Bangkok (AsiaNews) – All of Thailand is celebrating Bhumibol Adulyadej’s 79th birthday today. Thai Catholics are doing no less. The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Thailand has in fact announced that 2007 will be dedicated to the much beloved monarch. In every Sunday mass till December of next year the intercession will be dedicated to him. But that is not all.

Every catholic school will be invited to organise exhibits and shows documenting one or more of the 3,000 projects the king promoted in order to foster the development of remote areas. One of the most important of such projects is satellite education that gives everyone access to education.

As tradition requires it the king, who is the world’s longest reigning monarch, addressed the government and the representatives of various organisations in a speech that was televised.

Speaking directly to the new prime minister appointed after the September military coup,

King Bhumibol said that “Surayud Chulanont is a man with heart and soul who works in the people’s interest. I would like to encourage him and wish him great success.”