The King Never Smiles

Last updated
The King Never Smiles
Kingneversmile.jpg
The King Never Smiles book cover
AuthorPaul M. Handley
LanguageEnglish
Subject Unauthorized biography
Publisher Yale University Press
Publication date
2006

The King Never Smiles is an unauthorized biography of Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX) by Paul M. Handley, a freelance journalist who lived and worked as a foreign correspondent in Thailand. It is published by Yale University Press and was released in 2006. The book was banned in Thailand before publication, and the Thai authorities have blocked local access to websites advertising the book.

Contents

Book summary

The publicity materials at the Yale University Press website originally described the book as telling "the unexpected story of [King Bhumibol Adulyadej's] life and 60-year rule — how a Western-raised boy came to be seen by his people as a living Buddha, and how a king widely seen as beneficent and apolitical could in fact be so deeply political, autocratic, and even brutal. Blasting apart the widely accepted image of the king as egalitarian and virtuous, Handley convincingly portrays an anti-democratic monarch who, together with allies in big business and the murderous, corrupt Thai military, has protected a centuries-old, barely modified feudal dynasty." [1]

The New York Times noted the book "presents a direct counterpoint to years of methodical royal image-making that projects a king beyond politics, a man of peace, good works and Buddhist humility." and, "The book describes [the King's only son], Vajiralongkorn, as a willful man prone to violence, fast cars and dubious business deals." [2]

Censorship in Thailand

Well before its release, in January 2006, the Thai Information and Communications Ministry banned access to the book and blocked access from Thailand to the book's page on the Yale University Press website and at Amazon.com. [3] In a statement dated 19 January 2006, Thai National Police Chief General Kowit Wattana said the book has "contents which could affect national security and the good morality of the people." [3] [4]

On 19 July 2006, ThaiDay , an English-language Thai paper, reported that the Thai government made great efforts to suppress the book, even contacting former American president George H. W. Bush and the president of Yale University, Richard C. Levin, to enlist their help.

In February 2007, the Chula Book Centre, the main bookshop of state-run Chulalongkorn University, removed Chulalongkorn University professor Giles Ungphakorn's 2007 book A Coup for the Rich from its shelves after a manager of the book shop found that it listed The King Never Smiles as a reference. State-run Thammasat University Bookstore quickly followed suit, refusing to sell the book on 6 March. However, Thammasat University's rector later reversed this decision and ordered the university bookshop to sell the book.

In October 2011, Thai-born American Joe Gordon was sentenced to two and a half years in prison by a Bangkok judge for defaming the royal family by translating sections of the book into Thai and posting them online. The judgement caused international concern as Gordon had published the extracts several years previously while living in the US and was detained only after returning to Thailand in May 2011 to seek medical treatment. [5] Speaking after the verdict, Gordon said: "I am an American citizen and what happened was in America." Later, he added in Thai, "In Thailand they put people in prison even if they don't have proof." [6] In July 2012, Gordon was pardoned by the king in advance of the Thai prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra's meeting with US secretary of state Hillary Clinton. [7]

Dueling biographers

The Handley book was published six years after the first biography of King Bhumibol, The Revolutionary King by William Stevenson. [8] Stevenson was chosen by Bhumibol himself after reading his previous book A Man Called Intrepid, a highly controversial and hagiographic biography of the Canadian Spymaster William Stephenson which had been widely criticized and discredited by veterans and historians of the CIA, MI6, and Canadian Intelligence. Despite this, Bhumibol allegedly became obsessed with the book and personally translated it from English to Thai and had the Army and the Postal Service distribute thousands of copies. Handley commented on Stevenson's book, pages 437-439 of The King Never Smiles:

"Ten years earlier, Bhumibol had invited William Stevenson, the author of the original Intrepid, to write the book. Stevenson lodged in the princess mother's Srapathum Palace and was provided research support and unprecedented interviews with court staff and the king himself ... The result was a book that presents Bhumibol as truly inviolate, magical, and godly ... the book is chock-full of the standard Ninth Reign mythology, matching the view of the palace and royal family projected in Thai publications ... When it came out, the book proved a misadventure. Stevenson was liberal with style and careless with facts to the point of embarrassing the palace. His errors were legion. The book opened with a map that showed Thailand in possession of significant portions of Laos and Burma, and put the king's Hua Hin palace 300 kilometers and a sea away from where it should be. It ended with a genealogical chart naming Rama VII as the son of his brother Rama VI ... (But) Thousands of copies circulated in Thailand, and the general reaction was to castigate the author's failings while not questioning the essence of his story, the magical and sacral monarchy of Bhumibol Adulyadej."

Paul M. Handley

Stevenson reviewed the Handley book in the Asian Wall Street Journal and the Wall Street Journal Online (16 June 2006) [9]

"Thais dislike seeing in print careless references to their king, Bhumibol Adulyadej, the reigning Ninth Rama of the Chakri dynasty. The king is venerated as a guardian of ancient traditions that are believed to have saved the Thai people from imperialists, communists and neocolonialists. They will disapprove of Paul Handley's gossipy, unfair account of this apotheosized man, the world's longest-reigning monarch. Mr. Handley casts the king as an enemy of democracy who, to solidify his once-shaky authority, allied himself with scheming generals and crooked politicians. None of this can be supported by the facts ... Mr. Handley focuses more upon the king's allegedly Machiavellian virtues than his spiritual ones. He writes, 'Bhumibol's restoration of the power and prestige of the throne was ... the fruit of a plodding, determined, and sometimes ruthless effort by diehard princes to reclaim their birthright, [and] Bhumibol's unquestioning commitment to the restoration under their tutelage.' ... Mr. Handley has largely turned King Bhumibol's story into a political screed to suit the prejudices of those with a stake in sidelining the monarch."

William Stevenson

Critical reception

International reception

The book has had a generally positive reception among international critics and scholars. The New York Review of Books called it, "one of the most important books on Thailand to appear in English." It further noted that, "The originality of Handley's book lies in his tough but I think fair-minded analysis of the revival of royal authority under King Bhumibol." [10]

In a review in the New Left Review , Duncan McCargo, a lecturer from the University of Leeds who wrote several articles on the "network monarchy" of Bhumibol and his proxies, called The King Never Smiles an "important book," that was, "fluently written and grounded in very considerable research." McCargo said that while Handley's account, "draws on insights into the Thai monarchy from a range of scholars and writers, including Christine Gray, Kobkua Suwannathat-Pian, and Sukhumbhand Paribatra," his narrative, "moves far beyond the parameters of these precursors. It has a salience and an urgency well beyond that of any ordinary biography..." McCargo praised Handley's "understanding of Bhumibol as a political actor, as the primary architect of a lifelong project to transform an unpopular and marginalized monarchical institution—on the verge of abolition more than once—into the single most powerful component of the modern Thai state." McCargo also praised Handley's "brilliantly intuitive grasp of the seedy interplay between money and power," regarding the workings of the Crown Property Bureau. In addition, McCargo noted Handley's "evident empathy with his subject." [11]

Thai reception

Critical reception in Thailand varied. Royalist Thai media tycoon and talk-show host Sondhi Limthongkul informally criticized the book as "full of gossip"[ citation needed ] and called Paul Handley "aggressive", "highhanded", "sassy", "derogatory to Asians", and "insolent even to his own parents". [12]

Chris Baker, an independent academic residing in Thailand who wrote a report praising Bhumibol's self-sufficient economy theories for the United Nations, reviewed the book in the Asia Sentinel . Baker praised the book, but said that in its later chapters, it ignored the role of the Thai elite and middle class in reimagining Bhumibol as a symbol of democracy. [13] Baker said that the middle class was key in "rewriting history to cast the king as a peace-maker in 1973 and 1992, glossing over 1976 altogether, and ignoring the 1932 revolution to make democracy seem to be a gift from the throne." [13] Baker also said that the section of the book covering the 2005-2006 political crisis (which was still occurring at the time of the book's publication) included unspecified errors and failed to explain why various groups seized on the monarchy as the focus of opposition to the government of Thaksin Shinawatra. [13] Baker said that although the book introduced little that was new for experts, it did bring everything together, including many obscure sources, in a way that "connects the dots of a complex and important story with great narrative skill and very elegant prose." [13] Furthermore, he said that the book did not "stray off to imagine what is going on in the king's mind." [13] He noted that the book was "far from perfect," but was still "streets ahead of the competition, especially the hilariously error-prone effort of William Stevenson seven years ago." [13]

Socialist activist, anti-monarchist and political scientist Giles Ungphakorn reviewed the book for Prachatai online newspaper (his brother, Jon Ungpakorn was the Secretary General of the foundation that ran the online newspaper). In his review[ citation needed ], he praised the book for its evidence-backed analysis while disagreeing with some major points in the book. He stated that Handley underestimated the historical importance of the popular movement in Thailand, for instance by writing that the 1932 revolution was led by a foreign educated elite that was not accompanied by a popular uprising among the rural population. Giles noted that this view was different from that of political scientist Nakharin Mekhtrairat, who claimed there was strong pressure within the mainstream Thai society of the time to overthrow the absolute monarchy. Giles also said that the book's analysis of the weakening of the Thai military dictatorship during the late 1970s overemphasized the importance of Bhumibol, Army Commander Krit Srivara, and Richard Nixon's diplomacy with Communist China, while not placing enough importance on the role of students and workers. Giles stated that Handley's view that dictator Sarit Thanarat was a tool for King Bhumibol was not that of political scientist Thak Chaloemtiarana, who felt the opposite was true: Sarit used King Bhumibol as a tool to increase his own credibility.

Publication history

The book was commercially successful. By October 2006, the book went through three printings.[ citation needed ] Although the book was banned in Thailand, samizdat photocopies of the book were available for sale in the Tha Phrachan area of Bangkok.[ citation needed ] Unauthorized translations of sections of the book appeared on several websites, [14] [15] [16] although some sites were blocked by censors. [17]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chakri dynasty</span> Reigning dynasty of the Kingdom of Thailand

The Chakri dynasty is the current reigning dynasty of the Kingdom of Thailand. The head of the house is the king, who is head of state. The family has ruled Thailand since the founding of the Rattanakosin Era and the city of Bangkok in 1782; following the end of Taksin Thonburi's reign, when the capital of Siam shifted to Bangkok. The royal house was founded by Rama I, an Ayutthaya military leader of Sino-Mon descent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ananda Mahidol</span> King of Siam from 1935 to 1946

Ananda Mahidol was the eighth King of Siam from the Chakri dynasty, titled Rama VIII. At the time he was recognised as king by the National Assembly in March 1935, he was a nine-year-old boy living in Switzerland. He returned to Thailand in December 1945, but six months later, in June 1946, he was found shot dead in his bed. Although at first thought to have been an accident, his death was ruled a murder by medical examiners, and three royal aides were later executed following very irregular trials. The mysterious circumstances surrounding his death have been the subject of much controversy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bhumibol Adulyadej</span> King of Thailand from 1946 to 2016

Bhumibol Adulyadej, conferred with the title King Bhumibol the Great, was the ninth King of Thailand from the Chakri dynasty, titled Rama IX. Reigning from 1946 until his death in 2016, he is the third-longest verified reigning sovereign monarch in world history after King Louis XIV and Queen Elizabeth II, reigning for 70 years and 126 days. His reign of over 70 years is the longest reign of any Thai monarch, and the longest native rule of any Asian sovereign.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ubol Ratana</span> Thai princess (born 1951)

Ubol Ratana is a member of the Thai royal family. She is the eldest child of King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Queen Sirikit and elder sister of King Vajiralongkorn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sirikit</span> Queen of Thailand from 1950 to 2016

Sirikit is the Queen Mother of Thailand as the mother of King Vajiralongkorn. She was Queen of Thailand from 1950 to 2016 as the wife of King Bhumibol.

Associate ProfessorGiles Ji Ungpakorn is a Thai-British academic, and Marxist political activist. He formerly worked as a teacher at Chulalongkorn University. He worked as an associate professor in the Faculty of Political Science, Chulalongkorn University, before he fled to the United Kingdom in 2009 after facing a lèse majesté charge in Thailand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prem Tinsulanonda</span> Prime Minister of Thailand from 1980 to 1988

Prem Tinsulanonda was a Thai military officer, politician, and statesman who served as the Prime Minister of Thailand from 3 March 1980 to 4 August 1988, during which time he was credited with ending a communist insurgency and presiding over accelerating economic growth. As president of the Privy Council, he served as Regent of Thailand from the death of King Bhumibol Adulyadej on 13 October 2016 until 1 December 2016, when Vajiralongkorn was proclaimed King. At the age of 98, Prem was the longest-living Thai Prime Minister. He is also the oldest regent of any country, surpassing Bavarian Prince Regent Luitpold's record, when he became the regent for king Rama X.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Plaza (Bangkok)</span> Public square in palace and government quarter of Bangkok, Thailand

The Royal Plaza, or formally Dusit Palace Plaza, and also known among Thais as Equestrian Statue Plaza, is an important public square in the palace and government quarter of Bangkok, the capital of Thailand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">60th Anniversary Celebrations of Bhumibol Adulyadej's Accession</span>

The Sixtieth Anniversary Celebrations of King Bhumibol Adulyadej's Accession to the Throne were the celebrations held throughout Thailand in 2006 to celebrate King Bhumibol Adulyadej's 60 years on the throne. The celebrations were arranged by the Royal Thai Government with Thaksin Shinawatra as Prime Minister, and joined by representatives of other monarchies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1924 Palace Law of Succession</span> Law of Thailand

The Palace Law of Succession, Buddhist Era 2467 (1924) governs succession to the Throne of the Kingdom of Thailand, under the ruling House of Chakri. Succession matters prior to the end of absolute monarchy in 1932 could be contentious, especially during the Ayutthaya period from the 14th to 18th centuries. In 1924, King Vajiravudh attempted to clarify the succession process by laying down the Palace Law of Succession. It was promulgated and came into effect in November 1924 as, in part, an attempt to eliminate the vagueness relating to succession within the Thai monarchical regime and to systematically resolve previous controversies. In 1932, after Siam became a constitutional monarchy, various amendments relating to succession were introduced. The 1997 Constitution of Thailand relied on the law with regards to succession, but the 2006 Interim Constitution made no mention of succession, leaving it to "constitutional practice". The 2007 Constitution again relied on the Palace Law. The preamble of the 2014 interim constitution of Thailand abrogated the 2007 Constitution, with the exception of chapter 2, concerning the monarchy and the succession.

Chumbhotbongs Paribatra, Prince of Nakhon Sawan II was the only son of Prince Paripatra to survive into adulthood. He married Mom Ratchawong Pantip Devakula. Their daughter is the artist, Princess Marsi Paribatra.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red Gaurs</span> Thai right-wing paramilitary organization

The Red Gaurs were an extreme right-wing paramilitary organization active in Thailand during the 1970s. The Red Gaurs played a key role in the 6 October 1976 massacre of students and activists at Thammasat University. The organization derives its name from the gaur, also called the Indian bison, the largest extant bovine. The gaur is native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kris Sivara</span> Thai general (1914–1976)

Kris Sivara was a military officer of the Royal Thai Army, a member of the Thai Cabinet, and deputy commander-in-chief of the Royal Thai Army during the violent crackdown on democracy protesters on 14 October 1973. He was later promoted to Commander in Chief of the Royal Thai Army from 1973 to 1975.

Most Internet censorship in Thailand prior to the September 2006 military coup d'état was focused on blocking pornographic websites. The following years have seen a constant stream of sometimes violent protests, regional unrest, emergency decrees, a new cybercrimes law, and an updated Internal Security Act. Year by year Internet censorship has grown, with its focus shifting to lèse majesté, national security, and political issues. By 2010, estimates put the number of websites blocked at over 110,000. In December 2011, a dedicated government operation, the Cyber Security Operation Center, was opened. Between its opening and March 2014, the Center told ISPs to block 22,599 URLs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siamese revolution of 1932</span> 1932 overthrow of Thai King Prajadhipok; constitutional monarchy established

The Siamese revolution of 1932 or Siamese coup d'état of 1932 was a coup d'état by Khana Ratsadon which occurred in Siam on 24 June 1932. It ended Siam's centuries-long absolute monarchy rule under the Chakri dynasty and resulted in a bloodless transition of Siam into a constitutional monarchy, the introduction of democracy and the first constitution, and the creation of the National Assembly. Dissatisfaction caused by the economic crisis, the lack of a competent government, and the rise of Western-educated commoners fueled the revolution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monarchy of Thailand</span> Hereditary head of state of Thailand

The monarchy of Thailand refers to the constitutional monarchy of the Kingdom of Thailand. The king of Thailand is the head of state and head of the ruling Royal House of Chakri.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bureau of the Royal Household</span> Thai ministry for royal property management

The Bureau of the Royal Household (BRH) is an agency of the monarchy of Thailand. In addition to a range of administrative and ceremonial responsibilities, the bureau also serves as a conduit for royal philanthropy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrew MacGregor Marshall</span> Scottish journalist and author

Andrew MacGregor Marshall is a Scottish journalist and author, focusing mainly on human rights, conflict, politics and crime, mostly in Asia and the Middle East. A noted critic of the Thai monarchy and government, in June 2011, Marshall resigned from Reuters in controversial circumstances after the news agency refused to publish exclusive stories he was writing on the Thai monarchy. His 2014 book A Kingdom in Crisis was banned in Thailand and a prominent Thai royalist made a formal complaint to police accusing Marshall of several crimes including lèse majesté.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Network monarchy</span> Thai political concept

The network monarchy is a conceptual framework developed by some academics of Thai politics to describe a political network involved in active interventions in the political process by the monarch and his proxies under the country's constitutional monarchy system. The monarch works with and through other political agencies, such as the elected parliament, and the consensus among the Thai elite is essential. The ideology is generally situated within right-wing politics, but may take on liberal features.

References

  1. Handley, Paul M (2006). The King Never Smiles: A Biography of Thailand's Bhumibol Adulyadej. Yale University Press. ISBN   0-300-10682-3.
  2. Perlez, Jane (26 September 2006). "A Banned Book Challenges Saintly Image of Thai King". The New York Times.
  3. 1 2 Warrick-Alexander, James (February 06, 2006). "Thailand Bars Univ. Website Archived 2009-01-13 at the Wayback Machine " Yale Daily News
  4. The URLs of the book on the Amazon.com and YUP websites were listed on the MICT blocklist no later than 11 January 2007 and continued to be listed as of 12 March 2007. MICT blocklists are available from the website of Freedom Against Censorship Thailand
  5. "Thai judge gives American two years for 'insulting monarchy'". The Guardian. London. 8 December 2011.
  6. "Thai judge gives American two years for 'insulting monarchy'". The Guardian. Associated Press. December 8, 2011 via www.theguardian.com.
  7. "Thai king pardons American convicted of insulting monarchy". The Guardian. July 11, 2012 via www.theguardian.com.
  8. Stevenson, William (2001). The Revolutionary King. Constable and Robinson. ISBN   1-84119-451-4.
  9. Stevenson, William (16 June 2006). "Survivor". The Wall Street Journal Online.
  10. Buruma, Ian (March 2007). "Thailand: All the King's Men". New York Review of Books. 54 (3).
  11. McCargo, Duncan (January–February 2007). "A hollow crown" . New Left Review . II (43): 135–144.
  12. "Unfolding 'Meo' Keep quiet no order books ท้วง western verge of the King". MGR Online. 17 July 2006 [2549 BE]. Archived from the original on 12 March 2007. Retrieved 15 March 2007.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Baker, Chris (8 September 2006). "Revival, Renewal and Reinvention: The Complex Life of Thailand's Monarch". Asian Sentinel. Archived from the original on 4 November 2006. Retrieved 16 March 2007.
  14. "thaitkns". sites.google.com.
  15. "tknsthai". sites.google.com.
  16. "Unauthorized Thai translation of Chapter 15 of the book" (PDF).
  17. Noi, Chang (16 April 2007). "Inconvenient truths of censorship". The Nation. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007.

Further reading