Preview: Thailand honours King's 60 years on the throne

By Peter Janssen Jun 6, 2006, 15:52 GMT

Bangkok - All of Thailand, and royalty from around the world, this month pays special tribute to a special king - Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej, 78.

On June 9 (Friday), King Bhumibol, will celebrate his 60th year on the Thai throne, making him the longest reigning monarch in the history of Thailand, previously called the Kingdom of Siam.

Thais from all walks of life have sought ways to pay tribute to their king, who for the vast majority of the 63 million population has been a benevolent presence throughout their lives and the one constant in a tempestuous recent history that has seen this nation evolve from an absolute monarchy - overthrown in 1932 - to a modern democracy, with 19 military coup d'etats or attempts along the way.

Yellow T-shirts bearing the royal emblem of King Bhumibol have become the fashion statement of the year for Bangkokians and are reportedly in short supply given the huge demand.

'Both my husband and I are wearing yellow shirts every day,' said Premchit Klomkon, 48, a Bangkok grocery store owner who husband is a civil servant. 'I'm going to buy 10 yellow shirts to give to all my nephews and nieces,' said Premchit, who also sports a yellow plastic wristband with 'I Love the King' that has become another popular article of adulation.

Yellow is the colour of the king's birthday on December 5, 1927, a Monday. Thais associate a different colour for each day of the week, yellow for Monday, pink for Tuesday, and so on.

King Bhumibol was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, US, where his father, Prince Mahidol, was studying medicine at MIT.

He ascended to the throne on June 9, 1946, on the same day his elder brother King Ananda Mahidol died under still mysterious circumstances.

He was officially coronated on May 5, 1950, after four years of study abroad in Switzerland where he switched majors from literature to political science and law in preparation for his new, unexpected role as Thailand's ninth monarch in the Chakri dynasty.

It was Chakri I who in 1782 chose Bangkok as the nation's new capital, moving it from Thonburi, Bangkok's sister city across the Chao Phraya River.

Thailand, now a constitutional monarchy where the king acts as head of state, has staged national celebrations to mark King Bhumibol's Silver Jubilee of his rule in 1973 and his Golden Jubilee in 1996.

The highlight of the celebrations will be the Royal Barge Procession, a recreation of the royal fleet of long rowing boats that were used for battle and ceremonies when Thailand's capital was still in Ayutthaya, and was also launched to mark the king's 60th birthday in 1987 and to mark his 50th year on the throne 10 years ago.

It will be staged on the evening of June 12 (Monday) on the Chao Phraya River, or 'River of Kings,' that circumvents Bangkok. Between Friday through Sunday merit-making ceremonies and prayers will be conducted to commemorate deceased members of the Chakri dynasty.

Monday's procession will involve 52 ornately carved crafts with 2,082 oarsmen and will be observed by 13 monarchs, 4 royal consorts, six crown princes and two royal representatives.

'This has never been done before in Thailand,' said Thai Foreign Ministry spokesman Kitti Wasrinond of the royal entourage. 'We're very happy with the response to our invitations.'

Among the royal audience, who will be observing the barge procession at the Royal Navy Conference Hall, will be Japan's Emperor and Empress, the kings of Bahrain, Cambodia, Lesotho, Jordan, Sweden and Swaziland, the Sultan of Brunei, Sheikhs of Kuwait and Qatar, two hereditary rajas from Malaysia, the Grand Duke of Luxembourg, the prince of Monaco and hereditary prince of Liechtenstein.

The visiting royalty will attend a banquet hosted by King Bhumibol and his consort Queen Sirikit on June 13.

King Bhumibol was honoured by the international community last month when United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan visited Thailand to hand him a Human Development Lifetime Achievement Award on May 26 to commemorate his well-known dedication to the welfare of the Thai people, particularly the poor and downtrodden.

King Bhumibol, upon his return from Switzerland in 1951, launched his now famous rural development schemes that took him to every remote district in his kingdom, often travelling eight months a year. Over six decades he has initiated more than 2,000 development projects, many of them involving irrigation but all of them devoted to the concept of promoting economic self-sufficiency, now a popular theme among United Nations economists.

'As the world's 'Development King,' Your Majesty has reached out to the poorest and most vulnerable people of Thailand regardless of their status, ethnicity or religion, listened to their problems, and empowered them to take their lives in their own hands,' Annan said in an apt summery of King Bhumibol's lifework