The Present King

As we know, the King of Thailand is a respected figure in Thailand and globally. The present Thai Monarch, His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S.A., on Monday the 5th of December 1927. After a period of primary schooling in Bangkok, he went with his Family to Switzerland where he received his secondary as well as university education. His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej acceded to the Throne as Rama the IX of Thailand on the 9th of June 1946, when he was only 18 years of age! He married at the age of 18. Thailand had only became a Constitutional Monarchy since 1932 and His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej is the first real reigning Monarch under the new system because the previous king, his brother died at the age of 20. He caters to the full to all the Buddhist traditions of Thailand including giving up his regal duties and becoming a Buddhist monk for a while in order to meditate and make merits.

How The King Gained Respect

The King have been to all 72 provinces to know the local conditions and problems of the people. After consulting officials concerned, the King would use the best ways to help them. The King always puts in his best for the people's health, welfare and education. He has helped to set up and supervise numerous Foundations and action groups in such fields as Public Health ,Education and Disaster Relief. His Majesty's ingenuity and intellectual leadership in analysing the problems of land reclamation and the usage of arable land to its fullest content led to instigation of land development projects with infrastructures necessary for agriculture such as the construction of weirs and dams for watershed development and flood control. The King also initiated projects have provided farming families with permanent and sufficient land to work and to live on, thus eliminating shifting cultivation and illegal settlements. His Majesty's also initiated the devising of the Artificial Rain-making Project to provide water to arid areas in order to sustain crops beset by drought. Apart from tending to the material needs of education, His Majesty has managed to strike a remarkably close relationship with the country's youthful citizens and particularly with students of all levels. The relationship between King and people is thus firmly built upon the bases of mutual trust, interest and affection. One of the political successes of Thailand is of course, the present King and his contributions.