Etymology Edit

Bhumibol's signature in 1952 Amendment to the Thai Constitution of 1932, signed as "Somdet Phra Poraminthra Maha Bhumibol Adulyadej Sayaminthrathirat Borommanatbophit" Bhumibol's U.S. birth certificate reads simply "Baby Songkla", as the parents had to consult his uncle, King Rama VII (Prajadhipok), then head of the House of Chakri, for an auspicious name. The king chose a name of Sanskrit origin, Bhumibol Adulyadej (Devanagari: भूमिबल अतुल्यतेज, IAST : Bhūmibala Atulyateja), a compound of Bhūmi (भूमि), meaning "Land"; Bala (बल), meaning "Strength" or "Power"; Atulya (अतुल्य), meaning "Incomparable"; and Tej (तेज), meaning "Power". Thus, Bhūmibala Atulyateja, or Bhumibol Adulyadej as it is transliterated in Thai, literally means "Strength of the Land, Incomparable Power".

Early life Edit

Succession and marriage Edit

Coronation and titles Edit

Role in Thai politics Edit

Death Edit

Royal powers Edit

Constitutional powers Edit For a historical perspective on how Bhumibol's constitutional powers changed over time, see the Constitutions of Thailand article. Bhumibol in a meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama , 18 November 2012 Bhumibol retained enormous powers, partly because of his immense popularity and partly because his powers – although clearly defined in the Thai constitution – were often subject to conflicting interpretations. This was highlighted by the controversy surrounding the appointment of Jaruvan Maintaka as Auditor-General. Jaruvan had been appointed by The State Audit Commission, but in July 2004, the Constitutional Court ruled that her appointment was unconstitutional. Jaruvan refused to vacate her office without an explicit order from Bhumibol, on the grounds that she had previously been royally approved. When the Senate elected a replacement for Jaruvan, Bhumibol refused to approve him.[128] The Senate declined to vote to override Bhumibol's veto.[129] Finally in February 2006 the Audit Commission reinstated Jaruvan when it became clear from a memo from the Office of the King's Principal Private Secretary that King Bhumibol supported her appointment. Bhumibol only vetoed legislation on rare occasions. In 1976, when the Parliament voted 149–19 to extend democratic elections down to district levels, Bhumibol refused to sign the law.[26]:233 The Parliament refused to vote to overturn the King's veto. In 1954, Bhumibol vetoed parliamentary-approved land reform legislation twice before consenting to sign it.[26]:126 The law limited the maximum land an individual could hold to 50 rai (80,000 square metres (860,000 sq ft)), at a time when the Crown Property Bureau was the kingdom's largest land-owner. The law was not enforced as General Sarit soon overthrew the elected government in a coup and repealed the law. Bhumibol had the constitutional prerogative to pardon criminals, although there are several criteria for receiving a pardon, including age and remaining sentence. The 2006 pardoning of several convicted child rapists, including an Australian rapist and child pornographer, caused controversy.[130][131][132] However, under the Thai constitution, the king has the prerogative to grant pardons and all laws, royal rescripts, and royal commands relating to state affairs must be countersigned by a minister unless otherwise provided for in the constitution. Network monarchy and extraconstitutional powers Edit City decoration in observance of King Bhumibol's birthday in Phitsanulok , Thailand Several academics outside Thailand, including Duncan McCargo and Federico Ferrara, noted the active but indirect political involvement of Bhumibol through a "network monarchy", whose most significant proxy is Privy Council President Prem Tinsulanonda. McCargo claimed that Bhumibol's conservative network worked behind the scenes to establish political influence in the 1990s, but was threatened by the landslide election victories of Thaksin Shinawatra in 2001 and 2005.[133] Ferrara claimed, shortly before the Thai Supreme Court delivered its verdict to seize Thaksin Shinawatra's assets, that the judiciary was a well-established part of Bhumibol's network and represented his main avenue to exercise extra-constitutional prerogatives despite having the appearance of being constitutional. He also noted how, in comparison to the Constitutional Court's 2001 acquittal of Thaksin, the judiciary was a much more important part of the "network" than it was in the past.[134] The network's ability to exercise power is based partly on Bhumibol's popularity and strict control of Bhumibol's popular image. According to Jost Pachaly of the Heinrich Böll Foundation, Bhumibol "plays an important role behind the scenes. But the role is difficult to assess because nothing is reported about it and no one really knows anything specific", due to lese majeste laws forbidding discussion about Bhumibol's political activities.[135] Bhumibol's popularity was demonstrated following the 2003 Phnom Penh riots in Cambodia, when hundreds of Thai protesters, enraged by rumors that Cambodian rioters had stomped on photographs of Bhumibol, gathered outside the Cambodian embassy in Bangkok. Photographs of the stomping were not published in Thailand, but were available on the internet. The situation was resolved peacefully only when Police General Sant Sarutanonda told the crowd that he had received a call from royal secretary Arsa Sarasin conveying Bhumibol's request for calm. The crowd dispersed.[136]

Royal projects Edit

60th anniversary celebrations Edit

Main article: 60th Anniversary Celebrations of Bhumibol Adulyadej's Accession King Bhumibol and Queen Sirikit at 60th Anniversary Celebrations Also called the Diamond Jubilee, the 60th anniversary celebrations of the king's accession to the throne were a series of events marking Bhumibol's reign in June 2006. Events included a royal barge procession on the Chao Phraya River, fireworks displays, art exhibitions, and the pardoning of 25,000 prisoners,[142] concerts, and dance performances. Tied in with the anniversary, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan presented Bhumibol with the United Nations Development Programme's first Human Development Lifetime Achievement Award on 26 May 2006. National holidays were observed on 9 June and 12–13 June 2006. On 9 June, the king and queen appeared on the balcony of Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall before hundreds of thousands of people. The official royal barge procession on 12 June was attended by the king and queen and royal visitors from 26 other countries. On 13 June, a state banquet for the royal visitors was held in the newly constructed Rama IX Throne Hall at the Grand Palace, the first official function of the hall. The Chiang Mai Royal Floral Expo was also held to honour the anniversary. On 16 January 2007, the CDRM officially declared the end of the 60th anniversary celebrations and commenced year-long celebrations of Bhumibol's 80th birthday.[143]

Private life Edit

Wealth Edit

Criticism Edit

A government officer pays respect to the portrait of King Bhumibol. Main article: Lèse majesté in Thailand Although Bhumibol was held in great respect by many Thais,[13] he was also protected by lèse-majesté laws which allowed critics to be jailed for three to fifteen years.[166] After the Thammasat University Massacre in 1976, the laws were toughened during the dictatorship of royalist and anti-communist Premier Thanin Kraivichien. Criticism of any member of the royal family, the royal development projects, the royal institution, the Chakri Dynasty or any previous Thai king was also banned. During his 2005 birthday speech, Bhumibol invited criticism: "Actually, I must also be criticised. I am not afraid if the criticism concerns what I do wrong, because then I know. Because if you say the king cannot be criticised, it means that the king is not human", he claimed. "If the king can do no wrong, it is akin to looking down upon him because the king is not being treated as a human being. But the king can do wrong."[40] A widespread barrage of criticisms resulted, followed by a sharp rise in lèse-majesté prosecutions. Lèse-majesté cases rose from five or six a year pre-2005 to 478 in 2010.[167] Although lèse-majesté officially only applies to current kings, the law is very flexible in practice. Even after his death, Bhumibol remains protected by lèse-majesté as well as the chilling effect resulting from the law.

Biographies Edit

American journalist Paul Handley, who spent thirteen years in Thailand, wrote the biography The King Never Smiles. The Information and Communications Ministry banned the book and blocked the book's page on the Yale University Press website in January 2006. In a statement dated 19 January 2006, Thai National Police Chief General Kowit Wattana said the book had "contents which could affect national security and the good morality of the people".[168] The book provided a detailed discussion of Bhumibol's role in Thai political history, and it also analyzed the factors behind Bhumibol's popularity. William Stevenson, who had access to the royal court and the royal family, wrote the biography The Revolutionary King in 2001.[169] An article in Time said the idea for the book was suggested by Bhumibol.[170] Critics noted that the book displayed intimate knowledge about personal aspects of Bhumibol. However, the book was unofficially banned in Thailand and the Bureau of the Royal Household warned the Thai media about even referring to it in print. An official ban was not possible as it was written with Bhumibol's blessing. The book was criticised for factual inaccuracies, disrespecting Bhumibol (it refers to him by his personal nickname "Lek"), and proposing a controversial theory explaining the mysterious death of King Ananda. Stevenson said: "The king said from the beginning the book would be dangerous for him and for me."[170]

Succession to the throne Edit

Titles and styles Edit

Issue Edit

Ancestors Edit

Works Edit

HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand. The Story of Tongdaeng . Amarin Book, Bangkok. 2004. ISBN 974-272-917-4

. Amarin Book, Bangkok. 2004. ISBN 974-272-917-4 HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand. The Story of Mahajanaka: Cartoon Edition . Amarin Book, Bangkok. 1999. ISBN 974-272-074-6

. Amarin Book, Bangkok. 1999. ISBN 974-272-074-6 HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand. The Story of Mahajanaka . Amarin Book, Bangkok. 1997. ISBN 974-8364-71-2

. Amarin Book, Bangkok. 1997. ISBN 974-8364-71-2 HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand, Chaturong Pramkaew (Ed.). My Country Thailand...land of Everlasting Smile . Amarin Book, Bangkok. 1995. ISBN 974-8363-53-8

. Amarin Book, Bangkok. 1995. ISBN 974-8363-53-8 HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand. His Majesty the King's Photographs in the Development of the Country . Photographic Society of Thailand & Thai E, Bangkok. 1992. ISBN 974-88805-0-8

. Photographic Society of Thailand & Thai E, Bangkok. 1992. ISBN 974-88805-0-8 HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand. Paintings by his Majesty the King: Special exhibition for the Rattanakosin Bicentennial Celebration at the National Gallery, Chao Fa Road, Bangkok, 1 April – 30 June 1982. National Gallery, Bangkok. 1982. ASIN B0007CCDMO

See also Edit

References Edit