I wish to refer to the Oct. 1 column titled "Thai monarchy could be heading for a crisis" by Pavin Chachavalpongpun and wish to clarify the following:
The Thai monarchy has not only been a pillar of stability in Thailand, but also the core fundamental thriving bilateral relations between Thailand and Japan, ranging from the two royal families, government-to-government, and people-to-people, levels.
His majesty the king has worked untiringly for his people during his 70 years on the throne. He has initiated thousands of development projects that have greatly benefited Thailand, improved the quality of life of his people and alleviated their hardships. He has thus been called "the Developer King" and been rewarded with a deep reverence among the Thai people. I wish to reiterate that the Thai monarchy has been and always remains above politics. The author's notion of the correlation between his majesty and the military is completely misleading and clearly guided by ulterior motives.
The royal succession is not an issue in Thailand as Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn has been proclaimed heir to the throne since 1972. In addition, there are clearly predetermined rules and procedures on such matter. Both the Palace Law on Succession and the remaining section of the Thai Constitution would be enacted to assure a smooth transition, should it is needed. To speculate how the issue would go on or prejudge the heir based on rumors and gossip is inappropriate and unjustified.
The opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are the writer's own and do not necessarily reflect the policies of The Japan Times.
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