Non-Subscriber Extract
Battle royal - Thailand contemplates life after King Bhumibol
13 November 2009
Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej appears in public at Siriraj Hospital in Bangkok on 23 October. No official diagnosis has been given for his illness, making it more difficult to gauge the true state of his health. (Press Association)
In recent weeks, Thailand has again been forced to imagine a future without its long-standing monarch. King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who will be 82 years old in December, appeared in public for the first time on 23 October, having been admitted to hospital on 19 September for fever, fatigue and lack of appetite, providing Thais with an intimation of his mortality.
No official diagnosis has been given for his illness, making it more difficult to gauge the true state of his health. However, what is not in doubt is the importance of his continued reign. Seen by many of his subjects as their main protector against the rapacity of politicians and the ambition of generals, the end of Bhumibol's reign is viewed with widespread trepidation and dread. This is particularly the case given that his chosen successor, Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, is held in lower esteem than his father.
As convention and the law preclude any serious public debate on monarchical succession, discussion within Thailand about the future barely touches on such concerns or the reasons for such unease. The absence of open debate on the role and shape of the monarchy in the post-Bhumibol era also obscures the motives and dynamics behind much of the political manoeuvring, posturing and crises that have distracted the country and eroded international interest in Thailand's economic potential.