ROYAL APPEAL
Thai king urges people to ensure nation’ s stability
Thailand put political differences aside on Thursday to celebrate the 86th birthday of the country’s monarch.
King Bhumibol Adulyadej used his annual birthday speech to call for stability, but made no direct reference to the crisis that has deeply divided the nation.
Violence and street battles between anti-government protesters and police were put on hold as both sides observed a truce to mark the royal birthday. The king has often served as a unifying figure for Thailand in times of crisis.
Crowds dressed in the royal color of yellow lined streets in the coastal resort town of Hua Hin to catch a glimpse of the world’s longest reigning monarch. They shouted “Long live the king’’ as his motorcade drove slowly to Klai Kangwon Palace, which means “Far from worries”.
Onlookers wept as the king spoke, making great effort and pausing for long stretches during his five-minute speech. He thanked the people for coming together “in good will’’ to wish him well.
“Our country has long experienced happiness because we have been united in performing our duties and working together for the good of the whole country,’’ the king said.
“All Thais should consider this very much and focus on doing their duties ... which are the security and stability of the country,’’ he said.
He wore a ceremonial golden robe and sat on a throne before an audience that included Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and her cabinet ministers, Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn and his three sisters, and the leaders of the armed forces.
The king is the only monarch most Thais have ever known and has been a father figure who has defused previous crises. His words were awaited with expectation.
As a constitutional monarch, the king has no official political role, but no other figure commands the same moral authority or the same loyalty from the armed forces. Many people were hoping the king would step in— as he has done in the past — to ease the standoff, which results from years of enmity between supporters and opponents of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
Thaksin was deposed by a 2006 military coup after being accused of corruption and disrespect for the king, but critics say he continues to control Thai politics through Yingluck, his sister, and his powerful political machine.
However, the king is a less vigorous figure than he used to be. His infrequent public appearances are poignant, as he is visibly infirm with age and uses a wheelchair. In July, he ended a nearly four-year hospital stay — initially for treatment of a lung infection — to live in the seaside palace.
After the speech, it was clear that the king’s words had done little to heal the country’s bitter divide.
At Democracy Monument in Bangkok, one of the main antigovernment rally sites, hundreds gathered to show respect for the king, but when images of Yingluck appeared on giant screens the crowd booed and many shouted obscenities.
At the protest headquarters, the movement’s leader, Suthep Thaugsuban, said the truce will end on Friday.