Rama-lama-ding-dong

King Bum... King Bol... King Bi-ba-ba-bara-bop... KING Bhumibol, aka Rama IX, is the ruler of Thailand. On the one hand, the old man is a constitutional monarch, on the other he wields quite a lot of informal power, and his approval or disapproval has meant the difference between a successful and an unsuccessful military coup, of which there have been over 15 in the span of his reign.

Almost all Thais looooove him. This can not be stressed strongly enough: He his adored, revered, nay worshipped by the vast majority of the people. They have pictures of him in their homes, and generally refer to him as "father". I'm not joking; they well and truly lubs the geezer.

The king came to power way back in 1946, and is the longest reigning head of state in the world. On the one hand, I kinda feel for the guy. He has this exalted position as an untouchable icon, but he's invited criticism of his person and has said that it bothers him when people are sentenced harshly for committing the crime of "lese majeste" - offending the king. He's also running several social and educational programs through the Crown, where it may be spent with more accountability than in the regular government, which is corrupt as fuck.

On the other hand, his very position shows what a complete failure he has been, from a political perspective. The rest of the Royal family, while publicly revered, are not popular at all - especially the Crown Prince. Rumors of drugs, veneral diseases and blatant corruption abound. When the king dies, fuck knows what's going to happen; a military coup is certainly not out of the question. And this might be a bloody one.

Rama IX has largely failed to lend his considerable moral authority to the public institutions of the country, and has let corruption run rampant (including, as mentioned, in his own family). He has let the country be run like a fuckin soap opera, instead of promoting responsibility, accountability and transparancy. For all the good deeds he may have done personally, the great uncertainty which Thailand will be thrown into upon his death is largely his fault. As such, his rule has been a failure.


Lookin' cool with sunglasses. This picture was in the small Royal exhibit at the train station in Hua Hin.


At Monkey Mountain. Slogans and pictures are everywhere.


A small cafe on Monkey Mountain had this selection of pictures. Not in any way considered to be over the top in Thailand.


Random picture from the center of Hua Hin.


One of the main streets in town.