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Article: The impenetrable face of Thai monarchy; Thailand's royalty.(The King Never Smiles: A Biography of Thailand's Bhumibol Adulyadej)(Book review)
- Article from:
- The Economist (US)
- Article date:
- July 29, 2006
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2006 Economist Newspaper Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Where balanced criticism is seen as lese-majeste
IT DOES not take visitors long to realise that royalty has a more exalted status in Thailand than in most of the world's constitutional monarchies. The king's picture is everywhere. The royal anthem, rather than the national one, is played before every screening at the cinema--and failure to stand up for it results in a sharp prod from an usher. Tall buildings must not overshadow the royal palace, and traffic must not cross bridges when a royal motorcade passes beneath. Members of the royal family, if not the king himself, perform the country's most important religious rituals, confer all university degrees, ...