Thai King

Sept. 26

Travis brought home a New York Times yesterday. There was an article on Thailand. Apparently the King is very loved and respected. The Thai people are okay with him and the coup. They seek for harmony in most things. His wife was a "sixties jetsetter" and seems to operate a bit like Marie Antoinette, not a bad person, but totally into affluence. The article said the real shame is that his son is a party-guy and not the sort who can lead the country. That was a new thought. A monarchy needs to be passed on, and in this case, the son isn't worthy, so there room for a power struggle. However his daughter is beloved, intelligent, and has devoted her life to charity work. And apparently she is married to a military leader. Speculation is she might be the new queen of Thailand someday soon. I believe the king has ruled for 60 years and is 80 years old, but I might be wrong. The country appears to be, in reality, a monarchy in spite of elections for a prime minister.