The Thais have a tremendous respect for the King, as well as his consort, Queen Sirikit. King Bhumibol (know to the Thais as rachagan tee gau "the ninth reign" ) is the longest serving monarchy in the world, having ascended the throne in 1946. Although in his portraits he looks stiff and a trifle severe - because of an eye injury sustained when he was a teenager - this outward appearance belies his true nature.
Governments come and go, military coups seem to have occurred with monotonous regularity during his reign, the King survives unscathed and regarded as a stabilizing force in a region not noted for stability. He has also been a unifying force. Past governments have tended to regard ethnic minorities, such as the hill tribes of the north, as a nuisance and have made effort to assimilate them even when they resist the idea. The King, by contrast, has gone out of his way to assist these ethnic minorities and other impoverished groups by setting up countless agricultural projects, some of which are designed to wean them away from opium cultivation.
King Bhumibol is above politics, and can only intervene when the nation's survival is as stake. "We could be crushed by both sides, but we are impartial," he explains. However, there have been times when he saw fit to intervene - in the riots defused some very ugly situations.
Although now in his late seventies he remains amazingly active, and in eyes of many Thais he has status similar to that of the god-kings of the past. It is difficult to find any critical voice raised against him. Even the staunchest republicans - and there are not many of those in Thailand - admit that he does his job well.
Had he not become King, he might well have become a jazz musical: he is an excellent saxophone player and composes music, his most popular piece being Falling Rain (Say fon.) He also writes scholarly articles, poetry, and prose.
The Queen is similarly revered. You find no gossip in the Thai media on a par with the British newspapers treatment of the British royals. any scurrilous reports about the king and other members of the royal family.