As the morning dawns at the Royal Plaza on 9th June 2006, its first light slowly unveils the golden sea stretching for several kilometres along the Ratchadamnoen Avenue. To the careful eye, however, this magnificent sight is a legion of nearly one million Thais, all wearing bright yellow shirts to signify their allegiance to their beloved king. The crowd – diverse in age, race and faith – unites before the Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall today to express their deep reverence for His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej during the rare royal appearance on the 60th anniversary of his ascent to the throne. Ever since his coronation, the monarch’s arduous work for the country has never ceased. His dedication to the people has never waned. Nor has his determination to reign “with righteousness for the benefit and happiness of the Thai people” ever wavered.
From the early years of his reign onwards, His Majesty regularly travelled the country. His journeys were far from comfortable. On the contrary, our king visited the places where his people live – rural, rugged and rough – to learn our ways of life and problems, and more importantly to offer us a helping hand and a warm beacon of hope. A shining example of the royal initiatives originating from his trips is the artificial rainmaking project. Shortly after his visit to drought- and poverty-plagued areas in the Northeast, King Bhumibol sacrificed his time, money and energy to study rainmaking techniques. The result of his perseverance and perspiration paved the way for the widely acclaimed Royal Rainmaking Operation. Not long after the king’s successful study, the “Royal Rain” began to pour down like the elixir of life onto parched soil of the Isan plateaux and into the hearts of drought-hit Thai farmers, painting on their faces broad cheerful smiles.
In times of crises His Majesty, like the nation’s guiding star, always leads the ship of desperate Thais through the dark stormy seas of political and economic chaos. During the 1992 Black May crisis, for instance, the quelling of popular uprising put national stability in jeopardy and the public in fear, warranting immediate royal intervention. King Bhumibol’s heroic effort as well as his crucial, timely role in mediating between the conflicting parties saved the nation from plunging into a bottomless abyss of violence and anarchy, and eventually resuscitated the public order and national unity. Also worth mentioning is the king’s lodestar principle of sufficiency economy in the economic downturn of 1997, when Thailand saw an unprecedented number of debt-laden businesses and unemployed workers. Undoubtedly his philosophy, which aims for resilient, balanced and sustainable growth, is embraced as the guideline for living as well as for the country’s economic and social development by the grateful Thais from treetops to grassroots.
So much is owed by Thai people to King Bhumibol that our love and loyalty we show to the monarch today comes as no surprise. It is also little wonder that the sight of the beloved king waving at the well-wishers from the balcony of the throne hall draws both cheers of praise and tears of joy. At the very moment, the Royal Plaza and all Thai hearts resound with the loud chants of allegiance in every language, dialect and accent one can hear in Thailand. Different as these utterances may sound, one and only one meaning is conveyed – that is, “Long live our devoted King!”