Bhumibol Adulyadej King of Thailand - A Reportage

King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand, also known as Rama iX, is highly revered in Thailand, is the longest serving living monarch in the world and in Thai history, and reportedly also its ‘wealthiest’ if the Crown Property Bureau’s enormous assets controlled by and serving the Monarchy as a whole are attributed solely to the King.

His Majesty the King was born in the United States while his father studied medicine at Harvard University, and following his father’s early death was raised in isolation from the Thai throne by His mother in Europe (in particular in Lausanne, Switzerland) where he also attended university, meet his future wife, HM Queen Sirikit, and ascended the throne at the age of 18 following his two year older brother’s tragic death who had been king since age 13.

The book provides a detailed summary of the King’s and Queen’s fascinating and turbulent long lives, their achievements for the benefit of the nation, their mastery of the political landscape involving numerous military coups and other scandals that are typical of a developing nation, Thailand being in the unique position of having escaped colonialization through the wise maneuvers of the kings.

CONTENTS: Bhumibol Adulyadej – Rama IX – A Summary; Roots in Switzerland; King Ananda’s Death and the Succession of King Bhumibol Adulyadej as King of Thailand; Meeting His Future Wife, Queen Sirikit; The King’s and Queen’s Son and Daughters; Lèse Majesté; A Legal Discussion of Lèse Majesté; Legitimacy Crisis in Thailand; The Debate Over a Thai Republic; The Crown Property Bureau; On the Issue of Corruption Among Bureaucrats.