BANGKOK: Three days of elaborate centuries-old ceremonies begin today for the formal coronation of Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn, who has been on the throne for more than two years.
Upholding tradition: Vajiralongkorn and Suthida paying their respects during a visit to the Bangkok City Pillar Shrine. — AFPThree days of elaborate centuries-old ceremonies begin today for the formal coronation of Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn, who has been on the throne for more than two years.
The timing of the announcement, just before his coronation, suggests a fresh commitment to his duties. “The defining years saw King Bhumibol spending large amounts of time in provincial Thailand, visiting ordinary people,” said Michael Montesano, coordinator of the Thailand Studies Programme at Singapore’s Iseas-Yusof Ishak Institute.Duty to the king: Members of the Royal Thai Police standing under a portrait of Vajiralongkorn near the Grand Palace in Bangkok. — AFP
“The new king is a very decisive man and he’s very daring, unlike his father,” said Sulak Sivaraksa, a conservative social critic. There is little question that Vajiralongkorn has tightened control over royal institutions and what amounts to political privileges.Bhumibol and the army worked out a delicate balance of power, with the palace arguably holding the stronger hand, especially after a 1973 pro-democracy uprising temporarily discredited military rule.
“Prior to his father’s death, the junta leaders seemed to have acted for the king but they were becoming too big for their britches, so to speak. The new sovereign wanted to ensure personalised monarchical control over the military.”
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