BIOGRAPHY KING BHUMIBOL

In 1946 His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the ninth king of the Chakri dynasty, ascended to the Thai throne. At his coronation ceremony he promised that both he and Queen Sirikit would “reign with righteousness for the benefits and happiness of the Siamese people,” and according to Richard William Jones, whose biography of Bhumibol was published by Thailand’s National Identity Office, “For over 60 years, as the world’s longest reigning, living monarch, His Majesty has upheld the commitment articulated at his coronation.”
Jones goes on to say, “While eschewing a political role himself, King Bhumibol has established himself as both a statesman and a unifying figure in a country often afflicted by political confusion. He has always relied on hard work, rather than wealth, power and position, to gain the respect of others. Willing to play whatever role his subjects felt suitable for him, he turned towards the people who needed him most: the poor, the uneducated and the sick.”
Even though King Bhumibol’s reign has been considered the Golden Age of Thailand, there have been critics of the monarchy and its effectiveness in our modern era. In the introduction to his biography of King Bhumibol entitled The King Never Smiles Paul M. Handley states that the king has heavily promoted the throne as the nation’s salvation. However, asks Handley, has this “really created a sustainable model of the meaningful monarchy in the age of liberal constitutional democracy? Or has his restoration wistfully, and maybe recklessly, taken the monarchy back to a time which can no longer exist, and perhaps never really did?” There have also been suggestions that monarchs in Thailand—whether beneficent or not—may have a popularity advantage because of Lèse Majesté laws, regulations that allow for the arrest of those who criticize or insult a monarch. If these ensure a king’s popularity, however, they also do not preclude the possibility that a king may not choose to make use of them.
Despite criticisms of the sort that are sure to attach to most world leaders, the king indeed seems to be very much loved by his people, and Jones believes that he is probably the world’s “hardest working monarch.” King Bhumibol is a sportsman and an artist but doesn’t allow those pursuits to interfere with his civic and royal duties. He is the only reigning monarch to win a medal at an international sporting event—a gold medal for sailing at the Southeast Asian Peninsular Games. Jones records that he was also chosen as an honorary member of the Academy for Music and Performing Arts in Vienna, Austria, in 1964 and was the first Asian ever to be so honored for his music. His composition, “Blue Night,” was featured in a 1950 Broadway production of Peepshow.
In these respects it seems obvious that King Bhumibol did not aspire to be a mere figurehead. He has worked hard to improve the quality of life for his people and in 1993 he became “the world’s first reigning monarch to apply for, and be granted, a patent for his own invention” as Jones writes. The invention was a buoy-type, low-speed air jet aerator used to add oxygen to ponds and other still waters.
The king has a very practical approach to national development and to improving the environment, and thereby the lives, of his citizens. Jones notes that the king is not afraid of getting his shoes dirty, “King Bhumibol has trampled over many hills in the isolated areas of Thailand to meet excited subjects waiting to show off their new coffee shrub, peach tree or asparagus.”
The April-June 1982 issue of Leaders magazine, a Czechoslovakian publication focusing on business and lifestyle, records that the king, like every Thai monarch, is guided by the Tenfold Moral Principles of the Sovereign. These Buddhist teachings guide the monarch on the correct course to be taken by the leader of the country and by one who sets an example for all men. Jones also writes about this. “The Ten Commandments of Kingship, as His Majesty has called them, advise that a king should help those who need assistance in times of trouble,” says Jones. “He has revitalized the monarchy through his interest in the everyday needs of the populace. By changing his field of study in Switzerland from Engineering to Political Science and Law, he could understand how to rule with justice and help his people in times of need.” To that end, the king has committed himself to helping the poor and underprivileged by looking for long-term solutions to existing problems. For instance, says Jones, “in 1995, he focused on the effects of flooding on the poorest sections of the outskirts of Bangkok and brought this destruction to the attention of the government.”
According to the moral principles of the royal guide, a king should also be a person of “moral integrity, willing to sacrifice his private interests for the sake of the greater public interest; grasping the means to do right at all times.” During His Majesty’s early childhood, the Princess Mother had instilled “humanitarian principles,” teaching him to give his time and money to others. Jones said that, “she would tax the royal children ten percent of their pocket money every week, putting the contribution into a box in the center of their apartment. Then at the end of the month, she would gather all the children together to decide where the money would go: a foundation, a blind school or another charitable activity.”
King Bhumibol was trained to work for others, to sacrifice his time and money for the people, and when he ascended to the throne he put this training to work immediately. As Jones notes, the king turned over a large area of the Chitralada Villa grounds “to researchers and long-term experiments in the 50s, giving land in the Hua Hin District for the Hat Sai Yai Farm in the mid-60s and implementing a land reform program in 1975 in which royal land was donated to landless peasants.”
Jones continues to describe some of the other attributes outlined in the Tenfold Principles: a king needs to be faithful to his ideals, sincere in working for the public, honest while being “modest and gentle.” He should be unassertive and pleasant of manner, “refraining from anger or the display of displeasure.” He should not provoke others, but promote “peace and non-violent action.” “Finally” Jones writes, “a leader should be diligent and hard-working in all tasks, leading a simple life full of self-control; forbearing all; and not obstructing the will of the people.”
Many would call King Bhumibol a shining example of these traits. He has certainly been recognized throughout the world for his service and leadership. In 1992 the World Health Organization (WHO) awarded His Majesty its Health-for-All Gold Medal for services ensuring the nation’s good health, which is a tribute to his concern for the well-being of others. Not only had the king established free clinics staffed by royal physicians and military medical personnel, he had also created a Royal Mobile Dental Unit in April 1970, entrusting this mission to his personal dentist Dr. Sri Sirisingha, who had recently retired. The doctor recalled the king’s order: “. . . I would like you to look after the dental care of the students who live in remote areas. I will take care of all the necessary expenses and will provide you with a mobile dental unit to go out to isolated villages and hamlets.”
In June of 1995 the respected periodical Asiaweek praised him at the top of their list of 20 great Asians, saying that Bhumibol “has continued to look out for the good of even the lowest in the kingdom. He influences politics without being political. In doing so, he has made an ancient monarchy into a crucial component of a progressive and prosperous democracy.”
His efforts have even been noticed by governments outside of Asia. While addressing the United States Senate in 1995, Montana Senator Max Baucus had this to say about His Majesty’s hard work:
Today, Thailand is one of the anchors of the modern, prosperous Southeast Asia. Bangkok has become one of the world’s great cities and commercial centers. . . . Much of this extraordinary success is due to the wise guidance of King Bhumibol. The king has led by example. He has embodied the ten traditional moral principles of Buddhist kings: charity toward the poor; morality; sacrifice of personal interest; honesty; courtesy; self-restraint; tranquility of temperament; non-violence; patience; and impartiality in settling disputes. And he has led by action. Together, King Bhumibol and Queen Sirikit have devoted decades to improving the lives of Thai people in rural and impoverished regions. They constantly travel to the country’s 73 provinces, meeting with villagers and staying close to the people. The results are obvious in improved public health, the spread of education to all Thai children and the renewal of traditional crafts and textiles.
Because of his hard work and widely-recognized dedication to the Thai community, King Bhumibol holds a cherished place in the hearts and minds of his people. In an age when celebrity is fleeting and fame disappears in moments, Bhumibol’s popularity in Thailand remains undiminished. He appears not only to have lived up to his coronation promise to rule with righteousness, but in the eyes of many of his people he also appears to have lived up to his name, Bhumibol, which in Sanskrit means “Strength of the Land.”