Shock as beloved king dies
THAILAND’S people woke up yesterday to the first day in 70 years without King Bhumibol Adulyadej, a king worshipped as a father figure who guided the nation through decades of change and turmoil.
The king, the world’s longest-reigning monarch, died in a Bangkok hospital on Thursday. He was 88.
He had been in poor health for several years but his death has shocked the South-East Asian nation of 67 million people and plunged it into mourning.
Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn is expected to be the new king but he does not command the same adoration that his father earned over a lifetime on the throne.
He is a renowned playboy who has been divorced three times and though trained at Duntroon college and enjoying a raft of military titles, he has shown little inclination to perform his expected public duties.
In fact, he is perhaps best known for giving his pet poodle Foo Foo the rank of Air Chief Marshal.
Thailand has endured bomb attacks and economic worries recently while rivalry simmers between the military-led establishment and populist political forces after a decade of turmoil including two coups and deadly protests.
The king stepped in to calm crises on several occasions during his reign and many Thais worry about a future without him.
The military has for decades invoked its duty to defend the monarchy to justify its intervention in politics. Military government leader Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said the country was in “immeasurable grief ... profound sorrow and bereavement”.
He said Prince Vajiralongkorn wanted to grieve with the people and leave the formal succession until later, when the president of parliament will invite him to ascend the throne.
Anguish rippled through a crowd of hundreds praying outside the king’s hospital when his death was announced.
Mr Prayuth told people to avoid festivities for 30 days of mourning. The state sector will observe a year of mourning.