https://www.scmp.com/rss/323447/feed Thailand’s King Bhumibol Adulyadej, also known as Rama IX, was the longest-serving head of state and monarch in Thai history, serving for 70 years. He died on October 13, 2016, following several years of illness. Widely respected at home and abroad, he was credited with restoring the prestige of the previously floundering institution of Thai monarchy and unifying a country beset with deep-seated political divisions. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The queen of Thailand won a gold medal in sailing at the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, a regional competition being held in her country in December. Queen Suthida, the wife of King Maha Vajiralongkorn, competed in the mixed keelboat SSL47 category on a 47-foot sailing boat with nine other crew members on Thursday. The 47-year-old served as tactician and helmswoman to lead the Thai team to victory in the waters off Pattaya, ahead of Malaysia and Myanmar. A communications graduate, Suthida worked... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3336912/queen-thailand-wins-gold-medal-sailing-southeast-asian-games?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3336912/queen-thailand-wins-gold-medal-sailing-southeast-asian-games?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 Dec 2025 11:00:18 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse In a bustling Bangkok market, hundreds of wholesale vendors have been selling black clothing since dawn – several with hefty discounts – in honour of Thailand’s late former queen. Rows of black T-shirts at a small stall hang near a banner reading “black shirts 40 baht” – a fraction of the usual price of 200 to 500 baht (US$6 to US$15) – drawing a steady stream of shoppers. “We sell at this price so all Thais can wear black to pay respect to the queen mother,” said the business’s owner,... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3331143/thai-vendors-go-red-sell-mourning-clothes-my-time-pay-back?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3331143/thai-vendors-go-red-sell-mourning-clothes-my-time-pay-back?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 01 Nov 2025 00:43:26 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Thousands of grieving Thai royalists lined the streets of Bangkok on Sunday, saluting a procession bringing former Queen Sirikit’s body to lie in state for a year-long funeral at the capital’s Grand Palace. Members of the royal family are venerated in Thailand, treated by many as semidivine figures and lavished with glowing media coverage and gold-adorned portraits hanging in public spaces and private homes nationwide. Former Queen Sirikit, the mother of the current King Vajiralongkorn and wife... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3330344/thailand-mourns-queen-sirikit-year-long-royal-funeral-begins?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3330344/thailand-mourns-queen-sirikit-year-long-royal-funeral-begins?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 26 Oct 2025 03:29:15 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Thailand’s Queen Mother Sirikit, who supervised royal projects to help the rural poor, preserve traditional craft-making and protect the environment, died on Friday. She was 93. The Royal Household Bureau said she died in a hospital in Bangkok. Since October 17, she had been suffering from a blood infection but despite her medical team’s efforts, her conditions did not improve. She had been largely absent from public life in recent years due to declining health. Her husband, King Bhumibol... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3330289/thailands-queen-mother-sirikit-has-died-age-93?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3330289/thailands-queen-mother-sirikit-has-died-age-93?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 Oct 2025 23:54:54 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Suchinda Kraprayoon, an army commander in Thailand who in 1992 followed the Southeast Asian nation’s tradition of military strongmen assuming the reins of government, died on Tuesday at the age of 91, the state Thai News Agency reported. Suchinda, who served just under seven weeks as prime minister, became one of the country’s most reviled politicians after the military used lethal force to quash protests alleging he took office by undemocratic means. The episode became known as “Black May”. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3313916/ex-thai-pm-suchinda-kraprayoon-who-cracked-down-1992-protests-dies-91?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3313916/ex-thai-pm-suchinda-kraprayoon-who-cracked-down-1992-protests-dies-91?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Jun 2025 22:00:21 +0000 A Thai court is holding hearings on a petition seeking to reopen one of the most controversial cases in the country’s modern history, the death of King Ananda Mahidol who was found shot dead in his bedroom in 1946 at the age of 20. King Ananda, also known as Rama VIII, reigned from 1935 to 1946, and was the uncle of the present Thai monarch Maha Vajiralongkorn and the elder brother of the last King Bhumibol Adulyadej. Ananda, who was found lying face up in bed with a gunshot wound on his head on... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3257943/thai-author-seeks-reopen-investigation-1946-death-king-ananda-mahidol?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3257943/thai-author-seeks-reopen-investigation-1946-death-king-ananda-mahidol?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Apr 2024 06:00:05 +0000 Aidan Jones,Agencies Aidan Jones,Agencies Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn commuted the eight-year prison sentence of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra to 12 months, the Royal Gazette journal said on Friday, days after the divisive billionaire returned from a 15-year self-exile. Thaksin’s rapid rehabilitation from being the bête noire of Thailand’s arch-royalist establishment comes after a shock election win in May by the radical Move Forward Party, which won 14 million votes and rattled the elite with calls for deep... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/3233103/thai-king-reduces-former-pm-thaksins-prison-sentence-one-year?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/3233103/thai-king-reduces-former-pm-thaksins-prison-sentence-one-year?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 01 Sep 2023 09:04:02 +0000 Thailand’s main opposition Pheu Thai party confirmed on Wednesday that the daughter of billionaire ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra is one of its candidates to be prime minister in the kingdom’s coming election. Paetongtarn Shinawatra, a 36-year-old with a jet-setting lifestyle and half a million Instagram followers, stands in stark contrast to her establishment rivals, two strait-laced former army chiefs with a combined age of 146. A sea of Pheu Thai supporters, wearing T-shirts in the party’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3216107/thai-election-paetongtarn-thaksins-charismatic-and-astute-daughter-confirmed-pm-candidate?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3216107/thai-election-paetongtarn-thaksins-charismatic-and-astute-daughter-confirmed-pm-candidate?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 05 Apr 2023 13:14:06 +0000 Thailand is a dedicated advocate of global sustainable development. The kingdom has been promoting its home-grown Sufficiency Economy Philosophy (SEP) as an alternative approach to achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The philosophy is a culmination of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s reflections from decades of extensive tours and conversations with villagers around the country. It was first introduced after the Asian financial crisis in 1997 and remains the... https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3141321/thailand-offers-world-empowering-philosophy-sustainable-growth?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3141321/thailand-offers-world-empowering-philosophy-sustainable-growth?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 16 Jul 2021 23:15:07 +0000 Thai police fired stinging liquid from water cannon at thousands of protesters in Bangkok on Friday in the most violent escalation of three months of demonstrations against the government of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, a former junta leader. Protesters, defying a government ban on gatherings for a second day, pushed back against helmeted police who advanced with batons and riot shields. Youth-led protests have grown into the biggest challenge in years to a political establishment dominated... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3105818/thailand-protests-pm-prayuth-vows-stay-warns-those-defying?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3105818/thailand-protests-pm-prayuth-vows-stay-warns-those-defying?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 16 Oct 2020 08:00:37 +0000 Thailand’s new army chief on Tuesday made the traditional pledge to defend the country, the Buddhist religion, the monarchy and the people, but seemed to take a softer line than his predecessor toward dissenting political voices. General Narongpan Jittkaewtae took his post on October 1 in an annual military reshuffle as the government faces a challenge from mass protests that include unprecedented calls for reforms to the revered institution of the monarchy. The position of army commander... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3104432/thailands-new-army-chief-rules-out-coup-defends-monarchy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3104432/thailands-new-army-chief-rules-out-coup-defends-monarchy?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 06 Oct 2020 14:26:09 +0000 Thailand’s parliament voted on Thursday to delay making a decision on whether it will amend the constitution, as demanded by anti-government protesters who have demonstrated nearly every day for more than two months. The parliament, dominated by supporters of the government, opted instead to set up a committee to study the process of the constitutional amendment first. “The vote to accept a motion for constitutional changes is effectively delayed to November,” said pro-government lawmaker... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3102936/thailand-delays-decision-amending-constitution-protesters?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3102936/thailand-delays-decision-amending-constitution-protesters?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 24 Sep 2020 14:40:56 +0000 From nurse and pilot, to Thailand’s first royal consort in almost a century, to a commoner – Sineenat Wongvajirapakdi is now back with her official titles reinstated. Almost a year ago, Sineenat was removed because of her “disloyalty” and “ambition” in challenging the status of Queen Suthida, King Vajiralongkorn’s fourth wife. Sineenat’s surprise return to the palace has put the spotlight on the Thai royal’s private life, especially since it was officially stated that her titles were never... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/news-trends/article/3100794/thai-zhen-huan-why-chinese-media-named-thailands?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/news-trends/article/3100794/thai-zhen-huan-why-chinese-media-named-thailands?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 09 Sep 2020 04:09:07 +0000 It’s long been the case in Thailand that every conversation about the monarchy requires an extra level of alertness. One must carefully note their surroundings, who could be trusted and who might potentially take offence. Words are chosen delicately, often using coded language, to establish a sense of trust before offering even mild criticism of an institution protected by laws that carry lengthy jail sentences. Portraits of protest: 10 Thais gagged by lèse-majesté law The ever-present fear is... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3097323/challenging-thailands-monarchy-young-protesters-risk?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3097323/challenging-thailands-monarchy-young-protesters-risk?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 14 Aug 2020 02:39:06 +0000 One of King Vajiralongkorn of Thailand’s two daughters, Princess Bajrakitiyabha is the eldest child. She is now 40 years of age and is a Thai diplomat. Read on to learn some things you might not have known about her. 1. She is the only one of the king’s children born to his first wife King Maha Vajiralongkorn – then the Crown Prince – was married to his cousin, Princess Soamsawali from 1977 to 1991. Their only child, Princess Bajrakitiyabha, was born after a year of marriage. The princess’... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/article/3038354/5-things-know-about-princess-bajrakitiyabha-daughter-thai?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/article/3038354/5-things-know-about-princess-bajrakitiyabha-daughter-thai?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 19 Nov 2019 08:00:07 +0000 Suthida is the current wife of King Vajiralongkorn and the royal consort of Thailand. The couple has been married for less than a year, and she has not been in the public eye for very long, only rising to the rank of queen in May 2019. Here are some things you might not know about Suthida. 5 things to know about the Thai king’s former royal consort 1. Suthida is his fourth wife Before Suthida, King Vajiralongkorn was married to Soamsawali Kitiyakara (it lasted from 1977 to 1993), Sujarinee... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3037865/4-things-you-should-know-about-thailands-queen-suthida?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3037865/4-things-you-should-know-about-thailands-queen-suthida?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 15 Nov 2019 07:00:06 +0000 Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn has been married – and divorced – several times. Here are some things you may not know about his third wife, former lady-in-waiting Srirasmi Suwadee, who was with him from 2001 to 2014. 1. She appeared in a leaked controversial video that displayed the decadence of the royal family In the 2007 video, she and the then-prince celebrate the birthday of their dog Fufu, who purportedly held the rank of Air Chief Marshal. In the video, Srirasmi is seen in a... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3036166/5-things-know-about-thai-kings-disgraced-ex-princess-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3036166/5-things-know-about-thai-kings-disgraced-ex-princess-and?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 Nov 2019 04:00:14 +0000 Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn, officially known as King Rama X, has been listed as the world’s richest monarch, with estimates of Vajiralongkorn’s personal wealth ranging from US$30 billion up to US$43 billion, reports Reuters and South China Morning Post. King Vajiralongkorn is considered the richest royal in the world, beating out Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei, who came in second with a total wealth valued at US$28 billion, and King Salman bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud of Saudi Arabia, who... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3035485/thailands-king-maha-vajiralongkorn-5-things-know-about?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3035485/thailands-king-maha-vajiralongkorn-5-things-know-about?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 30 Oct 2019 04:30:00 +0000 When Thailand’s newly crowned King Maha Vajiralongkorn named one of his bodyguards as Noble Royal Consort on his birthday in July, no one had held the title for nearly a century, dating back to the days of absolute monarchy. Later, the palace released a series of photos of 34-year-old consort Sineenat Wongvajirapakdi, a former nurse, variously showing her in the cockpit of a fighter jet, wearing a crop top and dressed in combat fatigues with the king and the royal poodle. Such laudatory images... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3034233/thailands-king-maha-vajiralongkorn-modern-day-henry-viii?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3034233/thailands-king-maha-vajiralongkorn-modern-day-henry-viii?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 23 Oct 2019 09:17:41 +0000 Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn has stripped his 34-year-old consort of all titles for “disloyalty” and apparent “ambition” to match the queen’s position, a royal command issued late on Monday said, less than three months after she was bestowed with the honour. Former royal bodyguard Sineenat Wongvajirapakdi – known by her nickname “Koi” – was given the title on the king’s 67th birthday on July 28, the first time in nearly a century a Thai monarch has taken a consort. A few days later the... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3033935/thailands-king-strips-royal-consort-her-title-disloyalty?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3033935/thailands-king-strips-royal-consort-her-title-disloyalty?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 21 Oct 2019 13:58:03 +0000 It is one of the most famous images in Southeast Asian history: Thailand’s King Bhumibol Adulyadej sitting regally before a group of prostrate, feuding politicians. It was May 20, 1992 and the king had just intervened, demanding an end to bloody riots that had paralysed Bangkok. The protesters dispersed, the junta leader resigned and Thailand gradually returned to civilian rule. Also kneeling at the king’s side was another remarkable man: his trusted adviser Prem Tinsulanonda, who passed away... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3026338/prem-tinsulanonda-was-trusted-royal-aide-so-who-will-be-new-thai?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3026338/prem-tinsulanonda-was-trusted-royal-aide-so-who-will-be-new-thai?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Sep 2019 07:44:01 +0000 Thailand’s palace has released rare images and a biography of the king’s newly anointed royal consort, including both candid and action-packed photos of her aiming a weapon on a firing range, piloting a plane, and preparing to parachute. King Maha Vajiralongkorn bestowed the rank of “Chao Khun Phra” or noble consort on the 34-year-old former army nurse Sineenat Wongvajirapakdi on his 67th birthday in July. She is the first woman to receive the noble rank in nearly a century. The publication of... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3024464/thai-palace-releases-rare-images-king-maha-vajiralongkorns?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3024464/thai-palace-releases-rare-images-king-maha-vajiralongkorns?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 27 Aug 2019 02:36:39 +0000 On one side of his head, it reads “Long Live”, on the other “The King”. And on the back is a painstakingly snipped portrait of Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn. Devoted monarchist Mitree Mike Chitinunda decided to mark the king’s 67th birthday on Sunday with a haircut that has drawn praise from some royalists but criticism from others, who view it as disrespectful. “Some people think I do it to show off, but that’s not true. I just do it to show my love for the king,” said Mitree,... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3020408/show-love-or-royal-insult-mans-haircut-bearing-thai-kings?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3020408/show-love-or-royal-insult-mans-haircut-bearing-thai-kings?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 28 Jul 2019 14:15:07 +0000 Thailand’s 86-year-old queen mother Sirikit is being treated for a fever at a Bangkok hospital, the Royal Household Bureau said in a statement on Wednesday. Sirikit, who was queen consort to the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who died in 2016 after seven decades on the throne, is mother to the current King Maha Vajiralongkorn, 66. Thailand’s 86-year-old Queen Sirikit admitted to hospital The queen has seldom been seen in public but last year the palace released photographs of Sirikit to mark her... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3006576/thailands-86-year-old-queen-mother-sirikit-admitted?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3006576/thailands-86-year-old-queen-mother-sirikit-admitted?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Apr 2019 09:24:07 +0000 Democracy lovers hope Thailand’s general election on Sunday will restore civilian rule after five years and send the military rulers back to their barracks. But with just three days to the landmark vote, the consensus among most observers is that the chances of such an outcome are slim. The best case scenario is that the two warring camps – military-royalists on one side, and rural-backed democrats on another, strike a grand bargain to jointly govern the country and end a decades-long stand off... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3002722/explained-thailands-election-battle-royale-juntas-prayuth-chan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3002722/explained-thailands-election-battle-royale-juntas-prayuth-chan?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 21 Mar 2019 23:00:12 +0000 KING MAHA VAJIRALONGKORN Asked in a 1980 BBC interview what being a royal was like, Maha Vajiralongkorn, then 28, said he knew no other life. “I have been born, from the first second of my life, as a prince,” he said. “It is difficult to say what it’s like to be a fish when you are a fish. Or what it’s like to be a bird when you are a bird.” Today, the king splits his time between Germany – where he lives in relative privacy – and Thailand, where he is accorded near-deity status. When he took... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/2186404/princess-prayuth-whos-who-thai-elections-game-thrones?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/2186404/princess-prayuth-whos-who-thai-elections-game-thrones?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 16 Feb 2019 02:49:16 +0000 Thailand’s Election Commission on Wednesday asked the constitutional court to dissolve a political party that put forward a princess as candidate for prime minister, days after the move earned a royal rebuke from her brother, the king. Thailand has been mired in political drama since Friday, when Princess Ubolratana’s name was submitted by Thai Raksa Chart, a party allied with the powerful Shinawatra clan. Ubolratana’s unprecedented bid to enter frontline politics unravelled within hours after... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/2185964/thai-party-tried-nominate-princess-ubolratana-pm-faces?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/2185964/thai-party-tried-nominate-princess-ubolratana-pm-faces?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 13 Feb 2019 06:30:15 +0000 Thailand’s Princess Ubolratana Rajakanya on Friday shocked the kingdom by announcing her candidacy in the country’s general election. Her decision to align herself with the powerful Shinawatra clan is an unprecedented move that severely dents the chances of the ruling junta staying in power after the March 24 vote. The Thai Raksa Chart party, one of several parties aligned with the exiled former prime ministers Yingluck and Thaksin Shinawatra, said Princess Ubolratana – the older sister of King... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/2185361/thailands-princess-ubolratana-rajakanya-wants-be-prime-minister?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/2185361/thailands-princess-ubolratana-rajakanya-wants-be-prime-minister?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 Feb 2019 01:30:30 +0000 A Thai appeal court has dropped royal insult charges against six people jailed for setting fire to portraits of Thai kings, it said, but they will still have to serve lengthy jail terms for damaging public property. Thailand has tough lèse-majesté laws, with those found guilty of defaming, insulting or threatening members of the royal family facing up to 15 years in jail, but there have been no fresh prosecutions this year in what one rights lawyer said “appears to be a new policy... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/2165041/thailand-drops-royal-insult-charges-burning-portraits-kings?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/2165041/thailand-drops-royal-insult-charges-burning-portraits-kings?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 20 Sep 2018 08:57:49 +0000 Thailand’s 86-year-old Queen Sirikit is being treated for influenza at a Bangkok hospital, the Royal Household Bureau said in a statement on Monday in a rare statement on her health. Sirikit, who was queen consort to the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who died in 2016 after seven decades on the throne, is mother to the current King Maha Vajiralongkorn, 66. The queen has seldom been seen in public in recent years but last week the palace released photographs of Sirikit to mark her 86th birthday on... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/2160445/thailands-86-year-old-queen-sirikit-admitted-hospital?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/2160445/thailands-86-year-old-queen-sirikit-admitted-hospital?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 Aug 2018 04:38:18 +0000 The official agency that had managed the vast wealth of Thailand’s royal family has announced that its assets have formally been turned over to King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun, who assumed the throne after the death of his father in 2016. An undated announcement seen on Saturday on the website of the Crown Property Bureau says that assets it has been administering will be put in the same category as the monarch’s personal assets and managed together at his discretion. Forbes... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/2151159/thai-king-takes-control-us30-billion-royal-fortune-after?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/2151159/thai-king-takes-control-us30-billion-royal-fortune-after?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 17 Jun 2018 03:09:44 +0000 Two provincial governors accused of mishandling funeral flower-laying ceremonies for the late Thai king Bhumibol Adulyadej have been transferred to inactive posts at the Prime Minister’s Office, according to the country’s interior minister Anupong Paojinda. Chon Buri governor Phakrathorn Thianchai was originally scheduled to be transferred to the role of Samut Prakan governor, according to reports, while Nonthaburi’s Phanu Yaemsri was due to be made governor of Nakhon Sawan. The changes were... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/2118921/thai-governors-transferred-over-botched-funeral-ceremonies?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/2118921/thai-governors-transferred-over-botched-funeral-ceremonies?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Nov 2017 06:30:45 +0000 Thailand’s military government has emerged from the year of official mourning for King Bhumibol Adulyadej with a firm grip on power and in no apparent rush to hold elections it has repeatedly delayed during the four years since its coup. The five days of solemn and choreographed spectacle for Bhumibol’s funeral last month was a mostly unblemished propaganda triumph for the junta that underlined its primacy and the sidelining of political parties. After a reign of seven decades, Bhumibol’s death... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/2117969/military-has-got-whip-hand-thailands-junta-emerges-one-year?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/2117969/military-has-got-whip-hand-thailands-junta-emerges-one-year?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Nov 2017 09:17:58 +0000 By Kornchanok Raksaseri Fewer road deaths and injuries were recorded last Thursday when the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej was cremated amid an elaborate five-day royal funeral ceremony, a road safety advocate in Thailand said. Sixteen people died as a result of road accidents on October 26, much lower than the daily average, according to statistics provided by the Accident Data Centre of Thailand (Thai RSC). The average was estimated at 66 a day, or 24,000 a year, according to the World Health... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/2117573/road-deaths-thailand-fall-during-royal-funeral?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/2117573/road-deaths-thailand-fall-during-royal-funeral?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Oct 2017 04:30:00 +0000 A year of official mourning for Thailand’s late King Bhumibol Adulyadej drew to an end on Sunday after a lavish five-day funeral embroidered with pageantry and religious ritual. Bhumibol, a beloved king who died last October aged 88, was cremated on Thursday after a day charged with emotion that brought Thailand to a standstill. At his death he was the world’s longest serving monarch, striding over seven decades of Thailand’s turbulent modern history, to depart as the kingdom’s chief figure of... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/2117517/funeral-late-thai-king-bhumibol-draws-close?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/2117517/funeral-late-thai-king-bhumibol-draws-close?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 29 Oct 2017 12:40:49 +0000 More than one year since the passing of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, Thailand has said its final farewell to a revered monarch seen by many Thais as a demigod. Bhumibol’s cremation, which began on Thursday, symbolises the end of a 70-year reign during which the king – Rama IX – helped transform Thailand into a middle-income country. The sustained growth of the Thai economy under Bhumibol, which took place despite much political instability, has been attributed by many observers to the king’s ideas... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/2117353/thailand-cremates-king-bhumibol-can-it-keep-lid-tensions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/2117353/thailand-cremates-king-bhumibol-can-it-keep-lid-tensions?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 29 Oct 2017 01:16:55 +0000 Thais have said their final goodbye to the only king most of them have known, Bhumibol Adulyadej. The five days of elaborate ceremonies centred around his cremation on Thursday mark the end of a year of national mourning. It also brings uncertainty, with a cloud over relations between the new monarch, the governing military and political elites. There needs to be understanding and tolerance on all sides to avoid a return of the instability that the death of the beloved ruler brought to a... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2117451/following-bhumibol-will-be-challenging?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2117451/following-bhumibol-will-be-challenging?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 Oct 2017 17:56:35 +0000 Thailand’s new king picked bits of bone and ash from his father’s remains on Friday to be enshrined as royal relics, after the cremation of the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej capped an extravagant funeral that brought the nation to a standstill. The lighting of the funeral pyre late Thursday night, which was held out of view, closed the book on the 70-year reign of a monarch who was elevated to saint-like status. The grand send-off, held a year after Bhumibol died aged 88, was a spectacular show... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/2117339/relics-picked-late-thai-kings-ashes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/2117339/relics-picked-late-thai-kings-ashes?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Oct 2017 11:13:48 +0000 Thailand bade farewell to late King Bhumibol Adulyadej on Thursday in an elaborate, ritual-soaked funeral in Bangkok’s historic quarter that gripped a nation mourning the loss of its chief unifying figure. But after a day of pomp, pageantry and high anticipation, Thais were left confounded as the cremation of a monarch who ruled for seven decades unexpectedly took place behind closed doors. Pipers, drummers and soldiers in a dazzling array of costumes joined Buddhist monks, Brahmin priests and... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/2117205/thailands-revered-king-bhumibol-adulyadej-cremated-after?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/2117205/thailands-revered-king-bhumibol-adulyadej-cremated-after?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Oct 2017 17:15:30 +0000 More than 3,000 of Hong Kong’s Thai people congregated at a small temple in the New Territories on Thursday, to pay tribute to their late king, Bhumibol Adulyadej, as their country prepared for his cremation. Black-clad mourners thronged Wat Buddhadhamaram in Yuen Long, the city’s oldest Thai temple, to commemorate the revered monarch, who died last year aged 88 after a seven-decade reign. The death of the “father” of the nation plunged Thai people around the world, including around 30,000... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2117179/hong-kongs-thai-people-pay-tribute-late-king-bhumibol?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2117179/hong-kongs-thai-people-pay-tribute-late-king-bhumibol?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Oct 2017 13:11:05 +0000 The spectacular send-off for Thailand’s late King Bhumibol Adulyadej began Thursday with an elaborate collage of Buddhist rituals and palace protocol, ahead of his cremation at the gilded pyre erected in Bangkok’s historic heart. The US$90 million ceremony is a final act of devotion to the “father” of the nation, who died last year aged 88. Here are a few things to know about the funeral of a king revered as a demi-god, and who reigned for seven decades. The site At the heart of the cremation... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/2117043/explainer-how-thailand-bidding-final-goodbye-beloved-king?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/2117043/explainer-how-thailand-bidding-final-goodbye-beloved-king?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Oct 2017 03:02:43 +0000 Tearful Thais clad in black mourned on Bangkok’s streets or at viewing areas around the nation Thursday as elaborate funeral ceremonies steeped in centuries of royal tradition were held for King Bhumibol Adulyadej following a year of mourning. Three separate and intensely solemn processions involving the current king, thousands of troops, a golden palanquin, a chariot and a royal gun carriage were moving a ceremonial urn representing Bhumibol’s remains from the Dusit Maha Prasad Throne Hall to... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/2117034/kings-funeral-200000-thais-gather-near-grand-palace-bangkok?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/2117034/kings-funeral-200000-thais-gather-near-grand-palace-bangkok?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Oct 2017 02:10:07 +0000 The exactingly planned five-day funeral for Thailand’s King Bhumibol Adulyadej will be governed by strict protocols for how the public and media conduct themselves – rules that are as much about honouring the monarch as the are about controlling a delicate political moment. The detailed prescriptions for appearance and behaviour show a particular concern for what images of Thailand and its royals are circulated during and after the elaborate ceremonies, which include Bhumibol’s cremation on... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/2116955/no-selfies-no-colour-no-disorder-rules-surrounding-thai?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/2116955/no-selfies-no-colour-no-disorder-rules-surrounding-thai?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Oct 2017 09:12:24 +0000 Flipping through a binder of images of Thailand’s late King Bhumibol Adulyadej, Somsree pauses and pulls out her favourite: a shot from the 80s of the casually-dressed monarch sitting on a wooden bridge, his back against a truck and chatting with a villager. Given his lofty role he did not have to travel the country, Somsree Trupsangsree said from the shop in Bangkok’s old quarter where she sells portraits of the revered monarch. “But he went there to work,” the 59-year-old said, misty-eyed at... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/2116723/farewell-king-thailand-prepares-thursday-funeral-beloved?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/2116723/farewell-king-thailand-prepares-thursday-funeral-beloved?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Oct 2017 06:27:45 +0000 Brunei’s Prince Abdul Mateen – 10th son of the Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah – has Hollywood movie star looks and an Instagram following (705,000 and counting) larger than his country’s population. The Crown Prince of Johor, (a state in southern Malaysian) Tunku (Prince) Ismail Sultan Ibrahim – an avid polo-player who heads Malaysia’s Football Association – often talks more sense than most of his country’s politicians. After decades in retreat, Southeast Asia’s royal families are staging a dramatic... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/2116032/how-facebook-era-made-monarchies-malaysia-brunei-relevant-again?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/2116032/how-facebook-era-made-monarchies-malaysia-brunei-relevant-again?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Oct 2017 04:30:45 +0000 Thais marked one year since the death of King Bhumibol Adulyadej with solemn ceremonies and acts of personal devotion on Friday before an elaborate five-day funeral later this month. Official commemorations of Bhumibol were organised at Bangkok’s Siriraj Hospital, where he died, and at Government House and the ornate royal palace. But many ordinary people showed their respects on the streets, at neighbourhood markets and temples, kneeling before orange-robed monks to perform a Buddhist... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/2115195/thais-mark-anniversary-kings-death-prayers-ceremony?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/2115195/thais-mark-anniversary-kings-death-prayers-ceremony?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Oct 2017 04:13:41 +0000 Business and leisure visitors to Thailand from October 25 to 29, the five days of King Bhumibol’s funeral, need to be prepared for crowds, closures and traffic disruption. Those visiting Bangkok earlier in the month may also encounter the side effects of rehearsals. KingRama9.net, the government site dedicated to the funeral of the king, has a wealth of details about his life, ceremonies and such elements as the royal urn, buildings, chariots, artwork, sandalwood flowers, and masked dancers. Why... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/2115016/everything-visitors-thailand-during-royal-funeral-need-know?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/2115016/everything-visitors-thailand-during-royal-funeral-need-know?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Oct 2017 23:30:00 +0000 The five days of funeral ceremonies this month for Thailand’s late King Bhumibol Adulyadej will truly be fit for a revered monarch who ruled for 70 years. Ceremonies will draw on Buddhist and Hindu rites dating back hundreds of years and will take place in and around a cluster of temporary wooden structures north of the Grand Palace that architects and artisans have been labouring on for most of this year. Everything visitors to Thailand during the royal funeral need to know and prepare... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/2115015/why-funeral-late-thai-king-may-not-be-tourists-and-how-you?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/2115015/why-funeral-late-thai-king-may-not-be-tourists-and-how-you?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Oct 2017 23:01:03 +0000 By Pichaya Svasti For almost 20 years, Khun Tongdaeng, the monarch’s favourite pet dog, stayed beside King Bhumibol Adulyadej as friend and guard. Khun Tongdaeng died nearly a year before the king’s passing on October 13 last year, but her love and loyalty is everlasting and is now reflected in her life-size sculpture, which has been placed at the royal crematorium at Sanam Luang. The sculpture is the work of Chin Prasong, who had created the bronze sculptures of Khun Tongdaeng and other dogs... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/2114674/man-creates-life-sized-sculptures-late-thai-kings-dogs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/2114674/man-creates-life-sized-sculptures-late-thai-kings-dogs?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Oct 2017 05:45:30 +0000 The funeral of Thailand’s late King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who was known as Rama IX, will take place over five days in October with hundreds of thousands of mourners expected to attend. For many Thais it will be their first experience of a royal funeral of a monarch. King Bhumibol ruled Thailand for more than seven decades and was widely regarded as the nation’s moral compass during decades of on-off political unrest. King Bhumibol, 88, died on October 13, 2016. The country has been in an official... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/2114103/nine-interesting-facts-about-october-funeral-thailands-late?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/2114103/nine-interesting-facts-about-october-funeral-thailands-late?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Oct 2017 06:15:45 +0000