The year 2550 in Thailand, or if you're following another calendar- 2007, is nothing short of a landmark year for the country. A great celebration got under way at the very start of the year, and will culminate in the most dazzling climax in December, indeed an event so gargantuan, that a single day simply could not hold its revelry. It's the biggest birthday bash of them all, one that has excited an entire nation, inspired the commemoration of hundreds of monuments and spurred thousands of events of different magnitudes.

It's the ultimate celebration for the people of Thailand. An event that has been steadily marking the advent of the actual date, and will in all probability continue beyond it. December 5 this year, marks the 80th birth anniversary of HM, King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand.

This is an extraordinary year in a lot of respects, not the least of which: it is the year the Thai King completed 60 years on the throne. This momentous occasion was marked with exceptional grandeur, as the word's royalty gathered at the palace in Bangkok to honour the world's longest reigning current head of state.

It is simply impossible to capture the extent of feeling the people of Thailand have for their monarch. To say that he is revered, may be underestimating it to a large degree. The King of Thailand, to his people, represents their very consciousness; their being. The awareness and pride of being ?Thai?is so intricately linked with the monarch, that they are really quite inseparable.

Perhaps an idea of the depth of this feeling can be gauged from the sentiments evoked at the merest mention of the sovereign. In the words of Jareerat Thammajit, Public Relations, Wachira Phuket Hospital:

His Majesty the King Bhumibhol... he is the father of all Thai people.
He takes care and looks after us all, wherever we are in Thailand and strives to solve many of our problems. He is tireless in his his commitment to better our lot. He is an intelligent King. He is an intelligent inventor. He is an intelligent musician. He is an intelligent leader and a good father who understands and tries to ease our suffering. He is the Great King. He is the reason I am so proud to be Thai and to be born in Thailand.

Indeed, the King is considered by all his subjects as the figurative father of the nation. It is a measure of how close the Thai people feel to their monarch, and how much a part of their lives he is. It is no coincidence that like every where else in the country, Father's Day on Phuket, is celebrated on the 5th of December.

The celebration of course, goes far beyond that, and this year, it is on the grandest scale ever. Phuket has been preparing itself for the birthday party of the century, and everyone's invited.

Indeed the party, like we said before, has already begun. Hundreds of social and religious events through the year have already marked this occasion.

From fireworks, to candle-lit processions, prayers and charity to music, religious ceremonies to dancing and entertainment, the celebrations are as varied as they are fervent. On the day, from representatives of various local authorities to the common man, everybody will be out in their finest, as a mark of respect to their adored leader.


The Phuket Post asked a cross-section of the society on Phuket what they will be doing on the Big Day, and everywhere we were greeted with shining enthusiasm and shimmering anticipation. From the smallest of symbolic celebration, to the most extravagant gala, every Thai on Phuket has a plan for the most significant date in their calendar this year.

?I will certainly be wearing my pink shirt,? Jitwadee Suttithammarat, who also works at Vachira hospital told us proudly. ?The pink is inspired from the pink suit that His Majesty the King Bhumibol was wearing when he left Sirirat Hospital. For me, this colour represents the love and care in my heart, that I have for the beloved king.

?On this day, I am also going to offer food to monks to make merit and pray for a long life for the King.?

Khun Sasirat Kongprakon, a student of Phuket Rajabhat University will be joining Jitwadee, and indeed the rest of Phuket in praying for the King's health and long life. ?On the 5th of December, I will go to a temple to make merit and pray for the king. I will decorate my home with yellow flags and Thai national flags decoration. In the evening, my friends and I will gather to go and watch the fireworks in Phuket city. They will be amazing, I am sure.?

The Post spoke to a group of students from the British International School Phuket, simply brimming with enthusiasm about their plans for the King's birthday. They're going to sport the colour pink, to mark the return of the monarch from hospital, and plan to join various celebrations all over the island to mark the birthday. ?We are very proud to have a father who is King of Thailand. We know that the King works hard for us all the time and has made many projects for Thailand and his subjects. Now we want to do something for the King. In the future, we intend to study hard, obey our parents and teachers and dedicate our lives to follow his teachings.?

?The King is important for Thailand, if don't have him we don't have a country.? said Khun Thipparat, Deputy Director of the Gibbon Rehabilitation Project, Bang Pae. ?I will be praying for the King's eternal health. We want him with us, and to protect us, forever.

With sentiments like that, it's not difficult to understand the fervour, indeed, fever the royal event is drumming up.

Among the many celebrations planned on the 5th of December is a concert at the Saphan Hin area of Phuket. From 4.00 pm until midnight, a local band with more than 30 musicians comes together with 80 singers comprising national award winners, folk song specialists and local stars along with a dance troupe from the Rjabhat university will perform in honour of the King.

At the same venue, the Provincial Administration Organization and Phuket City Municipal bodies will hold a candle-lit procession, followed by what will surely be, a spectacular fireworks display.

On December 6, 2007, at 6:30 pm, in front of the Governor's official residence, the Governor will begin an official celebration of the birthday, with the navy orchestra band playing in honour of the King. A video and images commemorating the life and royal duties of the King will also be aired.

Celebrations before, on the day, and after notwithstanding, the people on Phuket have also embodied their love and respect for their sovereign in tributes that will last long after the 80th birth year. The Big Buddha, certainly the most towering of these tributes, already sits proudly on the hill in Chalong. It is expected to be completed in 2009.

The people of Phuket, and particularly Surin, are building a photographic library dedicated to the King on Surin beach. The collection of images will serve as a pictorial narration of times when the King visited this little island.

The library will also house a photographic record of the King's journeys around the world .

Khun Sommai Pinputasin head of the provincial community and responsible for the library record of the King's visits among the people of Phuket, is overjoyed when he tells us of this tribute to the King.

Immensely proud that Surin beach has been chosen for the location of the new building, Khun Sommai Pinputasin told the Post that the King visited the people in Phuket four times, the images of these visits are extensive and have been lovingly preserved.

Khun Sommai says the builders of the library and the people involved are all confident that this library will become not only a very popular tourist attraction, but also a must see for Thai people, so that they may be acquainted with and proud of their heritage.

Reporting by Chutima Sridasatang and Witchureerat Kunprom


A Royal Profile


His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX)

His Majesty the King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the world's longest-serving current head of state, was born on a Monday on December 5, 1927, at Mount Auburn Hospital, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S.A., as the third and youngest child of Their Royal Highnesses Prince and Princess Mahidol of Songkla.

Before his coronation, he attended the Ecole Nouvelle de la Suisse Romande, Chailly sur Lausanne and later moved to the Gymnase Classique Cantonal of Lausanne.

The sudden death of his elder brother, King Ananda Mahidol in Bangkok, on the 9th of June 1946 put an abrupt end to his studies of science at the Lausanne University. He was destined to be King.

His Majesty decided complete his studies, and his coronation was postponed until that time. He returned to Switzerland for this purpose, but this time he chose the subjects of Political Science and Law.

In 1950, upon the completion of his education in Switzerland, His Majesty returned to Thailand, promising to, "reign with righteousness for the benefit and happiness of the Siamese people.?

In the years that followed, he has done exactly that, working tirelessly for his people, travelling the length and the breadth of the nation to meet, see, and understand his people and their lives. He is regarded as the Father of the nation.

The King evokes absolute devotion and reverence from his people. His portrait adorns every home, every office in Thailand. In cinema halls, just before the commencement of the film, the audience stands in respect not to the national anthem, but the beautiful strains of the King's song.

His Majesty King Bhumibol's consort, Her Majesty Queen Sirikit is regarded as the Mother of the nation, and the royal couple are parents to HRH Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, Princess Ubol Ratana, HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, HRH Princess Chulabhorn Walailak