Why do thai people love their king

Sign Up. Travel Guides. Videos Beyond Hollywood Hungerlust Pioneers of love. Kelly Iverson. Give us feedback. Read Next View. Luxury Pool Villa 6BR. Villa Splash at Lime Samui. Grand Condo Montra Pool villa. Coconut Paradise Villas. Katamanda - Baan Kata Sooksan. Sand in My Shoes Beach Loft. Bambuh Boutique Homestay. The institution, to this day, continues to play a unifying role and symbolizes the unity of the Thai communities.

The fact is that the monarchy has been and always remains above politics. It is the core spiritual pillar of Thai society, a unifying force binding all Thais together, no matter their political beliefs. As such, it cannot afford to take sides in any political conflict. Therefore, to argue that the King himself or the Thai royal family have been interfering with politics is clearly misleading and highly inappropriate.

In a constitutional monarchy, His Majesty the King has a pro forma power and responsibilities as prescribed by the Constitution. Hence, in exercising this function, he is ever conscious of his non-political role. However, during the political conflict of recent years, various political players have attempted to exploit the monarchy for political gain. Some have used their purported devotion to the monarchy as a rallying cry and to justify legally questionable tactics against their opponents.

Others, unfortunately, seem to believe that the claims are true. These attempts to politicize the monarchy must be resisted, especially if one side or another tries to drag the monarchy into the political fray. Doing so would not only give an inaccurate picture, but risks further inflaming tensions in Thailand. Thai concepts of monarchy have their origins in Sukhothai, founded in the early part of the 13 th century and generally regarded as the first truly independent Thai kingdom.

It appears they simply found the information inconvenient and Pai an irritant. Anyone can bring a complaint against anyone else for whatever motive, creating parallels with the Salem witch trials. Even the US ambassador to Thailand, Glyn Davies, was placed under investigation over the mild concerns he raised in about long prison sentences imposed for alleged royal insults.

As I discovered, the impact extends to coverage by foreign media based in the country — including the Financial Times — which struggle to portray the full facts. There is no substantial disclosure or detailed scrutiny of either the political role of the monarchy which is officially apolitical or of its finances. The government insists the laws are not intended to curb free expression and debate about the monarchy, but it is self-evident that they do. During his last years, I found myself trying to look into the souls of the citizens who stood rigid whenever the national anthem played.

Where did love and respect end, and dread begin? I felt it even more acutely as the audience stood in a cinema before images of the newly enthroned King Vajiralongkorn. At what point, I wondered, do the internal contradictions of honouring someone so widely doubted become too much? For critics, the position the country finds itself in today is the inevitable consequence of a long-running project to deify the monarchy, undertaken by the traditional military, business and bureaucratic establishment to maintain control.

He also chose Vajiralongkorn to succeed him. The most notable putsch occurred in against then prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra , a plutocrat who had scored two big general election wins and later owned Manchester City Football Club.

Thaksin — under whose rule corruption and rights abuses flourished — is far from a hero. It awakened Thais to the possibilities of a different political model from neo-feudalism leavened by noblesse oblige — and made it a shock to some when the monarchy allowed the military to topple him.

Thaksin denies wrongdoing. Unflattering images of Vajiralongkorn before he became king include a leaked video, in which he appears fully clothed beside a swimming pool with his third wife Princess Srirasmi, who is wearing only a thong.

The trio then pose for pictures before the topless princess crouches on the floor in front of Vajiralongkorn and offers him a piece of cake from a silver salver. He attracted further comment recently after photos surfaced of him wearing a crop top at an airport and shopping mall in Germany. The dispute ensured the story went viral, generating ridicule of the king outside Thailand — but none at all in the mainstream Thai media.

Other questions over the new monarch go beyond eccentricity. The souring of their relationship because of their opposing views on the king reflects a widening generational divide emblematic of Thai society. Since the student protests started, families all over Thailand have become increasingly divided. Parents and children, brothers and sisters, aunts and nephews are all becoming strangers.

A young generation of Thais is questioning the monarchy and everything it represents - and this is likely to be just the beginning of a long, internal struggle. Why young people are protesting in Thailand. Who is Thailand's new king?

Thais hold huge protest demanding reforms. Thai king fires officials for 'evil' conduct. Image source, Jilla Dastmalchi. Falling out online. And things can get pretty extreme. Historic tradition. This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.

Protesters in Thailand shield themselves as riot police try to disperse crowds. A new king. A new generation of Thais are protesting against the monarchy, risking long jail terms. Pakorn saw the late king in person twice. He told the BBC he now regrets doing that. Questioning the past. Danai is not sure either. Related Topics. Rama X Thailand Bangkok Thailand anti-government protests.