On October 13th, 2016, 70 years since his accession to the throne of Thailand, HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the world’s longest-serving monarch, closed his eyes and breathed his last, ending a long reign in which he timelessly dedicated himself to unifying his kingdom and improving the lives of his people.<\/p>\n
Assuming the mantle of protector and guardian, King Bhumibol ushered in much progress. \u00a0He is famously known to have conducted numerous experiments on agriculture, forestry and small scale industry in the gardens of the Dusit Palace, before implementing them across the kingdom. \u00a0An approachable, benevolent and caring monarch, King Bhumibol was never above visiting communities in rural and impoverished areas. \u00a0Reaching out to his people, King Bhumibol is said to have implemented over 3,000 projects throughout his reign.<\/p>\n
This devotion to his people earned him their unwavering love, reverence and loyalty. \u00a0On October 13th a nation lost her father and the world, a charismatic leader of rare integrity, strength and compassion.<\/p>\n
Copied from Airasia inflight magazine.<\/p>\n
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We heard of the death of King Bhumibol just before we left UK. \u00a0We were warned that Thailand would have a year of mourning for their King, but the country wanted tourist to continue to visit the country.<\/p>\n
The first we saw was the air hostesses and stewards. \u00a0They still wore their beautiful traditional costumes\/uniforms but the men wore black armbands and the ladies had a black bow broach.<\/p>\n
Once in Chiang Mai we noticed that the local people were all wearing black clothes. In Bangkok it was even more noticeable.<\/p>\n
On one of the days that we wandered around Bangkok town we somehow managed to pass the Royal Palace. It is a scene I am very grateful to have seen and made me appreciate how much Thailand people loved their king. \u00a0There were bus loads of people arriving all in their best black clothes and queuing for hours to file past the body of the King. \u00a0The local park had been transferred to a “eating place” so that the Thai people could eat before their journeys home. \u00a0We learnt that people were travelling hundreds of miles to pass their respects to their King. We have even heard of a Thai lady who lives in Devon UK who is desperate to find the money to return to Thailand to pay her respect. \u00a0Thailand has lost a much loved King. His body will lay in state for a year.<\/p>\n
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