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  Divided Thais mourn loss of unity

Divided Thais mourn loss of unity

AFP | SALLY MAIRS AND APILAPORN VECHAKIJ
Published : Oct 14, 2016, 6:16 am IST
Updated : Oct 14, 2016, 6:16 am IST

Thailand’s King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the world’s longest-reigning monarch, has died at the age of 88, the palace announced Thursday, leaving a divided nation bereft of a rare figure of unity.

People cry after Royal Palace announced the death of Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej in Bangkok. (Photo: AP)
 People cry after Royal Palace announced the death of Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej in Bangkok. (Photo: AP)

Thailand’s King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the world’s longest-reigning monarch, has died at the age of 88, the palace announced Thursday, leaving a divided nation bereft of a rare figure of unity.

Bhumibol’s death ends a remarkable seven-decade reign and plunges Thailand into a deeply uncertain future.

Most Thais have known no other monarch and he has been portrayed as a guiding light through decades of political turmoil, coups and violent unrest.

In a statement the palace said the monarch passed away at 3.52 pm.

“Although the team of doctors treated him to the best of their ability, his condition deteriorated,” the Royal Household Bureau said.

As the news filtered out, large crowds erupted in mourning outside the hospital where Bhumibol spent most of the last two years, many of them wailing and sobbing.

“How will Thailand live without you father ” cried one distressed young man as others chanted “Long Live the King!”

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha, the former army chief who leads Thailand’s ruling junta, described the king’s passing as “the most devastating moment for Thais” since the death of his predecessor and older brother Ananda in 1946.

He moved quickly to declare that the king’s 64-year-old son, Crown Prince Maha Vajiralon-gkorn, is the named successor. The Crown Prince is much less well known to Thais and has yet to attain his father’s widespread popularity. He spends much of his time overseas, especially in Germany, and is a keen pilot who flies his own Boeing 737.

In a televised address to the nation, Prayut said Thailand would hold a one-year mourning period and that all entertainment functions must be “toned down” for a month. Thai television stations switched to a special announcement that began with black and white photographs of the king, before a formally dressed presenter read out the palace statement.

Bhumibol’s death is a major test for the country’s generals, who seized power in 2014 vowing to restore stability after a decade of political chaos, a turbulent period exacerbated by the king’s declining health as jostling elites competed for power.

The military has deep links with the palace and many inside the kingdom saw the putsch as a move to ensure generals could stamp down on any instability during a succession.

It is difficult to overestimate Bhumibol’s importance to most of his subjects. Backed by an intense palace-driven personality cult, he is revered as a demigod by many, seen as rising above the kingdom’s notoriously fractious political scene.

It is not unusual to see Thais moved to tears when they talk of a future without him.

Officially known as King Rama IX, he descended from the Chakri dynasty which came to power in Thailand in the late eighteenth century. His subjects have had many years to get used to the prospect of no longer having Bhumibol — their king has not been seen in public for months and has suffered prolonged ill health.

Location: Thailand, Bangkok