The King and I

Today is the King of Thailand's 81st birthday, and I've learned a lot about him. The Thai people as a whole, are a very loyal and patriotic bunch. They revere their King as a deity. It's really something to see. Coming from Canada, I am not really used to seeing such widespread devotion to a ruler. Though, in actual fact, the King has very little political power. He wields significant influence, though. His Subjects hang on his every word.

Considering the massive political issues here in Thailand, the King's annual birthday speech was widely anticipated as a panacea to the crisis that is taking place now. The King, Bhumibol Adulyadej, looked very frail recently. He missed his annual speech, and this has caused great concern in a country that desperately needs a soothing voice. Instead, a short statement was given by his son, the Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn. The Prince, who would normally be a natural ascendant to the thrown, is not very popular. He's not considered to be the Statesman and Humanitarian that his Father is. The Crown Prince has married 3 times and fathered 7 children. The King has the power to choose his successor, and it is widely assumed be may pass over his first Son, and hand the crown to his Daughter, Princess Chakri Sirindhorn. Talks of succession are pretty big now.

I have been seeing a lot of tributes to the King in the last week. Interestingly, the King was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts. I've learned that he is an accomplished Jazz music composer, painter and photographer. I've seen and heard samples of his arts, and I am impressed. I am used to seeing Thai people wear yellow shirts every Monday (Yellow is the King's colour). And the King's portrait is on pretty much every business and website in Thailand. In movie theatres, patrons stand at attention before the movie begins, to watch a patriotic video of the King (that looks like it was shot in the 50's). Every morning, loudspeakers blare out the National Anthem, and people stand up and sing. This week though, devotion to the King has reached a fevered pitch, with large gatherings to celebrate his reign. Here in Phuket, the city has really shut down in his honour. Only restaurants and hungry souvenir shops on Beach road are open.

All the head shots of the King look like they were shot in the 60's. I've seen recent photos of the King, and he looks like he could pass any day now. He looks like my father did shortly before he died. If/when the King dies, it will throw this fragile nation into further chaos when they need it the least. If I have to guess, I think he'll pass within the year.

As for Thailand, I am saddened by all the turmoil that has taken place recently. I consider Thailand as one of my favourite countries in the world. The people are genuinely nice, the food is amazing, the city and beaches are fabulous, etc. I've assumed for a long time that I would retire in Thailand. It means that much to me. But, it's sad to see how it suffers now. The tourism industry will be decimated because of the recent occupation of the airports. Millions of people in the tourism industry will lose their jobs, as visitation to the Kingdom will drop by 60% by next year. It's a tough time to be Thai. But on the plus side, it's a great time to visit Thailand and buy property here. Hmmm.....