The King of Thailand has died ...

[Smiles]

About 3 hours ago (it's now 7pm) ... but pubically announced a few minutes ago.

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[Sen Yai]

Very sad news. May he rest in peace.

My sympathy to all Thai people.

[Up2U]

Sad news indeed. (Obama, Clinton, the King and Yingluck;the King and Eisenhower)

[Surfcrest]

KingB.jpg

[Up2U]

CROWN PRINCE LEADS KING BHUMIBOL’S FUNERAL PROCESSION
By Teeranai Charuvastra, Staff Reporter - October 14, 2016
BANGKOK — Funerary rites for His Majesty the late King Bhumibol began Friday afternoon with Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn leading his royal urn from Siriraj Hospital to the Grand Palace, where he will lie in state for the months to come.... (read more).... http://www.khaosodenglish.com/politi...al-procession/

[TaoR]

Bhumibol Adulydej became King of Thailand in 1946. 1946, a year after the end of WWII.

Its easy, in 2016, to look around and complain about how, as King of Thailand, he didn't do this or that...

But when you look at Thailand and its neighbors, Burma, Laos, Cambodia, Indonesia, and Vietnam, and compare the last 70 years of their history with Thailand's, you can only come away with a very profound respect and admiration for the man.

[arsenal]

TaoR: Yes indeed and I would add that the path he found himself walking along was about a foot wide, 300 meters high and stretched across a crocodile infested river. That Thailand is still a Monarchy is a awesome achievement in itself.

[frequent]

you can only come away with a very profound respect and admiration for the man.

My greatest respect is for the personality cult that sustained that respect and admiration, bolstered by draconian laws preventing any alternative view

[Old git]

One needs to remember that the lese majeste laws were inacted by his government, ignoring the late king's own observation that there should be criticism of the monarchy.

I firmly believe that he was a force for good in the kingdom. I also think that the new king faces a huge challenge to live up to the standards set by his father, and that it is in the best interests of the Thai people for him to receive the respect and support due to him.

[fountainhall]

Although the recent passing of the King had been expected for a long time given his constant poor health, I have been surprised at the extent of the outpouring of genuine grief. Friends I have known for quite a few years have broken down in tears when the subject is inevitably discussed. As an Opinion piece in the Bangkok Post today points out, for Thais the passing of the King is rather similar to that of John F Kennedy to Americans and Nelson Mandela to South Africans. Unfortunately he rather blunts his comment by adding

It also may be similar to the demise of other father-like figures such as the Soviet Union's Vladimir Lenin in 1924 and China's Mao Zedong in 1976

http://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/o...-now-at-an-end

As Old git pointed out in his most recent post, the new King faces a huge challenge. The news over the weekend that he has broken with tradition by not immediately ascending the throne leaving the 95 year old General Prem as Regent must be seen by some as leaving a vacuum, by others as creating doubt. As the writer of the article adds -

Global media competition to get the long-awaited Thai story out and to nab the juiciest scoops in the fastest fashion will intensify international scrutiny on Thailand under a tentative new reign. Because the Thai authorities, led by men in uniform, are ill-equipped to handle foreigners' prying and probing eyes, it is likely that we will see tension between Thai stakeholders at home and the world outside.

Already there has been much comment in the overseas media which understandably cannot be quoted here. We should hope that the late King's memory and legacy, especially in steering the country through the dangerous Cold War years when neighbouring countries were undergoing disastrous wars and mass genocide, will long be honoured.