World's royals honor Thai king
posted on 20 Jun 2006 18:04 by pack in RECORDSWorld's royals honor Thai king
 Thailand's Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn (far right) greets Crown Princess Mette-Marit from Norway. | |
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BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) -- Royalty from around the world watched a spectacular procession of gilded boats honoring Thailand's king, the world's longest-reigning monarch, as he celebrated his 60th anniversary on the throne.
More than 2,000 oarsmen rowed ceremonial boats Monday on Bangkok's Chao Phraya river Monday evening in the highlight of a five-day celebration for King Bhumibol Adulyadej.
Representatives of 25 royal houses from Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia watched from a riverside pavilion as the vessels -- bows adorned with figures of serpents, swans and a seven-headed dragon -- glided by to a haunting call-and-response song honoring the king.
Bhumibol, a constitutional monarch with limited powers, has used his high prestige to pressure opposing parties to compromise during political crises.
He is credited with helping keep Thailand more stable than many of its Southeast Asian neighbors.
Many Thais are counting on him to pull the country through its current political crisis, which has left it with no functioning legislature and only a caretaker government after a divisive, inconclusive election.
Bhumibol was born December 5, 1927, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He became the ninth king of Thailand's Chakri dynasty on June 9, 1946, succeeding his older brother, Ananda, killed by an unexplained shooting.
Since then, the beloved king has reigned through a score of governments, democratic and dictatorial. He has been especially active in rural development.
On Friday, an estimated 700,000 of his countrymen thronged streets around Bangkok's Royal Plaza to hear him deliver a rare public address in which he called for national unity.
He echoed that call Monday at reception for his royal guests.
All Thais "must do their utmost to develop the country and make it prosperous, stable and peaceful," he said.
Foreign royals not wearing ceremonial uniforms or Western formal wear donned national costumes, from Arab dignitaries' flowing white garb to the orange robe worn across one shoulder by the Crown Prince of Bhutan.
Spain's Queen Sophia unexpectedly pecked the Thai king on the cheek as she greeted him.
On Tuesday, the king and Queen Sirikit were set to close celebrations by hosting a state dinner for the foreign dignitaries.
The royal guests came from Cambodia, Qatar, Kuwait, Jordan, Japan, Brunei, Malaysia, Monaco, Luxembourg, Lesotho, Swaziland, Sweden, Liechtenstein, Denmark, Tonga, Norway, the Netherlands, Bahrain, Belgium, Bhutan, Morocco, Spain, United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and Oman.
Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
