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It has been more than a year since everywhere in the Kingdom of Thailand, on Mondays, began to be illuminated with yellow shirts worn by loyal subjects of his Majesty King Bhumibol. In the wake of his Majesty’s coronation diamond jubilee, wearing yellow shirts was habituated by his people across the kingdom. Yellow was chosen as the theme color since he was born on Monday. The yellow shirts are embraced by the Thais in all society sectors as part of their usual Monday outfits.

Aside from yellow shirts, orange wristbands reading “Long Lived the King” in English and “Roa Rak Phra Jao Yu Hua” (“We Love the King”) in Thai became integral to the batch of royal veneration symbols. The love the Thais have for King Bhumibol is not merely presented in words. It is heartfelt and always sends visitors from overseas into sheer amazement.

Although the absolute monarchy regime in Thailand was abolished 75 years ago, King Bhumibol’s words still possess the power that can get a person most voluntarily submitting to his demands. Not out of fear, but out of the sincere reverence he merits through the 60 years of devotion he has made for his subjects.

Foreign eyewitnesses were confounded when the police force and demonstrators fighting in the Bloodshed of May, 1992 violence immediately ceased the showdown when his Majesty appeared on the television, making a speech to plead for peace. The hostilities were right away melted away. The people were enemies until the delivery of his historical speech. They dropped the weapons, picked up broomsticks, and put their hands together to clean the streets.

His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej adopted the concept of a righteous monarch with his first words uttered as a reigning king upon performing the coronation ceremony: “We shall reign with the righteousness for the benefits and happiness of the people of Siam*.” To His Majesty, and all his subjects, it was more than the traditional first utterance of a monarch. He turned it into a firm pledge adhered to and proven with royal activities throughout the past 60 years of the reign.

All through the years, his Majesty has devoted his time and energy, working alongside his subjects in remote areas in all parts of the Kingdom to improve their living condition and livelihood. No place in the Kingdom is too remote, nor is any task too difficult for him.

His Majesty the King has initiated and engaged in countless programs to improve the people’s life quality in every part of Thailand. He does not merely supervise from the headquarters. He enters the fields and conducts first-hand operation. Farmers have always been his Majesty the King’s foremost concerns, as evidenced in numerous royally initiated experimental programs on rice growing and irrigation.

The most innovative irrigational program is the Royal Rainmaking Project. The artificial rain has been assisting farmers during drought seasons since 1971. Our district, Hua Hin, served the program as an experimental range before. His Majesty’s ingenuity for inventing the rainmaking technology has been widely recognized and has made Thailand the center of tropical rainmaking activities in this region.

The economic concept currently pursued in Thailand, the Self-Sufficiency, was also introduced and has been continually advocated by his Majesty to guide the country out of the export-driven slump, where domestically produced supplies overtakes demands from the overseas.

The kings have been called with a few terms, such as “Phra Chao Yu Hua” (“Lord Upon the Heads”) or “Phra Jao Paen Din” (“Lord of the Land”). King Bhumibol Adulyadej, however, is often referred to as “Por Luang”—“the Father of the Nation”. And there probably is no other term better fitting this righteous king and the paragon of virtues he possesses.

Klair Morbai, a 55-year-old lady from Baan Ruam Suk Village in Hua Hin, wears her yellow shirt almost everyday and says she will continue to wear it even beyond 2007.

“I just love him. I love him since the day I was born. He is just great. He is virtuous. He is a good man…a very good man.” says Klair with a warm beam on her face.