Thailand’s tears

THE emblems of the Chakri dynasty, Thailand’s royal family, are the discus of Vishnu and the trident of Shiva. That is because the king is supposed to wield the authority of both gods. Bhumibol Adulyadej, who died on October 13th at the age of 88, did indeed enjoy near-divine status. His subjects had a tendency to prostrate themselves before him. Every film screening in the country begins with the playing of his personal anthem (not the national one). To mock even his dog was to invite prosecution for lèse-majesté, which carries a prison sentence of three to 15 years for each individual slight.When King Bhumibol was born, in 1927, Thai kings still wielded unfettered authority. Although a revolution in 1932 made the country a constitutional monarchy, a series of subsequent governments, many of them installed by military coups, inculcated reverence for the king as a means of bolstering their own legitimacy. Bhumibol’s sheer longevity further raised his standing. His 70-year reign saw Thailand’s population explode from 17m to 68m and its economy grow 40-fold. He lived through 26 prime ministers, 19 constitutions and 15 coup attempts, nine successful. Despite his lack of constitutional clout, he could ensure a government’s collapse with a subtle indication of displeasure (as in 1992, when a military regime crumbled after he offered veiled criticism of its bloody repression of student protests), or shore one up with a perceived sign of support (as in 2006, when putschists appointed one of his privy councillors prime minister, to replace the democratically elected Thaksin Shinawatra). The king’s death, therefore, leaves a huge vacuum at the centre of Thai politics (see ).