On Sunday, the PAD held a rally on Sanam Luang in Bangkok, showing loyalty to nation and monarchy. This event was attended by about 35,000 people, mostly dressed in colors with royal affiliation. The main tone of the rally was rousing patriotism. National flags dominated the visual scene. Retired General Preecha Iamsuphan gave a fanatical speech calling for a war against Cambodia. Both Thaksin and Hun Sen were attacked on the stage. The crowd was asked, for the foreign media, to recite in English: “We Love The King! We Love Thailand!” Often the foreign media was mentioned on the stage. The event would be seen all over the world.

When Sonthi Limthongkul came on the stage, he talked mostly about protecting the monarchy and how, if the PAD would not have fought for the monarchy last year, nothing might have been left over. In the middle of his speech suddenly a loud blast occurred, maybe 150 meters behind the stage. I saw a small column of smoke rising just opposite from Wat Pra Keow, and rushed to the scene. A few lightly injured people were there, and soon rescue workers arrived. One of the injured was a small boy, about 10 years old, with a puncture wound from shrapnel in his upper leg. Another was a PAD guard. I saw two more injured. Altogether 15 injured were reported. A small melee happened when enraged PAD protesters attacked a young man who was arrested, but was most likely not involved.

The rally closed about 10.30 in the evening, when the Royal anthem was sung while protesters held candles.

[Click on the images for larger versions. Hover on images for captions.]

Saturday Red

Sunday Yellow

The Editor
The Times

Dear Sir, I must protest in the strongest possible terms about your newspaper’s interview with convicted criminal Thaksin Shinawatra. The report written by your Asia Correspondent Richard Lloyd Parry breaches one of my country’s most sacred taboos. Mr Lloyd Parry writes that Thaksin spoke favourably about Thailand’s Crown Prince.  This is unacceptable. Everyone knows that it is culturally inappropriate, and extremely insensitive, to discuss the Crown Prince in favourable terms. Anyone with the most superficial knowledge of Thai culture will know that the Crown Prince is only ever referred to negatively. There are only certain topics on which polite discussion about him is considered appropriate: his dubious educational record; his flamboyant private life; his health; his regular travels to Europe; and his wife’s minimalist dress sense. A “shining” royal future for the Crown Prince following the death of the King, to quote Thaksin’s offensive phrase, is something that few Thais would want to contemplate.

As an Englishman, I am sure you can understand how Crown Princes should be treated by the media. Mr Lloyd Parry’s report is the first international report that I can remember that has referred favourably to Thailand’s Crown Prince. I certainly hope that it is the last!

Yours Sincerely

Nuat Namman
Under-Secretary for International Media Monitoring

Thaksin’s interview is a violation of the monarchy, which is the country’s core pillar and a highly respected institution. It is unacceptable and should have never taken place…Thaksin has also chosen to make a move when the entire nation is joining in wishing His Majesty the King a full recovery and good health. I wonder if he has a hidden agenda or is plotting an inappropriate move.

- Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya quoted in “Govt blasts Thaksin’s interview”, Bangkok Post, 10 November 2009.

He’s not the King yet. He may not be shining [now]…But after he becomes the King I’m confident he can be shining … it’s not his time yet. But when the time comes I think he will be able to perform.

- Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra quoted in Richard Lloyd Parry, “Ousted Thai leader Thaksin Shinawatra calls for ‘shining’ new age after King’s death”, 9 November 2009.

Vajiralongkorn is a graduate from Australia’s Royal Military College in Canberra and has trained with the U.S., British and Australian armed services…His Western lifestyle is not discussed openly, thanks again to lese majeste. But people have privately asked whether he has the natural authority to unify the nation, especially given his partisanship towards the military. Meanwhile, the king remains convalescing in a heavily guarded Bangkok hospital as the unsaid succession to the throne gets thought about daily.

- Extracted from “Police on guard against anti-king comments”, UPI, 4 November 2009. 

It is hardly surprising — given the inevitable international curiosity about Thailand’s succession – that descriptions of this type will continue to appear in newspapers around the world.  Such descriptions tend not to be explicitly critical of the royal family, or Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn, but they are, I’d suggest, one part of increasingly broad-minded efforts to understand the future of Thai society.  These efforts are now coming thick-and-fast; on some days they are starting to dominate discussion of the potential changes that will come with the end of King Bhumibol’s long reign.

Some months ago I put together a tentative list of Fifty-two questions for the study of mainland Southeast Asia.  Today I want to draw attention to question 41, “Is Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn really as bad as people make out?”.  Well-informed answers to this question will, I’m sure, help journalists, analysts, academics and others to better understand Thailand’s longer-term prospects.  Such answers may also help Thais who are interested in the succession to improve their own understanding of the palace, and its key personalities.  We haven’t seen the end of newspaper articles that seek to describe (usually in very cautious terms) the potential for an even deeper political crisis.  So it makes sense, I reckon, to attempt an answer to one of the questions that is lurking in the background of these commentaries.

Comments and suggestions from readers are very welcome here.  You may even want to chance your arm…and offer an answer to the question.

The following pictures give some sense of the official record of the Crown Prince’s years in Australia.

Title: Thailand – Crown Prince of Thailand at Duntroon Series number: A6180 Control symbol: 14/6/72/4 Contents date range: 1972 – 1972 Access status: Open Location: Canberra

Title: Thailand – Crown Prince of Thailand celebrates 21st birthday in Canberra [photographic image] / photographer, John Crowther. 1 photographic negative: b&w, acetate Series number: A1501 Control symbol:
A15148 Contents date range: 1973 – 1973 Access status: Open Location: Canberra

Title: International relations – The Thai Crown Prince of Thailand training with Australian army, Western Australia Series number: A6180 Control symbol: 14/4/76/6 Contents date range: 1976 – 1976 Access status: Open Location: Canberra

For a country with a semi-democracy, semi-feudal political system, the end of the present reign puts everything in uncertainty…As democratic institutions are undermined and all political powers are dependent on the monarchy, the future of the whole country sadly hinges on this transition.

- Professor Thongchai Winichakul quoted in Grant Peck, “Thai king’s illness leaves countrymen anxious”, The Associated Press, 19 October 2009.