"We will reign with righteousness, for the benefit and happiness of the Siamese

people." This is what His Majesty the King Bhumibol Adulyadej pronounced on the day of
his succession to the throne. What do you imagine in your head when you think about the
word “King”? For many foreigner, the word “King” is a waste of money, many believe that
in modern world there is no need for monarch. But for the people of Thailand the word
“King” is much more powerful, much more respected, and much more uphold. Because His
Majesty the King Bhumibol is much more than just a king. He is a father figure for Thais. He
is the center and the hearth of Thailand. His Majesty the King Bhumibol is had done so much
for Thailand during his 70 years and 126 days reign. His Majesty the King Bhumibol is a
man of great personality and good hearth, a man of great talents, and a man of great
responsibility in duty.
His Majesty the King Bhumibol was born, at Mount Auburn Hospital, in Cambridge,
Massachusetts, U.S.A., on the 5th of December 1927. His Majesty the King Bhumibol
attended school in Switzerland. He attended the Ecole Nouvelle de la Suisse Romande,
Chailly sur Lausanne. Then moved to Gymnase Classique Cantonal of Lausanne, where he
got his Bachelier s letters diploma. First, he chose to study in field of science at Lausanne
University. Then came the unfortunate and sudden death of his elder brother King Ananda
Mahidol, after it became clear that His Majesty the King will be the successor to the throne,
His Majesty the King Bhumibol change his subject to Political Science and Law, and ask the
government of Thailand to give him time to finish his study. After the completion of his
education His Majesty the King Bhumibol return to Thailand to become the monarch of
Thailand and dedicate his whole life to improve well-being of his subjects. The king is a
simple man. While we might imagine that king should have all the luxury and live an
elaborate life, but His Majesty King Bhumibol choose to have a life that is not luxurious, but
a life that dedicate to his people. During his trip to survey the rural part of Thailand, many
civil servants expected that the king will have an exclusive and magnificent, but His Majesty
the King ate the stir-fried rice just the same as everyone else. His pencils were used to the end
of the pencil stick, his tooth paste was used to the point that the tube of the tooth paste is as
thin as a paper. His palace is not a giant castle with great hall, but Chitralada palace is a
simple house and full of experimental ground for many Royal Chitralada Projects. The king
is also a humble man, and he makes jokes and do normal activities with civil servants that
work around him.
Not only His Majesty the King Bhumibol is a good person, but also a person full of
talents. King Bhumibol loves music. He is an excellent musician, and can play saxophone
very well. He also composes variety of songs. His Majesty the King Bhumibol like to sail and
win in many competitions. Once, when he competes with other, after a few moments the king
sail his ship back and many confuse by his action. Then he tells the judge that his boat hit the
buoy. Which is a foul, for this reason he withdraws from the competition. This show that the
king is an honest man. His Majesty the King is a great inventor. He invents many things that
actually have patent this include Chaipattana water turbine, Bio-diesel from palm oil,
artificial rain, just to name but a few. His Majesty the King is a man with great foresight. He
knows and understand the problem in Thailand, and he fixed the problem using the
appropriate methods. He is also good in a field of foreign affair, where he would treat other
states representative personally to ensure a good cooperation between two countries. His
Majesty the King Bhumibol is clearly a man with talents, he can be a scientist, inventor,
politician, monarch, caring father, and many more.
Equally important point that make H.M.K Bhumibol a man to admire, is that his work
for the people. During his reign H.M.K. Bhumibol dedicate his life to people of Thailand. As
mention before, his palace was the place to experiment on Royal Chitralada Projects. Which
emphasize on agriculture and agriculture products. He turns his palace into a place to grow
new kind of plant, keep new kind of fish, etc. Additionally, H.M.K. Bhumibol realize about
the drought problem in the North-Eastern area of Thailand, so he invents what is known as
artificial rain to solve the problem and provide water for the people. During his reign, he
would travel around the Kingdom to survey the rural part of Thailand. He would bring the
doctors with him to those rural part, so people will get treat and recommend properly on
health issue. He also builds school in that rural part. He never stops because of some
difficulties. Even though that would mean that he had to hikes the mountain or drive through
flood, he would do it for the people. He found many foundations that help with various topic,
such as foundation that give scholarship to talented student. He creates the philosophy of
“sufficient economy”, which is a complex process that would develop Thailand, that
emphasize on making majority of population to have enough to sustain their life by their
own. H.M.K. Bhumibol is also a very important instrumental to keep Thailand together.
Thailand is a country that is politically divided, but everyone, no matter the political belief,
uphold King Bhumibol as the father figure. He manages to hold Thailand through multiple
coup d’état, political turmoil. He even stops political turmoil from escalate into civil war.
Throughout His Majesty the King’s life, he done so many to Thailand that without him
Thailand would not stand where it is today.
All things considered, there is no doubt that His Majesty the King Bhumibol
Adulyadej is the greatest monarch for Thailand and for the world. To many foreigners this
might seem unreal, many accuse our love to King Bhumibol as the product of propaganda,
comparing us to North Korean. After all, how can you love an admire someone that you
never even see his face personally. But if you took the time to research deeply on the topic,
you will find that H.M.K. Bhumibol is genuinely a great man, who’s work entire life for the
benefit of Thailand. Think about what you have done for your country or for the society, and
think about how tired it must be for the King. It’s not too late to start, even small things like
put trash in a bin can be beneficial. If everyone put down their selfishness and working
together for the society everything can be accomplish.

By Peeravich Chirakunakorn (OAK)