Why is the king's position as secure as a mountain when Thailand is prone to coups?

Thailand is an "alternative" country in the South Central Peninsula, and an "alternative" country in the world. Thailand's uniqueness lies in the fact that in the 21st century when most countries in the world have a democratic republican system of government and a few have a constitutional monarchy (a false monarchy in which the prime minister and parliament hold the power), Thailand is one of the few monarchies in the world in which the king has real power to make decisions on military and state affairs.

Although Thailand's monarchy is still nominally a constitutional monarchy, in practice, under the Thai penal code, nationals who insult the king are subject to heavy penalties. Thai people, from the prime minister down to the common people, are required to salute the king and queen when they see them. So how is it that the King of Thailand enjoys absolute and inviolable authority in the hearts of the Thai people today when the democratic republic is so deeply rooted? Why is the king's position as stable as a mountain in Thailand, where coups are common?

First, from a historical point of view, the modern-day Bangkok Dynasty, which rules Thailand, has "rebuilt" the country, and insulting the king and questioning him is tantamount to questioning the Bangkok Dynasty's epoch-making contribution to Thailand.

In the 18th century, there were two powerful countries in today's South China Peninsula, one was Thailand and the other was Burma, which became the strongest country in the South China Peninsula in the 18th century under the rule of the Kampong Dynasty. In 1758, the 32nd king of the Ayutthaya Dynasty died and the central government replaced three monarchs within three months. Because of the political instability, the frequent change of monarchs in Thailand allowed Burma to invade.

In 1759, Burma attacked Thailand, and in 1764, Burmese troops occupied the northern part of Thailand, and in April 1767, Burmese troops captured the Thai capital, bringing an end to the Ayutthaya Dynasty, which had lasted for more than 400 years.

The Burmese occupation did not bring the Thai people to their knees, and several resistance forces soon emerged. In the same year that Burma occupied Thailand, Zheng Xin, a native of Chaozhou, Guangdong Province, sent troops from the eastern part of Thailand to attack the Burmese army and the separatist forces in the country, and in 1770, Zheng Xin led an army to unify the country.

However, Zheng Xin's centralization was severely weakened by his frequent foreign wars. Zheng Xin also applied the old system of governance, and the development of Thailand's productive forces was severely hampered. In 1782, he was forced to abdicate and the Thonburi Dynasty came to an end. Thai army general Thong Luang ascended the throne and established Bangkok Dynasty. Thong Luang was known as Rama I.

So, since it was the Thonburi Dynasty led by Zheng Xin who restored the mountains and unified the motherland, why do Thai officials and people think that the Bangkok Dynasty restored the motherland? It turns out that before ascending to the throne, Thong Luang, as a senior general in the military, followed Zheng Xin to participate in the war against Burma, the attack on Laos and Cambodia. With his war achievements, Thong Luang became a heavyweight general beside Zheng Xin. Once Zheng Xin's rule was in crisis and the country was in chaos, Thong Luang had the power to unite the political forces opposing Zheng Xin to stage a coup and force Zheng Xin to step down.

Therefore, in the eyes of the Thai people, the first king of the Bangkok Dynasty, Thong Luang, also known as Rama I, not only had the merit of fighting against the Burmese invasion and restoring the motherland but also saved Thailand in times of crisis and overthrew the corrupt rule of Zheng Xin. Rama I's contribution at some point exceeded that of Jung Shin the Great. In other words, if Thong Luang (Rama I) had not staged the military coup in 1782 to save the country from the crisis, the Thonburi Dynasty, which was in crisis under the leadership of Jeong Shin, might have been occupied by foreign countries again. This is the credit of Thong Luang (Rama I) for restoring the motherland. Without the Bangkok Dynasty established by Rama I, there would be no prosperity and wealth in Thailand today.

Secondly, Rama V led the "Meiji Restoration" in the history of Thailand, which is remembered by the Thai people.

In August 1868, the young Rama V ascended the throne as the fifth king of the Bangkok Dynasty. However, the Thailand that Rama V received was a Thailand with internal and external problems. Abroad, the British occupied India and Burma and were about to annex Thailand. France occupied Vietnam and Cambodia, and Thailand was under direct threat from the two European powers, Britain and France. At home, the country's land was occupied by feudal landlords and the people were living in poverty. At the slightest misstep, a bourgeois revolution against the royal family broke out in the country. To preserve the Bangkok dynasty and save the ruling crisis, Rama V boldly carried out the famous reform in the history of Thailand. Its significance was comparable to that of the Meiji Restoration in Japan.

Rama V's reforms covered all aspects of politics, the military, the economy, and culture. For example, in 1874, the Thai government abolished slavery, which was against the trend of the times, and serfs were emancipated one after another throughout the country. In the military, the military service system of the Thai army changed from the wartime conscription system in the past to the compulsory military service system, which was commonly adopted in Western countries in response to the development of the times, and a modernized standing army was established in imitation of Western countries. In terms of education, Rama V opened various schools, including Chulalongkorn University and various specialized colleges. Civilian schooling became a new trend under Rama V. In terms of infrastructure, Rama V built railroads, roads, and postal services to speed up the modernization of the country.

Rama V's reforms freed Thailand from Western occupation and laid the foundation for the country's modernization into the 20th century.

Thirdly, Rama VII adapted to the trend of the times and took the initiative to give up some of the royal privileges, winning the unanimous support of the common people.

The 20th century was the century of democratic revolution, and the Xinhai Revolution in China overthrew the backward feudal dictatorship and established the first democratic republic in Asia. Perhaps influenced by the Xinhai Revolution, some military officers in Thailand decided to overthrow the Bangkok Dynasty. Although the coup failed, the attempted coup by Thai army officers to overthrow the king still gives us a clear picture of the actual situation in Thailand in the early 20th century: although the Bangkok Dynasty had undergone the reforms of Rama V, Thailand was still a monarchy under the Bangkok Dynasty, and the monarchy was not adapted to the development trend of the 20th century.

After the failed coup, the democratic revolution in Thailand did not stop. The country's emerging business class formed the Thai People's Party (TPP), the first modern political party in Thai history. Members of the TPP and young soldiers in the country demanded that the Bangkok Dynasty implement a constitutional monarchy, adapt to the democratic trend of world politics, and thus save the country from political and economic crises.

In June 1932, the PPP and some young military officers staged a military coup and arrested some members of the royal family. The then King Rama VII knew that if he did not agree to the PPP's demands, he would become the "last emperor" of Thailand.

Under pressure from the coup forces, Rama VII agreed to a constitutional monarchy three days after the coup, and the PPP retained the political prerogatives of the royal family in the Thai constitution. This makes Thailand's political system at least nominally a constitutional monarchy.

Fourth, Rama IX came to power and won the support of both the military and the people.

The democratic forces represented by the Thai People's Party were not the dominant forces in Thailand. Political power in Thailand soon fell into the hands of the military regime after the 1932 coup, and the king was hollowed out by the military government. Immediately afterward, the Thai military government joined Japan in World War II, and had Thailand not fallen to the United States in time for the end of World War II, its territory would have been occupied by the Allies. The fascists in World War II made the Thai military government notorious, and the Thai people wanted the king back in power. The Thai military government sought the support of King Rama IX to retain its privileges to stay in power. To this day, the Thai military is the most influential political force in Thailand.

Rama IX also won the support and love of the people through his actions such as charity, water conservation, and education. With the combined support of the military and the people, Rama IX's kingship was as secure as a mountain. The positive influence of Rama IX on Thailand continues to this day.

By analyzing the above 4 points, we can see that the 4 kings of Thailand, Rama I, Rama V, Rama VII, and Rama IX, either reorganized the country, enriched the country, or saved the ruling crisis in different periods of history. This makes the kings a very positive image in the minds of the Thai people altogether. Coupled with the fact that the Thai military is loyal to the king, all coups in Thailand are military-led coups to maintain the king's rule. Therefore, coups are frequent in Thailand, but the King of Thailand's rule is as stable as a mountain.