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| King Bhumibol in Royal Navy uniform |
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| Seated L to R Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, Her Majesty the Queen, His Majesty the King. |
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| Crowds wave and shout Long Live the King as royal boat passes |
Leon Sexton’s comments:
This is only the second time in as many months that the king has left the hospital accompanied by the queen to go on an inspection tour of the areas along the Chao Praya River that were affected by the previous flooding that inundated river banks and northern Bangkok. Even the ancient capital of Ayuttaya was flooded with damage to many of the ancient temples that line the banks of the river.
86 year old King Bhumibol does not stay in the palace, but resides in a hospital under 24 hour medical care. He had wanted to walk out of the hospital under “his own steam”, but that hasn’t happened yet and he still must use a wheel chair. However, he is undergoing physical therapy and now can walk a short distance on his own. All hope soon that he can fulfill his goal of walking out of the door of the hospital un-aided.
Every time the king gets out among the people they are thrilled and mass the avenues to catch a glimpse of His Majesty while chanting, “Long Live the King.” Nobody pays them like they do in other countries to make it appear to Western media that the leader is popular. The people of Thailand really do what they do from their hearts because King Bhumibol is the stabilizing force in the country. He is politically neutral and seldom intervenes according to his very limited constitutional powers. He reserves the right to intervene with his very powerful influence only when it is absolutely necessary to prevent bloodshed or social calamity.
The Thai people look to him as the father of the country and pray for his physical recovery and well-being. His presence is both electrifying and calming at the same time.
Long live the king.
Leon Sexton from Chiang Mai, Thailand
View on Blogger: King’s journey delights subjects
