Strategic & Defence Studies Centre

Presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella, who read President Duterte’s statement, said the late King Bhumibol was “not only the world’s longest reigning monarch but also the guiding hand behind the emergence of Thailand as one of the most progressive countries in the whole of Asia”.

Traffic and businesses appeared to be running normal, but many Thais were dressed in muted colors and there was a somber mood on the streets following an outpouring of sorrow on Thursday when the king’s death was announced.

In his heydey he built a reputation as a people’s monarch, criss-crossing the nation to visit the rural poor and sometimes intervening to quell political violence - although he approved most of the army’s many coups during his reign.

Read full article China mourns Thai king’s passing published in The Village Suntimes.