Palace propagandizes for birthday

With the king’s birthday approaching and with the current political crisis playing out, it is difficult to discern exactly why the palace propaganda machine seems to have kicked up a gear, looking more North Korean than usual. Perhaps it is both?

There are several items of news in recent days that suggest a degree of pressing in order to stay on course. At the Bangkok Post it is reported – by the scribe usually associated with military stories no less – that despite his recent and very long bout in a major hospital, years, in fact, the king is still tail up and nose to the grindstone for the country:

His Majesty the King is still working to alleviate the hardship of his subjects despite his illness, says Suwat Theparak, secretary-general of the Office of Royal Development Projects Board (ORDPB).

What’s he been up to? Here’s the example provided:

MR Disnadda Disakul, secretary-general of the Pidthong Lang Phra (Royal Initiative Discovery) Foundation, said the King received a petition from residents of Nong Loeng Poei village in Rong Kham district of Kalasin on Aug 14 2011, seeking royal help as their community was hit repeatedly by natural disasters.

Yep, two years ago, but the “King has [recently] ordered authorities to turn an area covering 886 rai of land adjacent to Lampao-Chi River in Rong Kham and Kamalasai districts into a a flood retention area.” PPT has no idea who currently occupies or uses this land, but if there are residents, they better start building treehouses like some folks in Ayudhya did a few years ago after a kingly intervention on flooding.

The king’s intervention this time will only “cost about 400 million baht, with work starting at the end of this month. Construction of the flood retention area will take five months, MR Disnadda told a press conference to announce the Nong Leng Poei flood retention project.” The Army is apparently chuffed to be involved as they can bask in the “reflected glory” of kingly intervention:

Assistant army chief Gen Chatchai Sarikalaya said army chief Prayuth Chan-ocha has recruited six battalions of army engineers from the Second Army Region and four battalions of army engineers from the Ratchaburi engineer department to dig up land at the site.

Yes, that’s six battalions. At least they won’t be available for shooting demonstrators while they scrape about on orders from above.

This raises the question of health, always very touchy in Thailand, and may even land one in jail if seen to be “spreading a rumor.” As the royal birthday approaches, an aged and sometimes incoherent king does less speech making – not that the birthday speeches were always very coherent when he was well – but were essential to the aura of the monarchy as savior and for the personality cult. So health matters a lot at this time of the year.

Not more than a few days ago, The Nation reported that the king was now “in excellent health and enjoying his stay at Klai Kangwon Palace in Prachuap Khiri Khan, while Her Majesty the Queen’s condition is improving…”. After staying in Siriraj Hospital for some four years, the doctor now says “the conditions at the seaside residence … had contributed to the improvement in His Majesty’s health.” So why was he kept in Siriraj for so long? Superstition? Fear? Serious illness? Fear?

Readers will also be jumping for joy to know that the old schemer General Prem Tinsulanonda, of Privy Council and 2006 military coup infamy, is also in excellent health following a month or so ago. He reportedly “expressed concern at the political situation and praised the military for opting to refrain from getting involved in the conflicts.” Of course, privy councilors are meant to be neither seen nor heard, but that has never bothered Prem.

At the top of the post we mentioned North Korea and we just mentioned the personality cult. This music and several videos are now being played over and over again on television. What we are not able to grasp is why the effort to put this stuff out in English. It is hard to believe that resident foreigners or those abroad will buy this kind of molasses. We can only imagine that the images portrayed of a magical and god-like being will strike a chord with those who have been brought up on a diet of palace propaganda in film, on television, on radio, in schools, and so on. But even people in these circumstances are less likely to believe the nonsense these days.

It will only get increasingly syrupy over the next month.