Bangkok (Lonely Planet) - Andrew Burke [8]
After finishing their studies and returning to Bangkok, three of the ‘Promoters’, lawyer Pridi Banomyong and military officers Phibul Songkhram and Prayoon Phamonmontri, organised an underground ‘People’s Party’ dedicated to the overthrow of the Siamese system of government. The People’s Party found a willing accomplice in Rama VII (King Prajadhipok; r 1925–35), and a bloodless revolution in 1932 transformed Thailand from an absolute monarchy into a constitutional one. Bangkok thus found itself the nerve centre of a vast new civil service, which, coupled with its growing success as a world port, transformed the city into a Mecca for Thais seeking economic opportunities.
WWII & the Struggle for Democracy
Phibul Songkhram, appointed prime minister by the People’s Party in December 1938, changed the country’s name from Siam to Thailand and introduced the Western solar calendar. When the Japanese invaded Southeast Asia in 1941, outflanking Allied troops in Malaya and Burma, Phibul allowed Japanese regiments access to the Gulf of Thailand. Japanese troops bombed and briefly occupied parts of Bangkok on their way to the Thai–Burmese border to fight the British in Burma and, as a result of public insecurity, the Thai economy stagnated.
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THE KING
If you see a yellow Rolls Royce flashing by along city avenues, accompanied by a police escort, you’ve just caught a glimpse of Thailand’s longest-reigning monarch – and the longest-reigning living monarch in the world – King Bhumibol Adulyadej. Also known in English as Rama IX (the ninth king of the Chakri dynasty), Bhumibol Adulyadej was born in the USA in 1927, while his father Prince Mahidol was studying medicine at Harvard University.
Fluent in English, French, German and Thai, Bhumibol ascended the throne in 1946 following the death of his brother Rama VIII (King Ananda Mahidol; r 1935–46), who reigned for just over 11 years before dying under mysterious circumstances.
An ardent jazz composer and saxophonist when he was younger, Rama IX has hosted jam sessions with the likes of jazz greats Woody Herman and Benny Goodman. His compositions are often played on Thai radio.
The king administers royal duties from Chitralada Palace in the city’s Dusit precinct, north of Ko Ratanakosin. As protector of both nation and religion, he traditionally presides over several important Buddhist and Brahmanist ceremonies during the year.
Rama IX and Queen Sirikit have four children: Princess Ubol Ratana (born 1951), Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn (1952), Princess Mahachakri Sirindhorn (1955) and Princess Chulabhorn (1957).
After more than 60 years in power, and having recently reached his 82nd birthday, Rama IX is preparing for his succession. For the last few years the Crown Prince has performed most of the royal ceremonies the king would normally perform, such as presiding over the Royal Ploughing Ceremony, changing the attire on the Emerald Buddha and handing out academic degrees at university commencements.
Along with nation and religion, the monarchy is very highly regarded in Thai society – negative comment about the king or any member of the royal family is a social as well as legal taboo.
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Phibul resigned in 1944 under pressure from the Thai underground resistance, and after V-J (victory over Japan) Day in 1945 was exiled to Japan. Bangkok resumed its pace towards modernisation, even after Phibul returned to Thailand in 1948 and took over the leadership again via a military coup. Over the next 15 years, bridges were built over Mae Nam Chao Phraya, canals were filled in to provide space for new roads, and multistorey buildings began crowding out traditional teak structures.
Another coup installed Field Marshal Sarit Thanarat in 1957, and Phibul Songkhram once again found himself exiled to Japan, where he died in 1964. From 1964 to 1973 – the peak years of the second Indochina War – Thai army officers Thanom Kittikachorn and Praphat Charusathien ruled Thailand