RustyC

Wow, the Grand Palace really IS closed!

Watch some burly Brit say, "You're just a scam and I'm not interested in your jewelry store!" and try to walk through the entrance.

transpac

A special session of the NLA has been called for Tuesday morning. While no detail has been provided it seems likely the NLA will invite the Crown Prince to become King, per the "law". And that he might assume the throne on 1 Dec.

ft101

I'm sure I read elsewhere that 5th December was being made a national holiday on an ongoing basis.

goodeats21

Went to the cinema yesterday. The anthem was a version filmed by the en-mass live singing at the Palace to honor HM. Did not seem appreciable longer than the previous version, certainly not 9 minutes.

There were a couple of printed slides after the anthem clip during which everyone remained standing, but I do not read Thai so cannot advise on the content.

yosithezet

Rama X assumes the crown.

"(CNN)After 49 days of uncertainty, Thailand has a new King.

Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, 64, officially accepted an invitation by the Thai government on Thursday to assume the throne."

http://edition.cnn.com/2016/12/01/as...orn/index.html

Dr. HFH

It appears that he is now the new king, but the coronation ceremony will still be after the funeral. PM made some comments recently along the lines of a monarchy shouldn't be without a monarch for an extended period. NYTimes article.

seanthepilot

Earlier in this thread, I discouraged visiting Thailand, stating a volatile situation after the passing. I want to retract that statement.

I now would encourage people not to change their plans to come to Thailand. Ever since the 30 day mourning period, things seem very stable. The mourners are peaceful. No hostility has been shown to foreigners.

As always, do not comment on politics or any reference to the throne or any royal.

Plato90s

Just came back and would also agree that everything is much as before, with the exception of some prominent displays in memorial of the passed King. I've observed that hotel and restaurant staff are more commonly wearing the mourning band on a sleeve versus the public at large.

Other than that, there's no real change that I can see. Beaches and shops are pretty much the same as before.

behuman

Yes, better not comment indeed, now the junta is going against the reputable BBC which made a well balanced report without judgement, also available on the BBC app http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/gene...rgets-bbc-thai

Up to each individual to decide if he / she wants to patronize such a country. Other places to go exist. Thailand is a farce and this will end badly.

CJKatl

Agreed. Just spent a few days in Bangkok. Now is a good time to go. Tourist areas are not as crowded as usual. Even the weather was unusually cool. Everywhere (hotels, restaurants, entertainment venues) Thais were thanking me for being in Thailand and encouraging me to let people back home know that now is a good time to visit.

I had CNN on in the room. When a story about the new King started, the screen went blank until a sign appeared stating "Programming will continue shortly." This happened every time the story was repeated. There was also a memorial shrine to the King in the lobby and in several public places, so there is still some somberness, but not to the point where it would ruin a trip.

Now, if only there would be reciprocity on the political conversations. While foreigners will not bring up the political situation to Thais, why does every Thai feel the need to bring up the US political situation? After my last week in Thailand, I am weary of explaining Trump and Clinton. Each of those conversations seemed to have started with a Thai asking me for whom I voted, which I've always considered private.

fozziedoggie

Just tell them you voted for "Bernie!"

timster

That's interesting and somewhat surprising. Thailand is one of the most insular countries I've been to. I put it down to a number of things, including Thai TV news' rarely reporting world events, TV never showing programs from other countries (other than some dubbed Korean shows), poor English skills (given that it's 'taught' through most school years), limited international travel, lack of interest in reading, and a general insularity.

I guess Trump is just such an abberation that he may have penetrated this. But I would still expect many average Thais to ask "who's Trump ?". That was my experience immediately following the US election. But awareness may be increasing now.

BTW any Thais that one knows well will talk about politics one-to-one (generally not in groups). They will also talk about royalty one-to-one, but don't expect a variety of views as you get with politics. They are singular in their views of the late King and similarly the new one - and those views are polar opposites. Despite the restrictions on official reporting, everyone knows the stories.

CJKatl

I stay in the same hotel frequently and am friendly with the concierge lounge staff. They have CNN on their TVs non-stop, which may increase their awareness. A bellman I've known for years also asked when he brought my luggage to the room. (I accidentally over tipped him years ago so now he always brings my bag up and I always still over tip him.) OT: About nine or ten months ago, I was interviewed by a CNN reporter about something that happened in Atlanta. Apparently it caused great excitement in the lounge. They waited for the story to pop up each hour. When I was back at the hotel several people told me they had seen it.

But it wasn't just at the hotel. I took a cooking class and the instructor asked me in front of others who hailed from different countries. The entire group joined in asking questions (two from India, one each from France, Belgium, Canada, China and the UK) but, to your point, nobody asked the Brit about Brexit.

And I went out one night and had a couple twenty-somethings ask if I was American. When I said yes, they started rolling out the questions. I wound up giving an ad hoc class on the Electoral College, complete with napkin graphs. They followed our election that closely. At first I thought one of them was trying to pick me up, but quickly figured out they weren't interested in me, they were interested in Trump.

transpac

Every chain/theater can be different but today at SFCinemaCity they played a mockummercial about ad agency staff sitting around trying to figure out how to commemorate Rama 9, people stayed seated. After a pick-up truck commercial they played a newer version of the Royal Anthem, and projected a inspirational still shot of the new King in his royal attire. I did notice that very few Thais bowed at the end - as was the custom, but this could be due to a small sample size.

timster

There's the difference. You're dealing with a somewhat small group - those Thais with decent English, some working in the higher end tourist industry. The average Thai doesn't watch CNN because their English is not good enough, basic Thai cable TV has few if any international channels, on top of which they basically aren't that interested in what goes on outside Thailand.

While the internet and other mediums have led to "internationalization" in many countries, they are fighting an uphill battle in countries like Thailand where the education system in general (for the masses) and English language teaching in particular are a national disgrace.

Of course I also remember the US series of Survivor set in Thailand, when some of the US competitors thought they were in Taiwan. So insularity is not limited to Thais.