In 1957, a military coup overthrew the government of Field Marshal
Plaek Phibunsongkhram with allegations of
lèse-majesté, corruption and manipulation of the election held earlier that year. leading some to perceive that the king condones the
Thammasat University massacre in defense of his throne, and support a series of military dictatorships. but the
lèse majesté laws have not been revoked by the Thai parliament yet.
Plaek Phibunsongkhram era attending the Red Cross Fair in Bangkok on 9 November 1956 In the early years of his reign, during the government of military dictator
Plaek Phibunsongkhram, Bhumibol had no real political power and was little more than a ceremonial figure under the military-dominated government. In August 1957, six months after parliamentary elections, General
Sarit Thanarat accused the government of Field Marshal Phibunsongkhram of
lèse-majesté due to its conduct of the 2,500th anniversary celebration of
Buddhism. Bhumibol advised the field marshal to resign to avoid a coup. Phibunsongkhram refused. That evening, Sarit Thanarat seized power. Two hours later Bhumibol imposed martial law throughout the kingdom. Bhumibol issued a proclamation appointing Sarit as "military defender of the capital" without anyone countersigning the proclamation. It included the following: Whereas it appears that the public administration by the government under the premiership of Field Marshal P. Phibunsongkhram is untrustworthy, and that the government could not maintain the public order; and whereas the military, led by Field Marshal Sarit Thanarat, has successfully taken over the public administration and now acts as the Military Defender of the Capital; now, therefore, I do hereby appoint Field Marshal Sarit Thanarat as the Military Defender of the Capital, and command that all the citizens shall remain calm whilst all the government officers shall serve the orders issued by Field Marshal Sarit Thanarat. This Proclamation shall come into force immediately. Done this 16th Day of September, Buddhist Era 2500 (1957).
Sarit Thanarat era , 29 June 1960 dress in 1960 and is decorated with the
Honourable Order of Rama and
Legion of Merit ,
Queen Sirikit, King Bhumibol, and Khan's wife Amina Shamsie at a banquet in PAF Officer's Mess,
Peshawar, 1962. in 1969 During Sarit's dictatorship, the monarchy was revitalised. Bhumibol attended public ceremonies, toured the provinces and patronised development projects, he also visited the United States in June 1960, addressing Congress, and many countries in Europe, including a visit to Rome, hosted by PM
Giovanni Gronchi, in September 1960. Under Sarit, the practice of crawling in front of royalty during audiences, banned by King
Chulalongkorn, was revived in certain situations and the royal-sponsored
Thammayut Nikaya order was revitalised. For the first time since the absolute monarchy was overthrown, a king was conveyed up the
Chao Phraya River in a
Royal Barge Procession to offer robes at temples. Other disused ceremonies from the classical period of the
Chakri Dynasty, such as the royally patronised ploughing ceremony (Thai: พิธีพืชมงคล), were also revived. Bhumibol's birthday (5 December) was declared the
national day, replacing the previous national day, the anniversary of the
Siamese revolution of 1932 (24 June). Upon Sarit's death on 8 December 1963, an unprecedented 21 days of mourning were declared in the palace. A royal five-tier umbrella shaded his body while it lay in state. Long-time royal adviser Phraya Srivisaravacha later noted that no Prime Minister ever had such an intimate relationship with Bhumibol as Sarit. Bhumibol biographer Paul Handley, in
The King Never Smiles, writes that the dictator Sarit was Bhumibol's tool. Political scientist Thak Chaloemtiarana writes that Sarit used Bhumibol in order to build his own credibility.
Thammasat University massacre Following Sarit's death General
Thanom Kittikachorn rose to power to lead Thailand's military dictatorship, ultimately challenged by the
1973 Thai popular uprising. Bhumibol initially asked student protestors to disband. When police attacked and killed dozens of students, sparking protest riots, Bhumibol announced general Thanom's resignation and departure from Thailand. According to William Stevenson, the king had asked the three tyrants to avoid bloodshed; although the three tyrants had agreed, they later changed their minds. Eventually, it led to the incidents of October 1973. Bhumibol distanced himself from the Thai military after Thanom's fall. Political events in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos brought powerful guerrilla and communist movements into power or prominence, which threatened the Thai monarchy and political establishment. Fearing unrest, Bhumibol began to court the military in 1975, visiting camps throughout the country, and publicly warning of internal and external threats. The event that catalyzed the coup was the
Thammasat University massacre, carried out in the name of defending Bhumibol's throne. Bhumibol chose Thanin as the most suitable premier, leading student protesters to flee to join the communists in the jungle. Thanin was overthrown in a military coup in October 1977 led by General
Kriangsak Chamanan.
Prem Tinsulanonda era Kriangsak was succeeded in 1980 by the popular Army Commander-in-Chief, General
Prem Tinsulanonda, who later became the
Privy Council President. Bhumibol's refusal to endorse
military coups in April 1981 and
September 1985 ultimately led to the victory of forces loyal to the government, despite some violence – including, in 1981, the seizure of Bangkok by rebel forces. The coups led many to believe that Bhumibol had misjudged Thai society and that his credibility as an impartial mediator between various political and military factions had been compromised. In 1989, Bhumibol became the world's longest-reigning living monarch following the deaths of Emperor
Hirohito of Japan and
Franz Joseph II, Prince of Liechtenstein.
1992 crisis (left) and
Suchinda Kraprayoon (middle) submit to the King (seated) In 1992, Bhumibol played a key role in Thailand's transition to a democratic system. The
1991 Thai coup d'état on 23 February returned Thailand to
military dictatorship. After a
general election in 1992, the majority parties invited General
Suchinda Kraprayoon, a leader of the coup group, to be prime minister. This caused much dissent, which escalated into demonstrations called
Black May that led to a large number of deaths when the military was brought in to control protesters. The situation became increasingly critical as police and military forces clashed with protesters. Violence and riots spread to many areas of the capital with rumours of a rift among the armed forces. Amidst the fear of civil war, Bhumibol intervened. He summoned Suchinda and the leader of the pro-democracy movement, retired Major General
Chamlong Srimuang, to a televised audience, and urged them to find a peaceful resolution. At the height of the crisis, the sight of both men appearing together on their knees (in accordance with royal protocol) made a strong impression on the nation. Bhumibol then signed Suchinda's
amnesty decree that applied to both sides of the conflict, with the reason to protect security and unity of the country. Suchinda resigned soon afterwards. It was one of the few occasions in which Bhumibol directly and publicly intervened in a political conflict. A
general election was held shortly afterward, leading to a civilian government.
2005–2006 crisis Weeks before the
April 2006 legislative election, the
Democrat Party-led opposition and the
People's Alliance for Democracy petitioned Bhumibol to appoint a replacement prime minister and cabinet. Demands for royal intervention were met with much criticism from the public. Bhumibol, in a speech on 26 April 2006, responded, "Asking for a Royally-appointed prime minister is undemocratic. It is, pardon me, a mess. It is irrational". After publicly claiming victory in the boycotted
April parliamentary elections,
Thaksin Shinawatra had a private audience with the king. A few hours later, Thaksin appeared on national television to announce that he would be taking a break from politics. Due to the election result, Bhumibol took the unprecedented step of calling the elections undemocratic. In May 2006, the
Sondhi Limthongkul-owned
Manager Daily newspaper published a series of articles describing the "
Finland Plot", alleging that Thaksin and former members of the
Communist Party of Thailand planned to overthrow the king and seize control of the nation. No evidence was ever produced to verify the existence of such a plot, and Thaksin and his
Thai Rak Thai party vehemently denied the accusations and sued the accusers. In a rare, televised speech to senior judges, Bhumibol requested the judiciary to take action to resolve the political crisis. The Criminal Court later jailed the Election Commissioners. On 14 July,
Privy Council President Prem Tinsulanonda addressed graduating cadets of the
Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy, telling them that the Thai military must serve the nation and the king—not the government. On 20 July, Bhumibol signed a royal decree calling new
House elections for 15 October 2006. In an unprecedented act, the King wrote a note on the royal decree calling for a clean and fair election. Bhumibol also underwent spinal surgery that day.
60th anniversary celebrations A series of celebrations marking the
60th anniversary of Bhumibol's accession were held in June 2006. Events included a
royal barge procession on the Chao Phraya River, fireworks displays, art exhibitions, and the pardoning of 25,000 prisoners, concerts, and dance performances. Tied in with the anniversary, United Nations Secretary-General
Kofi Annan presented Bhumibol with the
United Nations Development Programme's first Human Development Lifetime Achievement Award on 26 May 2006. National holidays were observed on 9 June and 12–13 June 2006. On 9 June, the king and queen appeared on the balcony of
Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall before hundreds of thousands of people. The official royal barge procession on 12 June was attended by the king and queen and royal visitors from 26 other countries. On 13 June, a state banquet for the royal visitors was held in the newly constructed Rama IX Throne Hall at the Grand Palace, the first official function of the hall. The Chiang Mai Royal Floral Expo was also held to honour the anniversary.
2006 coup On the evening of 19 September, the Thai military overthrew the Thaksin government and seized control of Bangkok in a bloodless coup. The junta, led by
Sonthi Boonyaratglin, Commander of the Army, called itself the
Council for Democratic Reform under the Constitutional Monarchy. It accused the deposed prime minister and his regime of crimes, including lèse majesté, and pledged its loyalty to Bhumibol. Martial law was declared, the constitution repealed and the October elections cancelled. Protests and political meetings were banned. The
king's role in the coup was the subject of much speculation among Thai analysts and the international media, although publication of such speculation was banned in Thailand. The king had an audience with
Privy Council President Prem Tinsulanonda at the same time that special forces troops were mobilised. Anti-coup protesters claimed that Prem was the mastermind of the coup, although the military claimed otherwise and banned any discussion of the topic. In a BBC interview,
Thitinan Pongsudhirak of
Chulalongkorn University noted, "This coup was nothing short of Thaksin versus the King... He [the king] is widely seen as having implicitly endorsed the coup." In the same interview, social critic
Sulak Sivaraksa claimed, "Without his [the king's] involvement, the coup would have been impossible." Sulak added that the king is "very skillful. He never becomes obviously involved. If this coup goes wrong,
Sonthi will get the blame, but whatever happens, the King will only get praise." The junta later warned it would "urgently retaliate against foreign reporters whose coverage has been deemed insulting to the monarchy." Prem did help secure the appointment of
Surayud Chulanont, another member of the King's Privy Council, as Premier, and allegedly had a say in the appointment of Surayud's Cabinet. Critics claimed the cabinet was full of "Prem's boys". The junta appointed a
constitutional tribunal to rule on alleged polling fraud involving the
Thai Rak Thai and
Democrat political parties. Guilty rulings would have dissolved both parties, Thailand's largest and oldest, respectively, and banned the parties' leadership from politics for five years. The weeks leading up to the verdicts saw rising political tensions. On 24 May 2007, about a week before the scheduled verdict, Bhumibol gave a rare speech to the Supreme Administrative Court (the president of which is also a member of the constitutional tribunal). "You have the responsibility to prevent the country from collapsing", he warned them in the speech, which was shown on all national television channels simultaneously during the evening. "The nation needs political parties... In my mind, I have a judgment but I cannot say", he said. "Either way the ruling goes, it will be bad for the country, there will be mistakes". The tribunal later acquitted the Democrat Party, but dissolved the Thai Rak Thai Party and banned 111 of its executives from politics for five years. The junta-appointed Constitution Drafting Assembly later tried to use the King in a propaganda campaign to increase public support for its widely criticised
draft constitution. The CDA placed billboards saying "Love the King. Care about the King. Vote in the referendum" throughout
northeast Thailand, where opposition to the junta was greatest. On 20 April 2009, Thaksin claimed in an interview with the
Financial Times that Bhumibol had been briefed by Privy Councillors Prem Tinsulanonda and Surayud Chulanont about their plans to stage the 2006 coup. He claimed that General
Panlop Pinmanee, a leader of the People's Alliance for Democracy, had told him of the briefing. The Thai embassy in London denied Thaksin's claims.
2008 crisis The military's constitution passed the referendum, and a
general election was held in December 2007. The
People's Power Party (PPP), consisting of many former
Thai Rak Thai Party MPs and supporters, won the majority and formed a government. The
People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) refused to accept the election results and started protests, eventually
laying siege to
Government House,
Don Mueang Airport, and
Suvarnabhumi Airport. Although the PAD claimed they were defending the monarchy, Bhumibol remained silent. However, after a PAD supporter died in a clash with police, Queen Sirikit presided over her cremation. Princess
Sirindhorn, when asked at a US press conference whether PAD was acting on behalf of the monarchy, replied, "I don't think so. They do things for themselves." Questioning and criticism over Bhumibol's role in the crisis increased, particularly from the international press. "It is more and more difficult for them to hold the illusion that the monarchy is universally adored", says a Thai academic. In April 2008, Bhumibol appointed alleged coup plotter General Surayud Chulanont to the Privy Council of Thailand. In the weeks leading up to the
2011 general election, Bhumibol appointed
Air Chief Marshal Chalit Pukbhasuk, a leader of the 2006 military coup, to his
privy council.
2013–2014 crisis and coup On 22 May 2014,
Prayut Chan-o-cha,
Commander of the
Royal Thai Army launched a
coup d'état, the 12th since
the country's first coup in 1932, against the
caretaker government, following six months of
political crisis. On 24 May 2014, the
National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) said Bhumibol had acknowledged the coup, but stopped short of describing the response as an endorsement. However, two days later, he formally appointed General Prayut to run the country. In Thailand the monarchy is highly respected and royal endorsement was seen as a legitimization of the takeover. Paul Chambers, writing in
The New York Times, said that the military was the only institution that could sustain the power of the monarchy, and that the most recent two coups showed a relationship between the military and the monarch as Bhumibol gave an endorsement to each of them. ==Declining health==