Thai King Bhumibol is Dead

[Monoriu]

The greatest risk of visiting Thailand now is that King Bhumibol may die any moment.  I won't be surprised if Thailand comes to a standstill when that happens.  There are also serious political implications as his successor, hmm, shall we say, may need time to build up his popularity to match his father's 

Thais Are Praying for the Recovery of Ailing King Bhumibol Adulyadej
Feliz Solomon / Bangkok @felizysolo  Oct. 11, 2016     

On Sunday the palace announced King Bhumibol Adulyadej was in an "unstable condition" following treatment for kidney failure

Thais Are Praying for the Recovery of Ailing King Bhumibol Adulyadej
Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej remains in an "unstable" condition in Bangkok's Siriraj Hospital, the palace announced Wednesday, with a team of doctors closely monitoring his treatment.

Wat Yunnawa in the central Sathon district of the Thai capital is recognizable by its ship-like stupa, and is widely believed to be supported by the Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn. But the monks and citizens dotted around the compound were offering good wishes for the prince's father, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who lies in hospital after his already ailing health recently took a turn for the worse.

"I am really sad," says Phra Poonchoke Chaungchum, one of the monks at the temple. "I would like to give him moral support and I hope that he recovers soon."

The palace announced on Sunday that the world's longest reigning monarch, who has been in hospital for most of the year, was in an "unstable condition" after receiving hemodialysis treatment, used to treat kidney failure. The treatment was meant to purify his blood, but it had made his blood pressure drop. There was no update from the palace on Tuesday regarding his condition, but doctors on Sunday said he was being closely monitored.

Read More: King of Thailand in Unstable Condition

"I am very concerned, I feel uneasy about this news," says Sumana, 68, one of the women kneeling at the temple, who bore a satchel bearing the Thai flag. "Every time I have the chance I pray for the King."

On Monday, the army publicly announced on TV that it would arrange special ceremonies to be held at temples nationwide on the second Monday of every month until December, so citizens can pray for the King and royal family.

"As Thai people, we are very worried. I just hope the medical team can give the King the best treatment," says Nippon Hareanput, 41 a motorbike taxi driver in Bangkok.

Bhumibol, 88, who has ruled Thailand for more than 70 years, is seen as a unifying force in the country and deeply beloved by this subjects. But his ailing health comes at a time of political upheaval in the kingdom. A controversial referendum in August effectively cemented the power of the military junta that seized power in a coup in 2014.

As the King's health has declined in recent years, the subject of succession has become increasingly sensitive. His only living son, Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn, is poised to assume the throne, but the country's broadly applied lèse majesté law (which prevents anyone from defaming or insulting members of the royal family) means that discussion of the monarch's health and the line of succession is heavily curtailed.

Bhumibol is being treated on the 16th floor of Bangkok's Siriraj Hospital. Below in the courtyard stands a statue of his late father, Mahidol Adulyadej, who helped to set up the public health system in Thailand, and was a patron of the medical facility. A handful of people kneel in front of the statue, some are wearing pink shirts, which means they are explicitly praying for the health and wealth of the King.

"This morning I woke up at 4:30 a.m. I prayed, took a shower and meditated for the King," says a visibly emotional Pipat Inthasara, 43, who sells second-hand items at a flea market. "I rode my bicycle here and it took more than an hour. But I wanted to come to pay respect for the King. I can't explain it in words, I'm speechless."

[Caliga]

lol, Poonchoke

[CountDeMoney]

lol, Poonchoke

[Admiral Yi]

lol, Bump Hole

[Josquius]

Apparently the crown prince is a bit of a knob.
I've a Thai friend who used to work at Thai Airways, a company with constant financial troubles.  One of its key financial troubles being that the crown prince really wanted to be a pilot. But this being thailand and the sun shining out of the monarchys arse they couldn't let him be a normal working pilot, oh no, instead they had to regularly schedule flights with no passengers just so the prince could have his fun.
Needless to say half the air hostesses in the company's employ are also said to have enjoyed his.... ahem.  Company.
It's good to be the crown prince.

[Monoriu]

Apparently the crown prince is a bit of a knob.
I've a Thai friend who used to work at Thai Airways, a company with constant financial troubles.  One of its key financial troubles being that the crown prince really wanted to be a pilot. But this being thailand and the sun shining out of the monarchys arse they couldn't let him be a normal working pilot, oh no, instead they had to regularly schedule flights with no passengers just so the prince could have his fun.
Needless to say half the air hostesses in the company's employ are also said to have enjoyed his.... ahem.  Company.
It's good to be the crown prince.

I heard that the Crown Prince is a...responsible pet owner 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/feb/05/thai-crown-prince-pet-poodle-air-chief-marshal-foo-foo-cremated

Thai crown prince's poodle, Air Chief Marshal Foo Foo, has been cremated

Air Chief Marshal Foo Foo, the pet poodle of Thailand's crown prince, has been cremated after four days of Buddhist funeral rites, prompting a surge of coded social media comments in the troubled kingdom, where it is illegal to openly discuss the looming royal succession.

Thailand has been engulfed by chronic political turmoil since 2005, due partly to an unacknowledged conflict among the elite over who will become monarch when the ailing 87-year-old King Bhumibol Adulyadej dies.

Although Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn is the official heir, he is unpopular and has been embroiled in several scandals. Many Thais would prefer his younger sister, Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, to inherit the throne, but palace law does not allow a female monarch.

Unable to openly discuss their doubts about the crown prince and anxiety over the future of the monarchy, Thais express their views about the royal family more subtly. Photographs of Foo Foo's funeral rites were widely shared on social media as news spread that the 17-year-old poodle had died, and hundreds of Thais responded to the death by making ironic online comments and oblique hints about the succession.

A secret succession struggle that had simmered for decades exploded into the open in 2007 when opponents of the crown prince leaked a video showing the 30th birthday party of his third wife, Princess Srirasm, in 2001. The footage, which caused a sensation in Thailand, showed the princess virtually naked in the presence of several courtiers, and lying on the floor to eat cake beside Foo Foo.

A few months after the video was leaked, US ambassador Ralph "Skip" Boyce hosted a gala dinner at which the crown prince was the guest of honour. Seated beside Srirasm, Boyce began discussing the subject of royal pets, inadvertently exposing the rivalry surrounding the succession.

Air Chief Marshal Foo Foo, with Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn and Royal Consort Princess Srirasmi
"I mentioned having heard Princess Sirindhorn had a large dog, and I asked Srirasm if she knew the breed. Srirasm appeared immediately to freeze up; her body language changed, and she said curtly that she knew nothing of Sirindhorn's affairs," Boyce wrote in a confidential cable obtained by WikiLeaks.

He added: "Her reaction was interesting, given a widespread, longstanding perception that Sirindhorn may somehow edge out the crown prince as successor to the King."

Boyce also reported that Foo Foo had been awarded a senior rank in the Royal Thai Air Force: "Srirasm ... confirmed that the crown prince's miniature poodle, Foo Foo, currently holds the rank of Air Chief Marshal. Foo Foo was present at the event, dressed in formal evening attire complete with paw mitts, and at one point during the band's second number, he jumped up onto the head table and began lapping from the guests' water glasses, including my own. The Air Chief Marshal's antics drew the full attention of the 600-plus audience members, and remains the talk of the town to this day."

Frank discussion of the royal succession and palace scandals is illegal in Thailand, where a draconian lèse majesté law punishes any perceived criticism of the monarchy with three to 15 years in jail. The law has been increasingly harshly enforced in recent years as the succession draws closer, and scores of people have been arrested since the military seized power in a coup last May.

In the latest scandal involving the crown prince, Srirasm was stripped of her royal titles and banished from Vajiralongkorn's palace in December, and several of her relatives were arrested and accused of racketeering and corruption. The prince is expected to marry for a fourth time, taking a former Thai Airways flight attendant as his next wife.

[celedhring]

"Air Chief Marshal Foo Foo", that's quite the dog name. 

[Liep]

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/oct/13/thai-king-bhumibol-adulyadej-dies-after-70-year-reign

[Monoriu]

RIP

[Liep]

So apparently all public employees must wear black for a year.

[Josquius]

Smooth so far. Was curious whether sister supporters might lick something up. There's still time....
Hope this leads to Thailand becoming a normal monarchy (and not going way too far past that into republicanism)

[Hamilcar]

He was a tyrant holding his people in bondage. Fuck him.

[Hamilcar]

The future king promoted his dog to the rank of air marshal: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fufu_(dog)
He's a real-life Caligula!

[Martinus]

Sic semper tyrannis.

[Crazy_Ivan80]

his situation has returned to stable I gather?