King Bhumibol’s death "will favor the hegemony of the military junta"

AsiaNews sources speak of the delicate phase of transition that awaits Thailand. The one-year national mourning "will serve to further postpone democratic elections." Crown Prince "is not loved but will rise to the throne at the behest of the military." These have promoted the cult of the person of the monarch "to anethestitize people to their responsibilities and their rights."


Bangkok (AsiaNews) - The death of King Bhumibol Adulyadej "came at an opportune time for the military, that now has absolute power in their hands, and will come out strengthened by this transition”, says an AsiaNews source in Thailand following the death of the longest reigning monarch in the world.

Since yesterday the nation is in mourning. Millions of citizens dressed in black mourn the monarch. Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said that for a month the flags will be at half-mast and the official mourning will last one year. The government has called on all citizens to avoid "joyous events" at this time. Tonight the King Bhumibol’s remains will be conducted to the Emerald Temple in Bangkok, where they will be washed according to traditional Buddhist ritual. Every religion has been asked to pray for the monarch according to their faith.

The thai, says another source, are going through this moment of sadness "because the king has governed well, with compassion for his people. For some years the people were already living with only a memory of Bhumibol, who could no longer appear in public because he was very sick. Citizens were prepared for this death”.

With the death of the king, considered by many to be the nation's point of union, a very delicate phase begins for Thailand, which will have a crucial moment in the succession to the throne. "The new king - explains an entrepreneur - will be his son [Vajiralongkorn, 63] because the military has decided so and it seems that they can ensure a peaceful transition, without outbreaks of violence".

The military junta (in power since the coup of 2014) State will not fail to take advantage of the death of the king to consolidate its power: "The national mourning that will last a year - explains the entrepreneur - will serve to again postpone the democratic elections scheduled for 2017. All this has been calculated for some time ".

In recent years the junta has encouraged the cult of the person of the king, to defend which there are some of the toughest treason laws in the world: "This devotion has a veneer of positivity, because the figure of the monarch held the nation united and has allowed it to make some progress. On the other hand, however, this did not help the education of the people to democracy. From infancy children are taught to revere the king, the royal family and those in power”.

The forced indoctrination, concludes the entrepreneur, "was orchestrated by the military. They have invested heavily in propaganda to the point that the people think that without the king, Thailand can not exist. This is a big lie. The junta claimed Bhumibol so that the people were not educated to their responsibilities and their rights. "