We're winding up the Victoria Day long weekend here in Canada, the unofficial start to summer shenanigans named in honour Queen Victoria, which has led to some thoughts about another royal, Thailand's King Bhumibol.
The most recent events that have rocked that southeast Asian maritime nation have been notable for missing one important element: Any commentary or guidance from Thailand's royal leader. To critique the Thai royal family within that nation - or elsewhere - is a delicate proposition, one that might land you in jail there should your comments be construed in certain terms by local officials.
The absence of the king during this recent crisis has finally been commented upon by William Stevenson in The Toronto Star. Stevenson - author of A Man Called Intrepid - is a former advisor to the Thai king, and his thoughts are worth checking out, by clicking here.
PS: Regarding the holiday described above, I should note that Canadians will take any excuse for a day off work, even an archaic celebration of a long-dead, foreign monarch whose is supposed to have uttered, "We are not amused." As a nation noted for its comedians, we can be take great amusement in drinking beer and blowing things up to honour someone. It's kind of like a long-running, annual wake. Cheers!
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