmosphere of the 1950s, Pridi was widely named as the man behind the King's death. According to William Stevenson, King Bhumibol has said that he does not believe that Pridi was involved in the murder.
Given that it is over 60 years since Ananda Mahidol's murder, it seems unlikely that it will be solved. It is possible, however, that King Bhumibol, the only surviving witness to these events, knows the full truth and that this will be revealed after his death.
Another theory regarding Ananda Mahidol's mysterious death was explored by journalist Rayne Kruger in his book, The Devil's Discus (Cassell & Co., Ltd. [London]. 1964). The book is banned in Thailand. However, a website by a Thai writer has provided a summary of Kruger's arguments, and links to other material about this mysterious event.
Bhumibol Adulyadej
King Bhumibol Adulyadej, (Rama IX)
King of Thailand
Reign June 9, 1946 - present
Coronation May 5, 1950
Born December 5, 1927 (age 79)
Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States
Predecessor King Ananda Mahidol (Rama VIII)
Heir-Apparent HRH Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn
Consort Queen Sirikit
Issue Princess Ubol Ratana
HRH Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn
HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn
HRH Princess Chulabhorn Walailak
Royal House Chakri Dynasty
Father Mahidol Adulyadej, Prince of Songkla
Mother Sangwal, the Princess Mother
Bhumibol Adulyadej (Thai: ภูมิพลอดุลยเดช; IPA: [pdu:mipdon adunjadeh0;t]; Royal Institute: Phumiphon Adunyadet; listen (help·info)) (born December 5, 1927), officially styled "the Great" (Thai: มหาราช, Maharaja) and also known as Rama IX, is the current King of Thailand. His name, Bhumibol Adulyadej, means "Strength of the Land, Incomparable Power".[1] Having reigned since June 9, 1946, Bhumibol is the world's longest-serving current Head of State and the longest-serving monarch in Thai history.[2]
Although Bhumibol is a constitutional monarch, he has several times made decisive interventions in Thai politics, including the political crisis of 2005-2006. Bhumibol has been widely credited with facilitating Thailand's transition to democracy in the 1990s, although in earlier periods of his reign he supported military regimes. Most recently, he did not oppose the September 2006 coup which overthrew the elected government of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
Bhumibol uses his great wealth to fund numerous development projects, particularly in rural areas. He is immensely popular in Thailand, and is revered as a semi-divine figure by many Thais. Critics, mostly outside Thailand, attribute this status to the suppression of criticism of the monarchy.[3]
Bhumibol was born in the United States and educated primarily in Switzerland. Bhumibol is also an accomplished musician, artist, and sailor. He is one of the wealthiest people in the world and has received many honours.
Early life
King Ananda Mahidol, his grandmother Queen Savang Vadhana, and Prince Bhumibol in 1938.Bhumibol was born at Mount Auburn Hospital in Cambridge, Massachusetts located in the United States, the youngest son of Mahidol Adulyadej, Prince of Songkhla and son of King Chulalongkorn, and Mom Sangwal (later Somdej Phra Sri Nakarindhara Boromaratchachonnani). At the time of his birth, he was known in Thailand as Phra Worawongse Ther Phra Ong Chao Bhumibol Adulyadej (พระวรวงศ์เธอ พระองค์เจ้าภูมิพลอดุลยเดช ), reflecting the fact that his mother was a commoner.[4] Had he been born just a few years earlier, before his uncle King Prajadhipok passed a law allowing children of a prince and a commoner to be called Phra Ong Chao (a prince of a lesser status than Chao Fa), he would have been called Mom Chao (the most junior class of the Thai princes), similar to his older brother and sister.[5]
Bhumibol was brought back to Thailand in 1928, after Prince Mahidol obtaining a certificate from Public Health Program at Harvard University. After primary schooling at the Mater Dei school in Bangkok, he left with the rest of his family in 1933 for Switzerland, where he continued his secondary education at the École Nouvelle de la Suisse Romande in Chailly-sur-Lausanne, and received the baccalauréat de lettres (high-school diploma with major in French literature, Latin, and Greek) from the Gymnase classique cantonal of Lausanne. He was studying science at the University of Lausanne when his elder brother, Phra Ong Chao Ananda Mahidol, was crowned King of Thailand. King Ananda Mahidol then elevated his brother and sister to the Chao Fa status, the most senior class of the Thai princes and princesses, in 1935. They came to Thailand briefly in 1938, but returned to Switzerland for further study, where they stayed until 1945.[6]
Succession and marriage
Bhumibol ascended to the throne following the death of his brother, Ananda Mahidol, on June 9, 1946. Ananda Mahidol's death resulted from a gunshot to the head while he was in his bedroom in the Baromphiman Palace in the Grand Palace, under circumstances that to this day remain a mystery.[7] Bhumibol then returned to Switzerland in order to complete his education, and his uncle, Rangsit, Prince of Chainat, was appointed Prince Regent. Bhumibol switched over his field of study to law and political science in order to prepare himself more effectively for his new position as ruler.
While finishing his degree in Switzerland, Bhumibol visited Paris frequently. It was in Paris that he first met a first cousin once removed, Mom Rajawongse Sirikit Kitiyakara, daughter of the Thai ambassador to France.[8] He was 21, and she was 15. Bhumibol became a regular visitor to the ambassador's residence.
On October 4, 1948, while Bhumibol was driving a Fiat Topolino on the Geneva-Lausanne highway, he collided into the rear of a braking truck 10 km outside of Lausanne. He hurt his back and incurred cuts on his face that cost him sight in his right eye.[9][10][11] While he was hospitalized in Lausanne, Sirikit visited him frequently. She met Bhumibol's mother, who asked her to continue her studies nearby so that Bhumibol could get to know her better. Bhumibol selected for her a boarding school in Lausanne, Riante Rive. A quiet engagement in Lausanne followed on July 19, 1949, and the couple were married on April 28, 1950, just a week before his coronation.
Bhumibol and his wife Queen Sirikit have four children:
Thai Royal Family
HM The King
HM The Queen
Princess Ubolratana Rajakanya
Khun Ploypailin Mahidol
Khun Poom Mahidol
Khun Sirikitiya Mahidol
HRH The Crown Prince
HRH Princess Bajrakitiyabha
HRH Princess Siriwannawari Nariratana
HRH Prince Dipangkorn Rasmijoti
HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn
HRH Princess Chulabhorn Walailak
HRH Princess Siribhachudhabhorn
HRH Princess Adityadhornkitikhun
HRH Princess Bejaratana
HRH Princess Galyaniwatana
Thanpuying Dhasanawalaya Sornsongkram
HRH Princess Srirasmi
HRH Princess Soamsavali
(Formerly HRH) Princess Ubol Ratana, born April 5, 1951 in Lausanne, Switzerland;
HRH Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, born July 28, 1952;
HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, born April 2, 1955;
HRH Princess Chulabhorn Walailak, born July 4, 1957.
One of Bhumibol's grandchildren, Bhumi Jensen (also known as Khun Poom), was killed in the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake. He was the son of Princess Ubol Ratana.
Coronation and titles
Bhumibol was crowned King of Thailand on May 5, 1950 at the Royal Palace in Bangkok where he pronounced his Oath of Succession "I will reign with righteousness for the benefit and happiness of the Siamese people" ("เราจะครองแผ่นดินโดยธรรม เพื่อประโยชน์สุขแห่งมหาชนชาวสยาม" ).[12] His ceremonial name, according to the ancient tradition, is:
พระบาทสมเด็จพระปรมินทรมหาภูมิพลอดุลยเดช มหิตลาธิเบศรามาธิบดี จักรีนฤบดินทร์ สยามินทราธิราช บรมนาถบพิตร (Phrabat Somdej Phra Paramindra Maha Bhumibol Adulyadej Mahitaladhibet Ramadhibodi Chakrinarubodindara Sayamindaradhiraj Boromanatbophit listen (help·info))
On the same day, he made his consort Queen (Somdej Phra Boromarajini). The date of his coronation is celebrated each May 5 in Thailand as Coronation Day, a public holiday. On December 5, 1996, Bhumibol celebrated his 50th anniversary as the King of Thailand, becoming the longest reigning monarch in Thai history.[2]
Following the death of his grandmother Queen Savang Vadhana (สว่างวัฒนา, Sawang Watthana Phra Phanvasa Aiyeekajao), Bhumibol entered a 15-day monkhood (October 22–November 5, 1956) at Wat Bowonniwet, as is customary at the death of elder relatives. During this time, Sirikit was appointed his regent. She was later appointed Queen Regent (Somdej Phra Boromarajininat) in recognition of this.
Although Bhumibol is often referred to as King Rama IX in English, the name "Rama" is never used in Thai. The name is used to approximate "Ratchakal ti Kao" (รัชกาลที่ 9, literally "the Ninth Reign" ). More commonly, Thais refer to him as Nai Luang or Phra Chao Yu Hua (ในหลวง or พระเจ้าอยู่หัว: both mean "the King" ). Formally, he would be referred to as Phrabat Somdej Phra Chao Yu Hua (พระบาทสมเด็จพระเจ้าอยู่หัว ) or, in legal documents, Phrabat Somdej Phra Paraminthara Maha Bhumibol Adulyadej (พระบาทสมเด็จพระปรมินทรมหาภูมิพลอดุลยเดช ), and in English as His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej. He signs his name as ภูมิพลอดุลยเดช ป.ร. (Bhumibol Adulyadej Por Ror; this is the Thai equivalent of Bhumibol Adulyadej R[ex]).
Role in Thai politics
Many public images of Bhumibol show him as many years younger than his current ageIn the early years of his reign, during the government of military dictator Plaek Pibulsonggram, Bhumibol had no real power and was little more than a ceremonial front for the military-dominated government. In August 1957, 6 months after parliamentary elections, General Sarit Dhanarajata accused the government of Field Marshal Pibulsonggram of lèse majesté due to its conduct of the 2,500th anniversary celebration of Buddhism.[13][14] On September 16, 1957, Pibulsonggram went to Bhumibol to seek support for his government.[15] Bhumibol told the Field Marshal to resign to avoid a coup; Pibulsonggram refused. That evening, Sarit Dhanarajata seized power, and two hours later Bhumibol decreed martial law, named Sarit as "defender of the capital", and allowed Sarit to countersign royal decrees.[16]
Under Sarit's dictatorship, the monarchy was revitalised. Bhumibol attended public ceremonies, toured the provinces and patronised development projects. Under Sarit, the practice of crawling in front of royalty during audiences, banned by King Chulalongkorn, was revived and the royal-sponsored Thammayut Nikaya order was revitalised. For the first time since the absolute monarchy was overthrown, a King was conveyed up the Chao Phraya River in a Royal Barge Procession to offer robes at temples.[17][18]
Other disused ceremonies from the classical period of the Chakri dynasty, like the royally-patronised ploughing ceremony (Thai: พิธีพืชมงคล ), were also revived.[19]
During the 1970's, Bhumibol was a key figure in the Village Scouts and Red Gaur. In October 1973 after massive protests and the deaths of a large number of pro-democracy demonstrators led by students, Bhumibol asserted himself politically for the first time by opening the gates of the Chitralada Palace to fleeing students, and holding audiences with their leaders. Bhumibol subsequently appointed the devout Thammasat University Rector Sanya Dharmasakti as the new Prime Minister. A succession of civilian governments followed, but the return of Field Marshal Thanom Kittikachorn from self-imposed exile in 1976 led to renewed conflict. Protests against the ex-dictator escalated and came to a head when two newspapers published doctored photographs depicting Thammasat students hanging the Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn in effigy.[20] With many people believing that lèse majesté had been committed, military and paramilitary forces attacked the University, leading to a bloody massacre.
The ensuing chaos was used as a pretext for a military coup which resulted in the appointment of the ultra-conservative Tanin Kraivixien as Prime Minister. He was replaced in another military coup by General Kriangsak Chomanan in October 1977. Kriangsak was succeeded in 1980 by Army Commander-in-Chief General Prem Tinsulanond, future Privy Council President. The King's refusal to endorse military coups in 1981 and 1985 ultimately led to the victory of forces loyal to the government.
Crisis of 1992
Main article: Bloody May
In 1992, Bhumibol played a key role in Thailand's transition to a democratic system. A coup on February 23, 1991 put Thailand back under military dictatorship. After a general election, held in 1992, the majority parties invited General Suchinda Kraprayoon, a leader of the coup group, to be the Prime Minister. This caused much dissent, and the conflict escalated to demonstrations and then to a large number of deaths when the military was brought in to control the protesters. The situation became increasingly critical as neither side would back down and the violence escalated.
Bhumibol summoned Suchinda and the leader of the pro-democracy movement, Major General Chamlong Srimuang, to a televised audience. At the height of the crisis, the sight of both men appearing together on their knees (in accordance with royal protocol) made a strong impression on the nation, and led to Suchinda's resignation soon afterwards. It was one of the few public occasions where Bhumibol directly intervened in a political conflict. A general election was held shortly afterward leading to a civilian government.
Crisis of 2005-2006 and the September 2006 coup
Main articles: Thailand political crisis 2005-2006, Finland Plot, and 2006 Thailand coup d'état
Weeks before the April 2006 legislative election, the anti-Thaksin coalition (including the People's Alliance for Democracy) petitioned Bhumibol to appoint a replacement Prime Minister and Cabinet to resolve the political crisis. However, demands for royal intervention met with much criticism from the public. Bhumibol, in a speech on April 26, 2006, responded, "Asking for a Royally-appointed prime minister is undemocratic. It is, pardon me, a mess. It is irrational".[21]
After publicly claiming victory in the boycotted April parliamentary elections, Thaksin Shinawatra had a private audience with Bhumibol. A few hours later, Thaksin appeared on national television to announce that he would not accept the Premiership, and would be taking leave from politics.
In May 2006, the Sondhi Limthongkul-owned Manager Daily newspaper published a series of articles describing the "Finland Plot", alleging that Thaksin and former members of the Communist Party of Thailand planned to overthrow the King and take seize control of the nation. No evidence was ever produced to verify the existence of such a plot, and Thaksin and his Thai Rak Thai party vehemently denied the accusations and sued the accusers.
In a rare, televised speech to senior judges, Bhumibol requested that the judiciary take action to resolve the political crisis.[21] On May 8, 2006, the Constitutional Court invalidated the results of the April elections and ordered new elections scheduled for 15 October 2006.[22] The Criminal Court later jailed the Election Commissioners.[23][24]
On 14 July 2006, Privy Council President Prem Tinsulanonda addressed graduating cadets of the Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy, telling them that the Thai military must serve the King - not the Government.[25]
On 20 July, Bhumibol signed a royal decree endorsing new House elections for 15 October 2006. In an unprecedented act, the King wrote a note on the royal decree calling for a clean and fair election. That very day, Bhumibol underwent spinal surgery.[26][27]
On the evening of September 19, 2006, the Thai military overthrew the government and seized control of Bangkok in a bloodless coup. The junta, led by the Commander of the Army, called itself the Council for Democratic Reform under the Constitutional Monarchy and pledged its loyalty to the King. Martial law was declared, the Constitution repealed, and the October elections were cancelled.[28][29] On 20 September, the King endorsed the coup, and asked the civil servants to take orders from Gen. Sonthi, the leader of the military coup.[30]
The King's role in the coup was the subject of much speculation among Thai analysts and the international media. The King had an audience with Privy Council President General Prem Tinsulanonda at the same time the first Special Forces troops were ordered mobilized.[31] In a BBC interview, Thitinan Pongsudhirak of Chulalongkorn University noted that "This coup was nothing short of Thaksin versus the King... He is widely seen as having implicitly endorsed the coup." In the same interview, social critic Sulak Sivaraksa claimed that "Without his involvement, the coup would have been impossible." Sulak added that the King is "very skillful. He never becomes obviously involved. If this coup goes wrong, Sonthi will get the blame, but whatever happens, the King will only get praise."[32] On Saturday 23 September 2006, the junta warned they would "urgently retaliate against foreign reporters whose coverage has been deemed insulting to the monarchy."[33]
Royal powers
For a historical perspective on how the monarch's constitutional powers have changed over time, see the Constitutions of Thailand article
Monument to King Bhumibol in Phitsanulok, ThailandBhumibol retains enormous powers, partly because of his immense popularity and partly because his powers - although clearly defined in the Thai Constitution - are often subject to conflicting interpretations. This was highlighted by the controversy surrounding the appointment of a new Auditor-General. The Constitution Court ruled in July 2004 that the appointment of Jaruvan Maintaka to this post by the State Audit Commission was unconstitutional. But Jaruvan refused to leave her position without an explicit order from Bhumibol. When the Senate approved of a replacement for Jaruvan, Bhumibol, in a very rare move, refused to approve the replacement.[34] The Senate declined to vote to override his veto.[35] Finally in February 2006 the Audit Commission reinstated Jaruvan when it became clear from a memo from the Office of the King's Principal Private Secretary that Bhumibol supported her position.
This raised the issue of whether Bhumibol was more powerful than the Constitution. Senator Kaewsan Atibhodi, a former member of the Constitution Drafting Committee, noted that under Article Seven of the 1997 Constitution said that: "whenever no provision under this Constitution is applicable to any case, it shall be decided in accordance with the constitutional practice in the democratic regime of government with the King as Head of the State”. Kaewsan interpreted this as giving Bhumibol veto powers over the Senate's appointment of Wisut Montriwat to replace Jaruvan: "Whenever [the King] considers [something as being] not beneficial to the people and being unjust, His Majesty has a veto power".[36]
Bhumibol has very rarely vetoed legislation in previous circumstances. In 1976, when the Parliament voted 149-19 to extend democratic elections down to local levels, Bhumibol refused to sign the law.[37] The Parliament refused to vote to overturn the King's veto. In 1954, Bhumibol vetoed parliamentary-approved land reform legislation twice before consenting to sign it.[38] The law limited the maximum land any person could hold at 50 rai (20 acres), at a time when the Crown Property Bureau was the Kingdom's largest land-owner. The law was repealed after power was seized by General Sarit.
Bhumibol's hold over Thai public opinion was demonstrated following the 2003 Phnom Penh riots in Cambodia, when hundreds of Thai protesters, enraged by the burning of the Thai embassy in Phnom Penh, gathered outside the Cambodian embassy in Bangkok, ripped the Cambodian seal out of the front wall, and tried to break into the embassy. The situation was resolved peacefully when Police General Sant Sarutanonda told the crowd that he had received a call from royal secretary Arsa Sarasin conveying Bhumibol's call for calm.[39]
Bhumibol has the constitutional prerogative to pardon criminals. The 2006 pardon of several convicted paedophiles, including an Australian rapist and child pornographer, has caused controversy.[40][41][42]
Royal projects
Bhumibol has been involved in many social and economic development projects, although the nature of his involvement has varied by political regime.[43]
The military regime of Plaek Pibulsonggram (1951-1957) suppressed the monarchy; however, during that period Bhumibol managed to initiate a few projects using his own personal funds. These projects included the Royal Film and Radio Broadcasting Projects to help recover the palace's image.
In the military regime of Sarit Dhanarajata and his successors (1958-1980), Bhumibol was reportrayed as the "Development King," and appropriated to the economic and political goals of the regime. Royally-initiated projects were implemented under the financial and political support of the government, including projects in rural areas and communities under the influence of the Communist Party of Thailand. Bhumibol's visits to these projects were heavily promoted by the Sarit government and broadcast on the state-controlled media.
During the civilian governments of General Prem Tinsulanond (1981-1987), the relationship between the Thai state and the monarch was at its closest. Prem, later to become President of Bhumibol's Privy Council, officially allocated government budgets and manpower to support royal projects. Most activities in this period involved the development of large scale irrigation projects.
During the modern period (post-1988), the structured development of the Royal Projects reached its apex. Bhumibol's Chaipattana Foundation was established, promoting the self-sufficient economy theory, an alternative to the export-oriented policies adopted by the period's elected governments.
Awards
In May 2006, UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, presented the United Nations' first Human Development Lifetime Achievement Award to Bhumibol.[44]
Bhumibol is a recipient of the Royal Victorian Chain, a personal award of the British Monarch.
Bhumibol, who serves as head of The National Scout Organization of Thailand, was presented the Bronze Wolf award on June 20, 2006, World Organization of the Scout Movement's highest award, for his support and development of Scouting in Thailand by Carl XVI Gustav, King of Sweden and Honourary President of the World Scout Foundation. The presentation took place at Chitralada Palace in Thailand and was witnessed by Chairman of the World Scout Committee Herman Hui.[45]
Bhumibol set a world record for receiving the greatest number of honorary university degrees (136) in 1997.[46] Most of his degrees came from Thai universities: for instance, Kasetsart University awarded him ten honorary doctoral degrees at once.
60th Anniversary celebrations
Main article: 60th anniversary of the accession of Bhumibol Adulyadej
Images of Bhumibol dominate the skyline at Chatuchak Park, Bangkok, August 2006
The emblem for the 60th Anniversary Celebration of King Bhumibol's Accession to the Throne.Also called the Diamond Jubilee, the 60th Anniversary Celebrations of His Majesty the King's Accession to the Throne were a series of events marking Bhumibol's reign. Events included the royal barge procession on the Chao Phraya River, fireworks displays, art exhibitions, pardoning 25,000 prisoners,[47] concerts and dance performances. Tied in with the anniversary, on May 26, 2006 United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan presented Bhumibol with the United Nations Development Programme's first Human Development Lifetime Achievement Award. National holidays were on June 9 and June 12–13, 2006. On June 9, the King and Queen appeared on the balcony of Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall before hundreds of thousands of people. The official royal barge procession on June 12 was attended by the King and Queen and royal visitors from 26 other countries. On June 13, a state banquet for the royal visitors was held in the new Rama IX Throne Hall at the Grand Palace, the first official function for the hall. All the Thai television channels were tuned to this historical event, preempting coverage of the FIFA World Cup.[citation needed]
Private life
Bhumibol is an accomplished jazz musician and composer. He was awarded honorary membership of the Vienna Institute of Music and Arts at the age of 32. He used to play jazz music on air on the Or Sor radio station. In his travels, he has played with such jazz legends as Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Lionel Hampton and Maynard Ferguson. His songs can often be heard at social gatherings and are performed in concerts. They can be listened to here.
Bhumibol is also a painter, photographer, author and translator. His book Phra Mahachanok is based on a traditional Jataka story of Buddhist scripture. The Story of Thong Daeng is the story of his dog Thong Daeng. He is also the only Thai monarch—and possibly the only monarch in the world, to hold a patent;[48][49] holding one in 1993 for a waste water aerator named "Chai Pattana" and several patents on rainmaking since 1955: the "sandwich" rainmaking patent in 1999 and lately the "supersandwich" patent in 2003.[50][51][52]
In his youth, Prince Bhumibol was greatly interested in firearms.[53] He kept a carbine, a Sten gun, and two automatic pistols in his bedroom, and he and brother, King Ananda Mahidol, often used the gardens of the Baromphiman Palace for target practice.
Bhumibol suffers from lumbar spine stenosis, a narrowing of the canal that contains the spinal cord and nerve roots, which results in back and leg pain and numbness in the legs. He received a microsurgical decompression in July 2006.[54][55]
Sailing
Bhumibol is an accomplished sailor and sailboat designer.[56] He won a gold medal for sailing in the Fourth Southeast Asian Peninsular (SEAP) Games in 1967, together with HRH Princess Ubol Ratana who he tied for points.[57] This accomplishment is all the more remarkable given Bhumibol's lack of binocular depth perception. Bhumibol has also sailed the Gulf of Thailand from Hua Hin to Toey Harbour in Sattahip, covering 60 nautical miles in a 14-hour journey on the "Vega 1", an OK Class dinghy he built.
Like his father, a former naval engineer, Bhumibol was an avid boat designer and builder. He produced several small sail-boat designs in the International Enterprise, OK, and Moth Classes. His designs in the Moth class include the “Mod”, “Super Mod”, and “Micro Mod”.
Wealth
Bhumibol is one of the wealthiest men in the world. Estimates of the post-devaluation wealth of the royal household range from 2 billion to 8 billion USD (approx. 80 - 320 billion THB ).[58] The wealth and properties of Bhumibol and his family are managed by the Crown Property Bureau (C.P.B ) and the Privy Purse. The C.P.B was established by the Constitution but is independent of the Thai Government. Through the CPB, Bhumibol owns equity in many companies. The C.P.B is the majority shareholder of Siam Cement (the largest Thai industrial conglomerate), Christiani & Nielsen (one of the largest construction firms), Siam Commercial Bank (one of the largest banks), and Deves Insurance (one of the largest insurers). The C.P.B also rents or leases about 36,000 properties to third parties, including the sites of the Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok, the Suan Lum Night Bazaar, Siam Paragon and Central World Tower. Bhumibol's substantial income from the CPB is exempt from taxes.[59]
In addition, the King has numerous personal investments independent of the CPB. He is personally the majority shareholder of the Thai Insurance Company (a leading insurer) and Sammakorn (a leading property developer), as well as many other companies.[60]
He also receives fees from public appearances and his presence in university graduation ceremonies.[61]
Lèse majesté
Although the King is held in great respect by many Thais, he is also protected by lèse majesté laws which allow critics to be jailed for three to 15 years. Social critic Sulak Sivaraksa has been charged several times with lèse majesté, but has always been acquitted. Politician Veera Musikapong was jailed and banned from politics for lèse majesté, despite the palace's opinion that the remarks were harmless. Frenchman Lech Tomacz Kisielwicz committed lèse majesté while on a Thai Airways flight in international airspace, and was jailed for two weeks after his flight landed in Bangkok. He was acquitted after apologizing to the King. Deposed Premier Thaksin Shinawatra and his political opponent Sondhi Limthongkul both filed charges of lèse majesté against each other during the 2005-2006 political crisis. Thaksin's alleged lèse majesté was one of the stated reasons for the Thai military's 2006 coup.[62][63][64][65]
Biographies
Almost a million people awaiting Bhumibol's arrival at ceremonies marking his 60th anniversary as King, June 9, 2006American journalist Paul Handley, who spent thirteen years in Thailand, wrote the biography The King Never Smiles.The Information and Communications Ministry banned the book and blocked the book's page on the Yale University Press website in January 2006. In a statement dated 19 January 2006, Thai National Police Chief General Kowit Wattana said the book has "contents which could affect national security and the good morality of the people."[66] The book provides a detailed discussion of Bhumibol's role in Thai political history and also analyses the factors behind Bhumibol's popularity.
William Stevenson, who had access to the Royal Court and the Royal Family, wrote the biography The Revolutionary King in 2001.[67] An article in Time says the idea for the book was suggested by Bhumibol.[68]
Critics noted that the book displays intimate knowledge about personal aspects of Bhumibol. However, the book has been unofficially banned in Thailand and the Royal Household Bureau has warned the Thai media about even referring to it in print. (an official ban was not possible as it was written with the Royal blessing). The book has been criticised for factual inaccuracies, disrespecting Bhumibol (it refers to Bhumibol by his family nickname "Lek" ), and proposing a controversial theory explaining the death of King Ananda. Stevenson said, "The King said from the beginning the book would be dangerous for him and for me."[68]
Succession to the throne
Bhumibol's only son, Prince Vajiralongkorn, was given the title "Somdej Phra Boroma Orasadhiraj Chao Fah Maha Vajiralongkorn Sayam Makutrajakuman" (Crown Prince of Siam) on December 28, 1972 and made heir apparent to the throne
Klimaflygtning
On December 5, 1977, Princess Sirindhorn was given the title, "Sayam Boromrajakumari" (Royal Princess of Siam). Her title is often translated by the English-language press as "Crown Princess", although her official English-language title is simply "Princess".[69]
Although the constitution was later amended to allow the Privy Council to appoint a princess as successor to the throne, this would only occur in the absence of an heir apparent. This amendment is retained in Section 23 of the current 1997 "People's Constitution." This effectively signalled Princess Sirindhorn as second in line to the throne, but did not affect Prince Vajiralongkorn's status as heir apparent.
Recent constitutions of Thailand have made the amendment of the Palace Law of Succession the sole prerogative of the reigning King. According to Gothom Arya, former Election Commissioner, this allows the reigning King, if he so chooses, to appoint his son or any of his daughters to the Throne.[70]
The Modern Monarchy
Background to a modern Kingship
Fully aware of the changing nature of life, the monarchy in Thailand is constantly adapting itself to ensure that it fits in with the modern world and is able to respond to the needs of the people and society.
The Thai monarchy has a unique quality, and that is its adaptability to change, which has enabled it to flourish to this day. It has always shown exceptional compassion, relevance and vitality, particularly in the contemporary world.
The first Thai kings ruled over Sukhothai, the first integrated Thai kingdom founded almost 800 years ago. It was during the reign of King Ramkhamhaeng the Great [1275-1317] that the ideal of a paternalistic ruler originated. Markedly different from the concept of divine right practised by the Khmers of that time, the ideal implies that the ruler be alert to the needs of his people and aware of the fact that this duty was to guide them.
This paternalistic ideal was at times lost during the long Ayutthaya period, when Khmer influence regarding kingship reappeared and the monarch became a lofty, inaccessible figure, rarely seen by most citizens. Nevertheless, the four-century era witnessed the reigns of some remarkable rulers, whose achievements were far-reaching.
With the founding of the Royal House of Chakri (Chakri Dynasty), in 1782, and the establishment of Bangkok as the capital, kingship was based primarily on adherence to the Buddhist concept of virtue. The Bangkok period produced a succession of unusually able rulers, capable of meeting a variety of challenges both to the country and to the monarchy itself.
Though it had lasted longer than most others in the world, largely due to wise rule by Chakri kings, the country's absolute monarchy finally came to an end on June 24, 1932, when a small group of civil servants and military officers staged a bloodless coup and demanded a constitution. King Prajadhipok (Rama VII), who in any case was already thinking along such lines himself and had already drafted a constitution which had been debated in the Supreme Council of State, agreed an d thus became the first constitutional monarch. Three years later, unhappy with some of the results, he decided to abdicate; his nephew Prince Ananda Mahidol (Rama VIII), then a 10-year-old student in Switzerland, was chosen to f ollow him as eighth in the Chakri line.
Early Years
The man who has reigned longer than any previous Thai monarch and has earned such remarkable devotion from his subjects seemed far from the throne at the time of his birth in 1927 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. King Prajadhipok still ruled at the time, and any children he might have would be first in succession. There was also his father, Prince Mahidol of Songkla, then studying medicine at Harvard University, as well as his older brother Prince Ananda Mahidol. The future King Bhumibol Adulyadej appea red likely to spend a more or less ordinary life, no doubt influenced by his father's strong determination to use his education and social position to improve public welfare, but doing so in relative obscurity.
Fate, however, determined otherwise. Prince Mahidol died in 1929, and the abdication of King Prajadhipok followed in 1935. For the first 11 years of his rule, the young King Ananda Mahidol remained mostly in Switzerland with his mother, sister, and y ounger brother, pursuing his studies while effectively cut off from his homeland by the World War. In 1946 he died in the Grand Palace while on a visit, and Prince Bhumibol Adulyadej, then 19 years old, suddenly found himself the ninth Chakri King. He subsequently returned to Luzern to complete his education, changing from science to political science and law in recognition of his new role.
Two years later, while on a visit to Fontainebleau, he met the beautiful young Mom Rajawongse Sirikit Kitiyakara, daughter of the Thai ambassador to France, HRH Prince Nakkhatrmongkol Kitiyakara, Krommamun Chandapuri Suranath, and in 1948 their engagem ent was announced by the Government.
They were married in Bangkok on April 28, 1950, and seven days later His Majesty was crowned in ancient ceremonies held at the splendid Grand Palace from which his ancestors had ruled the kingdom. He himself, characteristically, has chosen to take as his official Bangkok residence the more modest Chitralada Villa, while steadfastly adhering to the momentous Oath of Succession to the Throne pledged during the coronation:
"We will reign with righteousness for the benefit and happiness of the Siamese people."
As a man, King Bhumibol Adulyadej has displayed a remarkable range of talents. He is a gifted musician and composer, particularly in the field of jazz; one of his songs was featured in a Broadway musical in the early 1950's and his skills have been a cknowledged by such masters as Benny Goodman and Lionel Hampton. He was an enthusiastic sailor in the early years of his rule and won the Southeast Asia Peninsula Games gold medal in 1967. In addition, he can point to impressive achievements in the fiel ds of painting, photography, and engineering. Thanks to his international education and upbringing, he is fluent in three European languages and at ease in a variety of cultures. Undoubtedly, though, posterity will remember him most for his accomplishm ents as leader of Thai nation during a critical period in its history.
The Forging of a Modern Monarchy
Despite the panoply of time-honoured ritual that attended his coronation and the reverence felt by all Thais for the monarchy as an institution-scarcely dimmed even after the 1932 Revolution-King Bhumibol Adulyadej was actually confronted by an unprecedented challenge at the time he began his rule: how to fashion a concept of kingship that met the needs of a repidly changing society, at once traditional and creatively modern. It was a challenge as urgent as any faced by Chakri kings of the past, and the manner in which he has met it has truly defined his greatness as a ruler.
Perhaps the most important step taken by His Majesty in the process was his decision to bring the monarchy into direct contact with the provincial population. Despite the efforts of previous rulers, this had not been really feasible in the past, largely due to difficulties of travel outside the central region. It was not until 1927, after opening of the northern railway line, that the people of Chiang Mai saw their monarch for the first time, and only a few towns along the southern coast had been honoured with a royal visit. Following the abdication of King Prajadhipok, there was a period of nearly 20 years when the King was a remote personage to the vast majority of Thais, a face in a photograph or a name on an official proclamation. Many of them went about their daily lives in almost total isolation, little affected by events in far-off Bangkok and as a result, often feeling ignored by those in power.
Generally regarded as a milestone in altering this situation is the trip made by King Bhumibol Adulyadej in 1955, when he became the first ruler to visit the northeastern provinces, traditionally the poorest and most neglected in the country, with poor roads and hamlets that became all but inaccessible in the rainy season. Together with Queen Sirikit, he spent 22 arduous days touring the region, observing at first hand the problems of the people and talking with the enthusiastic crowds who walked for miles from obscure villages just to catch a glimpse of their king. The warmth of their greeting was unmistakable; so, too, was the extent of their needs as revealed in the conversations His Majesty had with those he met.
This method of personal encounter, particularly in rural areas, has become one of the major hallmarks of King Bhumibol Adulyadej's reign. Today he and members of his family spend almost seven months of the year in one or another of the royal residences which have been built outside of Bangkok: at Chiang Mai in the north, Sakon Nakhon in the northeast, Hua Hin on the Gulf of Thailand, and Narathiwat in the south. From these, defying discomforts and inconveniences, His Majesty has managed to visit every one of Thailand' s 76 provinces, going to even the most remote villages by helicoptor, jeep, train, boat, or, on occasion, by foot, to ascertain for himself local conditions. In the process he has become not only the most travelled monarch in Thai history but also the best informed about a wide range of rural difficulties, some of them peculiar to a certain locality and others common to an entire region. Moreover, he has become a father-like figure to millions of his subjects, who are no longer amazed to find him suddenly in their village squares, available for consultation about matters both trivial and serious.
Typically, before such a visit the consults maps, aerial photographs and remote sensing to acquaint himself as thoroughly as possible with the topographical and social features of the general area. Once there he talks with resident monks and farmers, as well as government officials, soliciting first-hand information on community needs and aspirations. By comparison with the ceremonial atmosphere that surrounds royal appearances in Ban gkok, these are remarkably informal sessions, with much of the initial are felt by villagers soon diminishing in actual contact with a ruler who clearly both listens and cares about their problems.
Often assisted by other members of the Royal Family, the King takes careful notes and later initiates steps to provide assistance, always working through the appropriate government agencies but sometimes using his own funds in the early stages to help a project get off the ground. He later established the Chai Pattana Foundation to help provide initial or emergency financial support for subsequent development projects. He never simply issues a directive: the impe tus comes from the local population, who must agree with the proposal and cooperate to see that it is successfully implemented.
Over 1,000 small-scale "royally-suggested" projects have been started in this way, covering the whole spectrum of rural problems in Thailand, from the introduction of new crops to water conservation, from swamp drainage to the preservation of national forests. In all, the aim has been sustainable development, serving not only immediate needs but also those of future generations by conserving the present environment and seeking to restore areas that have already suffered from misuse. Some of these projects, notably those involving crop substitution, have proved so successful that the United Nations hopes to emulate them in other countries facing similar problems.
One of the earliest and most innovative was His Majesty's Hilltribe Development Project in the North, now known as the Royal Project and encompassing lowland areas as well. The migratory tribal people who live in the mountainous region that forms Thailand's borders with Laos and Myanmar had been an increasing problem to the government, partly due to their slash-and-burn technique of clearing land, thus leading to widespread destruction of the native forest, and partly to their traditional cultivation of opium poppy, base material for heroin production. The Royal Project sought to address these problems and also to improve the lives of the tribal groups, who actually derived a bare subsistence income from their role in the international dr ug trade.
The programme has introduced a wide variety of crops-among them such temperate-zone plants as coffee, peaches, apricots, strawberries, lychees, apples, and chrysanthemums - which bring larger profits than opium and provided assistance in both methods of growing and marketing; in addition, it has brought educational and medical facilities to permanent settlements. The results can be seen clearly not only in tribal communities who have joined the project but also in the supermarkets of Bangkok and in the numerous new export products.
International recognition of the Royal Project's effectiveness has come in many forms, including financial grants and expert assistance by several foreign governments. In 1988, it was awarded the Ramon Magsaysay Award, the Asian equivalent of the Nobel Prize, in the area of international understanding.
In the Northeast, where drought is a perennial problem, reserviors and other water-storage facilities were built and alternative crops tested to increase the income of farmers. Swamp drainage has been a concern of royal initiated projects in southern Thailand, together with land reclamation and preservation of mangrove forests. In a number of experimental centres set up at His Majesty's initiative near the Gulf of Thailand, various agencies are demonstrating ways that surrounding villagers can improve crop yields in the sandy soil; important new sources of income like the breeding of fresh-water prawns in ponds have also been introduced with notable results.
In recent decades an alarming proportion of Thailand's native forest cover has been lost, through both indiscriminate logging operations and the need for more agricultural land by an expanding population. Among the harmful results are increased erosion and a decrease of watershed resources, as well as destruction of the natural habitat of many wildlife species. Several of His Majesty's projects are seeking to relieve this situation through reafforestation, impro vement of existing farmlands, the planting of commercial fruit orchards, and programmes aimed at educating the public on the importance of preserving those forests that remain. Their Majesties have also spearheaded efforts to raise certain endangered species of wildlife in captivity and then release them in protected areas in the hope of saving them from extinction.
A much-publicized undertaking to help Thai farmers, one made possible through His Majesty's support in its early stages, has been the Royal Rain-Making Project. Through years of experimentation, 14 different chemical formulae have been devised for varying conditions of weather, location, and topography; specially-equipped planes use these to seed clouds in areas suffering from lack of rain, with results so successful that several neighbouring countries have called on Thai experts to he lp them with similar problems.
Such projects have not only brought enormous benefits to Thailand's rural population but have also given the monarchy a new image, linking it more intimately with the lives of ordinary Thais than ever before. The King is not merely a symbolic figure, reigning from a distant capital; he is a trusted ally working closely with them in the ancient struggle for a better life. The pictures of him and other members of the Royal Family that are displayed in homes and business establishments all over the country are thus signs of deep affection as well as reverence for an institution.
King Bhumibol Aduyadej's agricultural interests are evident even at his residence in Bangkok. On the grounds of Chitralada Villa--within plain view of passers-by--are fields of experimental rice, a herd of dairy cattle, and a plant to manufacture powdered milk. As long ago as 1952, His Majesty had large fish ponds dug in the compound, which he stocked with a fast-breeding variety known as tilapia nilotica obtained from Japan. When these proved adaptable to Thai conditions, spec imens were presented to villagers throughout the kingdom, thus providing a significant new addition to the provincial diet. In 1965, Japanese Crown Prince Akihito gave His Majesty 50 fish of a different type and these, too, were bred in Chitralada ponds. Given the Thai name pla nil by the King, they were distributed through the Department of Fisheries and have proved extremely popular with farmers. Today, some 16 countrywide fishery stations rear over 10 million pla nil annually.
Also in Bangkok, King Bhumibol Adulyadej has provided the impetus for clearing and improving the Makkasan Swamp, a large body of water formerly clogged with water hyacinth in the centre of the capital. At the King's suggestion the swamp is being dredged, provided with exit channels, and transformed into a useful part of the city's flood control system.
ja saa fik man da en fryklig masse info at vige
At vare dansker i thailand kan samlines med at vare tyrker i danmark Husk dette naar du ikke oensker at vare en del af ders spraad og kultur
Payanak,
Har DU selv skrevet det eller lavet noget research udover brugen af søgemaskiner (Google og deslige) ?
Hvis ikke, synes jeg at det ville være meget passende og "lovligt" at skrive KILDEN til informationen når man gengiver en tekst som ikke er ens eget værk.
Hellere tie og blive betragtet som værende "enfoldig", end åbne munden og få det bekræftet. www.thailandchild...www.thailandchild...
Lung Yao skrev:
Payanak,
Har DU selv skrevet det eller lavet noget research udover brugen af søgemaskiner (Google og deslige) ?
Hvis ikke, synes jeg at det ville være meget passende og "lovligt" at skrive KILDEN til informationen når man gengiver en tekst som ikke er ens eget værk.
Lung Yao skrev:
Payanak,
Har DU selv skrevet det eller lavet noget research udover brugen af søgemaskiner (Google og deslige) ?
Hvis ikke, synes jeg at det ville være meget passende og "lovligt" at skrive KILDEN til informationen når man gengiver en tekst som ikke er ens eget værk.
Kilden står nederst i det sidste indlæg, det meste er sakset fra Wikipedia,
men alligevel et prisværdigt stykke arbejde Payanak har gjort, da
de fleste herinde er for dovne til selv at søge så fyldige informationsmængder. Tak PAYANAK!!!!
Redigeret af FCKdk d. 09-06-2009 10:40
-----------------------------------------------------
....jeg klattede det hele væk i Thailand!!!!
FCKdk
-----------------------------------------------------
....og det fortsætter jeg med!!!!
------------------------------------------------------
....dyrt men godt, satans recession!!!!
------------------------------------------------------ Dem der ikke lyver, behøves ikke at huske hvad de sagde tidligere....
Those who doesn't lie, doesn't need to remember what they've said before....
Til Jimmi og FCKdk,
NEJ, det har han IKKE, han har tilføjet nogle URLer JA, men ikke skrevet :
det meste er sakset fra Wikipedia
som ville være den meste korrekte fremgangs måde.
Og for at komme det "uvæsen" som kaldes dovnskab, så kunne han havde nøjes med at skrive de 2-3 første linier af søgeresultatet og derefter at henvise til URLen.
ALLE med en IQ over 70 ville kunne finde de samme oplysninger, men som du selv påpegede er det ikke alle som gider.
Redigeret af Lung Yao d. 09-06-2009 11:18
Hellere tie og blive betragtet som værende "enfoldig", end åbne munden og få det bekræftet. www.thailandchild...www.thailandchild...
I har vel opdaet at det er et 2 aar gammel indslad
Lagt på d. 03-02-2007
At vare dansker i thailand kan samlines med at vare tyrker i danmark Husk dette naar du ikke oensker at vare en del af ders spraad og kultur
Lung Yao skrev:
Til Jimmi og FCKdk,
NEJ, det har han IKKE, han har tilføjet nogle URLer JA, men ikke skrevet :
det meste er sakset fra Wikipedia
som ville være den meste korrekte fremgangs måde.
Og for at komme det "uvæsen" som kaldes dovnskab, så kunne han havde nøjes med at skrive de 2-3 første linier af søgeresultatet og derefter at henvise til URLen.
ALLE med en IQ over 70 ville kunne finde de samme oplysninger, men som du selv påpegede er det ikke alle som gider.
Hvordan kan du forøvrigt vide at han ikke selv har skrevet det ? Alle kan mig bekendt bidrage på Wikipedia
some days you are the dog, some days you are the hydrant
thjaa skrev:
I har vel opdaet at det er et 2 aar gammel indslad
Lagt på d. 03-02-2007
Det ændrer vel ikke meget på Thailands historie
og det der mangler for de sidste par år, er vel
ikke allerede glemt????....
Redigeret af FCKdk d. 09-06-2009 23:57
-----------------------------------------------------
....jeg klattede det hele væk i Thailand!!!!
FCKdk
-----------------------------------------------------
....og det fortsætter jeg med!!!!
------------------------------------------------------
....dyrt men godt, satans recession!!!!
------------------------------------------------------ Dem der ikke lyver, behøves ikke at huske hvad de sagde tidligere....
Those who doesn't lie, doesn't need to remember what they've said before....
PL-har ikke väret inde nogle dage, men nu har jeg flere sider af replikboksen, og fundet ud af at det er en ny du har--har også googlet lidt--hvad har den for nummer?
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