Thailand mourns its king and heads into the unknown

Dr Lee Jones from QMUL's School of Politics and International Relations writes about the death of Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej. Dr Jones says that the King was a much more complex figure than is suggested by recent obituaries. After a prolonged illness, Thailand's King Bhumibol has died at the age of 88. His long-anticipated passing will be mourned by many (but not all) Thais - and after Bhumibol's 70-year reign, it will compound the country's uncertainty and instability. The media is full of obituaries eulogising Bhumibol's role in Thai society, stating he was 'widely revered', considered 'semi-divine', and was a 'unifying' figure who regularly intervened to stabilise Thailand's political system. This is far too simplistic - and it overlooks the role he often played in legitimising less-than-democratic regimes. Thailand's successive authoritarian governments relied heavily on propaganda to build up a personality cult around Bhumibol.