Many Westerners do not seem to understand what His Majesty's Death means to the Thai.
For the Thai, and for many Westerners who have stayed in Thailand long enough, His Majesty was LITERALLY a Living God. This was not just because he was their King, but because he genuinely cared about the Thai People.
For many years, he was the glue that held Thailand together when there was a crisis. He single handedly caused several Coups to fail, and also maybe saved Thailand from Civil War, merely by letting it be known that he disaproved of what was happening.
The degree of respect for him, especially in his prime, was astonishing, but deserved.
The Thai, perhaps some of the most tolerant people in the world, have NEVER tolerated criticism of him, even from foreigners. People typically wept when they saw him in person.
I have seen Thais get angry if someone stepped on Thai Money because his face was on it, and to INTENTIONALLY disrespect him was next to unthinkable.
Now that He is gone, there is really no one to replace him, and he was the safety valve, the one central figure, that was respected enought to keep the many differing parts of Thai society together. No one else has had that kind of respect, and many fear that with him gone Thailand will drift into Civil War.
He was truly a remarkable man, and one of a kind.