Thais mourn death of King Bhumibol and fear for the future

The world's longest reigning monarch, Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej, has died after 70 years on the throne, raising the spectre of turmoil in a country blighted by major political upheaval in recent years.

The only American-born reigning monarch was a symbol of national unity. Since being named king in 1946, he has held near demi-god status in Thailand, with his portrait taking pride of place in every public building, and nearly every shop and restaurant.

“Although the team of doctors treated him to the best of their ability, his condition deteriorated,” the Royal Household Bureau said in a statement that triggered grieving across the southeast Asian nation of 68 million people.

President Michael D Higgins was among the first to extend his condolences to the people of Thailand.

“With his passing, the world has lost both its longest reigning head of state and a statesman deeply committed to peace and peaceful co-existence,” he said in a statement.

US president Barack Obama recalled the king’s “grace and warmth, as well as his deep affection and compassion for the Thai people”, while prime minister Narendra Modi wrote: “The people of India and I join the people of Thailand in grieving the loss of one of the tallest leaders of our times.”

Thailand is currently under military rule following a 2014 putsch, one of at least 15 that took place during the king’s rule.

“It’s a great loss to Thai people,” junta leader Prayuth Chan-Ocha said in a broadcast across Thai TV stations.

Succession issues

King Bhumibol had been ill for years and spent most of the last two years in Siriraj Hospital, making few public appearances. His death throws open the contentious issue of who will succeed him, and what direction will Thailand now take.

His eldest child Princess Ubolratana Rajakanya, renounced her title when she married an American in 1972, and the king's 64-year-old son, the Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, is his named successor.

Prince Vajiralongkorn is a former military pilot with a reputation as an eccentric figure who spends much of his time outside Thailand, and some question his appetite for the crown.

He appears to have the support of the junta, and is the most likely next king, even if many Thais would prefer to see the king’s second daughter, the much-loved Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhornn (61), succeed.

The military junta deposed the government of Yingluck Shinawatra, whose brother Thaksin Shinawatra was himself ousted by the military in 2006 and now lives in exile.

The army has repeatedly pushed back against the resumption of elections and will be keen to gain a firm grip on power and stop any re-emergence of the polarised politics of recent years, largely split between the Yellow Shirts of the Bangkok royalist political elite and the Red Shirts who support Mr Thaksin.

The king’s official title was King Rama IX, and he was descended from the Chakri dynasty which has ruled Thailand since the late 18th century. He was beloved by ordinary Thais for maintaining sovereignty against external threats by would-be colonists and aggressors.

The king is also credited with helping to stop the spread of communism and deepening ties with the US during the Vietnam War, although under the junta, Thailand has been moving closer to China.

Asian ‘tiger’

In his seven decades on the throne, King Bhumibol oversaw the transformation of Thailand from a largely rural and impoverished country into an Asian “tiger” nation, which managed to avoid damaging civil wars and communist insurrection.

However, the Thai economy suffered in the 1997 Asian financial crisis, and while it has recovered in the meantime, the gap between rich and poor has become vast and the economy is struggling to grow.

“The military’s political legitimacy largely depends on endorsement by the palace, so it will move swiftly to confirm the succession and deter uncertainty,” said John Marrett, Asia analyst at the Economist Intelligence Unit.

“The military may use the succession to delay elections, which were promised by late 2017, and extend their outright control of government,” he added.

While technically a constitutional monarch, the king played the role of an old-fashioned king, and protected his near-divine status in Thailand’s Buddhist society by strict lese majeste defamation laws under which anyone who insults the royal family can be jailed for up to 15 years. The laws are regularly employed to quell anti-monarchist views.

The government has declared one year of mourning during which time the king’s body will sit in the Golden Palace in Bangkok.