65 Years of His Majesty the King’s Reign in Thailand

His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej has reigned for 65 years now, becoming the longest-reigning monarch in Thai history as well as today’s world.

His Majesty assumed his kingship on June 9, 1946 following the death of his elder brother, King Ananda Mahidol. So 9 June 2011 marks the 65th anniversary of his accession to the throne, or the 65th year of his reign. The year 2011 also marks the auspicious occasion of His Majesty’s 84th birthday anniversary, when many activities have been organized throughout the year to celebrate this special occasion. 
The Cabinet, during its meeting on June 7, agreed to urge Thai people to wear shirts bearing the Royal Ceremonial Emblem marking the 84th birthday anniversary of His Majesty the King, until the end of the year.

Throughout his 65 years on the throne, His Majesty has devoted his entire life to the people, working and trying to make their lives better. His reign has been characterized by genuinely righteous rule and untold sacrifice for his subjects. He is widely known as one of the hardest working monarchs on earth.

Ever since he acceded to the throne in 1946, His Majesty has traveled extensively across the country to visit people in rural remote areas, sometimes in the baking sun or in pouring rain. Such trips helped him get first-hand information about the living conditions and problems of the people, their needs, and their desires. When he arrived at the destination, he asked the local people about their life, work conditions, and other problems.

On these trips, His Majesty’s team of experts and people from relevant agencies study details and work out new development projects that are considered necessary. At the same time, they followed up on the progress of past royally initiated projects.

Out of these countless trips have arisen more than 3,000 royally initiated projects, covering agriculture, water resources, environmental and natural resource conservation, occupational promotion, public health, public welfare, and communication. All these projects are aimed at raising the standard of rural life and helping farmers to become self-reliant. Some of them are fundamental in nature, like water conservation schemes and irrigation the Northeast and the South.

His Majesty the King has been interested in rice farming and farmers’ way of life. Since the majority of his subjects are farmers, he intends to sustain this occupation for the stability of the Kingdom.

As part of the celebrations of His Majesty’s 84th birthday anniversary, the Ministry of Commerce is scheduled to hold two major rice events this year. One is the Thailand Rice Convention 2011, to take place in Bangkok on June 20. Another event is the World Rice Standard Summit 2011, to be held from June 21 to 22 in Nakhon Sawan province. These events will show His Majesty’s initiative to develop Thai rice and reflect Thailand’s potential as one of the world’s largest rice producers and exporters