By many accounts, Thai king Bhumibol Adulyadej is a respectable person. He's been on both sides of various political movements including promoting democratic reforms a decade ago. In recent years, much less so, unfortunately. The family itself has its own divides including a wife who doesn't come off as the most pleasant person and a son who has been the subject of many stories related to drugs and guns (including a bizarre "gun cleaning" incident that involved his father) though he is the heir apparent. (The third daughter, on the other hand, is highly respected, though Thailand has only allowed men, and not women, to reign.)
That the people of Thailand are ready to move forward and openly discuss the royal family sounds reasonable. The royal family is part of the political process and even the king has admitted that he is not above criticism. When we met with friends in Bangkok we had to come up with fake names for each member of the royal family in order to have a public discussion and even then, our friends were constantly looking over their shoulder in case anyone might connect the dots. Eighteen years in a Thai prison for criticizing the royal family is ridiculous in this day and age. Once the current heir apparent ascends to the throne, this is going to become a much larger problem. Then again, Thailand will be facing an even larger problem. Financial Times:
A court in Thailand has sentenced an opposition activist to 18 years in jail after convicting her of insulting the country’s royal family.
Daranee Charnchoengsilpakul, 46, was sentenced to three six-year sentences to run consecutively for three different speeches she gave last year criticising the 2006 military coup that removed Thaksin Shinawatra, the then prime minister, from power.
Prommas Phoo-sang, the judge, closed the court to the public and the media last month, citing reasons of “national security”. Under Thai law, she could have received up to 45 years in prison.
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