Respect for the Thai King

An American in charge of the sales department here in Bangkok made a coorelation between Utah and Thailand. Having lived in Salt Lake in the 1980s, he said both locations have strong respect for central leaders--thus making media quite biased. I agree with him in part--the Salt Lake Tribune is not likely to publish a scathing attack on the president of the LDS church. HOwever, the respect for the local Thai King--the longest reigning king in the world--goes much further than the Salt Lake media. In Thailand, for instance, you are not allowed to publish anything that criticizes the Thai Monarch. A book "the King Never Smiles" is a fairly straight-forward, but critical look of the current king. As far as I know my Dad has the only copy in Thailand; the book has been officially banned from the country by the Thai government.

On the other side, respect for the king is a part of Thai culture. As I went jogging in Lumphini park one Saturday, the clock struck 8 o'clock and the park guard blew his whistle for me to stop. I was at first confused until I heard the family strains of the Thai national anthum spreading across the park. People, old and young, stopped or stood up from where they were and stoood reverently while the national anthem played. Unlike the United States, there is no tradition to put your hand over your heart--holding the hands at your side is enough. A part of me wishes we had a stronger national identity in the United States. The only time I have heard the national anthem played in public was the flag raising at BYU and the fourth of July.