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 Click here for more photos of Queen Sirikit On Monday, Thailand’s Queen Sirikit and her daughter, Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, were in the Chinese neighborhood of Bangkok to mark the first day of the Chinese New Year.
With them was Chinese Vice Minister of Culture Li Xiaojie. He arrived in the country to express his condolences for it’s massive floods late last year.
He also brought about 170 artists from China to help Thailand’s ex-pat population celebrate one of their biggest holidays.
Festivities to mark Chinese New Year will end on January 30th. This year marks the Year of the Dragon.
Source: China.org.cn
It was announced during the weekend that Thailand’s revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej was treated for abdominal pain.
 See more photos here at Daylife.com A palace statement said the 84 year old monarch, who is the longest reigning head of state in the world, “experienced some indigestion” Saturday and was breathing faster than normal.
An X-ray showed the King had diverticulitis, a digestive disorder common among the elderly. He was given intravenous antibiotics and reportedly is back to normal.
King Bhumibol has been at Siriraj Hospital since September 2009. He initially went in for lung inflammation and according to the palace, has continued his stay for physical therapy and nourishment.
Source: AP
Thailand’s revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej spoke to his people Monday, urging them to put aside conflict amidst the recent floods, the country’s worst in recent memory.
 Click here for more photos at Daylife.com The King left Siriraj Hospital, where he has been a patient since 2009, for the balcony of the Grand Palace. Surrounded by his family, including Queen Sirikit, Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, and Princesses Chulabhorn and Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, Bhumibol delivered his speech to crowds gathered below.
The King called for national unity, and that the they “are only recommendations, not an order”.
He went on to say it was the Thai people’s duty “to cooperate and fix problems to the best of your ability, especially now that our people are suffering from the floods.”
“The most important thing is you should not be split or fighting each other. We need to inspire and give each other confidence so that the work we do will be fruitful for the well-being of the people and the stability and security of the country.”
About one-fifth of Thailand’s 64 million people have been affected by the devastating floods and more than 600 have died.
Turning 84 years old is a major milestone for King Bhumibol Adulyadej. It marks seven cycles of twelve years, so it is an auspicious time for him.
Thailand celebrated their King’s birthday with fireworks and candlelight vigils.
Sources: AP, Bangkok Post
A 61 year old Thai man has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for sending text messages that insulted and threatened Queen Sirikit.
 Click here for more photos Ampol Tangnoppakul was found guilty for four counts of Thailand’s lese-majeste laws and computer crime law, five years sentence for each. He had sent them in 2010 to the secretary of then Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva.
The messages “indicated intent to harm and defamation against Her Majesty that would trigger hatred,” the court said. “All the messages were untrue.”
Tangnoppakul denied the charges and claimed he was unfamiliar with text messaging. He is a retired truck driver and lives with his wife, daughter-in-law and three grandchildren in the outskirts of Bangkok. He has mouth cancer and has been treated for it since 2007.
Thailand’s lese-majeste laws are among the toughest in the world. There has been a noticeable surge in people being charged with defaming the Thai royals in recent years.
Sources: Bloomberg, Telegraph
As Thailand reels from damaging floods, its Crown Princely couple have set up food kitchens in Ayutthaya – which is in southern Thailand – near its city hall.
 Click here to see more photos of the Crown Prince Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn and Princess Srirasmi are collecting donations through the HRH Prince Dipangkorn Rasmijoti Fund, which is named after their son. Donations can be sent to the Bangkok Bank.
At the same time, the Crown Prince has allowed refugees to stay at local universities campus for shelter.
In addition, Princess Chakri Sirindhorn is visiting the Ayutthaya region. She gave out relief bags and had medical teams along with her. The Princess also paid a visit to one of the universities her brother allowed to act as shelters for the flood victims.
Thailand is experiencing horrific floods after some embankments collapsed Monday.
Source: The Nation
King Bhumibol Adulyadej has declared a 100 day period of mourning for his cousin, Princess Bejaratana, who passed away Wednesday afternoon at the age of 85. The Princess, who was the only child of King Vajiravudh, Rama VI, and Queen Suvadhana, died of septicemia at Siriraj Hospital.
 Learn more about Princess Bejaratana here When she was born on November 24th 1925, her father was seriously ill and died within 24 hours after her birth. It was her uncle, King Prajadhipok, Rama VII, who named her.
Bejaratana was educated in Thai and British schools during her childhood. She was an accomplished musician who could play a tune after hearing it only once. But the Princess would not return to Thailand until 1959 at age 34.
When she did, she settled in the Ruenrudi Villa on Sukhumvit and began working on projects set up by her father and grandmother. Bejaratana worked with Chulalongkorn University, Silpakorn University, Vajiravudh College, Vajira Hospital, the Sanam Chan Palace Restoration Project and the Mrigadayavan Palace Foundation, as well as the Thai Red Cross.
The Princess never married or had any children.
On Friday, King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Queen Sirikit held the bathing rites at the Sala Sahathai Samakhomat the Palace. During the ceremony, the urn carrying Bejaratana’s ashes was placed at the Dusit Maha Prasart Throne Hall and will stay there for the 100 day mourning period.
The Thai government has also declared a 15 day mourning period in which flags will lowered half-mast.
Source: Bangkok Post
 Click here for more pictures Earlier this week, it was revealed that the world’s longest reigning monarch, Thailand’s King Bhumibol Adulyadej, was to undergo an operation to remove cerebrospinal fluid. The procedure, known as a spinal tap, took place on Tuesday.
“The medical team consulted with both foreign and local specialists and agreed to perform a spinal tap,” said the Royal Household.
King Bhumibol has been hospitalized since September 2009. Originally he went in for a lung infection and fever, but has stayed at Siriraj Hospital for physical therapy and to maintain good nutrition.
The built up fluid in his spine caused unsteadiness when the 83 year old King walked, and its supposed to be common in the elderly.
King Bhumibol’s health is a sensitive topic among Thais, who revere their King. When he passes, the political tension in Thailand could worsen.
Source: Reuters India
 Click here for original article Princess Chulabhorn, the daughter of the King and Queen of Thailand, visited the country’s flood ravaged areas Tuesday and offered words of wisdom to the people.
The Princess reminded the villagers of the Nakhon Si Thammarat and Surat Thani provinces of the way the Japanese maintained social calm and dignity following March’s massive earthquake and tsunami.
“Look at them,” she told the villagers, “and we will have morale to fight and band together to solve the problem.”
The death toll from the southern regions of Thailand is at 51. Those same areas were hit by equally devastating floods 23 years ago.
Princess Chulabhorn, age 53, is the youngest daughter of King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Queen Sirikit.
Sources: Bangkok Post, Wikipedia
 REUTERS/Alexander Natruskin/Files Thailand’s Queen Sirikit and her niece, Princess Soamsavali, donated packages of necessities to the victims of the 9.0 earthquake that struck Japan two weeks ago.
The relief packages consisted of rice, preserved and dried food, blankets, torches, medicine, and others, which can last for about one week.
Princess Soamsavali donated 1,820 relief packages from the Princess Pa Foundation. The Queen gave several as well.
All the relief packages were transported from a Navy Military Base in Rayong to Suvarnabhumi Airport. Then, they were transported to Japan by Thai Airways. The donations are expected to arrive early Friday morning local time.
As well as being Queen Sirikit’s niece, Soamsavali is also the former wife of Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn. They divorced in 1991 after a stormy marriage. They had one child, Princess Bajrakitiyabha, the King and Queen’s eldest grandchild.
Sources: Pattaya Daily News, Wikipedia
On Sunday, King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand, the world’s longest reigning head of state, left Siriraj Hospital to mark his 83rd birthday. It was one of the rare times when the King left the hospital where he has been hospitalized for over a year and for Thais to see the monarch regarded as a demi-god.
 AP Photo/Thai Royal Household Bhumibol was taken from Siriraj in a wheelchair to the Grand Palace to make his birthday speech. He was greeted by thousands of his people, chanting “Long live the King!” and waving flags.
At the palace, in the Amarindhara throne hall, the King said his speech. “I would like to thank all of you for gathering here to give me sincere birthday wishes.”
“Our country has been prospering and peaceful for a long time because we adhere to our nation and join hands to perform our duty by giving the utmost priority to public interests.
“All of you who are gathering here – and all Thais from all sectors – should seek a clear understanding of your duty and perform your duty to the best, with caution and awareness.
“Being careless and imprudent can lead to mistakes and damage (to duties) in one’s responsibility. When one becomes senseless and unreasonable, one can become forgetful and afraid and can abuse his or her authority. This is very dangerous. This kind of practice can lead to downfall to oneself and to the country.
“As a result, I would like to ask all of you to be prudent and to keep your determination to perform your duty in line with your reasons for the sake of peace and security and sustainable happiness of our people,” the King said.
After the speech and a few Buddhist rituals, King Bhumibol returned to the hospital where he has been since September 2009. He originally was admitted for lung inflammation and fever, but supposedly, he remains hospitalized for physical therapy.
The King’s birthday is a public holiday in Thailand. It is marked with fireworks and Buddhist rituals. Some Thais even launch floating paper lanterns to the sky as way of celebrating the occasion.
Source: Asia News Network, AFP
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