Happy Anniversary to the King
Thailand's king, Bhumibol Adulyadej, celebrated his 60th anniversary as monarch last week and I wish that we could have been there to experience the festivities. The Thai peoples' attitude toward their king surpasses even the most patriotic American's appreciation for our leaders. These sentiments came through clearly in the online Thai media. Here are a few of the more poetic examples.
"In an unprecedented gathering of royalty from around the world, kings, queens and royal representatives from 26 countries arrived at the historic Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall in Bangkok yesterday to join in paying tribute to His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej's 60 years on the throne...Throughout the country, Thai television viewers stopped what they were doing to watch enthralled as the world's royalty arrived to honour their beloved monarch." (http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2006/06/13/headlines/headlines_30006357.php).
" 'He-i, he-i,'' the chanters began, and oarsmen holding paddles aloft started to row, embarking on a historic journey to glorify His Majesty the King. Like slivers of gold on a bed of silver, the vessels basked in an aura of pink during the fading light of day." (http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/13Jun2006_news02.php)
"Indeed, the jubilee celebration, which went on between June 8 and June 13, has proved to have had an enormous impact on the Thai people. It has created a long-lasting spiritual bond between them and their Monarch in a way that people from other cultures may find hard to understand.
The Thais love and revere their King deeply for reasons beyond a simple explanation; and it seems that they can't have enough of him. But if one is to venture to explain why the King is so popular among his people, then it is safe to assert that it is because the King has practised the highest virtue in accordance with Buddhist ideology during the 60 years of his reign." (http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2006/06/15/headlines/headlines_30006493.php)
I don't think Bush got press like that in even his most popular days!