Sorry to hear that, Woody. I know that this is a great loss for you, because your wife is from Thailand, and because you lived there for many years.

Beware saying anything even slightly negative about this “great man”, because doing so can get you years in prison as many have already found out with their posts on Facebook or via SMS. Saying even something negative about his dog got one man seriously in trouble. Sounds to me more like a dictator than a “great man”.

An example and excerpt:

BANGKOK – A court in Thailand sentenced a U.S. citizen to two and a half years in prison Thursday for defaming the country’s royal family by translating excerpts of a locally banned biography of the king and posting them online.

The verdict is the latest so-called lese majeste punishment handed down in the Southeast Asian kingdom, which has come under increasing pressure at home and abroad to reform harsh legislation that critics say is an affront to freedom of expression.

The 55-year-old Thai-born American, Joe Gordon, stood calmly with his ankles shackled in an orange prison uniform as the sentence was read out at a Bangkok criminal court.

Judge Tawan Rodcharoen said the punishment, initially set at five years, was reduced because Gordon pleaded guilty in October.

The sentence was relatively light compared to other recent cases. In November, 61-year-old Amphon Tangnoppakul was sentenced to 20 years in jail for sending four text messages deemed offensive to the crown.
[…]

Source: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/thailand-jails-us-man-for-insulting-king/

Yes….. saw yesterday in the papers that they were concerned about his health and were praying for him.
I’m sorry to hear the news. LT

No man is an island
entire of itself …………..

Any man’s death diminishes me
because I am involved in mankind;
and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls;
it tolls for thee. . .
John Dunne 1624.

That’s the way things are when you have a king. I am neither endorsing nor criticizing this, I’m just stating a fact.

It’s one of those “necessary evils” when one man runs the whole country. You hope he is a good king (per Woody, this one was a good king); but unfortunately that’s the government you are basically stuck with, unless you change to a different form of government.

There is a contradiction in ur comment: Either he was not involved or negotiated – cant be both.

And he certainly could have intervened to do smtg about the laws or waive sentences. But dd not. No excuses.

“Just saying…” Bob?
You seem to have left off the words “too much” at the end.
I think you’ll find that this is Woody’s website and if he wants to post about something that concerns him, then he can.

Sad news indeed. The king did so much for the country and often calmed opposing politicians down in very inflamed circumstances.
He was truly loved by his people, many of whom will now be grief-stricken.
R.I.P.

+1

Woody, I just wanted to offer condolences to the man that your family liked.

Well, for those who are interested, the Associated Press has a rather good and balanced article, presenting the pros and cons of Bhumibol’s reign, there:
http://bigstory.ap.org/article/4a263ab3f70143eea1ef5416892053e8/thailands-king-worlds-longest-reigning-monarch-dies

I understand its a diff culture but if he was so venerated he could have influenced matters. And uninvolved and saving the country is a contradiction any way u look at it.

It’s probably somewhat similar to the way the Japanese govt hijacked the Emperor when they went to war in the early 20th century.

To a large degree the Emperor was just a figurehead they used to push through their agenda and the Emperor had no way to push back against it, because they had such tight control over even his appearance in public.

I am not a monarchist, but I found this article about the role of the late king in the recent history of the country and this is exactly why monarchists consider that system better than a republic.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-37650466