Violence eases ahead of king’s speech
Print Edition
As violence between anti-government protesters and police died down in Bangkok yesterday, people of all political persuasions waited to hear if their king would offer advice in his annual birthday speech to help resolve a crisis that has left the nation deeply divided.
King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who turns 86 today, has often served as a unifying figure in times of crisis.
Many people are hopeful the king can step in — as he has done decisively before — to ease the current standoff, which results from years of enmity between supporters and opponents of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Thaksin was deposed by a 2006 military coup after being accused of corruption and disrespect for the king.
As a constitutional monarch, the king has no official political role, but no other figure commands the same moral authority or the same loyalty from the armed forces in the coup-prone country. On two occasions when the country seemed to be coming apart, his intervention turned the tide, restoring peace literally overnight.
When a pro-democracy uprising against a military dictatorship in 1973 left Bangkok in a state of anarchy, with the army ready to unleash a bloodbath, he showed support for the demonstrators and persuaded the dictators to go into exile.
A similar disaster was avoided in 1992 during another mass protest against a military-backed government.
Sukanya Chaisilapin, 27, an employee for a courier company, said she thought his speech will be a way out. “Previously his majesty has given speeches about reconciliation and unity, and it could help with this kind of situation,” she said.
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