Thailand's Beloved King, Unifying Figure, Dies At 88
Fakhir Rizvi Published October 13, 2016 | 05:35 PM
BANGKOK, , (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 13th Oct, 2016 ) - Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the world's longest-serving monarch, has died at the age of 88, the palace announced Thursday, leaving a divided nation bereft of a rare figure of unity.
"Although the team of doctors treated him to the best of their ability, his condition deteriorated," the Royal Household Bureau said in a statement. "At 15:52 (0852 GMT) he died at Siriraj Hospital peacefully," it said as large crowds kept vigil outside the hospital where the monarch spent most of the last two years.
All Thai television stations switched to a special announcement that began with black and white photographs of the king, before a formally dressed presenter read out the palace statement. Bhumipol's death, which will lead to a one-year mourning period, ends a remarkable seven-decade reign and plunges Thailand into a deeply uncertain future.
Most Thais have known no other monarch and Bhumibol has been portrayed as a guiding light through decades of political turmoil, coups and violent unrest. His 64-year-old son, Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, is his named successor.
Bhumibol's death is a major test for the country's generals, who seized power in 2014 vowing to restore stability after a decade of political chaos, a turbulent period exacerbated by the king's declining health as jostling elites competed for power.
The military has deep links with the palace and many inside the kingdom saw the putsch as a move to ensure generals could stamp down on any instability during a succession. It is difficult to overestimate how important Bhumibol has been to most of his subjects.
Many of those gathered outside his hospital were dressed in pink in the belief that it would bring the king good luck, while others flooded social media with digital prayers. - National devotion - ===================== From cradle to grave they have been taught about his devotion to his people in newspapers, history books, school classes and nightly television broadcasts.
It is not unusual to see Thais moved to tears when they talk of a future without him. Officially known as King Rama IX, he descended from the Chakri dynasty which came to power in Thailand in the late eighteenth century.
His subjects have had many years to get used to the prospect of no longer having Bhumibol -- their king has not been seen by the public for months and has suffered years of ill health.
On Sunday and Wednesday the palace released two unusually grave health statements, saying the monarch was on a ventilator, battling kidney problems and that his condition was "not stable".
But his passing will still be a huge shock to the nation. Backed by an intense palace-driven personality cult, he is revered as a demigod by many, seen as a serene leader above the din of the kingdom's notoriously fractious political scene.
His reign spanned a remarkable era in which Thailand transformed itself from an impoverished, rural nation into one of the region's most successful economies, dodging the civil wars and communist takeovers of its neighbours.
He built a reputation for criss-crossing the nation to visit the rural poor and sometimes intervened to quell key moments of political violence -- although other times he stayed silent and he approved most of the army's many coups during his reign.
- Criticism muted - =================== Any criticism or effective republican sentiment has been erased inside Thailand by a draconian lese majeste law, use of which has surged since the military's latest takeover.
Vajiralongkorn is much less well known to Thais and has yet to attain his father's widespread popularity. He spends much of his time overseas, especially in Germany, and is a keen pilot who flies his own Boeing 737.
In recent years, and especially since the 2014 coup, he has made more frequent public appearances inside Thailand and taken on a larger number of royal engagements. He will inherit one of the world's richest monarchies.
During his reign Bhumibol, with his establishment allies, built up a multi-billion-dollar-empire spanning property, construction and banks under the banner of the Crown Property Bureau (CPB). Analysts say the CBP's vast reserves allowed the crown to build a deep network among the Thai elite, helping insulate the king from the political pressures felt by monarchs who rely chiefly on state funding.
The palace's announcement that the king was gravely ill sent shudders through the stock market and pushed the Baht Currency to a two-month low. In a note to clients this week, risk consultancy firm BMI Research said the king's passing would likely create "more financial market volatility as well as a period of economic gridlock amid an extended official mourning period".
Related Topics
Recent Stories
Mired in crisis, Boeing reports another loss
Session Awarding Ceremony 2024 held at Cadet College Muzaffarabad
Austrian ski great Hirscher to make comeback under Dutch flag
Pakistan, Japan agrees to convene 'Economic Policy Dialogue'
FM Dar conveys deepest sympathy on torrential rains devastation in UAE
Spain PM Sanchez says weighing resignation after wife's graft probe
Tennis: ATP/WTA Madrid Open results - 1st update
Long-lost Klimt portrait auctioned off for 30 mn euros
Osaka seals first win on clay since 2022 in Madrid
Earthquake jolts Karachi
Sindh minister orders operation after attack on police in Ghotki
TikTok to fight US ban law in courts
More Stories From World
-
Football: English Championship table
5 hours ago -
Time for 'democratic transition' in Venezuela: opposition candidate to AFP
6 hours ago -
Spain's Pedro Sanchez : a risk-taker with a flair for survival
6 hours ago -
Football: French Ligue 1 table
6 hours ago -
Nadal will only play French Open if he can 'compete well'
6 hours ago -
Ukraine, Israel, TikTok: the massive aid package before US Congress
6 hours ago
-
TikTok to fight US ban law in courts
6 hours ago -
Football: French Ligue 1 results
7 hours ago -
Spain PM Sanchez says weighing resignation after wife's graft probe
8 hours ago -
Long-lost Klimt portrait auctioned off for 30 mn euros
8 hours ago -
TikTok to fight US ban law in courts
8 hours ago -
Anger among Ukrainians in Poland as Kyiv halts passport renewals
8 hours ago